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- [Presenter 1] Defense
News is proudly sponsored

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by Navy Federal Credit Union.

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If you're a member of our
nation's Armed Forces,

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the Department of Defense,
or if your family is,

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we'd be proud to serve you too.

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- [Presenter 2] On this episode
of "Defense News Weekly,"

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a conversation with the
recently appointed CEO

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of Iraq and Afghanistan
Veterans of America.

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As change sweeps the nation
and its armed services,

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how are veterans being affected?

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Our reporter digs into the details

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with Marine Corps veteran Kyleanne Hunter.

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Plus, we learn about a new program

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aimed at supporting Afghan allies.

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Coming to you from Washington, DC,

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it's the latest in news and analysis,

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from the Pentagon to the platoon,

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here on "Defense News Weekly."

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(upbeat determined music)

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(upbeat determined music fades)

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- Welcome back to "Defense News Weekly."

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I'm Leo Shane, Capitol Hill
Bureau Chief for Military Times,

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coming to you today from our
studio in Washington, DC.

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Today, we're here to dive
into veterans concerns,

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specifically as they relate to troops

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who served in the Iraq
and Afghanistan wars

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and what issues they're facing today.

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New administration in the White House

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and new administration of VA

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have been driving rapid
changes in veterans policy

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since earlier this year.

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And who better to talk to us

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than Marine Corps veteran Kyleanne Hunter.

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How are you doin' today?

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- I'm doing great. How are you doin'?

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- I'm doin' all right.

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You were recently appointed the new CEO

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of Iraq and Afghanistan
Veterans of America,

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so congratulations on that.

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And I'm sorry on that

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'cause I know there's a
lot of work with that.

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You've been in the position
for a few months now,

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but I know one of the
challenges that IAVA has had

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is trying to keep the wars,
the recent wars, relevant.

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I mean, we're moving
further and further away

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from folks actually on the ground.

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You know, the headlines are shifting

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towards the potential wars of the future,

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towards the changes and things.

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What is your biggest challenge

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when you're looking at the population

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of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans

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and keeping the public informed

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in just what their issues are
and, you know, making sure

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that they're being paid attention to?

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- Yeah, thank you so much for that.

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And, you know, it has been a challenge

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to keep these sort of wars

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in the forefront of the public mind,

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even as they were happening.

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You know, it was, I
think, right after 9/11,

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you know, we saw a big surge

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in public support for the troops.

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I think even then, again,

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you know, after the
invasion of Iraq in 2003

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we saw again another,

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you know, sort of public
zeitgeist movement of this.

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But, you know, for decades, at this point,

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it's been sort of out of the front of mind

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of the public, right?

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It's been very easy to forget about it.

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But what's really important to remember

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is that these were the longest wars

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that the US has been in.

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You know, for nearly two decades

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we were involved in
sustained combat operations.

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And for our generation that
served in Iraq and Afghanistan,

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most of the people served multiple tours

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and deployments that we had there.

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Folks served in a variety
of different capacities.

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You know, given the type of
warfare that we're serving,

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we had people often serving outside

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of their primary military
occupational specialty.

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So, while advocacy is really
our key tenet at IAVA,

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education is very important as well.

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And education in educating our veterans

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as to why this matters,
but really the public.

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Why should the public care
about veterans issues?

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You know, the post-9/11
generation of veterans

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is the most diverse that we have ever seen

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on every single factor of diversity.

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I know that sometimes can
sound like a bad word,

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but it's just the truth
that we have right now.

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And these are folks who are
now in the civilian population

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doing every single job
under the sun, right?

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So why does this matter
to the American people,

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is that the veterans who
served in Iraq and Afghanistan,

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you know, we're not some
isolated class anymore

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that's doing combat rotation
after combat rotation,

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after combat rotation.

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You know, we're your
neighbors, we're teachers,

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bankers, firefighters, you
know, across the gamut.

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And that's why the American people

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really need to keep caring.

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- I think it's interesting,

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and with you bringing up
that it's a different war,

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it's a different deployment, I
think a lot of folks thought,

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you know, as we go in,
went into these wars,

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okay, well, we've got the infrastructure,

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you've got the old VA,

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you've got the old transition
things and everything.

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But it is such a different conflict

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and a different response back home.

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As you said, you know, you've got a,

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you know, very diverse population,

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you've got them moving into the workforce,

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they're bringing skills and
experiences that are different.

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Those multiple deployments are things.

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So, I mean, how much do you get the sense

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that the public does appreciate that

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and does understand this

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now that we are starting
to get pretty far in here?

