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TODAY at 4PM: San Diego Veterans Call On Pentagon to Pay Back Bonuses

San Diego, CA (October 25, 2016) – Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) veteran members will host a press conference today, Tuesday, October 25, 2016 at 4PM PST to demand the Pentagon forgive the debts of nearly 10,000 California Guardsmen created by a 2006 error at the hands of government officials. IAVA will not rest until this action is reversed and we reject the notion that any servicemember or veteran should have to pay the price for failures of their leaders.

WHAT: Leading voices of the Post-9/11 generation of veterans demand Pentagon forgive re-enlistment bonus overpayment of California National Guard members and veterans.

WHEN: Tuesday, October 25, 2016, 4:00pm PST

WHO: Steven Padillia, IAVA Field Coordinator
Moses Maddox, IAVA Member
Priscillia Juan, IAVA Member
James Seddon, IAVA Member Leader

WHERE: The Veterans Museum at Balboa Park
2115 Park Boulevard
San Diego, CA 92101

Steven Padillia, as Field Coordinator, Steven is responsible for the new and growing VetTogethers initiative, which encourages community-building through member-led monthly events in the San Diego, CA area. Steven will also act as a RRRP Liaison and advocate with service providers, VSOs, community organizations and Camp Pendleton with support from RRRP Team members. Steven is a US Army Veteran who served from 2008 – 2011. In 2009 he deployed to Kirkuk, Iraq where he and his unit conducted Route Clearance. His unit was awarded a unit meritorious award for having the highest find to detonation ratio in Northern Iraq. Steven has also worked as an IAVA Volunteer in a number of capacities.

Moses Maddox, is an IAVA member in the San Diego area. Moses is a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps with two tours served in Iraq. He was trained as a Financial Management Specialist, but he served as a Graves Registration Specialist in 2004 and a Civil Affairs Specialist in 2006. He left the Marines in 2006 and immediately enrolled in a local community college using the GI Bill. The quick transition was rough at first, as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and a Traumatic Brain Injury took their toll on his coursework. He struggled to get treatment at VA and overcame his invisible injuries. Moses bounced back academically by the end of the fall 2008 semester and made Dean’s List. Moses later transferred to California State University, San Marcos, where he graduated with a BA in Social Sciences in May. He currently works for The Mission Continues in St Louis.

Priscilla Juan, is an IAVA member in California.She servied in OIF as the Social Media Chief of Defense Media Activity, Marine Corps Production, at Headquarters Marine Corps. She continues to serve in the Marine Corps Reserve as a Mass Communications Specialist.

James Seddon, as an IAVA Volunteer Community Leader coordinates events, outreach, and volunteers in the San Diego area. He retired from the Navy in 2015 after 21 years of service as a surface warfare officer afloat and ashore in active and reserve billets. This included a deployment from 2009-2010 to Afghanistan where he served on the staff of US Forces Afghanistan. His day job is managing the Enterprise Network Operations team for a major research university. He received his BS in computer science from the University of Southern California.

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