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.
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 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.
IAVA Board Member Wes Moore and TIME columnist Joe Klein joined Chris Matthews on Hardball to dicuss Klein's cover story, The New Greatest Generation. Moore and four other IAVA Member Veterans were featured on the cover. See the cover here and read the piece here.
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 Member Veteran Jonathan Raab joined Last Call with Lawrence O'Donnell to discuss veteran unemployment. One of the main topics of discussion was Jonathan's recent New York Timespiece highlighting his own experiences with job struggles as a veteran. This fall, Jonathan will redeploy to Afghanistan.
IAVA's Senior Policy Advisor Todd Bowers, a Purple Heart veteran who served in both Iraq and Afghanistan, and Nick Colgin, an Afghanistan veteran and currently working in IAVA's Membership Department, joined Rachel Maddow to discuss veteran unemployment and Nick's story being shared by the President. You can see the President's speech on combating veteran unemployment here.
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.