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This is more than 20 years,

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it's a lesson that we should've picked up.

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- We should have.

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But I think, unfortunately,

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it's still very easy to not
think about veterans issues

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on a day-to-day basis, right, I think.

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The public sort of sees
veterans as one of two ways:

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either this class that
we put on a pedestal

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as some like, you know, amazing,

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you know, almost superhuman side, right,

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that they need to be
revered in every single way

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and they're flawless;

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or we're portrayed as being these broken,

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angry PTSD-riddled people.

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And neither of which are
very necessarily easy

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for the public to deal with, right?

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You know, it's sort of
easier to reduce us to those,

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where in reality, you know,

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we are people who just want to be,

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you know, back in the
workforce, back engaging.

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But, you know, as you
started to allude to,

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sort of the old VA
infrastructure isn't set up

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to really handle either the
type of population that we are,

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the type of compound and
cumulative exposures that we had,

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both physically, mentally,
and psychologically,

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as well as how we really
meaningfully leverage

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all of the skills that were built

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over the course of these conflicts

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to improve the workforce, right,

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to improve the America as a country.

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So there's still a lot of work to be done.

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- Yeah, and the veterans
are people too thing

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is one that I like to pull
out in the conversation.

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- Yeah, exactly.
- They're reminding folks

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that this is not some sort of weird other

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that we're including.

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These are your neighbors, so...

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- We live among you.
- Exactly, exactly.

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So you've been in the advocacy world

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for quite some time on
a lot of veterans issues

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and larger societal issues,

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so this is not new to you,
but you are new to IAVA.

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Is there anything that
since you've come in

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you've been surprised
that has been a focus

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or an issue that you're
gonna need to tackle

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now that you're helming this organization,

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which has been a pretty important voice

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for the last 20 years on these issues?

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- Absolutely.

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I think one of the
biggest surprises is that,

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you know, when we go out
and we survey our members,

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you know, we talk to the
folks who are veterans

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and who are part of our advocacy programs,

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is that they don't only care about the VA

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as an issue, right?

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I think it's easy to say,

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"Oh, they care about
veterans' health care,

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they care about veterans' employment,"

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they do, but there's so many other issues

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that are really top of
mind for this population,

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whether it is access to public lands,

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which has come up quite a bit,

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you know, the ability to go out

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and really enjoy public lands

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is something that we fought for.

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You know, as one of our partners once said

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that like parks are patriotic, right?

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This is part of who we are,

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the deep, deep continued
commitment to our allies,

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and not just our Iraq
and Afghanistan allies,

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which I know we'll talk about,

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but, you know, our NATO allies,

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our place in the world, right?

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The sense that everything
that we did for 20 years

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was only done shoulder to shoulder

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with our friends and allies.

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So that sort of foreign policy piece

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that people deeply, deeply care about.

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But also broader issues are top of mind,

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whether it is access to SNAP benefits,

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access to Medicaid benefits,

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something which many of our members

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have benefited from these programs.

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So I think it surprises just how,

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like, widespread the issues are

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that both our members care about

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and they see really directly
touching their lives.

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And so like the VA isn't
the only veterans issue

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that's out there.

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There's a lot of other sort of
public support infrastructure

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that is essential for veterans to thrive.

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- Okay, you mentioned
the Afghan allies issue,

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and I know this is one
that the organization

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has been focused on for quite some time.

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You guys recently announced
a partnership with AfghanEvac

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for the Battle Buddies program.

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This actually puts veterans

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into courthouses and judicial hearings

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with individuals, with Afghan immigrants

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who are trying to work through

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some of the issues we're seeing now.

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So talk to me about the
decision to partner on that

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and why this is an important program.

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- Yeah, so Battle Buddies is something

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I'm incredibly excited and proud about.

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This came in relation to Sayed,

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who worked with the US DOD

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as well as a few other
US government agencies

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in Afghanistan.

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He came here legally.

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He followed the process

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that he was supposed to
to follow through here.

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He was on parole, awaiting
his permanent status hearing.

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He went to the courthouse and
he was detained at this point.

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And that story is really
what launched Battle Buddies,

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because it resulted in huge
outcry from our community.

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You know, if we look at,

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you know, historically,
going back 20 years,

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over 75% of our members

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thinks that we need to be doing more

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to make it easier for our
wartime allies to come here.

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And so seeing him detained,

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we thought, "What is one thing
that we can do right away?"

