Joshua Barnett

Name: Joshua Barnett
City/State: Indianapolis, IN
Branch of Service: Army
Dates of Service: 04/2007-04/2017
Last Rank Held: E6
Military Occupation: Military Police
Current Occupation: Attorney
X: NA
Instagram: NA
Facebook: NA
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshua-barnett-924a041b1/
TikTok: NA

Joshua outside of the military:

I have a lot of varied hobbies from overly-complicated board games, video games, lifting weights, and outdoor activities like hiking and camping. I enjoy spending time with my wife, my dog Sadie, and our two cats. I have spent nearly my entire life working in public service and plan to continue to use my time and energy to fight for a more equitable world.

Joshua on joining the IAVA Cavalry:

I am passionate about helping other veterans and using my life and work experiences to advocate for better public policy that affects veterans and non veterans alike.

How the military experience affected Joshua’s personal growth:

My military experience turned me from a failure of a college student to graduating cum laude from a top law school. While the Army had its lows, it taught me self-discipline and through experiencing difficult situations, it taught me how to adapt to life.

IAVA’s policy priorities that are the most pressing:

The #1 issue facing the United States is an out of control and powerful executive branch. Congress has abdicated its responsibilities and we have illegal military operations being carried out under the thinly veiled legality of the AUMF from 2001. It is time to repeal the AUMF and bring the military further back under Congressional oversight. The United States was founded on three coequal branches of government but disastrous US policy over the past decades have led to the executive overshadowing the other two branches.

It is also more crucial now than ever to protect women veterans and service member’s access to healthcare. The post-Dobbs world in the US has killed countless women seeking healthcare and we should not stand by and allow this to continue to happen, veterans or not.

IAVA’s policy priorities with the strongest personal connection for Joshua:

Access to alternative medicines. It is time for the United States to move into the present and allow for real studies into alternative medicines that are proven to help treat PTSD.