On Saturday, December 17, IAVA Senior Writing Manager Matt Gallagher appeared on CNN and spoke about what the end of the Iraq War means to him and the approximately 1 million veterans who served in OIF/OND. "It's a very surreal time... for all veterans of Iraq," Gallagher 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.
IAVA Executive Director Paul Rieckhoff and Membership Intern and Afghanistan veteran Nick Colgin spoke to CNN about President Obama's initiative to improve the private sectoe job outlook for new veterans. You can learn more about his plan here.
Veteran of Iraq or Afghanistan? Join the conversation and share your own experiences with fellow veterans inside Community of Veterans.
Paul Rieckhoff, who has helped bring two of the interpreters he worked with in Iraq to the U.S., believes the responsibility can't be limited to the contractors. "I kind of expect less from corporations than I expect from the government," said Rieckhoff, founder of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America.
U.S. war veterans recently began lobbying to admit more U.S.-affiliated Iraqis as immigrants. "The number let into the United States is embarrassingly low," said Paul Rieckhoff, director of the 85,000-member Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. "It's a moral disgrace and tactically shortsighted. If we don't protect them, nobody else is going to stand up and help us."
When Lt. Col. Michael Zacchea left Iraq in 2005, he was torn. His yearlong mission to train an Iraqi Army battalion had left him wounded and emotionally drained, and he was eager to go. But leaving Iraq also meant leaving Jack, his Iraqi interpreter, to face an insurgency that has made a point of brutalizing those who help the Americans.
IAVA Representative and Member Veteran Mike Zacchea recently spoke with the Marine Corps Times about the struggle to bring his interpreter "Jack" to the United States.
Join our growing movement. Sign up for your free membership today.
