On Wednesday, May 16, IAVA Membership Coordinator Nick Colgin appeared on CBS News and discussed how his traumatic brain injury changed his life forever. New research suggests traumatic brain injuries triggered by bomb blasts may have more in common with the head injuries of athletes than previously thought. Over 200,000 U.S. service members have been diagnosed with a brain injury in the last ten years. Watch the full segment below.
On Thursday, IAVA Membership Coordinator appeared on MSNBC’s The Dylan Ratigan show and discussed the impact of traumatic brain injury and multiple deployments on the veteran community. A TBI survivor, Colgin described what it was like to bounce back from a TBI and he challenged the stereotypes that have lumped 2.4 million Americans with the actions of one individual.
On Monday, March 19, IAVA Membership Coordinator Nick Colgin appeared on CNN Newsroom and spoke about the recent incident out of Kandahar and what it's like to serve in Afghanistan. Colgin served in Operation Enduring Freedom as a medic with the 82D Airborne Division.
"Coming home is hard for any soldier," he said, but the public should be careful not to jump to stereotypes and confuse the actions of SSG Bales with other veterans of Iraq or Afghanistan.
On Friday, February 24, IAVA Deputy Policy Director Tom Tarantino responded to recent reports that the military has tried to avoid diagnosing veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder to cut costs.
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 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 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.
