VoteVets.org : It's a great question, let me try to answer

The other day, someone responded to an email we sent with a good question. It was, "Can you explain why I should make a donation to VoteVets, and what good would it do?" I hope you'll give me a shot to try here.

First, progressive veterans and military family members don't really have much of a voice in D.C. When it comes to issues like VA privatization, hiring freezes to fund massive tax cuts and more, all the money is on the other side.

Second, in the fight against Trump there is no more credible messenger than veterans. On issues like the Muslim Ban, escalating our military's involvement in the Middle East, and the president's connection with Russia, veterans voices can cut through the chaos.

On both of those notes, we work to elevate the voices of progressive veterans in our network who have been impacted by these policies and this president. We've done it via ads, online and in person, and we've been super successful. But we can't do it alone, so we have to ask:

Chip in $10 to VoteVets today to help fund our work elevating the voices of progressive veterans in the policy issues that impact us, our families, and all Americans. Emails like this fund much of our work, so thank you.

Thank you for continuing to stand with VoteVets. The vast majority of our donations come from people like you chipping in. We're very proud of that fact. But it also means emails like this matter quite a bit. So thank you in advance for adding your donation.

All my best,

Will Fischer 
Iraq War Veteran and Director of Government Relations 
VoteVets

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VoteVets.org: Giving VA funds to millionaires? No way

The Dirty Energy Koch Brothers and their ilk are promoting this wrong-headed plan. 



Please SUBSCRIBE TO and SUPPORT VoteVets.org to support our Veterans. 

As an Iraq War veteran, I receive great care at the VA. And I know I'm not alone. According to independent polls, more than 90 percent of veterans approve of their inpatient and outpatient care through the VA.

But Donald Trump wants to privatize veterans health care and turn it into a voucher system just to give some of the richest health care executives in the world a few more bucks.

We're not going to let him get away with it. In a moment, I am going to share some of the stories we received from thousands of veterans counting on VoteVets to fight to protect their care. I want you to read them, and then help ensure we have the resources we need to elevate their voices in the right ahead.

Make a $10 contribution to VoteVets as a way of standing with veterans who stand to lose so much if Donald Trump is able to get away with privatizing veterans' health care.

Here are just a few:

"I've been with the VA for more than 5 years now and have been treated with everything from a simple cold to having a bone growth removed from my right foot to stenosis in my lower back that made the pain of my left sciatic nerve almost unbearable and crippled me to cancer when my upper left lung lobe was removed. Having experienced these diverse ailments I can absolutely say my treatment and service was first rate." - Andrew from Florida

"They diagnosed cancer and helped me defeat it in 2010. They take care of my eyes, ears and help me control my Meniere's disease and Tinnitus. And, they see me annually to fend off any future problem. Without the V.A. I would have little or no healthcare." - John in California

"They have saved my life on more than one occasion over the past 15+ years. So am I happy with the VA's role in my life? You bet I am! I wouldn't go back to Vietnam, but for all the good the VA has done in my life it was almost worth it." - Larry from North Carolina

Like I said, there are just a few. We received THOUSANDS of stories like these. Each from a real person who served and whose life has been positively impacted by their VA care. We're going to fight for them. But we can't do it alone.

Make a $10 contribution to VoteVets as a way of standing with veterans who stand to lose so much if Donald Trump is able to get away with privatizing veterans' health care.

Thank you for chipping in to support this campaign. It's one of the most important pieces of our mission at VoteVets.

All my best, 

Rick Hegdahl 
Iraq War Veteran 
VoteVets

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PAID FOR BY VOTEVETS ACTION FUND

VoteVets.org: No way. We are ready for this fight

Donald Trump has nominated an Attorney General who wants to take away voting rights, an HHS Secretary who wants to turn Medicare into a voucher program, and an EPA head who doesn't believe in climate change.

Next up: a Secretary of Veterans Affairs who wants to privatize veterans health care.

It's terrifying, but we're not going to let Donald Trump put corporate profits ahead of veterans' care. No way. We've been preparing for this moment for years. VoteVets has organized thousands of veterans who depend on VA care and we will help them make their voices heard on this issue.

