On Wednesday, May 16, IAVA member Moses Maddox appeared on the David Letterman show. A corporal in the Marine Corps, Moses talked about his experience serving two tours in Iraq. Watch the full segment below.
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 Monday, March 19, the CEO of Mission Continues Eric Greiten and the Executive Director of IAVA Paul Rieckhoff appeared on the Charlie Rose Show and spoke about the state of the U.S. military. There's been major strain on American forces after ten years of war, including strain on military families. Less than one percent of Americans have served in Iraq or Afghanistan.
On Thursday, March 15, IAVA Founder and Executive Director Paul Rieckhoff appeared on MSNBC and spoke about the "crazy vet" stereotype that has reemerged after last Sunday's incident in Kandahar, where 16 civilians were killed allegedly by an Army Staff Sergeant.
On Wednesday, February 29, the President and the First Lady hosted 87 veterans of the Iraq War at the White House. Among the guests was Jason Hansman, OIF veteran and Membership Director at IAVA.
Watch Jason discuss the White House dinner and IAVA's push to celebrate all veterans of Iraq.
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.
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 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.
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.
IAVA Founder and Executive Director Paul Rieckhoff was recently featured in the Fall 2011 issue of USAA Magazine. A veteran of Iraq, Rieckhoff has been a leading force in the new veterans movement since he returned home in 2004.