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Well, one thing we can do

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is stand shoulder to
shoulder with these allies

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the way that they did with us

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when we were in their country, right?

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We showed up in their countries,

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they stood shoulder to shoulder

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because they believe in democracy,

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because they believe in the rule of law.

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And as a result of what they did for us,

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we promised them a safe and
meaningful pathway here, right,

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pathway to the US, that
we would protect them.

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These people are under
incredible, incredible distress

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in Afghanistan in particular,

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00:09:35,160 --> 00:09:36,670
but now we're seeing Iraq also

260
00:09:37,560 --> 00:09:39,150
become more and more dangerous.

261
00:09:39,150 --> 00:09:42,600
And they're in danger
because they helped us.

262
00:09:42,600 --> 00:09:46,170
And so this program, it's not
a protest, it's not political,

263
00:09:46,170 --> 00:09:47,940
it is an opportunity for veterans

264
00:09:47,940 --> 00:09:50,400
to raise their hand and stand up

265
00:09:50,400 --> 00:09:54,930
and accompany our Afghan wartime
allies to their hearings,

266
00:09:54,930 --> 00:09:59,010
to bear witness, to
witness the rule of law,

267
00:09:59,010 --> 00:10:01,710
and to send a message that
we're not going anywhere.

268
00:10:01,710 --> 00:10:04,950
We've had over 500 veteran volunteers

269
00:10:04,950 --> 00:10:07,050
in all 50 states now sign up,

270
00:10:07,050 --> 00:10:10,260
and we're starting to partner
and pair those veterans

271
00:10:10,260 --> 00:10:12,030
with our wartime allies who need it.

272
00:10:12,030 --> 00:10:15,180
And as, you know, things like
temporary protected status

273
00:10:15,180 --> 00:10:17,520
and special immigrant visas
are more and more in flux,

274
00:10:17,520 --> 00:10:18,840
the need's only gonna be greater

275
00:10:18,840 --> 00:10:20,910
for us to continue to stand
shoulder to shoulder with them.

276
00:10:20,910 --> 00:10:23,130
- All right, great. Listen,
time for a quick break.

277
00:10:23,130 --> 00:10:24,840
When we come back, we'll
discuss how VA cuts

278
00:10:24,840 --> 00:10:25,950
have affected younger veterans.

279
00:10:25,950 --> 00:10:26,793
So stay tuned.

280
00:10:27,922 --> 00:10:31,422
(upbeat determined music)

281
00:10:34,950 --> 00:10:36,690
Welcome back to "Defense News Weekly,"

282
00:10:36,690 --> 00:10:38,340
where we're talking with
Iraq and Afghanistan

283
00:10:38,340 --> 00:10:40,770
Veterans of America CEO Kyleanne Hunter.

284
00:10:40,770 --> 00:10:42,450
Kyleanne, we've seen a
fair amount of upheaval

285
00:10:42,450 --> 00:10:44,610
at the Pentagon and the
VA in the last few months,

286
00:10:44,610 --> 00:10:46,170
and I wanted to dive into some of that.

287
00:10:46,170 --> 00:10:47,430
What are you hearing from your members

288
00:10:47,430 --> 00:10:48,930
about the concerns they're seeing

289
00:10:48,930 --> 00:10:50,700
both changes at the Pentagon

290
00:10:50,700 --> 00:10:52,440
and changes at the VA right now?

291
00:10:52,440 --> 00:10:54,630
- So, you know, as you said,
we've seen a lot of upheaval.

292
00:10:54,630 --> 00:10:55,800
I'm gonna start with the VA first

293
00:10:55,800 --> 00:10:56,700
and then move to the Pentagon,

294
00:10:56,700 --> 00:10:59,400
because I think they are
very, very interrelated.

295
00:10:59,400 --> 00:11:02,940
But I think understanding sort
of the feelings about the VA

296
00:11:02,940 --> 00:11:04,800
relate to why there's so many concerns

297
00:11:04,800 --> 00:11:06,330
about what's happening in the Pentagon.

298
00:11:06,330 --> 00:11:10,620
So there's been a lot of opaqueness

299
00:11:10,620 --> 00:11:11,790
around the VA right now.

300
00:11:11,790 --> 00:11:15,330
There was words that there was
gonna be a reduction in force

301
00:11:15,330 --> 00:11:17,400
of 83,000 VA employees,

302
00:11:17,400 --> 00:11:19,740
and nobody really knew
where they were coming from.

