Full Cost of War Must Include Support for Returning Troops

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Twitter: IAVAPressRoom

Full Cost of War Must Include Support for Returning Troops

 Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans Respond to President Obama’s
Address on Afghanistan Policy

NEW YORK – Today, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), the nation’s first and largest nonprofit, non-partisan organization for the veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, issued the following statement in response to President Obama’s address on Afghanistan this evening: 

“Tonight, as the nation focuses on details of the troop numbers in Afghanistan, IAVA urges all Americans to be equally focused on the plan to care for those troops when they return home.

The true cost of the war in Afghanistan, like all wars, must include a lifetime of support for veterans and their families.  As important as the number of planes, trucks and weapons allocated to Afghanistan are the number of surgeons, psychiatrists and case workers resourced at home. The men and women who serve in Afghanistan, hundreds of thousands of whom have already served multiple tours, cannot afford another Walter Reed-type situation.

As the President lays out his strategy for Afghanistan tonight, the VA health care budget is still late, 61 days and counting. If our leaders in Washington are serious about supporting the troops, Congress must send the VA budget to the President immediately. They must also take long overdue steps to reform the outdated and ineffective VA disability system.

President Obama must also find ways to fully engage the American public in supporting and advocating for all those who have served. For far too long, our service members and their families have been shouldering the costs of war alone.” 

To arrange an interview with IAVA Executive Director Paul Rieckhoff or another veteran spokesperson, please contact Chrissy Stevens (212)-982-9699 or Chrissy@iava.org.

Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (www.IAVA.org) is the country's first and largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization for veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and has more than 150,000 veteran members and civilian supporters nationwide. 

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