Unemployment levels continue to rise for veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan. In December, the unemployment rate for new veterans topped 13.1 percent as the national rate declined to 8.5 percent.
On January 9, Tom Tarantino appeared on FOX News and spoke about the challenges new vets face as they transition home to high levels of unemployment.
On January 8, IAVA Founder and Executive Director Paul Rieckhoff was featured in Rolling Stone as one of twelve leaders who "gets it done" in Washington, D.C.
In 2011, Rieckhoff was part of a coalition that championed the VOW to Hire Heroes Act to near unanimous passage in Congress. It was the only jobs bill that passed all year.
On Thursday, December 15, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta attended a ceremony in Baghdad which officially concluded the American war in Iraq. IAVA Senior Membership Associate Timothy Kudo, an OIF/OEF veteran and a former Captain in the Marine Corps, reacts to the news that the war is over.
"I think everyone that served over there is going to look back on this... as a defining moment in their generation," Kudo affirmed.
On Thursday, December 8, IAVA Senior Legislative Associate Tom Tarantino appeared on CNN and spoke about the end of the Iraq War and war's legacy on service members and their families.
"Coming back from combat is a process for everyone," Tarantino said. The vast majority of service members are able to rise to the challenge with the support of family and friends. IAVA's new issue report "Unsung Heroes" is a critical first step in understanding what military families face after the service members come home.
In an interview with Howard Fineman for the Huffington Post, IAVA Founder and Executive Director Paul Rieckhoff spoke about his work advocating for veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan. Rieckhoff addressed the challenges facing the newest generation of veterans and the leadership lessons that can be gleaned from their experiences overseas.
On November 10, IAVA Founder and Executive Director Paul Rieckhoff responded to the news that the Air Force has mistreated war dead at Dover Air Force Base, dumping cremated remains into a landfill from 2003-2008. "Whatever happened here is absolutely inexcusable and we owe a full explanation, a full investigation, to the families and everyone in the military community that is impacted by this," he said.
On Saturday, October 22 IAVA Senior Legislative Associate Tom Tarantino appeared on MSNBC and reacted to the news that all U.S. troops will be out of Iraq by the end of the year. “It’s time that we as a country take this announcement as a call to action, to step up and serve those who have served us,” he said.
On October 21, IAVA Founder and Executive Director Paul Rieckhoff went on CNN and reacted to the news that all troops will be out of Iraq by the end of the year. "It's a really poignant time," he said. "Many of us gave large parts of our lives—some gave all—in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom." Click here to read IAVA's statement on the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq.
On the 10th anniversary of the war, IAVA's Senior Membership Associate Timothy Kudo joined CBS The Early Show to talk about his service in Afghanistan and why our country needs to double down in its commitment to support our returning troops.
On October 5th, IAVA's Senior Legislative Associate Tom Tarantino discussed the validity of a Pew Research Center Poll, which suggests that the majority of Americans think the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were not worth the effort.