303
00:11:19,740 --> 00:11:20,573
Then it came out that,

304
00:11:20,573 --> 00:11:22,320
no, we're not gonna actually be doing that

305
00:11:22,320 --> 00:11:23,160
through normal attrition.

306
00:11:23,160 --> 00:11:26,010
We're gonna be losing
about 30,000 VA employees,

307
00:11:26,010 --> 00:11:27,420
but, still, we don't know

308
00:11:27,420 --> 00:11:29,160
where they're actually coming from.

309
00:11:29,160 --> 00:11:31,770
We're also hearing, if
you're looking at the budgets

310
00:11:31,770 --> 00:11:33,750
and some of the lines that
are coming out of Congress,

311
00:11:33,750 --> 00:11:36,480
that there's a diversion
of billions and billions

312
00:11:36,480 --> 00:11:40,260
from VHA direct care into community care.

313
00:11:40,260 --> 00:11:42,750
And this, well, is leading to concerns

314
00:11:42,750 --> 00:11:43,770
as to what sort of programs.

315
00:11:43,770 --> 00:11:45,570
'Cause the biggest concern

316
00:11:45,570 --> 00:11:46,950
that we're hearing from our members

317
00:11:46,950 --> 00:11:49,263
is what is actually going to be cut?

318
00:11:50,550 --> 00:11:51,540
Because it is opaque.

319
00:11:51,540 --> 00:11:55,110
And what constitutes
and who gets to define

320
00:11:55,110 --> 00:11:58,050
what a vital VA program is?

321
00:11:58,050 --> 00:11:59,167
And are they gonna say,

322
00:11:59,167 --> 00:12:01,590
"Oh, if it serves only a
small amount of veterans,

323
00:12:01,590 --> 00:12:02,423
it's gonna be cut."

324
00:12:02,423 --> 00:12:03,630
Well, for those veterans that it serves,

325
00:12:03,630 --> 00:12:04,830
it's absolutely essential.

326
00:12:04,830 --> 00:12:05,760
And when we look at things

327
00:12:05,760 --> 00:12:08,100
like women-specific healthcare programs,

328
00:12:08,100 --> 00:12:11,190
you know, women are still
a minority of veterans,

329
00:12:11,190 --> 00:12:13,440
but we are the fastest-growing
group of veterans.

330
00:12:13,440 --> 00:12:15,930
And within the next 10 to 15 years

331
00:12:15,930 --> 00:12:19,560
of the percentage of women
veterans is gonna almost double,

332
00:12:19,560 --> 00:12:21,900
largely based on how many women

333
00:12:21,900 --> 00:12:23,880
really came into Iraq and Afghanistan.

334
00:12:23,880 --> 00:12:27,570
And these are women who want VA care,

335
00:12:27,570 --> 00:12:29,010
and I'll say this like myself as well,

336
00:12:29,010 --> 00:12:32,940
because we've had experiences
that are very unique

337
00:12:32,940 --> 00:12:34,860
from the civilian woman population.

338
00:12:34,860 --> 00:12:37,350
And so having culturally competent care

339
00:12:37,350 --> 00:12:40,080
that understands what
military service was,

340
00:12:40,080 --> 00:12:44,310
what sorts of environmental
exposures we were exposed to,

341
00:12:44,310 --> 00:12:46,290
what sort of psychological

342
00:12:46,290 --> 00:12:48,690
and potential mental health
issues we might have,

343
00:12:48,690 --> 00:12:51,210
and really how those all
interact together is essential.

344
00:12:51,210 --> 00:12:54,300
So our biggest concern is,
you know, what is gonna be cut

345
00:12:54,300 --> 00:12:57,930
and who's deciding where
these cuts are coming from?

346
00:12:57,930 --> 00:12:59,280
There's a lot, a lot of concern

347
00:12:59,280 --> 00:13:00,210
that we're hearing about that.

348
00:13:00,210 --> 00:13:01,470
- Let's come back to
that cuts in a minute.

349
00:13:01,470 --> 00:13:04,140
But talk to me about that issue

350
00:13:04,140 --> 00:13:09,140
of female veterans getting
care in VA and how,

351
00:13:09,330 --> 00:13:12,390
'cause you've used these
services for a while,

352
00:13:12,390 --> 00:13:13,770
how have the services improved?

353
00:13:13,770 --> 00:13:16,650
This has been a, I
don't wanna say problem,

354
00:13:16,650 --> 00:13:20,613
but an issue, a point of
improvement for quite some time.

355
00:13:21,720 --> 00:13:23,970
Prior to this administration,
was VA on the right path?

