As the leading voice for the post-9/11 veteran community, IAVA continues to advocate on behalf of all veterans and create awareness about issues and topics impacting our community. Below are important articles and news sources from the past month:

(Newsy) IAVA’s Tom Porter Joined Newsy to Discuss the Situation in Afghanistan:

(Spectrum) IAVA’s Travis Horr Shares His Perspective on Service in Afghanistan:

(CBS) IAVA’s Tom Porter Discusses the Crisis that Has Developed in Afghanistan:

(ABC) IAVA’s Tom Porter Discusses the Struggle of Our Allies That Are in Afghanistan:

(WCBS) IAVA’s Jeremy Butler Discusses the Immediate Priorities of the Afghanistan Withdrawal:

(FOX 5 DC) IAVA Discusses the U.S. Troop Withdrawal and the Taliban Advancement:

Military Times: Taliban takeover prompts fears of a resurgent al-Qaida

By Eric Tucker

The lightning-fast changes in Afghanistan are forcing the Biden administration to confront the prospect of a resurgent al-Qaida, the group that attacked America on Sept. 11, 2001, at the same time the U.S. is trying to stanch violent extremism at home and cyberattacks from Russia and China. Jeremy Butler, CEO of Iraq Afghanistan Veterans of America, responds to the recent events in Afghanistan and how veterans are absorbing the news coming out of Kabul.

Business Insider: ‘I’m not OK, man’: Afghans are begging US veterans they served with to help get them and their families out

By Ryan Pickrell

The fall of Afghanistan to Taliban control left thousands of Afghans who had worked with the US and their families in a dangerous place, worried their service puts a target on their back. Many US veterans have been receiving emails, calls, and text messages from them looking for help. Tom Porter, a veteran and the executive vice president for government affairs with Iraq and Afghan Veterans of America, told Insider that the top priority right now should be to “expeditiously evacuate all American personnel and the many thousands of Afghans who partnered with American forces over the last 20 years.”

Chicago Tribune: ‘It’s getting punched in the gut.’ Veterans, families try to reconcile Afghanistan collapse with military sacrifice.

By Alison Bowen

Over two decades, 800,000 Americans served in Afghanistan; many are now watching the disintegration of that country. Many veterans said their feelings were complicated, as they were processing experiences they had years ago, and didn’t expect them to surface this week. “I wish the public had been half this interested in what we were doing in Afghanistan over the last 10 years,” said Jeremy Butler, who grew up in Springfield and is chief executive officer of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. “It really does feel like Afghanistan has become the “forgotten war.””

KPBS: Veterans Of The War In Afghanistan Reflect On The Rapid Collapse

By Steve Walsh

Many veterans long supported an end to the war in Afghanistan, but they also watched with anger and disbelief as the country, seemingly overnight, fell to the Taliban. Tom Porter, a Navy Reservist, was in Afghanistan in 2010 and 2011. He’s now with the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, which is a service organization for post-9/11 vets. Porter has been reaching out to fellow vets, who are watching everything unfold in real time. Many people are trying to stay away from the news but they can’t help themselves.

NPR: Veterans Who Supported Ending The War In Afghanistan Describe Seeing The Country Fall

By Steve Walsh and Ailsa Chang

Many veterans have long supported ending the war in Afghanistan, but they also watched with anger and disbelief as the country fell to the Taliban seemingly overnight. Tom Porter, a Navy Reservist, was in Afghanistan in 2010 and 2011 and is now with the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, a service organization for post-9/11 vets. “To see it all melt away in a matter of hours, it’s shocking, and it’s angry. And you’re going to have a lot of veterans, service members, their families wondering, you know, what was it all – was it all worth it,” said Porter.

AZ Central: ‘I’ve shed blood there’: Arizona veteran who served in Afghanistan mourns Taliban takeover

By Perry Vandell 

Watching U.S. citizens and Afghan interpreters flee Afghanistan as the Taliban takes control of the country’s capital has been heartbreaking for Zack Kreisheimer. Kreisheimer, 33, is from Phoenix and served as a combat medic in the U.S. Army and served two deployments in Afghanistan between 2010 and 2013. Kreisheimer, who is now involved with the nonprofit Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, said it was especially difficult watching the Taliban seize Kandahar, as that was the city he spent the most time in.

