Posted on Aug 20, 2016
Veterans and military personnel issues set to become a m | MilitaryTimes
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Veterans reform and military personnel issues are set to take center stage in the presidential election as candidates prepare for the final months of their marathon campaigns.
On Thursday, officials from Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America announced plans for a Sept. 7 town hall forum with both Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and Republican Party candidate Donald Trump on “national security, military affairs and veterans issues.”
The event will be in New York less than a week after both candidates address American Legion members during their annual convention in Cincinnati, covering similar topics.
The extended focus on veterans issues just as the campaign enters its final three months should put a boosted national spotlight on military community issues that many veterans worry the general public often overlooks.
"The quality of the discussion around veterans issues has now reached a long-overdue tipping point,” said Paul Rieckhoff, founder and CEO of IAVA. “Finally, we'll be able to focus the candidates and the national media on issues like veterans suicide, VA reform, support for women veterans and defending the GI Bill.
“After 15 years of war, it's about time."
Both candidates have offered robust veterans and military reform plans in recent months, but the details of those plans have gotten far less scrutiny from the general public than topics like trade and the economy.
Clinton has promised an overhaul of the Department of Veterans Affairs without moving patients and resources outside the system. She has also vowed to protect GI Bill benefits and promised a host of personnel policy changes to provide military families more flexibility and control in duty assignments.
Trump outlined a 10-point plan for veterans reforms in July, including more access to civilian sector doctors for veterans waiting too long for VA appointments and stricter accountability within the department to root out waste and incompetence.
But beyond appearances such as the candidates’ speeches at the Veterans of Foreign Wars convention in July, details of those plans haven’t received much discussion or attention.
That’s in part due to military-related gaffes by Trump. In the last few weeks alone, he has worked to deflect criticism of a Gold Star father and explain awkward comments about receiving a Purple Heart as a gift from a veteran.
But it is also due to broader interest in the candidates’ foreign policy plans, an issue that routinely ranks among the top concerns of voters. While important, veterans groups have said that what happens to troops after the wars overseas needs to be elevated in national discussions as well.
The IAVA forum, to be broadcast on NBC networks, will be held in New York City just before the 15th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Details on the format and moderators will be announced in coming weeks.
On Thursday, officials from Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America announced plans for a Sept. 7 town hall forum with both Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and Republican Party candidate Donald Trump on “national security, military affairs and veterans issues.”
The event will be in New York less than a week after both candidates address American Legion members during their annual convention in Cincinnati, covering similar topics.
The extended focus on veterans issues just as the campaign enters its final three months should put a boosted national spotlight on military community issues that many veterans worry the general public often overlooks.
"The quality of the discussion around veterans issues has now reached a long-overdue tipping point,” said Paul Rieckhoff, founder and CEO of IAVA. “Finally, we'll be able to focus the candidates and the national media on issues like veterans suicide, VA reform, support for women veterans and defending the GI Bill.
“After 15 years of war, it's about time."
Both candidates have offered robust veterans and military reform plans in recent months, but the details of those plans have gotten far less scrutiny from the general public than topics like trade and the economy.
Clinton has promised an overhaul of the Department of Veterans Affairs without moving patients and resources outside the system. She has also vowed to protect GI Bill benefits and promised a host of personnel policy changes to provide military families more flexibility and control in duty assignments.
Trump outlined a 10-point plan for veterans reforms in July, including more access to civilian sector doctors for veterans waiting too long for VA appointments and stricter accountability within the department to root out waste and incompetence.
But beyond appearances such as the candidates’ speeches at the Veterans of Foreign Wars convention in July, details of those plans haven’t received much discussion or attention.
That’s in part due to military-related gaffes by Trump. In the last few weeks alone, he has worked to deflect criticism of a Gold Star father and explain awkward comments about receiving a Purple Heart as a gift from a veteran.
But it is also due to broader interest in the candidates’ foreign policy plans, an issue that routinely ranks among the top concerns of voters. While important, veterans groups have said that what happens to troops after the wars overseas needs to be elevated in national discussions as well.
The IAVA forum, to be broadcast on NBC networks, will be held in New York City just before the 15th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Details on the format and moderators will be announced in coming weeks.
Veterans and military personnel issues set to become a m | MilitaryTimes
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Thanks for sharing the news SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL that it is expected that Veterans reform and military personnel issues are set to take center stage at the Sept. 7 town hall forum hosted by Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. I hope that hardball questions and follow-up questions are directed at both Donald Trump and Hillary Rodham Clinton in that forum.
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I have to feel that 90% of what politicians say to attract military voters is pure BS, things they can't deliver on, or boilerplate promises to appeal to the base. With so few vets and AD in the voting population our impact does not really carry much weight, even if we all voted as a massive block on various issues. Just like farmers don't carry much stroke, but get a lot of benefits through their reps in Congress and the Senate. The Congress has the real power and can tie a POTUS hands. As the old song went: "I'd like to help you son but you're too young to vote."
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SGT Damaso V Santana
Congress does have the power however Congress does not have the resolve to act like men and women and do what needs to be done, they have abdicated their power to a dictator wannabe executive branch.
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Good! It is about time candidates focus on military needs. I'd like them to focus on the VA and veteran care, however. Homelessness in the veteran community, PTSD, and medical care are major problems that this country has not been able to properly address. To me, they have simple solutions, however have been severely overlooked or only addressed when being used as a political talking point. Any candidate that can guarantee that the VA will be fixed during their first 3 months of office will get my vote.
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