NEW YORK, NY (March 28, 2017) –Today, IAVA is very proud to announce our support for H.R. 873, establishing a memorial in Washington for our generation of warriors. We call on the leadership of both parties to make this bill a priority and to send it to the President’s desk before Memorial Day. At an especially divisive time, this is an endeavor that can and should transcend politics and unite all Americans. The announcement comes on the heels of a historic kickoff of the #SheWhoBorneTheBattle and the bipartisan Deborah Sampson Act to fully recognize and support women veterans. IAVA Director of Intergovernmental Affairs, Melissa Bryant will provide remarks at the briefing joined by several other veteran service organizations.

“We are proud to announce our support today for a GWOT memorial in the nation’s capital. We thank Andrew Brennan of the GWOT Memorial Foundation for his steadfast leadership, and IAVA stands ready to help make this memorial happen,” said Paul Rieckhoff, Founder and CEO of IAVA. “Eighty-two percent of IAVA members said that they support the creation of a memorial for veterans and their families of this era. Having a place for our generation to gather and mourn is vital to honoring all those who have served since 9/11.”

IAVA has actively advocated for a Post-9/11 National Monument in its Policy Agenda for many years. For the full IAVA recommendation on a national memorial, please see the 2017 IAVA Policy Agenda. 

Who: IAVA, Global War on Terror Memorial Foundation and VSO partners

Where:  VFW Washington Office, 200 Maryland Ave., NE, Washington, D.C. 20002 

When: 1:00pm ET 

To schedule an interview with Melissa Bryant or an IAVA representative, please contact press@iava.org.

She Who Borne The Battle: More than 345,000 women have served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Women are the fastest-growing segment of the veteran population and that trend will continue as the number of male veterans simultaneously declines over the next five years. However, many female veterans are left without the proper care to support their needs when they return from their service. She Who Borne the Battle will change this by providing a foundation of public awareness, local support and policy changes solely targeted at supporting and empowering female veterans. Learn more at SheWhoBorneTheBattle.org

Storm the Hill: Storm the Hill is IAVA’s signature leadership development program. Over the years, it has grown from a handful of veterans walking the halls of Congress into an annual event placing Iraq and Afghanistan veterans in more than 100 meetings with our nation’s leaders. Learn more at StormTheHill.org