Are You Tired of Veterans’ Voices Being Ignored? CPT (r) Tyler Merritt September 9, 2016 Nine Line News 124 As we near the end of the 2016 election cycle, veterans issues appear to have been placed on the back burner. As repugnant as this fact is, veterans have nonetheless continued on and lived their lives anyway, as one popular saying goes, “Veterans Affairs: giving veterans a second chance to die for their country.” Our world is in constant need of the best and brightest to pick up a rifle, maintain essential equipment, protect the skies and waterways, and kick in doors on behalf of keeping Americans safe. But what does it say when veterans issues are an afterthought? And what do we do about it? The New Debate In short order, the presidential candidates for 2016 will go head-to-head and then we’ll vote. This is no different from any other election cycle — veterans issues are nowhere in sight. That’s when the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America(IAVA) decided to step up and say “not anymore.” Wednesday night, September 7th, at 8pm Eastern, IAVA in partnership with NBC news launched the first ever, and hopefully annual, Commander-in-Chief Forum. This is a special event where veterans themselves are the ones posing the questions to the candidates. Now, it wasn’t perfect by any stretch of the imagination, as one hour isn’t nearly long enough to get into all of the issues that need to be fixed. Some issues, to include the astonishingly high rate of veteran suicide, didn’t even make it in. But it was a beginning. It was an opportunity to ask the questions which matter and to at least try and hold our prospective leadership accountable. Afterward, when speaking in another forum, Paul Rieckhoff — a former Army Infantry Platoon Leader who founded IAVA — noted, “Next time, we’ll make it two or three hours.” Just More Symbolism? In the days after the Commander-in-Chief Forum, critics from across the spectrum have weighed in on what was there, what wasn’t, whether the moderator did a good job, and everything in between. Journalists have taken both candidates to task for statements made, whether it was Hillary Clinton’s parsing of the language in the FBI report released regarding the investigation into her email controversy or Donald Trump’s insinuation that he would fire generals that he didn’t agree with. It’s more or less the same remarks coming from the candidates that have been stated throughout the campaign cycle. It begs the question — is this just more symbolism? Is it an example of the lip-service that is often paid to some of the military and its veterans? One thing is for sure, more questions need to be asked. The Commander-in-Chief Forum absolutely needs to be encouraged — and expanded. The veteran community on both sides of the aisle need to come out and demand that this nation’s leadership be held to account for either their action or their inaction, for which there’s plenty of blame to go around. A Broken Connection It’s rare these days that senior political leadership has known true sacrifice. The White House gets further and further away from a direct connection to veterans within their own families. Fewer than one percent of Americans have served in the military — that isn’t necessarily a failing of the country, our military simply doesn’t need the sorts of numbers to succeed as it did in previous wars. But what it does mean is that Americans themselves also need to be held to account in fighting for veterans’ rights. The glory of a representative democracy is that we all get a say in our government. But if our voices on veterans issues remain silent, then we have no one to blame but ourselves. Only you can tell your story. Veterans know, better than most anyone else, what our freedoms cost. You’ve paid for the right — make sure to make your voice heard. If anything, we need more Commander-in-Chief Forums, more questions, better discussions and better solutions. Not one more month-long wait for an appointment. Not one more veteran sleeping on the street. Not one more tragic suicide. It’s up to us.
