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, 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 appeared on CNN Newsroom and spoke about the incident in Kandahar which claimed the lives of 16 Afghans. The Army Staff Sergeant accused of killing the Afghans reportedly suffered a traumatic brain injury, but Tarantino cautioned that "correlation and coincidence doesn't necessarily equal cause."
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.
IAVA's Senior Policy Advisor Todd Bowers, a Purple Heart veteran who served in both Iraq and Afghanistan, had the opportunity to represent IAVA's more than 100,000 members at the closing ceremony today in Washington, D.C. Afterwards, Todd spoke to CNN about the unique role that the doctors, service members and caregivers at Walter Reed have played over the past decade in the lives of the thousands of wounded veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.
After it took 70 days for the papers of a quadruple amputee to be processed by the VA, the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee will hear the testimony of the wife of the wounded marine and the testimony of the Executive Director of IAVA, Paul Rieckhoff. The Committee is scheduled to meet tomorrow, July 27th, at 10 a.m.
Veteran of Iraq or Afghanistan? Join the conversation and share your own experiences with fellow veterans inside Community of Veterans.
IAVA Senior Legislative Associate Tom Tarantino joined Bob Barnard in Washington, DC to discuss invisible injuries on National PTSD Awareness Day. The day is inspired by North Dakota Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Joe Biel, who took his own life following two tours in Iraq. June 27th was Biel's birthday.
IAVA Senior Legislative Associate Tom Tarantino joined Tamron Hall on MSNBC to discuss the drawdown in Afghanistan alongside Col. Cedric Leighton. Tom argued that the the American public must be ready for the surge of new veterans coming home from from Afghanistan who will be facing unprecedented rates of unemployment, mental health challenges and suicide.
IAVA Executive Director and Founder Paul Rieckhoff was a guest on MSNBC's Morning Joe program along with Dr. Timothy Miller from Operation Mend. They discussed the important work that Operation Mend is doing to assist in the recovery for wounded veterans.
IAVA Founder and Executive Director Paul Rieckhoff joined New York Times' Correspondent Mark Mazzetti on Hardball with Chris Matthews to discuss the death of Osama bin Laden, the current situation in Pakistan and the Navy SEAL operation. Click here to read IAVA's release about this weekend's events.
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