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The Texas Blue
Advancing Progressive Ideas

Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America

I grew up in Waco, Texas and served with the Texas National Guard in the old 49th Armored Division. I liked it so much that I enlisted as an active duty soldier in October 1982 and stayed until my retirement in May 2004. As part of my service, I was a cavalry first sergeant in Iraq and made sure that more than 2,000 soldiers had the basic necessities to perform their mission.

Before I enlisted into the Army, I worked as a prison guard with the Texas Department of Corrections. One day in northeastern Iraq, as I walked to check on soldiers on guard duty and wondered where we would get water from the next day, I realized that prison convicts in Texas were treated better than my soldiers were. That was the feeling I brought home from Iraq.

When I returned from the war zone, I was really dismayed when issues like the lack of supplies or the total absence of a war plan seemed to draw little attention in the super-heated political debates of 2004. It seemed to me that we as a nation could do a lot better than just throwing rhetoric around. I knew that my soldiers needed certain things and I knew that the soldiers and leaders at my level could accomplish just about any plan — as long as they had one. But no one was talking about the real issues, or addressing the needs of my fellow troops still in Iraq.

I knew that the most informed view of the war on the ground comes from the troops themselves. But the pace of the news cycle rewards soundbites from talking heads instead of personal, in-depth perspectives on the war. The frequent deployments and extended tours of duty make it especially hard for the troops to tell their stories in the traditional media. As a result, there was a severe disconnect between what the military was doing in Iraq and what the American public knew.

So I was gratified to learn about an organization called Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA). IAVA’s mission is to give troops a voice and educate the public about the war. Paul Rieckhoff, the founder and executive director of IAVA, saw me in “Honor Betrayed,” an early documentary about the failure of U.S. civilian leadership to adequately plan for the war. Paul called one Sunday afternoon to ask me to be a part of the organization. I enthusiastically agreed.

I got involved in IAVA to make sure the troops would get four of the things they need the most: a realistic and clearly communicated mission, the resources to accomplish it, the contact and support of the American people, and proper aftercare. I stay involved in IAVA because, although our country has come a long way in understanding the war and the experience and needs of the troops, we're not there yet.

We still need legislation to ensure that there are enough soldiers to do the job and that the medical care they need is available when they need it. We need to make sure the nation follows through on its promise to care for the veterans, the widows, and their families.

The public understanding of the war is improving, but I still think the discussions are often very misdirected and often don't capture the troops' viewpoint very well. The Pentagon isn't serving itself very well lately by cutting off much of the communication from troops and making it harder for the embeds with them to report on what they see.

We also need to make sure that our security dollars are spent appropriately. All these "big iron" projects, missile defense installations, and outsized contracts mostly take dollars away from the the one defense tool that is truly all-weather, all-terrain, "git'r'dun-no matter what" — the man or woman on the ground. That's one reason there are Sailors driving trucks in Iraq and the Air Force has a Stryker unit.

Every service is fighting for dollars and generals often get career-minded and dependent on these projects for dollars, job security, or bullet points on their evaluations. I find it shameful that we pay third country nationals with old trucks a premium rate to deliver food and water of questionable quality while our "Joes" are expected to pick up the pieces when the system inevitably crashes. When those soldiers come home, they are too often faced with a bewildering bureaucracy, inadequate managed resources, and an overburdened veterans care system.

There are many examples of people and organizations doing great work for the troops and their families, from sending thank you cards to troops on the ground to building the state of the art Center for the Intrepid in San Antonio. Too often, however, the soldier's voice still gets lost in the labyrinth of national dialogue about the war. Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America encourages people to get involved and helps put the soldier’s perspective front and center.

There is still work to do on a state level in Texas, too. We really need a Veterans Hospital in South Texas. One of IAVA’s members, Jesus Bocanegra from McAllen, has been instrumental in working for this. He partnered with the Last Patrol and other Vietnam Veterans organizations and focused a lot of attention on the issues there. Now we need Governor Perry to acknowledge that all Veterans have value and understand that if they are good enough to fight for our country, they should be good enough to live here.

I encourage all Texas Veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to join IAVA at www.iava.org. We want to hear their stories and their opinions. While I may be concerned about the disarray, incompetence, and malfeasance in our national security staff, another veteran may be more worried about protesters near the President's Crawford villa. But we can all probably agree that units should be able to get repair parts for their Buffalo MRAPs (Mine Resistant Ambush Proof vehicle) when they need them and that treatment for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder needs to be de-stigmatized. IAVA gives all veterans a place to get involved and make a difference. It’s also a place where you can talk to your fellow vets and get advice from someone who’s been through experiences like yours.

Veterans from all over the country can help us pressure Congress to do the right thing for the troops and veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan. So far, IAVA has brought dozens of Iraq veterans to Washington to testify and meet with Senators and Representatives. IAVA opened a Washington office this spring and the Iraq veterans who run it are on Capitol Hill almost every day. We have already helped push several pieces of legislation through Congress. They focus on improving mental health care and suicide prevention for veterans, and getting better equipment to the men and women on the ground. There are many signs of progress. When I first visited Capitol Hill as a representative of IAVA in 2005, many DC insiders were suspicious. The attitude was very much “who are you and what do you want?” But this year, when we met with Senators and Representatives to introduce IAVA’s legislative agenda for the new Congress, many members wanted to know what we needed and how they could show their support for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. Momentum is finally building to help our men and women in uniform, but we have a long way to go.

So, if you are a veteran or a civilian who cares about them, point your web browser to www.iava.org. You can join IAVA, comment on the blogs, or tell your legislators that you are concerned about our troops. Or simply become more informed about what troops and veterans are facing. How ever you’d like to get involved, make sure you do something because showing real support for troops and veterans goes far beyond a yellow ribbon on the back bumper of your car.

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