356
00:13:23,970 --> 00:13:27,180
Was it making progress, at
least, in getting those services

357
00:13:27,180 --> 00:13:29,850
and, you know, getting
some of the improvements

358
00:13:29,850 --> 00:13:31,410
that we've heard or needed over the years?

359
00:13:31,410 --> 00:13:32,243
- Absolutely.

360
00:13:32,243 --> 00:13:33,690
And the VA, and I think part of this

361
00:13:33,690 --> 00:13:36,150
is every single person, you
know, of our membership,

362
00:13:36,150 --> 00:13:39,090
and I think, you know,
broadly of the listenership

363
00:13:39,090 --> 00:13:40,380
and readership that you have here,

364
00:13:40,380 --> 00:13:42,150
know that the VA can do better

365
00:13:42,150 --> 00:13:44,040
and should continue to do better.

366
00:13:44,040 --> 00:13:46,650
When we're talking about
women veterans in particular,

367
00:13:46,650 --> 00:13:49,350
you know, over the past two decades,

368
00:13:49,350 --> 00:13:53,580
but really past decade, there
have been market improvements

369
00:13:53,580 --> 00:13:55,170
to care for women veterans.

370
00:13:55,170 --> 00:13:58,680
You know, it started out,
I remember when I was,

371
00:13:58,680 --> 00:14:00,240
you know, back in military service

372
00:14:00,240 --> 00:14:01,207
there was sort of this view that like,

373
00:14:01,207 --> 00:14:02,460
"Oh, don't use the VA.

374
00:14:02,460 --> 00:14:04,260
You're gonna get, you know, lost."

375
00:14:04,260 --> 00:14:08,460
But now, if we look at things
like the Deborah Sampson Act

376
00:14:08,460 --> 00:14:09,390
that has been passed,

377
00:14:09,390 --> 00:14:11,850
if we look at like the Kate
Hendricks Thomas Mammogram Act,

378
00:14:11,850 --> 00:14:15,480
right, there is a recognition
that women veterans

379
00:14:15,480 --> 00:14:19,230
have had unique experiences and exposures

380
00:14:19,230 --> 00:14:21,480
and therefore require unique care.

381
00:14:21,480 --> 00:14:23,700
Whether that is getting
mammograms earlier on,

382
00:14:23,700 --> 00:14:26,160
whether that is having specially trained

383
00:14:26,160 --> 00:14:28,350
primary care physicians

384
00:14:28,350 --> 00:14:30,210
who understand military sexual trauma

385
00:14:30,210 --> 00:14:33,480
and how it interacts with
other potential physical

386
00:14:33,480 --> 00:14:35,490
or mental health issues.

387
00:14:35,490 --> 00:14:38,490
Whether it is very
dedicated anti-harassment,

388
00:14:38,490 --> 00:14:42,270
anti-discrimination, and
education commands within the VA

389
00:14:42,270 --> 00:14:43,980
to really learn and understand

390
00:14:43,980 --> 00:14:46,050
the experience of women veterans.

391
00:14:46,050 --> 00:14:47,640
You know, the improvements have,

392
00:14:47,640 --> 00:14:48,660
yes, we can always go more,

393
00:14:48,660 --> 00:14:52,230
but they have been leaps and
bounds over the past decade.

394
00:14:52,230 --> 00:14:54,780
And this is where one of
the biggest concerns are

395
00:14:54,780 --> 00:14:57,750
among our members is because
women are still the minority,

396
00:14:57,750 --> 00:14:59,100
are these some of the first programs

397
00:14:59,100 --> 00:15:00,240
to be on the chopping block?

398
00:15:00,240 --> 00:15:01,410
We don't know right now.

399
00:15:01,410 --> 00:15:03,000
- Well, and I guess to your point earlier,

400
00:15:03,000 --> 00:15:04,740
that it seems to be the big concern

401
00:15:04,740 --> 00:15:06,690
among a lot of the
veterans groups I talk to

402
00:15:06,690 --> 00:15:07,860
and a lot of the veterans.

403
00:15:07,860 --> 00:15:09,750
Not necessarily that we
know cuts are coming,

404
00:15:09,750 --> 00:15:12,570
but that the communication
there is limited

405
00:15:12,570 --> 00:15:14,220
and there's just a lot
of fear and confusion

406
00:15:14,220 --> 00:15:15,510
about what comes next.

407
00:15:15,510 --> 00:15:18,870
- Correct, and we know
that the most vulnerable

408
00:15:18,870 --> 00:15:21,600
are going to be, you know,
falling through the cracks,

409
00:15:21,600 --> 00:15:23,040
and that's where our concerns come.