But we're going to need your help.

Make a $10 contribution to VoteVets today and help us elevate the voices of veterans in the campaign to ensure Donald Trump's administration is never able to privatize veterans' health care.

Every major veterans group opposes turning over veterans to for-profit health care companies and making them fight for their earned benefits. This is going to be a fight. But we will be relentless and never yield an inch when it comes to veterans health care. And in the end, we are going to win.

All our best,

Jon Soltz 
Iraq War Veteran and Chairman 
VoteVets

CONTRIBUTE

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VoteVets.org: Pat Toomey is a coward for not standing up to Trump

Last week VoteVets launched a $500,000 ad buy targeting Pennsylvania Senator Pat Toomey in his re-election campaign.

We did it because Pat Toomey stood with extremists who held veterans' health care hostage during the VA crisis. We did it because he has introduced legislation that would put the Department of Veterans Affairs on a path to privatization. And we did it because of his cowardly refusal to stand up to Donald Trump.

Today, we're adding to that buy with a digital spot featuring Dave Henderson of Philadelphia who served in Iraq and Afghanistan and is disgusted with Pat Toomey's lack of leadership in standing up to Trump. Watch it, it's great:

Watch VoteVets latest ad and contribute $10 as a way of helping us defeat Pat Toomey, and to elect a progressive Senate majority who will stand with our our veterans, military family members, and those who support them.

At the end of the day, Pat Toomey is standing with a candidate who has promised to send more troops to the Middle East and would be a terrifying steward of our nation's nuclear arsenal.

Pat Toomey refuses to disavow Trump because he is afraid of alienating conservatives in his state ahead of the vote. It's a lack of courage that is disqualifying, and it's up to us to make him pay.

Watch our powerful new ad and chip in $10 to help us spread the word ahead of Election Day.

In two weeks, we'll know the fate of the presidential race along with Senate and House contests across the country. VoteVets is in the fight, and your contribution helps us see our work through to the end.

All my best,

Jon Soltz 
Iraq War Veteran and Chairman 
VoteVets

CONTRIBUTE

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VoteVets.org: Back on the air

Jason Kander volunteered to join the Army after 9/11 and deployed to Afghanistan shortly after.

Senator Roy Blunt used the Homeland Security Committee created after 9/11 to advance legislation for a tobacco company where his wife and sons were lobbyists.

This is one of the most competitive U.S. Senate races in the country, and the choice couldn't be more clear. So we're back on the air with a powerful ad that you have to see and contribute to help us keep it on the air through Election Day.

Watch our latest ad and contribute $10 to VoteVets today to help elect progressive veteran Jason Kander to the U.S. Senate.

This is one of the most expensive races in the country, but our efforts are having an outsized impact. While massive special interests are pumping money to keep their man Roy Blunt in Washington, our contributions come from lots and lots of people giving small amounts of money.

That's why we have to ask:

Watch our latest ad and contribute $10 to VoteVets today to help elect progressive veteran Jason Kander to the U.S. Senate.

This race could be the difference between Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, or a progressive in the seat who will fight for the values we share: like fully funding veterans' health care and stopping the Koch Brothers' funded campaign to privatize the benefits we've earned.

All my best, 

Jon Soltz 
Iraq War Veteran and Chairman 
VoteVets

VoteVets.org: Stop Trump

With two months to go before Election Day and a slight lead in the polls, now is the time to ensure we’re doing everything we can to stop Donald Trump.

At VoteVets, we’ve run very large, seven-figure television ad buys in a number of swing states. We’ve organized Gold Star families to hold Trump accountable for insulting those who have lost loved ones in war. Hundreds of immigrant and Muslim-American veterans have made news by working with VoteVets to condemn Trump’s racist attacks.

And in the past forty-eight hours, we’ve received more than 1,000 individual contributions to support that work. But we need you to add yours to keep going.

Contribute $10 to VoteVets today and help us elevate the voices of veterans and military family members in the campaign to ensure Donald Trump never becomes our Commander in Chief.

VOTEVETS STOP TRUMP FUND

Not only are we working hard to stop Donald Trump from ever becoming Commander in Chief, but we are leading the fight to stop ultra-conservative Koch-connected groups from privatizing veterans’ health care. And on top of that, we’re fighting to elect a new generation of progressive veterans to the House and the Senate.

