This week in 1775 the Continental Army was established during the American Revolutionary War. George Washington was made its commander-in-chief.

Washington famously said: “The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional to how they perceive veterans of earlier wars were treated and appreciated by our nation.”

True then, true now. With Congress working to use the Post-9/11 GI Bill as a piggy bank for other programs, we’re continuing the fight to #DefendTheGIBill benefits veterans have earned and were promised. This week in #DefendTheGIBill:

Advocacy Team: 

• Met with the offices of Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL), Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND), Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Sen. Edward J. Markey (D-MA).
• Met with the offices of Rep. Richard Nugent (R-FL-11), Rep. John Katko (R-NY-24), Rep. Mia Love (R-UT-4), Rep. Robert Dold (R-IL-10), Rep. Rod Blum (R-IA-1).
• Met with IAVA alumni for historical perspective on the Post-9/11 GI Bill.
• Hosted a discussion with VSO allies to discuss the current and future threats to the Post-9/11 GI Bill.

Member Advocacy:

• Defend the GI Bill campaign grassroots IAVA member message total grew to 30,746.