410
00:15:23,040 --> 00:15:25,590
Because it has been a effort

411
00:15:25,590 --> 00:15:27,690
to get women veterans into VA services

412
00:15:27,690 --> 00:15:30,180
for a whole host of reasons there.

413
00:15:30,180 --> 00:15:31,680
But I think this also then relates

414
00:15:31,680 --> 00:15:33,990
to some of our concerns
about what we're seeing

415
00:15:33,990 --> 00:15:35,310
happen in the Pentagon right now,

416
00:15:35,310 --> 00:15:38,070
where we've seen the dismissal

417
00:15:38,070 --> 00:15:42,150
of several very high ranking
women in the military

418
00:15:42,150 --> 00:15:44,220
without a whole lot of explanation.

419
00:15:44,220 --> 00:15:46,680
And I think if, yes, if
we talk about meritocracy,

420
00:15:46,680 --> 00:15:48,600
women and men deserve to
get promoted the same,

421
00:15:48,600 --> 00:15:50,430
they deserve to get fired the same, right,

422
00:15:50,430 --> 00:15:51,540
if they're not performing.

423
00:15:51,540 --> 00:15:55,290
But, again, there's been
this sort of shroudedness

424
00:15:55,290 --> 00:15:57,750
as to what led to some
of these dismissals,

425
00:15:57,750 --> 00:16:00,300
and so we don't have women in
these senior ranks right now.

426
00:16:00,300 --> 00:16:04,620
We've also seen a lot of just
actually very false rhetoric

427
00:16:04,620 --> 00:16:07,920
around the fact that women are held

428
00:16:07,920 --> 00:16:09,390
to different standards than men,

429
00:16:09,390 --> 00:16:10,800
that they've been held to lower standards.

430
00:16:10,800 --> 00:16:12,300
You know, this, a decade ago,

431
00:16:12,300 --> 00:16:14,820
with the removal of the women
in ground combat exclusion,

432
00:16:14,820 --> 00:16:17,280
it was set very, very transparently

433
00:16:17,280 --> 00:16:20,670
that occupational standards
were the same for women and men.

434
00:16:20,670 --> 00:16:24,480
They are all very difficult
standards to achieve.

435
00:16:24,480 --> 00:16:27,240
But with this narrative
and with this rhetoric,

436
00:16:27,240 --> 00:16:29,340
one of our concerns is
that it's going to continue

437
00:16:29,340 --> 00:16:31,440
to make it more and more difficult

438
00:16:31,440 --> 00:16:33,330
to get women veterans
into the care they need

439
00:16:33,330 --> 00:16:36,810
because there's this sense
that we are starting to hear

440
00:16:36,810 --> 00:16:38,940
from our members and from other veterans

441
00:16:38,940 --> 00:16:42,750
that women aren't regarded
as equals any longer.

442
00:16:42,750 --> 00:16:46,410
And knowing that there are
such different experiences

443
00:16:46,410 --> 00:16:49,290
between women veterans and
their civilian counterparts,

444
00:16:49,290 --> 00:16:50,370
we need to be getting them

445
00:16:50,370 --> 00:16:52,830
into the most culturally competent care,

446
00:16:52,830 --> 00:16:53,790
which is lifesaving.

447
00:16:53,790 --> 00:16:55,320
- Listen, time for one more quick break.

448
00:16:55,320 --> 00:16:56,970
When we come back, our financial expert

449
00:16:56,970 --> 00:16:59,580
has tips to protect you
from disaster fraud.

450
00:16:59,580 --> 00:17:01,200
Later, we'll have more of my conversation

451
00:17:01,200 --> 00:17:03,573
with IAVA's new CEO, so don't go away.

452
00:17:04,694 --> 00:17:08,194
(upbeat determined music)

453
00:17:11,760 --> 00:17:12,720
- [Presenter 2] Welcome back.

454
00:17:12,720 --> 00:17:14,130
On this edition of Money Minute,

455
00:17:14,130 --> 00:17:16,230
Jeanette Mack from Navy
Federal Credit Union

456
00:17:16,230 --> 00:17:17,640
returns to give you tips

457
00:17:17,640 --> 00:17:20,013
on how to protect yourself
from disaster fraud.

458
00:17:21,480 --> 00:17:22,980
- When hurricanes, wildfires,

459
00:17:22,980 --> 00:17:25,500
and other emergency
strike, tensions run high

460
00:17:25,500 --> 00:17:28,620
and whole communities are
in vulnerable situations.