We’ve got our hands full in these next two months, and it starts with stopping Trump. That’s why adding your $10 contribution to VoteVets today is just so important.

All our best,

- The team at VoteVets

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PAID FOR BY VOTEVETS ACTION FUND

The Bloviating Buffoon Does it Again!

Dumbing Down America and creating malleable masses for the Republican Party was their goal that seems to have become an embarrassment to us all. 

Can we restore reason and logic to this election by recognizing the lies? 

Please subscribe to and support VoteVets.org to support our Veterans! 

Did you watch the Commander in Chief Forum last night? It was a disaster, and not just because of Matt Lauer's refusal to press Donald Trump on outright lies, like Trump's previous and consistent support for the Iraq War.

But what was really scary was Donald Trump's vision for the future. Trump spent a considerable amount of time trashing American military officers, saying that America's generals have been "reduced to rubble." He made a priority of lavishing praise on Vladimir Putin, and irresponsibly spoke specifically about intelligence briefings he's received since becoming the nominee.

Trump insinuated that he would be fine sending American troops around the globe to plunder enemies' natural resources, like oil. And he spoke glowingly of some of the principles animating the Koch Brothers' campaign to privatize veterans' health.

We have to stop him.

Contribute $10 to VoteVets today and help us elevate the voices of veterans in the campaign to ensure Donald Trump never ever becomes our Commander in Chief.

From our large television ad campaigns running in swing states to helping organize the Gold Star Families' campaign, VoteVets has been at the center of the campaign to stop Trump. Last night proved just why our effort is so important. Your contribution keeps us in the fight, and that's why it matters so much.

All my best,

Jon Soltz 
Iraq War Veteran and Chairman 
VoteVets

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PAID FOR BY VOTEVETS ACTION FUND

MUST READ! RSN: I Didn't Serve, I Was Used: How Veterans Are Losing the War at Home

It's Live on the HomePage Now: 
Reader Supported News

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FOCUS: Ann Jones | I Didn't Serve, I Was Used 

Ann Jones, TomDispatch 
Jones writes: "A friend of mine, a Vietnam vet, told me about a veteran of the Iraq War who, when some civilian said, 'Thank you for your service,' replied: 'I didn't serve, I was used.' That got me thinking about the many ways today's veterans are used, conned, and exploited by big gamers right here at home." 
READ MORE

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[Breaking] Trump would "push VA toward privatization"

Somehow, someway ... Donald Trump just got a whole lot worse for veterans. Here's a headline from today's Wall Street Journal: 

"Donald Trump Adviser Signals Plan to Change Veterans' Health Care 
GOP front-runner would likely push VA toward privatization"
Every major veterans group opposes turning over veterans to for-profit health care companies and making them fight for their earned benefits. It's not stretch to say that when you take Donald Trump's position on veterans' care hand-in-hand with his desire to send more troops to the Middle East to fight in Iraq and Syria, that he is anti-veteran. In fact, Trump is maybe the most anti-veteran candidate in quite some time. 

And if there's one group who can succeed in stopping Donald Trump where others have not, it's veterans. At VoteVets, we've been preparing for this moment for some time now. All we need is you to stand with us:

Contribute to VoteVets to help elevate the voices of veterans in the campaign to keep Donald Trump out of the White House in 2016. 


The problem with Donald Trump -- as it is with regards to most other issues -- is his ignorance on the issue of veterans' health care. He does not seem to know or care that many times veterans require specialized care for things like PTSD or brain injury that private hospitals are not equipped to provide. He doesn't get that, while there should always be evolution at the VA, most veterans actually like their care! And private studies have found it to be as good or often better than private care. 

But we'll make sure he gets that message loud and clear by the time we're done with him this fall. That's why your contribution is so important. 

All my best, 

Jon Soltz 
Iraq War Veteran & Chairman 
VoteVets.org 

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PAID FOR BY VOTEVETS ACTION FUND

Stop the privatization of veterans' health care

The email below is from VoteVets about the privatization of Veterans' Care. 
[Please subscribe to and support VoteVets.org, dedicated to defending and protecting VETERANS!] 

