nastyleg
02-17-2010, 02:50 AM
IAVA's aptly named "Storm the Hill" gains lawmakers' ears
Leo Shane's picture
Posted February 12th, 2010 by Leo Shane
Maybe next year they should call it "Rush the Hill" or "Take the Hill," one participant joked. After all, the annual "Storm the Hill" lobbying sweep of Washington DC by the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America did start the same day as the two massive snowstorms which blanketed the capital.
But the 50-plus inches of snow this week didn't stop 32 veterans from the group from visiting lawmakers' offices all this week, lobbying for improvements to military-to-veterans transition programs and for solutions to the backlog of claims in the VA system.
"It's our military background," joked Reynaldo Leal Jr., who has served two tours in Iraq with the Marines. "We've been taught to adapt and overcome, and that's what we've done this week."
The week of meetings and handshakes wrapped up last night. Perhaps most impressive about the event is the fact that despite the snow, lawmakers still met with the vets. IAVA leaders said more than 65 senators and representatives sat down with the teams (or at least sent staff to chat with them) to hear their concerns and find legislative fixes to their concerns. On Thursday some of the vets sat down at the White House to discuss the same topics.
"A few years ago, we could barely get our foot in the door," said Perry Jeffries, an IAVA board member who served as a 1st sergeant with the Army’s 4th Infantry Division in Iraq in 2003. "Now we have lawmakers talking about specific bills and language that we want to see. I've been very impressed with the response."
IAVA's priorities closely follow that of other veterans groups lobbying lawmakers, but the ongoing wars overseas have helped the group quickly gain prominence on Capitol Hill. Ryan Conklin, who separated from the Army earlier this year, said he was stunned by the access afforded to the group.
"I'm just out of my uniform, and now I'm up on the Hill in a suit talking to senators," he said. "It's left me very optimistic that we can get our voices heard."
[PHOTO: IAVA]
http://blogs.stripes.com/blogs/stripes-central/iavas-aptly-named-storm-hill-gains-lawmakers-ears
Leo Shane's picture
Posted February 12th, 2010 by Leo Shane
Maybe next year they should call it "Rush the Hill" or "Take the Hill," one participant joked. After all, the annual "Storm the Hill" lobbying sweep of Washington DC by the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America did start the same day as the two massive snowstorms which blanketed the capital.
But the 50-plus inches of snow this week didn't stop 32 veterans from the group from visiting lawmakers' offices all this week, lobbying for improvements to military-to-veterans transition programs and for solutions to the backlog of claims in the VA system.
"It's our military background," joked Reynaldo Leal Jr., who has served two tours in Iraq with the Marines. "We've been taught to adapt and overcome, and that's what we've done this week."
The week of meetings and handshakes wrapped up last night. Perhaps most impressive about the event is the fact that despite the snow, lawmakers still met with the vets. IAVA leaders said more than 65 senators and representatives sat down with the teams (or at least sent staff to chat with them) to hear their concerns and find legislative fixes to their concerns. On Thursday some of the vets sat down at the White House to discuss the same topics.
"A few years ago, we could barely get our foot in the door," said Perry Jeffries, an IAVA board member who served as a 1st sergeant with the Army’s 4th Infantry Division in Iraq in 2003. "Now we have lawmakers talking about specific bills and language that we want to see. I've been very impressed with the response."
IAVA's priorities closely follow that of other veterans groups lobbying lawmakers, but the ongoing wars overseas have helped the group quickly gain prominence on Capitol Hill. Ryan Conklin, who separated from the Army earlier this year, said he was stunned by the access afforded to the group.
"I'm just out of my uniform, and now I'm up on the Hill in a suit talking to senators," he said. "It's left me very optimistic that we can get our voices heard."
[PHOTO: IAVA]
http://blogs.stripes.com/blogs/stripes-central/iavas-aptly-named-storm-hill-gains-lawmakers-ears