Veterans for American (VFA), formerly the Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation (VVAF), is uniting a new generation of veterans with those from past wars to address the causes, conduct, and consequences of war.
Veterans for America is an advocacy and humanitarian organization. The primary mission of VFA is to ensure that our country meets the needs of servicemembers and veterans who have served in Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). VFA focuses specifically on the signature wounds these conflicts: psychological traumas and traumatic brain injuries. VFA concentrates much of its attention on the needs of those who are currently serving in the military since the majority of those who have seen combat in Iraq and Afghanistan are still in the military and under the care of the Department of Defense.
Each conflict brings with it new, devastating realities. Our wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are marked by roadside bombs, a large inhospitable battlefield, inadequate dwell time, and the repeated deployment of a large number of troops. Together, these factors pose new challenges of an unprecendented magnitude to which the massive bureaucracies of the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs have been slow to respond.
VFA builds on the 26-year record of Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation (VVAF) – the co-founder and past manager of the Nobel Prize -winning Campaign to Ban Landmines. Our more than two-decade history of developing, coordinating, and implementing campaigns to improve the lives of veterans, servicemembers, and war victims made Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation one of the leading advocacy and humanitarian organizations in the country.
Veterans for America is continuing some of the work of VVAF including successful programs in Cambodia and Vietnam, as well as the Nuclear Threat Reduction Campaign, which is dedicated to reducing the threat of nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons.
What We Do:
Legislative and Investigative Efforts
One of the key components of VFA’s work is an aggressive investigative program aimed at identifying any deficiencies in the treatment of service-connected mental health or neurological problems. VFA investigators have vistited every major demobilization site in the United States and overseas, where VFA has monitored the quality of treatment, family support, rehabilitation, and other services that should enable a wounded servicemember to readjust to civilian life.
VFA’s first-hand experience with our newest generation of servicememebers and veterans combined with our deep understanding of the innerworking of the DoD has allowed us to serve as subject matter experts for Members of Congress testifying before various committees on the needs of our wounded warriors. VFA also works closely with Congress to ensure that the problems we identify through our investigative efforts are promptly adressed through legislation.
The American Veterans’ and Servicemembers’ Survival Guide
VFA has brought together three co-authors of the bestselling “The Viet Vet Survival Guide,” as well as former VA analysts and military and legal experts, to create a 21st-century survival guide that includes vital information for servicemembers and veterans from our wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The book will be presented in three parts: “Veterans and Their Families,” “Special Non-VA Programs, Opportunities and Problems” and “Issues Related to Active Duty Servicemembers and their Families.” The guide will be a free service available through the VFA website.
Public Education
Through aggressive media work, a speakers bureau, and web-based outreach, VFA elevates awareness about the difficult challenges facing returning servicemembers and veterans; highlights the needs and the consequences of an overstretched military; and addresses the needs of civilian casualties of war. VFA also provides its e-members with the means to engage in productive political action.
News Gathering
VFA’s website offers the latest news and information about our men and women in uniform, and about our veterans. Every day,VFA posts the latest news on our homepage. Through our affiliation with OurTroops NewsLadder, we bring our audience the top stories regarding the needs of wounded servicemembers from all across the web.
Coalition Building
VFA brings together parties — such as military mental health professionals – interested in working to address the causes, conduct, and consequences of war to develop effective strategies to inform public policy.
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