Bernie Sanders has spoken out for VETERANS during his career beyond empty rhetoric. 

Your vote and your support matter on issues that are important to you. 
Please consider your vote carefully. 

There are over 8 million veterans enrolled to receive a wide range of services through the VA. In 2013 alone, the VA accommodated almost 90 million outpatient visits; that's an average of almost 250,000 appointments every day. 

Those numbers should help explain why for-profit hospitals and people like the Koch Brothers are fighting so hard to privatize veterans' health care. 

I served two tours in Kuwait during Operation Iraqi Freedom, and I get great care from the VA. And while we should always strive to decrease wait times, I am not alone. According to independent polls, over 90% of veterans approve of their inpatient and outpatient care through the VA. 

In 2014 after the VA crisis, Congress passed a large veterans health care bill that authorized funds to hire more doctors and nurses to keep up with the influx of veterans recently returned from two new wars overseas. But the legislation also called for a commission to develop recommendations for improving veterans' health care (The Commission on Care). And I am sad to tell you, a number of members of the commission are trying to phase out all VA hospitals and clinics over the next two decades. 

We can stop them. 

Sign our petition calling on the "Commission on Care" to stop trying to privatize veterans health care and instead focus on improving access to a well-funded, properly staffed VA.

Privatizing the system would severely under-fund the department, leaving many veterans with service-connected injuries out in the cold. Often times, VA centers are equipped to deal with specialized care, amputations and traumatic brain injuries, in a way a local doctor or hospital may not be. 

For veterans in need of specialized care, both physical and mental, they may not have a caregiver to turn to in their area. 

But more to the point, as a RAND study recently indicated, "the quality of care provided by the VA health system generally was as good as or better than other health systems on most quality measures." 

Sign our petition calling on the "Commission on Care" to stop trying to privatize veterans health care and instead focus on improving access to a well-funded, properly staffed VA.

This is not only a very real legislative issue, but it will also be an election issue. The Koch Brothers, who have an employee on the "Commission on Care," are going to spend untold millions on the presidential and senate races through their shell organization, Concerned Veterans for America. 

That is why it is so important we stand together to make our voices heard. 

All my best, 

Rick Hegdahl 
Iraq War Veteran 
VoteVets 



PAID FOR BY VOTEVETS ACTION FUND

Whenever you learn that the Dirty Energy Koch Brothers are involved, you know it's not good for the nation! 

Let's not forget they funded the Tea Baggers to brain-wash poorly educated folks to vote against their own best interest. 

"Behind the movement to pass these bills is a group called Concerned Veterans of America (CVA), who are funded by- you guessed it- Charles and David Koch, America’s oligarchs. While pretending to represent veterans interests, they in fact are just another part of the Kochtopus, the network of groups like Americans for Prosperity (AFP) and the American Legislative Council (ALEC) or the other seventy-plus groups that are worming their devious tentacles into American politics."

The Koch Brothers & Rubio Launch Plot To 

Wreck & Privatize Vets’ Healthcare

It's no secret that the Koch Brothers want to do away with the 

Veteran's Affairs healthcare program and replace it with a 

for-profit version- along with the rest of…

WWW.OCCUPYDEMOCRATS.COM

The Koch Brothers & Rubio Launch Plot To Wreck & Privatize Vets’ Healthcare

It’s no secret that the Koch Brothers want to do away with the Veteran’s Affairs healthcare program and replace it with a for-profit version- along with the rest of America’s public institutions. But what isn’t widely known is the way they’ve exploited last year’s list-rigging scandal to take a huge swing at VA worker’s rights- and, consequentially, cripple the VA’s ability to function entirely.

Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Representative Jeff Miller (R-FL) have each introduced a bill (S. 1082 and H.R. 1994) to remove all job security from the workers at the VA. All employees- from doctors to bedpan interns- could be fired at any time without consequence or oversight. At first glance, it might seem benign, considering what the VA just went through- but if you dig a little deeper, it soon becomes disturbingly clear that there is more at play here- since when do Republicans ever want more government oversight?

