On February 7, IAVA Executive Director Paul Rieckhoff discussed why veterans of Iraq should be celebrated with a 'Welcome Home' parade. The Mayor of New York City and the Department of Defense have opposed a parade while U.S. troops remain in Afghanistan. The White House is honoring 200 Iraq veterans and their city with a state dinner on February 29.
On Friday, January 27, IAVA Founder and Executive Director Paul Rieckhoff appeared on The Rachel Maddow Show and discussed the upcoming "Welcome Home Our Heroes" parade in St. Louis. The first of its kind in the nation, the parade was held on Saturday, January 28 and celebrated America's newest generation of veterans. IAVA local leader Angela Peacock was on hand, organizing a local cohort of IAVA vets.
Help give every Iraq and Afghanistan vet the welcome home they deserve. Join IAVA in calling for a national event to honor the 2.4 million veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan. Add your name to our petition.
On Friday, December 16, IAVA Membership Director Jason Hansman appeared on NY1 and commented on the challenges some veterans face as they come home. Earlier that day, Defense Secretary Panetta attended a ceremony in Baghdad which officially concluded the American war in Iraq.
"The biggest issue that we're seeing right now is veteran unemployment," Hansman said. New veteran unemployment reached 11.1 percent in the month of November, nearly two points higher than the national average.
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 11/11/11, hundreds of IAVA Member Veterans marched in the 2011 New York City Veterans Day parade. IAVA Founder and Executive Director talks about the energy surrounding the event and what Veterans Day means to the organization.
From September 19th through September 21st, Founder and Executive Director of IAVA Paul Rieckhoff attended the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI), a forum that strives to translate ideas into action. Paul participated in sessions on veterans’ affairs and credits CGI with launching veterans unemployment “on the national dialogue.” IAVA has partnered with the U.S.
IAVA Board Member Wes Moore and TIME columnist Joe Klein discussed Klein's cover story on new veterans being leaders on Morning Joe. RMoore and four other IAVA Member Veterans, including IAVA Executive Director Paul Rieckhoff, were featured on the cover. See the cover here and read the piece here.
IAVA Founder and Executive Director Paul Rieckhoff and TIME columnist Joe Klein joined CNN American Morning to discuss Klein's cover story on new veterans being leaders. Rieckhoff and four other IAVA Member Veterans were featured on the cover. See the cover here and read the piece here.
IAVA Founder and Executive Director Paul Rieckhoff spoke with WNYC's Brian Lehrer about the death of Osama bin Laden by the Navy SEALs and what it means for the veterans and military communities and the country as a whole. Click here to read IAVA's release on the matter.
On April 27th, Bradley Cooper, Kathy Griffin and other Hollywood stars came together to support our nation's newest veterans and their families at the Third Annual Heroes Celebration in Los Angeles. At the Celebration, IAVA honored the work of Sebastian Junger and Tim Hetherington, filmmakers of the Oscar-nominated documentary Restrepo, with the inaugural Leadership in Entertainment Award.
