FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Tuesday, September 2, 2008 CONTACT: Michael Houston (917) 697-6406 or
Top Ten Actions Next President Must Take for Veterans IAVA Sponsors RNC Care Package Event for Troops Serving in Iraq and Afghanistan
NEW
YORK - Today, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), the
nation's first and largest Iraq and Afghanistan veterans group,
released the top ten most important actions the next president must
take to support America's newest generation of troops and veterans.
IAVA's highest priority for the next president is to ensure thorough,
professional and confidential mental health screening for returning
troops. Other critical actions include providing adequate care to
wounded servicemembers and ending homelessness among veterans. The full
list can be found at www.iava.org/topten. IAVA is calling on supporters to sign an open letter asking Senators Obama and McCain to pledge to care for our nation's veterans.
"This
presidential election offers America the opportunity to turn the page
on how its veterans have been treated since Vietnam," said Paul
Rieckhoff, Executive Director of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of
America (IAVA). "From improving mental health care to ending homeless
among these heroes, there are specific actions IAVA is calling on the
next president to take in support of our veterans. These urgent issues
rise above partisan politics."
IAVA will also
sponsor a service event this Wednesday, September, 3, at the Republican
National Convention to offer local veterans, military families, Twin
Cities residents and convention delegates an opportunity to assemble
care packages for troops serving overseas. The event will take place
from 12:00pm-3:00pm CT at the Marriot Minneapolis City Center (30 South
7th Street, Minneapolis, MN) and is open to the press. Please RSVP to
.
IAVA
veterans are attending the Republican National Convention throughout
this week and are available to offer their opinions on the veterans
vote this election and Wednesday's service event. They include:
Executive Director Paul Rieckhoff (New York, NY), Chief Legislative
Counsel Patrick Campell (Camarillo, CA), Veteran Membership Associate
Andrew Roberts (Suffern, NY) and Policy Associate Tom Tarantino (San
Anselmo, CA). To arrange an interview, please contact Michael Houston
at (917) 697-6406 or .
IAVA veterans also attended last week's Democratic National Convention and sponsored a similar service event.
Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (www.IAVA.org)
is the nation's first and largest group for veterans of the wars in
Iraq and Afghanistan. A non-profit and nonpartisan organization, IAVA
represents more than 100,000 veteran members and civilian supporters in
all 50 states.