Behind the movement to pass these bills is a group called Concerned Veterans of America (CVA), who are funded by- you guessed it- Charles and David Koch, America’s oligarchs. While pretending to represent veterans interests, they in fact are just another part of the Kochtopus, the network of groups like Americans for Prosperity (AFP) and the American Legislative Council (ALEC) or the other seventy-plus groups that are worming their devious tentacles into American politics.

Jon Soltz, a co-founder of the VoteVets group, issued a scathing condemnation of the CVA’s underhanded efforts to dismantle and privatize our veterans’ care:

The group promotes proposals that are extremely conservative in nature, and indeed, often opposed by every major Veterans Service Organization (VSO). Whether it is their plan to privatize the Department of Veterans Affairs or to move Military Retirement to a private 401(k)-type system, Concerned Veterans for America stands strongly opposed to what nearly every major veterans group has worked so hard for. In this way, Concerned Veterans for America is a piece of the movement pushing the radical conservative agenda embraced by the Kochs and others. That agenda is the dismantling of any and all government programs that help care for people (even if those people fought for us in uniform) in order to reward the richest of the rich, corporations, and Wall Street.

While the Veterans Administration is certainly far from perfect, they might be able to perform better if Congress would give them the resources they need to succeed. The VA is short some 41,500 employees, forcing the agency to refer patients to private doctors, and leaving the agency with a $2.6 billion shortfall.

However, the Daily Kos reported that Representative Mark Takano (D-CA) and Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) have filed their own bills in response (H.R. 2999 and S. 1856)- ones that would properly address the issues facing the VA while maintaining stronger accountability over the agency and its inner workings.

The Republican Party makes a sport out of lauding our armed forces and elevating our veterans on a pedestal, but then discarding them as soon as their political use is expended. From their constant attempts to privatize veterans healthcare,removing federal protections that shield our servicemen from predatory lending agencies,  to denying benefits to LGBT servicemen, and their relentless efforts to provoke fruitless wars with foreign nations, it’s very clear that they care as little for our veterans as they do for the rest of the American people. Rubio and Miller are just foolish pawns in a much bigger game. The Koch Brothers want to remake our nation into a hypercapitalist dystopia and undo everything that our nation stands for. Our veterans have put it all on the line for our nation; the very least we can do is take proper care of them afterwards.

http://www.occupydemocrats.com/the-koch-brothers-rubio-launch-plot-to-wreck-privatize-vets-healthcare-3/

VoteVets.org: Koch Brothers $12.7m gift to Concerned Veterans for America

Earlier this week, "the main arm" of the Koch Brothers' political network, Freedom Partners, disclosed it's political giving for 2014 in their annual tax filing. We thought you'd find this interesting:

They granted $12.7m to Concerned Veterans for America for "General Support." It was Freedom Partners' largest gift of the year.

So what are the Koch Brothers' looking for with their gift to Concerned Veterans of America? It's simple: The privatization of the veterans' health care and military retirement plans, organizing for the repeal Obamacare, and dismantling the unions that work within the Department of Veterans Affairs.

In 2016, only VoteVets can offer a counterweight to this massive, and growing, astroturf organization.

Make a $3 contribution to VoteVets, and help us elevate the voices of progressive veterans during the 2016 campaign.

Concerned Veterans for America are already hitting Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders. They've run ads attacking Democrats up for election in 2016 and 2018, and they've thrown their weight behind incumbent Tea Party leaders in the fight to privatize VA care.

Your contribution to VoteVets will go directly towards countering their work in the year ahead.

All our best,

The Team at VoteVets

PAID FOR BY VOTEVETS ACTION FUND

Veterans Day and Phony Patriots!

Republicans say all the right things...yet they abandon Veterans when they VOTE!

Your INFORMED VOTE matters! 



Folks, Tammy Duckworth is a HERO! 

Tammy Duckworth

Sponsored · 

Veterans shouldn't have to start over again at home. Join me & let's give Vets a better path to the jobs they've earned.

Tammy Duckworth for U.S. Senate

Add your name & stand with our Veterans.

