To our Austin (and surrounding…) Members:

IAVA has an exciting mission for you—if you choose to accept it.

We need leaders to represent our veterans community next week at a very special VetTogether activation at South by South West.

Next Sunday night, March 10 at 6pm CT, CNN will be hosting a Town Hall at South by South West with Presidential Candidates Representative John Delaney, Representative Tulsi Gabbard, and Mayor Pete Buttigieg. IAVA will be sending member veterans to join IAVA as part of the audience.

IAVA is an emphatically non-partisan organization. We do not support any political candidates — or any party.  And our members come from all political backgrounds. However, we do believe in empowering veterans to challenge all current and potential future leaders and lawmakers to support the issues that are important to us. And we believe that every national conversation, on every network, should involve the true voices of veterans.

That is why we are sending IAVA members on Sunday. And why we’ll work with many news networks on events over the next few years. Just as we have in the past with the historic IAVA Commander-in-Chief Forum back in 2016 that brought Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump together in the same place for the first time as candidates. We have already sent IAVA members to the CNN Town Halls with former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz in Houston, Senator Amy Klobuchar in New Hampshire, and Senator Bernie Sanders in Washington, DC. And there will be many more in the next two years.

A great number of our supporters are civilian allies — who we truly appreciate. But this VetTogether is only available to verified veterans.

If you would like to join IAVA there to represent our community, please sign up for this VetTogether here BEFORE 5pm tomorrow (Friday March 8).  We will follow-up to request additional information, including your current profession, a copy of your DD-214, a headshot, your party affiliation (if you have one) and why you want to attend. So get that stuff together right now.

Please only apply if you’re available from 5:00pm-10:00pm Sunday night.  The Town Hall will air from 6:00pm-9:00pm, but attendees will need to be there significantly earlier.

If you can’t make it, we invite you to tune into that night and watch. And join the conversation inside IAVA’s Virtual Veterans Hall.

Keep checking your email and IAVA social media for more VetTogether opportunities and critical information impacting our community.  The need for your involvement in the future of our veterans movement — and the future of our great country — has never been greater.

Onward.

Jeremy

Jeremy Butler
Navy Veteran
Chief Executive Officer
Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA)