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 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 Wednesday, March 14, IAVA Deputy Policy Director Tom Tarantino spoke about the quality of mental health care provided to American service members and veterans. While the U.S. military is incredibly good with treating physical injuries such as gunshot wounds, there is a stigma associated with treating invisible injuries like post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury.
On Tuesday, March 13, IAVA Deputy Policy Director Tom Tarantino appeared on CNN International: World Report and spoke about mental health screenings in the military and the recent incident in Kandahar, where 16 civilians were killed allegedly by an Army Staff Sergeant.
"This generation of veterans has been incredibly resilient," Tom said. "I think it's important that we don't let this one incident stain the honor and the service and the sacrifice that American men and women have faced when serving overseas."
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 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 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.
