VFW at the RNC: Defense Issues Take Center Stage Wednesday

The Amputee Veterans of America Support Team set the tone for day two of the Republican National Convention when they took center stage Wednesday to present our nation’s colors with Ayla Brown, daughter of National Guardsman and Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown, singing the Star-Spangled Banner.

Jeanine McDonnell, a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom and daughter of Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, spoke as one of the 212,000 service women who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan over the past decade. Her central message: “We need leaders who don’t play chicken with our nation’s defense.”

She was not alone in referencing the military and veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Many of the speakers last night, including Arizona Sen. John McCain and former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, made foreign policy and our military and veterans’ communities the cornerstone of their remarks.

McCain struck hard at President Obama for his handling of the situation in Libya and Syria, and for the pending cuts to the Department of Defense that the senator claimed were substituting military strategy with a political timetable.

Rice connected with the crowd early in her speech by recognizing we are “fortunate to have men and women who volunteer – they volunteer to defend us on the front lines of freedom,” and urged everyone to remember that “we owe them our eternal gratitude.” She also spoke of the challenges the previous administration faced as well as the ongoing sacrifices of those who continue to serve on our behalf.

These comments came on the heels of Mitt Romney’s remarks yesterday afternoon at the American Legion national convention, where he pledged to not increase fees on TRICARE; however, back here in Tampa, the remarks of his vice presidential running-mate, Paul Ryan, were noticeably devoid of words about our military or our veterans.

Though Ryan did publicly thank veterans in the context of sacrifices made by the “founding generation,” our leaders must also be attuned to the needs of those serving today, who are living with physical and emotional scars from more recent conflicts in our nation’s history.

Last night’s speakers were all a prologue for Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, who speaks tonight to officially accepting his party’s nomination. Will he deliver for veterans, service members and their families? Stay tuned.

(Image: Vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan and his family wave to the crowd last night during the Republican National Convention. Photo by Shane Barker.)

VFW Calls For International Treaty for Disablity Rights

Your VFW was on hand yesterday morning for a hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to hear testimony from U.S. State Department officials, senators, and others in support of Senate ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, or CRPD.

“As evidenced today by all who spoke in favor of ratification, disabled veterans face pretty steep challenges in other countries across the world when it comes to accessibility or securing a job,” said VFW Senior Legislative Associate Shane Barker. Barker went on to stress the importance of the convention because it “espouses the inherent dignity of all people, including veterans, and the conviction that we should work to include disabled men and women in all facets of societies across the world.”

After the hearing, Sens. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and John McCain, R-Ariz., hosted a press conference to highlight the importance of this convention, where VFW Legislative Director Ray Kelley offered words of support. Kelley reminded the audience of the sacrifices veterans have made not only for Americans, but for the numerous countries on behalf of which we have fought. Kelley also spoke about how future generations would be led by today’s veterans, stressing the importance of those men and women being able to visit, learn, and work in other countries as they see fit. Ratifying the CRPD is vital to such goals, and that is why the VFW has led the charge within the disability community to ensure Senate ratification, he said.

Because America has long been a global leader in disability rights, CRPD will require no financial cost and no changes to domestic law. According to the State Department, it provides no right of action by any party – individual or group – for legal recourse in the courts, and could be an economic boon for American companies providing consultation or construction opportunities overseas. For more information on the treaty, visit the U.S. International Council on Disabilities by clicking here.

(Image: VFW Legislative Director Ray Kelley discusses CRPD alongside Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and advocates for people with disabilities and veterans. Photo by Shane Barker.)

Field Report: Sen. McCain Visits Ohio VFW to Support Local Veteran

On Monday, Sen. John McCain spoke at VFW Hilliard Memorial Post 4931 in Colombus, Ohio, voicing his support for a local veteran, Josh Mandel, who hopes to represent Ohio in the United States Senate.

Mandel, a Marine Corps reservist who served two tours in Iraq, currently serves as the Ohio State Treasurer and is running as the endorsed Republican candidate against incumbent Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio.

Post Commander Charles Adkins, Jr., had the honor of welcoming and leading all in the pledge of allegiance prior to the comments of the invited speakers.

