From The Hill today:

A senior adviser to the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America PAC, or IAVA PAC, sent a letter to Rep. Curt Weldon (R-Pa.) urging him to face the reality that there are no weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in Iraq.

Jeremy Broussard, an Army Iraq veteran, is demanding that Weldon "honor the service and sacrifice" of the troops by accepting the reality. ... "Your continued support for the decision to go to war cannot be justified by ignoring the reality of the overwhelming evidence and espousing conclusions you wish were true."

Apparently, Rep. Weldon listed sites by name last week that might still have WMD, saying the "jury is still out" on the issue of finding them. Broussard wrote to him saying:

"If there are sites we have not searched and secured, why would you choose to mention them in a public way that, assuming you believe in the truth of what you are alleging, could only help to lead terrorists to a cache of WMD? Do you not take your oath of office seriously in uttering public statements that could reasonably endanger the lives of men and women serving in harm's way?"

Broussard urged Weldon to join Congress, President Bush and U.S. allies in admitting that there are no WMDs in Iraq and to "focus on how to achieve victory there so our 21st Century American Patriots can come home with the honor they have earned."

Here's another one.

When Keith Olbermann demanded an apology from Bill O'Reilly for smearing our WWII veterans when he said they'd massacred German troops in Malmédy, Belgium, IAVA's Paul Reickhoff was right there demanding the same:

[T]here's no disputing what happened at Malmédy, and trying to twist it and have some kind of revisionist history is really irresponsible. You know, I think he needs to issue an apology. We all ask that, all the veterans of our country ask that, and I think it's the responsible thing to do." Finally, Rieckhoff stated "Well, I don't know what the right question is, but I know the right demand is an apology. And I think that he owes that to all our troops, and he especially owes that to the World War II generation."

Still not convinced of the importantance of our returning veterans' voices? Here's another example.

From the Connecticut Post:

A group of veterans from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars condemned Rep. Christopher Shays on Tuesday for failing to hold oversight hearings on early planning for the Iraq war. "We need people in Congress who have the courage to ask the tough questions before thousands of troops are sent to war and die," said Jon Soltz, executive director of the national Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America PAC. ...

In the interview, Shays expressed regrets for not demanding more accountability from the Pentagon on its cost estimates for the Iraq war early on, as well as assurances that troops had the necessary body armor and armored vehicles needed to protect themselves.

Shays' admissions drew a sharp response from Soltz, an Army veteran who served in Iraq in 2003. "When the military needed Chris Shays to ask the right questions, he was AWOL. This apology is too little and too late," said Soltz, who claimed the statement was driven by poll numbers.

And all of this occurred in the past 7 days! What else have they done for us since their formation in June 2004? From their backgrounder:

• Successfully lobbied Congress and The White House to approve emergency funds to fill a hole in this year's VA budget that could have left current veterans without adequate care.

• Secured reimbursements for thousands of troops who were forced to buy their own body armor before deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan.

• Published IAVA's After-Action Review an assessment of the first two years of the Iraq War; the first such report written exclusively by the troops who were there.

• Sent more than 1400 messages from member veterans and civilian supporters to Capitol Hill, urging Congress to adopt legislation banning the use of torture of enemy prisoners. The bill passes, and was signed.

What's the IAVA working on currently? Here's a sample from their backgrounder:

• Changing the course in Iraq, with a focus on keeping the military strong and providing our troops with goals and a clear mission.

• Raising public awareness of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and war's psychological toll, and securing adequate resources to deal with these significant problems.

• Fully-funding the Department of Veterans Affairs.

• Ending the overextension of the military, including the (mis)use of the National Guard.

• Establishing comprehensive transitional programming for returning troops.

• Providing clear guidelines that explicitly condemn torture.

• Debating means to create a military that represents all the demographics of America.

• Guaranteeing an expedited citizenship process for all men and women in uniform.

I can't say enough how impressed I was with the people I met at YearlyKos working under the IAVA umbrella! I'd like to thank them for coming to our little convention, giving us important information and calling for our help. And I look forward to working with them to spread their message and move their mission forward in any way that I can.

Join or Support the IAVA

The Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America was formerly known as Operation Truth. In December 2005, it changed its name to IAVA to more accurately reflect their mission. They are a nonprofit, non-partisan group working to amplify the voices of those troops who've most recently served (and are serving) their country.

What's the mission of the IAVA, the first and largest OEF/OIF veterans organization? From their backgrounder:

The mission of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America is to ensure the enactment of policies that properly provide for our Troops and Veterans, keep our military strong, and guarantee our national security for the purpose of a stronger America. We uniquely empower Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans to use their credibility and experiences to speak truth to power and shape public opinion. IAVA's membership includes Democrats, Republicans, and Independents.

They currently have about 1,000 veteran members, and an additional 50,000 non-veteran supporters. If you agree they're doing great work, consider joining by emailing them (if you're a veteran), getting on their email list for updates on news and events (for everyone), or even donating a few bills so they can keep up the good work (definitely for everyone).