461
00:17:28,620 --> 00:17:29,910
It's unfortunate but true

462
00:17:29,910 --> 00:17:32,250
that scam artists use this opportunity

463
00:17:32,250 --> 00:17:34,740
to prey on victims of crisis moments.

464
00:17:34,740 --> 00:17:36,900
It's something called disaster fraud.

465
00:17:36,900 --> 00:17:39,630
Scammers target both those
affected by the disaster

466
00:17:39,630 --> 00:17:42,090
and people trying to lend a helping hand.

467
00:17:42,090 --> 00:17:45,540
The usual tactics are phony
disaster relief campaigns,

468
00:17:45,540 --> 00:17:48,240
cleanup assistance, and
charitable donations.

469
00:17:48,240 --> 00:17:49,440
Scammers pretend to work

470
00:17:49,440 --> 00:17:51,630
for government organizations like FEMA,

471
00:17:51,630 --> 00:17:53,100
saying you need to pay a fee

472
00:17:53,100 --> 00:17:55,170
to apply for emergency assistance.

473
00:17:55,170 --> 00:17:57,960
And for those trying to
repair damage to their homes

474
00:17:57,960 --> 00:18:00,810
or seeking aid, beware of fake contractors

475
00:18:00,810 --> 00:18:02,370
demanding upfront payment,

476
00:18:02,370 --> 00:18:04,050
bogus relief supply sellers

477
00:18:04,050 --> 00:18:06,180
who never deliver on what they promise,

478
00:18:06,180 --> 00:18:08,670
rental scams targeting displaced families,

479
00:18:08,670 --> 00:18:11,430
and charity impersonators
stealing donations

480
00:18:11,430 --> 00:18:12,840
from those who wanna help.

481
00:18:12,840 --> 00:18:15,810
To protect yourself, never
pay for disaster aid,

482
00:18:15,810 --> 00:18:19,200
verify contractor IDs
and contact information,

483
00:18:19,200 --> 00:18:21,900
and research the charities
before you donate.

484
00:18:21,900 --> 00:18:24,960
Your awareness and vigilance
when disaster strikes

485
00:18:24,960 --> 00:18:26,430
will help you avoid these scams

486
00:18:26,430 --> 00:18:29,853
so you can focus on what's
really important, your safety.

487
00:18:31,560 --> 00:18:32,490
- [Presenter 2] To get more coverage

488
00:18:32,490 --> 00:18:34,110
of military and defense topics,

489
00:18:34,110 --> 00:18:36,957
jump outta that chinook and
land on militarytimes.com

490
00:18:36,957 --> 00:18:40,020
and defensenews.com for more headlines.

491
00:18:40,020 --> 00:18:43,290
And to be the most news savvy
vet at this year's reunion,

492
00:18:43,290 --> 00:18:45,030
sign up for our Early Bird Brief,

493
00:18:45,030 --> 00:18:46,110
compiled each morning

494
00:18:46,110 --> 00:18:48,540
bringing you the most recent headlines.

495
00:18:48,540 --> 00:18:50,640
And if social media is
how you stay up to date,

496
00:18:50,640 --> 00:18:54,300
follow us on YouTube,
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497
00:18:54,300 --> 00:18:57,510
And we're on TikTok, so go
follow us there as well.

498
00:18:57,510 --> 00:18:59,970
When we come back, the
conclusion of our conversation

499
00:18:59,970 --> 00:19:02,940
with IAVA CEO Kyleanne Hunter.

500
00:19:02,940 --> 00:19:03,813
Don't go away.

501
00:19:05,033 --> 00:19:08,366
(upbeat rhythmic music)

502
00:19:11,850 --> 00:19:13,440
- Welcome back to "Defense News Weekly."

503
00:19:13,440 --> 00:19:15,810
I'm here with Kyleanne
Hunter, CEO of IAVA,

504
00:19:15,810 --> 00:19:17,190
talking about veterans policies

505
00:19:17,190 --> 00:19:18,360
and the community challenges.

506
00:19:18,360 --> 00:19:20,910
So, wanted to talk to you a
little bit about the PACT Act,

507
00:19:20,910 --> 00:19:24,060
which has been instrumental
for younger veterans

508
00:19:24,060 --> 00:19:27,420
for the IAVA group and I know, this one,

509
00:19:27,420 --> 00:19:30,300
that the organization has
been really focused on.

