How can advocacy groups bring vets' issues to the forefront of public consciousness?

Welcome back to Defense News Weekly

I'm Leo Shane, Capitol Hill Bureau Chief for Military Times, coming to you today from our studio in Washington, D.C

Today we're here to talk with one of the biggest veterans groups in the nation about the issues they're working on as advocates for America's 17 million veterans

Everything from medical care to veterans' homelessness to suicide prevention, these are the topics they grapple with every day

Joining me is Ryan Gallucci, Executive Director for the Veterans of Foreign Wars. Thank you for being here

Thanks, Leo. So you guys have your big annual convention coming up

in just a couple of days here. You're going to be out in Columbus, Ohio, where the organization was founded

What's the big focus? What's the big topic this year? Well, we have a lot going on out in Columbus

So as you mentioned, the VFW was founded in Columbus in 1899. So we're actually closing out our 125th anniversary celebration

at our 126th National Convention and really passing the torch onto a new generation of leadership

So our current Commander-in-Chief, Al Lippard, is likely the last Vietnam veteran to hold that position

And Carol Whitmore, an Iraq veteran, a fellow Iraq veteran from the state of Iowa, is slated to be elected as our first woman commander in chief

Now, we're going to be talking about a lot of things. In addition to our elections of new officers, our members and delegates deliberate on resolutions that really guide the work that we do here in Washington, D.C

And we have a lot of issues that we're talking about. I mean, things like alternative treatments for post-traumatic stress disorder, the persistent issue of toxic exposure, access to quality care, the transition from military to civilian life, and modernization of VA's veterans programs and services

I know these are all issues that you and I have talked a lot about, and I know the members who are going to be out there talk a lot about these things

But do you get a sense of where America is on these veterans issues

How much do folks really follow? How much do folks understand because I know we talked about some of the disconnect before Yes and that become common as we work in veterans advocacy So the United States has had an all force since 1973

so more than 50 years of an all-volunteer force. And while the public perception of the military remains high

the challenges that the military-connected population is far smaller today than it was at the end of the Vietnam War

For those who are connected to the military, many of those issues are front and center

but to the American public, maybe not so much. Frankly, there's veterans' policy, though

embedded in a lot of public policy. Right, and I know that's something that we've talked about

and tried to work on there. So how do you push that forward a little bit further

Again, I know the convention is a chance for you to be in a major city, be talking about some of these things

but how do you push out to the public and say, these are things you need to care about, too

This is not just our one little corner that only affects us

Well, the way that we do it is, first of all, trying to engage in any medium that we can

And again, really appreciate the opportunity to share it with your viewers

who are maybe a little bit of a different niche focusing on defense instead of Veterans Affairs

where we many times, our issues are pigeonholed. But really educating how veterans are assets

to their communities after service on things like accessing higher education or entrepreneurship

and even accessing healthcare. VA's research has led to countless innovations within American healthcare generally

And it's something that we want to see continue and that many Americans should want to see continue

So having a strong and vibrant veterans healthcare system and making sure that veterans have access to education

and quality careers and entrepreneurship opportunities after service affects every American. Wanted to talk to you

you mentioned the first female commander of the VFW mentioned the first Iraq War veteran to lead the VFW You yourself are an Iraq War veteran I think a lot of folks still have the perception of VFW and the veterans groups as the Vietnam era

the Korean War, the older guys, the backroom. Talk about the changing face, because I know that this has been an issue in recent years

as we've seen the number of folks come back from Iraq and Afghanistan looking for

not a wholesale change in what VFW is, but a different set of priorities

and a different set of issues to add to the advocacy work you're already doing

So interestingly, you know, the perception of veterans can change over time

And the VFW, we're a 125-year-old organization. The transition that the VFW is going through today is one that's happened traditionally after other conflicts

Carol will actually be our second Iraq veteran to serve as commander-in-chief

See, I already blew it here. Fourth post-9-11 era veteran to serve in that position

Right now, many of our executive leaders are, most of them are OIF, OEF veterans, Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom, and our adjutant general, basically our CEO, he's a Desert Storm veteran as well

There was a training conference that we host out in Annapolis for our accredited service officers

and, you know, we had a guest from VA who was asking about the generations represented in the room

and it was fascinating to see that that change has already come. Many of our leaders are Iraq and Afghanistan-era veterans

and keep in mind, those conflicts, Afghanistan started in 2001. Sure, yeah

That was 24 years ago. I got back from Iraq in 2004 and have been in advocacy just about ever since

Well and I think that one of the things too especially when I talk to folks outside of the veterans community and outside of the defense community there still the thought of the young veterans being very young right Like you talking you must be talking about veterans who are 27 20 These are folks who now have not only come back but have raised a family have integrated

You know, when I'm looking at the unemployment reports for veterans and the employment reports

that is all the post-9-11 veterans now, the Desert Storm era and stuff

They're still a percentage of it, but, you know, we're talking about this generation

So for an organization like yours that does date back, that is looking at this

I know you've been through it, but just how do you keep relevant? How do you keep on top of that

Well, the way that we do it is by listening to our members and empowering our members to be agents of change within the organization

We talked about our national convention coming up. And one of the things that I find exciting is anytime we go to national convention, there is deliberation and debate on resolutions

And resolutions can come from departments, our state entities. We call them departments

They're generated by members. Some of the things that we're advocating for, we have a standing resolution on offering pass to citizenship for deported veterans

That started organically out of the Dom Diego VFW post in San Diego, California

because VFW members were advocating for veterans who are facing deportation in Southern California

going over the border to Tijuana to provide those services, and that came up organically through the organization

There are others where we partner with organizations that are like-minded. We have a new relationship with Grunt Style and the Grunt Style Foundation where we hosted a summit on veteran harm reduction

And their leadership identified an issue that we've had a resolution on for a few years on psychiatric medication and making sure that we're pushing for informed written consent

responsible alternative therapies, and pushing for VA to serve as a, you know, to establish centers of excellence

to research those different modalities for veterans who are suffering from invisible wounds