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IAVA to Host Live Event on the Withdrawal from Afghanistan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
August 17, 2022
CONTACT: press@iava.org

New York, NY – On Thursday, August 18th, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America’s (IAVA) CEO Jeremy Butler and Senior Advisor Matt Zeller, will sit down with Elliot Ackerman, American author, and former Marine Corps Special Operations Team Leader to discuss his new book, ‘The Fifth Act: America’s End in Afghanistan.’

“I’m incredibly excited to join Matt Zeller for a discussion with Elliot Ackerman about his new book, ‘The Fifth Act.’ It is one part war memoir, one part analysis of the end of America’s 20 years of war in Afghanistan, and one-part critique of US foreign policy,” said Jeremy Butler, CEO of IAVA. “From start to finish, it is incredibly gripping, insightful, and powerful. Whether you were one of the many veterans who joined the impromptu effort to get Afghan allies out of the country before Kabul fell or if you only watched it on the news, “The Fifth Act” will leave you with a better understanding of how it all went so wrong.”

“A year has passed since Afghanistan fell to the Taliban. 300,000+ Afghan wartime allies (interpreters & their families) remain left behind. They need our help. IAVA will not abandon them,” said Matt Zeller, Senior Advisor for IAVA. “Events like this are critical because they allow us to share and amplify pertinent information about our Afghan allies. We will fight to ensure that our country keeps its promise to those who served us.”

“In the U.S. military we have a code: Leave no man behind. At the end of the Afghan war, America was asking its veterans collectively to break this code and to leave tens of thousands of our allies behind, abandoning them to the Taliban,” said Elliot Ackerman, Author of “The Fifth Act”. “This book is three stories overlaid: the first is the politics of the war told in five acts, like the classic five-act structure of a tragedy; the second is five distinct evacuation cases I was involved in this summer; and the last story is from my past in Afghanistan, when I had to leave a comrade behind. It addresses the way that decision has haunted me and the way this summer brought those memories to the surface again.”

WHO:Jeremy Butler, CEO of IAVA
Matt Zeller, Senior Advisor for IAVA
Elliot Ackerman, Author of “The Fifth Act”
 
WHAT:Event discussing the withdrawal from Afghanistan, the current Afghan immigration and resettlement efforts.
  
WHEN: Thursday, August 18 at 12:00 pm ET.
  
WHERE: Join the Facebook Live event here. The event is open to the press.

Elliot Ackerman is the New York Times bestselling author of the novels 2034, Red Dress In Black and White, Waiting for Eden, Dark at the Crossing, and Green on Blue, as well as the memoir Places and Names: On War, Revolution and Returning. His books have been nominated for the National Book Award, the Andrew Carnegie Medal in both fiction and nonfiction, and the Dayton Literary Peace Prize among others. He is both a former White House Fellow and Marine and served five tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, where he received the Silver Star, the Bronze Star for Valor, and the Purple Heart. He divides his time between New York City and Washington, D.C.

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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