Veterans for America is "an advocacy and humanitarian organization that works with its affiliate group, the Justice Project to engage the American public in support of policies addressing the needs of veterans, those currently in the armed services, and victims of war overseas, and to develop initiatives to make the world more secure." [1]
According to the Foundation Center's Philanthropy News Digest, Veterans for America is an outgrowth of the Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation, founded in 1980 by veterans Bobby Muller and John Terzano. [1] The group merged with Veterans for Common Sense for a time in 2006, and the combined group was renamed Veterans for America in 2006. [1]
The veterans' advocate Steve Robinson, a twenty-year Army Veteran and former Army Ranger, was the director of Veterans for America for a period. [2] Robinson advocated on behalf of soldiers with post-traumatic stress disorder at Fort Carson in Colorado who had been pushed out of the U.S. military via administrative discharges for "personality disorders" (which, unlike medical retirements for PTSD, disqualifies them from receiving health benefits). [2] As Veterans for America director, Robinson gave testified at congressional hearings and pressured the Government Accountability Office to investigate. [2] Robinson also testified before Congress several times following the Walter Reed Army Medical Center neglect scandal in 2007; Robinson pushed to reduce long "the long wait times and bureaucratic tangles servicemembers faced as they waited for medical retirement after being injured in Iraq or Afghanistan." Robinson died in 2014. [2]
The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is a federal Cabinet-level agency that provides integrated life-long healthcare services to eligible military veterans at the 1700 VA medical centers and outpatient clinics located throughout the country. Non-healthcare benefits include disability compensation, vocational rehabilitation, education assistance, home loans, and life insurance; and provides burial and memorial benefits to eligible veterans and family members at 135 national cemeteries.
Fort Hood is a United States Army post located in Killeen, Texas. Named after Confederate General John Bell Hood, it is located halfway between Austin and Waco, about 60 miles (97 km) from each, within the U.S. state of Texas. The post is the headquarters of III Corps and First Army Division West and is home to the 1st Cavalry Division and 3rd Cavalry Regiment, among others. It is one of ten U.S. Army bases named after former Confederate generals.
Paul (P.J.) Rieckhoff is an American writer, social entrepreneur, activist and veteran of the United States Army and the Iraq War. He is the president of Righteous Media Inc and the host of the Angry Americans podcast. Prior to that, he was the founder, CEO and executive director of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), a non-partisan non-profit founded in 2004. He served as an Army first lieutenant and infantry rifle platoon leader in Iraq from 2003 through 2004. Rieckhoff was released from the Army National Guard in 2007.
John D. Altenburg Jr. is a lawyer for the U.S. Army and a retired Major General. In December 2003, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld named Altenburg as the appointing authority for military commissions covering detainees at Guantanamo. He resigned, effective November 10, 2006.
Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) is an advocacy group of formerly active-duty United States military personnel, Iraq War veterans, Afghanistan War veterans, and other veterans who have served since the September 11, 2001 attacks who were opposed to the U.S. military invasion and occupation in Iraq from 2003–2011. The organization advocated immediate withdrawal of all Coalition forces in Iraq, and reparations paid to the Iraqi people. It also provides support services for returning veterans to include health care and mental health.
Russell Adam Burnham, is an American business owner and U.S. Army veteran. He is the great-grandson of Frederick Russell Burnham (1861–1947), recipient of the Distinguished Service Order, and famous American scout and world-traveling adventurer who helped inspire the founding of the international Scouting Movement. Burnham was recognized as the 2003 U.S. Army Soldier of the Year, 2007 U.S. Army Medical Corps NCO of the Year, and is an Eagle Scout.
The Armed Forces Retirement Home refers to one of two facilities, one in Gulfport, Mississippi, the other in Washington, D.C., that house veterans and active duty members of the United States Armed Forces.
The Ground Truth is a 2006 documentary film about veterans of the Iraq War. It was directed and produced by Patricia Foulkrod.