TAMMYDUCKWORTH.COM/JOIN

VoteVets.org

Jon Soltz, Iraq war veteran and chairman of VoteVets.org, says this in a piece published in Huffington Post today:

"As always, this Veterans Day, politicians across the spectrum will post pictures of flags and troops on their social media, every one of them trying to show they're pro-veteran. But social media pictures and platitudes don't make one pro-veteran. Listening, and heeding the call of veterans makes someone pro-veteran. When it comes to that, this poll shows that some politicians are a lot more pro-veteran than others."

What Veterans Want, And Why The GOP Avoids It

Social media pictures and platitudes don't make one pro-veteran. Listening, and heeding the call of veterans, makes someone pro-veteran.

HUFFINGTONPOST.COM

Another GOP Debate, and another GOP debate that didn't delve into the issue of veterans care in America.

Should we be shocked about that? A new poll from the Vet Voice Foundation suggests that we shouldn't be.

In short, the poll finds that veterans hate the ideas that Republicans have put forth for veterans care. Not only that, but the poll shows that veterans will vote against politicians who back the extreme GOP-Koch agenda for privatizing veterans care.

What agenda is that? It's the agenda that Jeb Bush is talking about, when he says he would begin privatizing parts of the veterans' health system. It's the agenda that Ben Carson is talking about when he says he would shut down the Department of Veterans Affairs. It's the agenda Marco Rubio backs, when he appears with the Koch-funded group "Concerned Veterans For America," to unveil their proposal to migrate veterans to a system of vouchers and private insurance.

Right on down the line, conservatives in the race for President and in Congress, are on the march to end the pact we've made with veterans, to provide them with care - not vouchers - when they need it.

Polling finds that veterans, overwhelmingly, abhor that agenda. So, it's no wonder that Republicans avoid talking about it.

The poll of 800 veterans was performed jointly by a Democratic polling firm and Republican firm, and the sample leaned Republican. Even still, the results came out unfavorable to Republicans.

• Veterans oppose a proposal in Congress that would have the real effect of leading to privatized VA hospitals. Sixty-four percent oppose, and only 29% support.
• Overall, 57% of veterans would be less likely to vote for a candidate who supported privatizing the VA health care system. Even a majority of Republicans indicate they would be more likely to vote against a candidate who supported privatization. This opposition extends across parties: 67% of Democratic, 57% of Independent/don't know, and 53% of Republican veterans say they would be less likely to vote for a candidate for high-elected office if they supported privatization of the VA health care system.
• Fifty-nine percent of veterans rate their impression of VA hospitals as favorable. When only asked about VA hospitals in their area, 61% of veterans rate their impression as favorable.
• In comparison, only 25% of veterans when asked if they have a favorable impression of for-profit health insurance corporations. And only 12 percent believe that VA hospitals should be run more like private hospitals.
• So what do veterans want? Although veterans think that changes need to be made to the VA hospitals, their biggest want is more doctors. Forty-two percent of veterans think that "needs more doctors" describes VA hospitals in their area very well. That is the most frequently-given prescription for helping the VA perform more efficiently.

Hillary Clinton took a lot of heat for trying to say that despite the issues at the VA, veterans still very much like the system and want it to thrive. But this poll backs her up. Not only do veterans have positive feelings about the veterans' health system, overall, but they have extremely negative feelings about the private system that conservatives want to force them into. She further showed that she understood what veterans want, when she unveiled her plan for veterans care yesterday, which focused on bolstering the system of care, not privatizing it. 

Likewise, Bernie Sanders has long showed that he "gets it." Senator Sanders responded to the VA wait times scandal by proposing a massive influx of funds, so that the VA could hire more staff, including doctors and nurses, to ensure that veterans got the quality and timely care they earned.

As always, this Veterans Day, politicians across the spectrum will post pictures of flags and troops on their social media, every one of them trying to show they're pro-veteran. But social media pictures and platitudes don't make one pro-veteran. Listening, and heeding the call of veterans makes someone pro-veteran. When it comes to that, this poll shows that some politicians are a lot more pro-veteran than others.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jon-soltz/what-veterans-want-and-wh_b_8534462.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jon-soltz/what-veterans-want-and-wh_b_8534462.html