What's New
| Congressman Mitchell: Pausing to Consider People Who REALLY Matter |
Chairman Harry Mitchell is a Hero to Veterans Nationwide August 20, 2010 (Arizona Republic) - It's been a month since I spoke to Rep. Harry Mitchell about suicides among military veterans and I'm just getting around to writing something. |
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| What Obama Won't Say Tonight About US Withdrawal from Iraq |
| August 31, 2010 (ConsortiumNews) - President Barack Obama’s aides say his speech this evening marking the end of "combat operations" in Iraq will avoid the vainglorious aspects of President George W. Bush’s infamous "Mission Accomplished" speech in 2003. We’ll see. |
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| Lawsuit Update: Prudential's Half-Billion in Dirty Secret Profits |
Families of Dead Soldiers Sue Insurer Over Its Handling of Survivors’ Benefits August 29, 2010 (New York Times) - Vickie Castro’s only child was killed six years ago just before Christmas, when a suicide bomber blew himself up inside an Army mess tent in Mosul, Iraq, killing more than 20 people. |
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| Op-Ed: Cost of War Must Also Include Caring for Our Veterans |
Overlooked Cost of Iraq / Afghanistan Wars: Our Veterans' Healthcare and Benefits August 15, 2010 (San Francisco Chronicle) - Two years after an Army specialist saw half his platoon torn apart in Iraq, he hanged himself in a California backyard. |
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| VA Secretary Shinseki's Open Message to Gulf War Veterans |
| August 11, 2010, Washington, DC (VA Press Release) - August 2010 marks the 20th anniversary of the beginning of the Gulf War, launched with Operation Desert Shield and followed by Operation Desert Storm. VA honors this milestone with a renewed commitment to improving our responsiveness to the challenges facing Gulf War Veterans. |
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Program Trains Veterans to Run for Office
Written by Rick Maze
Friday, 14 August 2009 09:22
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August 13, 2009 - A training program for veterans thinking about running for political office will be held in September at Princeton University.
The nonpartisan, nonideological training program, called the Veterans Campaign, is designed solely to get more former military people - especially younger veterans - interested in serving in state and federal office, said Seth Lynn, executive director of the nonprofit education program and a former Marine Corps officer. The two-day course, which starts on Sept. 12, is free, but those attending will have to cover their own transportation, food and lodging costs, Lynn said. Lynn said the idea of helping veterans run for office came from memories of Marine officers bemoaning the fact that the number of veterans serving in Congress has been declining for some time. Only 26 of 100 senators - down from 54 in 1994 - and 101 members of the 435-member House of Representatives served in the military. In the years after World War II, more than half of lawmakers were veterans. Having more veterans in Congress might be a way to encourage bipartisanship, Lynn said, especially if candidates get basic campaign training together. "It is a huge pool of talent, and we would be better off having more veterans in political office," he said. "I think a lot of veterans, in general, are discouraged by politics and the political process. I think a lot of veterans think about running for office but really don't know what it takes." Lynn said the Princeton program is unique in focusing on veterans in a nonpartisan way. Fundraising, a key element of modern political campaigns, is one of the things alien to many military officers. "Fund raising is one of the toughest things for many of them because there is a feeling that you are being selfish to be asking for money," Lynn said. The course will show veterans how to raise money and think of it as a political necessity, he said. Another challenge is preparing to take for harsh and personal criticism, Lynn said. "In the military, when you get criticized, it usually is for something doing something wrong. Politics is completely different," he said. Anyone who is interested can sign up online. About 40 people are signed up for the September training, with room for a few more, he said. If the course is successful, the Veterans Campaign plans to hold another session in Washington, D.C., in January.
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