The Walter Reed Army Medical Center neglect scandal refers to a series of allegations of unsatisfactory conditions, treatment of patients, and management at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC) in Washington, D.C. culminating in two articles published by The Washington Post in February 2007. Several cases of patient neglect and shoddy living conditions were reported as early as 2004. "Soldiers suffering from traumatic brain injuries or stress disorders, others with amputated limbs, have languished for weeks and months on end in vermin-infested quarters waiting for a decision on their military status and a ruling on the level of benefits they will receive if they are discharged and transferred to the civilian-run Veterans Administration (VA) healthcare system." When the scandal broke, soldiers were pressured to keep quiet and punished with daily inspections for speaking to the press. Significant public and media attention was generated, which in turn prompted a number of congressional and executive actions, including resignations of several high-ranking officers. CPT Micheal Dake did not implement any changes that rectified the disrepair of Building 18. The initiatives of the following Command Team lead to Building 18 being repaired and made livable. It was when the building was left dormant during the summer that mold became a problem.
Gale S. Pollock is a retired United States Army major general who served as the Deputy Surgeon General of the United States Army from October 2006 to March 2007, and also as chief of the Army Nurse Corps. She became acting Surgeon General of the United States Army for nine months following the 20 March 2007 retirement of her predecessor, Kevin C. Kiley, due to fallout from the Walter Reed Army Medical Center neglect scandal. She was the first woman and the first non-physician to hold the position.
Let There Be Light (1946) — known to the U.S. Army as PMF 5019 — is a documentary film directed by American filmmaker John Huston (1906–1987). It was the last in a series of four films directed by Huston while serving in the U.S. Army Signal Corps during World War II. Intended to educate the public about posttraumatic stress disorder and its treatment among returning veterans, the film's unscripted presentation of mental disability led to Let There Be Light being suppressed by the U.S. government; it was not released until the 1980s.
Fort Custer Training Center, often known simply as Fort Custer, is a federally owned and state-operated Michigan Army National Guard training facility, but is also used by other branches of the armed forces and armed forces from Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio. It is one of the most heavily used Midwest training facilities and is used mainly for company level small arms and maintenance training.
The Army Wounded Warrior Program (AW2) is the official U.S. Army program that assists and advocates for severely wounded, ill or injured Soldiers, Veterans, and their Families and Caregivers, wherever they are located, regardless of military status. Soldiers who qualify for AW2 are assigned to the program as soon as possible after arriving at the Warrior Transition Unit (WTU). AW2 supports these Soldiers and their Families throughout their recovery and transition, even into Veteran status. Through the local, personalized support of AW2 Advocates, AW2 strives to foster the Soldier's independence. There are more than 20,000 severely wounded, ill and injured Soldiers and Veterans currently enrolled in AW2.
Major Iván Castro is a U.S. Army officer who has continued serving on active duty in the Special Forces despite losing his eyesight. He is one of three blind active duty officers who serves in the U.S. Army and the only blind officer serving in the United States Army Special Forces. Castro currently serves on active duty at the Special Operations Recruiting Battalion as the Assistant Operations Officer /Total Army Involvement Recruiting Coordinator. He is an advocate of rehabilitation, employment and education for those wounded in combat and participates in various races and marathons as a contestant.
The Disabled Veterans National Foundation (DVNF) is an American registered charity that provides service for disabled veterans. Founded in 2007, the organization is based in Washington D.C. and is funded by donations.
Georg-Andreas "Andrew" Pogany is a former United States Army Staff Sergeant and a posttraumatic stress disorder diagnosis advocate. In April 2005 Pogany was honorably discharged due to medical reasons related to PTSD. However, less than two years earlier, on October 14, 2003 Pogany's separation status and reputation was in serious jeopardy as he became the first American soldier since the Vietnam War to be charged with cowardice.
Thomas William Salmon, M.D. (1876-1927) was a leader of the mental hygiene movement in the United States in early twentieth century.
This article lists events involving women in warfare and the military in the United States from 2000 until 2010. For 2011 onward, please see Timeline of women in warfare and the military in the United States from 2011–present.
Sheri Swokowski is an American advocate for transgender rights and former U.S. Army colonel.
Derrick Miller is a former US Army National Guardsman Sergeant who was sentenced in 2011 to life in prison with the chance of parole for the murder of an Afghan civilian during a battlefield interrogation. Miller is colloquially associated with a group of U.S. military personnel convicted of war crimes known as the Leavenworth 10. After being incarcerated for eight years, Miller was granted parole and was released in 2019. He currently serves as the Executive Director of the Justice for Warriors Caucus and Military Adviser to Texas Republican U.S. Representative Louie Gohmert.