Though the VFW is prohibited from endorsing specific candidates, the VFW has a long tradition of encouraging its members to actively engage in the political discourse and encouraging posts to open their doors to hear directly from political candidates on veterans' issues. McCain's visit to speak alongside Mandel is just another example of how the VFW can foster constructive political discourse among candidates.

To submit your Field Reports for consideration on the VFW’s Capitol Hill blog, simply fill out our online form here, or send photos and stories directly to vfwac@vfw.org. Information for this story was provided by Ohio VFW Legislative Chairman Larry Moore.

VFW Takes the Hill: An Advocate’s Point of View from Navy veteran Jim Ellars

In two weeks VFW leaders from around the country and around the world will converge on Washington, D.C., to meet with every Congressional office ahead of VFW Commander-in-Chief Richard L. DeNoyer’s testimony before a special joint session of the House and Senate Veterans Affairs Committees. In advance of the conference, which will bring in advocates from the VFW’s legislative, women veterans, and Iraq/Afghanistan-era veterans committees, the VFW Washington office has asked some of our advocates to explain why the annual Capitol Hill visits are important and why they chose to become involved in veterans advocacy. Be on the look-out for more personal stories like this leading up to the convention. Below is our first submission from Department of Arizona Legislative Officer and Navy veteran Jim Ellars:

We all made a difference, being in the military and having spent a part of our lives “answering the call,” and while we all still want to make a difference, nowadays we just don't always know how to pull it off. I found a way, and I believe you would like to join in. I became a veterans advocate. How? Pretty simple, really. I showed up and spoke up. It was that simple, and certainly not hard for a military man or woman to do.

Our federal, state and local governments provide numerous opportunities for people to attend forums and meetings to voice concerns and offer assistance for a multitude of issues. Being like you and still wanting to make a difference, I attended one such meeting along with district members of the VFW. It turned out to be the first of many meetings I would attend, and over time I found that those meetings, peopled by others just like me, created that difference I was looking for. Happily, I saw changes came out of these meetings; changes to the very laws that affected the people at my post, the people on the [military] bases I visited, and to the families I saw at the commissary and exchange; every one of them. It was an enormous and powerful realization, so I stuck with it, and the next thing I knew, I was another veterans advocate. And the more I stuck with it, the more I saw positive changes being made.

“But, Jim, does advocacy really work?”

Over the past few years I've “stormed the Hill” with those same “others like me,” and along the way I got to know the people and the processes of [Capitol] Hill.

Back in November, the VFW National Legislative Office in [Washington] D.C. – an exceptionally dedicated group of people devoted to monitoring the complex legislative world of D.C. for our military, our veterans, and their families – alerted the members of the VFW to a harmful proposal being considered for pending legislation that adversely affected TRICARE fees. There was an immediate need for a grassroots effort from all veterans to vote the proposal down. Arizona has a large population of retired military personnel and a number of major military bases. As a VFW advocate, I immediately used my experience on the Hill and contacted key Senate staff that I had met in D.C., and also spoke to our department's leadership at a VFW Ladies Auxiliary training conference.

The department and Ladies Auxiliary members responded immediately by initiating a campaign to contact the Senate, particularly the proposal's sponsor, to demand the proposal be voted down. This action was repeated by all respective VFW advocates, the national [veterans service organizations], and many military/veteran associations. The sponsor listened. The proposal was withdrawn. This is just one example of VFW advocacy at work, one that is repeated all the time.

We're already a part of the world's most influential veterans organization that does great things for our military, our veterans, and their families. Take it to the next level: advocate for it! Go to www.vfw.org, click on VFW in DC and continue the mission!

Jim Ellars is a retired naval aircrewman who served on the USS Kitty Hawk and logged more than 4,000 hours on the flight line throughout his military career, earning his eligibility to join the VFW while deployed to Lebanon. Today Ellars is a member of the VFW National Legislative Committee and he continues to serve as the national legislative officer for the VFW Department of Arizona.

(Images: Top: VFW advocate Jim Ellars discusses the contentious TRICARE legislative issue at the VFW Department of Arizona Ladies Auxiliary training conference in November 2011. Bottom: Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., meets with Blue Star mother Francis Playfoot and Ellars in Washington, D.C., during last year's VFW visits to Capitol Hill. Photos courtesy of Jim Ellars.)