IAVA
I was listening to Leslie Marshall on WWKB today. It was a repeat broadcast of Thursday’s show, where she had Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) Executive Director Paul Rieckhoff on for an interview.
The IAVA is a 501c(3) nonprofit organization whose purpose is to ensure the enactment of policies which will properly provide for our troops, both active and veterans. It’s probably best to list their founding principles right from their website:
Founding Principles
Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America believes that Troops and Veterans who were on the front lines are uniquely qualified to speak about and educate the public about the realities of war, its implications on the health of our military and on the health of our country. These Troops & Veterans should be given a voice in the national dialog and connected to the American public.
Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America believes that issues concerning our Troops & Veterans, the health of our Military, and our National Security are all interrelated. The IAVA philosophy/platform is that:
- A healthy, well-manned, well-equipped, and properly used Military is vital to our national security, but with substantial priority placed on personnel, not high-end weapons systems
- Our Troops must always be provided a clear mission (with goals and an exit strategy), be properly trained for the tasks it is given, and not be overextended in order to ensure success of the mission and to keep the military healthy.
- Our Troops must always be provided the best equipment and operating conditions that provide for the greatest level of safety and moral within reason.
- Veterans must be properly provided for, not only for moral reasons, but because it directly and significantly impacts recruitment and morale for the overall armed forces.
Rieckhoff was talking about what’s going on with Iraqi and Afghani veterans when they come home. It’s amazing how badly our veterans need our help. The VA is underfunded and the men and women who have served our country need our help. Some have injuries, and some of those have suffered loss of one or more limbs. Many have post-traumatic distress syndrome. Many suffer from a myriad of problems, financial and personal. I won’t even go into discussing the families who have lost sons and daughters in these conflicts, and the suffering they are facing.
The problems our veterans face are only being exacerbated by constant recalls back to the wars, stop-loss orders numbering in the tens of thousands, and extended tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan. There is now a serious shortage of people joining the military, which is only taxing those who are currently serving that much more. With Bush stating that he will not enact a draft, the Marine Corps has announced that it is going to have to start mobilizing the Individual Ready Reserve, or men and women who have served their time, but because of their contract, they can be called back to active duty. The Army has asked Congress to raise the eligible age for recruiting to a maximum of 42 years old. Recruiting for the military is a serious problem, and one that needs to be addressed.
This year, Veteran’s Day should be designated Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans Day. Rallies should be held around the country: in every town, village, and city where the veterans from this war live. There should be a national call for volunteers in support of the VA. People should travel and gather in the Mall in Washington DC to show their support for our troops and convince the President and Congress to give proper assistance to our troops, both active and veteran. Congressional and Senatorial candidates should be pestered with questions and calls to increase funding to the VA, and to make sure the troops “over there” are getting the proper equipment and support they need. And, they should be questioned about how they are going to support our troops by doing what they can to bring them home as quickly as possible. Telethons should be held to raise money to help the men and women who have served our country and thier families, but now need our help.
There needs to be a massive public campaign to draw attention to the issues relating to the military and the veterans, and the problems they are experiencing. It should not be a referendum on the War in Iraq and the President’s misguided policies with respect to it. While that would be nice, and I admit that I opposed the war long before the decision was made to go over there, it wouldn’t be the right thing to do. It should be about the people who are serving, and have served our country, and bringing them home.
It should be about truly supporting our troops, and doing it in other ways than putting a yellow magnet (made in China) on your car or refrigerator.