Maine Public: Maine Veterans Say ‘Heart Breaks’ As Afghanistan Falls To Taliban

By Fred Bever

Maine veterans of the Afghanistan war are cycling through a range of thoughts and emotions as they watch the conflict’s chaotic ending. Like many Maine vets, Travis Horr says he wasn’t surprised that the Taliban would take over the country once U.S. forces were gone. But the speed of the U.S.-backed government’s collapse, and the ensuing chaos, he says, are tragic. A New Gloucester native, Horr is now chief lobbyist for a group called the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, in Washington, D.C.

Military Times: Mental health resources are available for veterans unsettled by Afghanistan news 

By Leo Shane III

Advocates are reminding veterans that help is available if headlines about the disastrous end of the U.S mission in Afghanistan and the looming Sept. 11 anniversary are triggering anxiety and mental health issues. Officials from Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America said veterans who served in the recent wars should remember that their service “was important and mattered.” The organization’s Quick Reaction Force for help is available online and at 855-917-274. 

New York Post: Afghanistan veterans press White House to get Afghan colleagues out

By Samuel Chamberlain

As the Taliban tightens its control over Afghanistan after sweeping to power this weekend, veterans of America’s longest war are begging the Biden administration to pick up the pace of evacuating Afghans who aided them on the battlefield. Matt Zeller’s, a former CIA officer and co-founder of the nonprofit No One Left Behind, call was echoed Monday by the organization Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), which called on the government to “waste no additional time in bringing the thousands of Afghan allies who have stood shoulder to shoulder with our forces, and their families, to safety in the US now.”

CBS New York: Local War Veterans Reflect On U.S. Decision To Leave Afghanistan: ‘It Did Not Need To Get To This Point’

By Alice Gainer

War veterans that spoke to CBS2 on and off camera said the Taliban takeover was inevitable since the Afghani army mostly lacked the will. “Afghanistan is a very divided country,” said Jeremy Butler, CEO of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. Butler served six years active duty as a Navy surface warfare officer and is now in the Reserves. “They see themselves as members of their tribe, maybe religious based, but not as Afghans. So, there never was a cohesive binding force around the military. That was one of the things we overlooked,” Butler said.

CNN: How US veterans and their families are reacting to the events unfolding in Afghanistan 

By Dakin Andone

There’s a wide range of opinions among Afghanistan war veterans about the US withdrawal, said Tom Porter, an Afghanistan veteran and the executive vice president for government relations at Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA). Stressing he doesn’t speak for everyone, Porter said some veterans feel the withdrawal was overdue while others believe the United States should have stayed to prevent any violence.

CNN: US veterans are disappointed with how the war in Afghanistan is ending — and fearful for their Afghan allies

By Dakin Andone

As the United States withdraws from Afghanistan, the world has watched as the Taliban has swiftly taken back control of the country, entering Kabul on Sunday as former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled the country and the United States evacuated its embassy. Now, many US veterans are expressing frustration and disappointment with how quickly the Taliban has taken hold after nearly 20 years of war. There’s a wide range of opinions among Afghanistan war veterans about the withdrawal, said Tom Porter, an Afghanistan veteran and the executive vice president for government relations at Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA). Stressing he doesn’t speak for everyone, Porter said some veterans feel the withdrawal was overdue while others believe the United States should have stayed to prevent any violence.

IAVA is the voice for the post-9/11 veteran generation. With over 425,000 veterans and allies nationwide, IAVA is the leader in non-partisan veteran advocacy and public awareness. We drive historic impacts for veterans and IAVA’s programs are second to none. Any veteran or family member in need can reach out to IAVA’s Quick Reaction Force at quickreactionforce.org or 855-91RAPID (855-917-2743) to be connected promptly with a veteran care manager who will assist. IAVA’s The Vote Hub is a free tool to register to vote and find polling information. IAVA’s membership is always growing. Join the movement at iava.org/membership.

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