510
00:19:30,300 --> 00:19:33,390
What is the next step in that process?

511
00:19:33,390 --> 00:19:34,320
I know there's been,

512
00:19:34,320 --> 00:19:35,790
you know, we've seen the improvements

513
00:19:35,790 --> 00:19:38,250
in how disability claims are handled,

514
00:19:38,250 --> 00:19:40,680
we've seen more folks brought
into the medical process,

515
00:19:40,680 --> 00:19:42,000
but I still feel like there's a lot more

516
00:19:42,000 --> 00:19:43,590
when we're talking about burn pits

517
00:19:43,590 --> 00:19:45,480
and the aftereffects of the recent wars

518
00:19:45,480 --> 00:19:47,100
that we still need to get into

519
00:19:47,100 --> 00:19:48,810
and maybe a lot of the public thinks

520
00:19:48,810 --> 00:19:51,180
was kind of already taken
care of and were passed.

521
00:19:51,180 --> 00:19:52,740
- Yeah, so if we think about the PACT Act,

522
00:19:52,740 --> 00:19:54,570
we think about sort of
the next phase, right?

523
00:19:54,570 --> 00:19:56,100
What PACT Act 2.0, everything,

524
00:19:56,100 --> 00:19:57,613
implementation of the
PACT Act needs to be.

525
00:19:57,613 --> 00:20:00,180
I think there's three big
areas we need to look at.

526
00:20:00,180 --> 00:20:03,870
One is, you're remembering
that this is a generation,

527
00:20:03,870 --> 00:20:06,420
the post-9/11 generation
of veteran is aging.

528
00:20:06,420 --> 00:20:08,070
You know, we are, if you think about

529
00:20:08,070 --> 00:20:10,290
especially folks who are
in those initial pushes

530
00:20:10,290 --> 00:20:13,170
in Iraq and Afghanistan, you're in 50s,

531
00:20:13,170 --> 00:20:15,330
60s, some even up to 70s.

532
00:20:15,330 --> 00:20:20,010
So really looking at
how do these exposures

533
00:20:20,010 --> 00:20:23,220
and how do the impact of
these exposures change

534
00:20:23,220 --> 00:20:25,380
and how they may manifest as people age?

535
00:20:25,380 --> 00:20:27,210
And whether that is, you
know, we've been very active

536
00:20:27,210 --> 00:20:28,260
in pushing for more research

537
00:20:28,260 --> 00:20:30,030
around menopause and perimenopause

538
00:20:30,030 --> 00:20:32,490
as it relates to toxic exposure,

539
00:20:32,490 --> 00:20:34,950
'cause that research just doesn't exist,

540
00:20:34,950 --> 00:20:37,080
how exposures may interact

541
00:20:37,080 --> 00:20:39,360
with other sort of
"normal," quote, unquote,

542
00:20:39,360 --> 00:20:41,310
age-related issues that bubble up,

543
00:20:41,310 --> 00:20:42,990
whether it is changes in eyesight,

544
00:20:42,990 --> 00:20:45,870
whether it is, you know,
your need for colonoscopies,

545
00:20:45,870 --> 00:20:46,740
things in that regard, right?

546
00:20:46,740 --> 00:20:50,460
Like, are there issues related to exposure

547
00:20:50,460 --> 00:20:52,770
that change as we age?

548
00:20:52,770 --> 00:20:55,140
So that's one area where
there's a lot of more research

549
00:20:55,140 --> 00:21:00,140
that needs to be done so we
ensure that care continues

550
00:21:00,180 --> 00:21:02,010
to be culturally competent and relevant.

551
00:21:02,010 --> 00:21:04,410
The next area is, when we
think about the PACT Act,

552
00:21:04,410 --> 00:21:05,850
we talked a lot about burn pits

553
00:21:05,850 --> 00:21:08,040
and the exposures to sort
of the environmental toxins

554
00:21:08,040 --> 00:21:09,780
from the burn pits perspective.

555
00:21:09,780 --> 00:21:12,300
There's been a real push
within the community

556
00:21:12,300 --> 00:21:15,630
to look at technological
exposures that have happened.

557
00:21:15,630 --> 00:21:18,120
You know, if we think about the 20 years

558
00:21:18,120 --> 00:21:19,890
of Iraq and Afghanistan,

559
00:21:19,890 --> 00:21:22,320
there were huge
technological advancements,

560
00:21:22,320 --> 00:21:24,600
whether it was with
aircraft, with our vehicles,

561
00:21:24,600 --> 00:21:27,090
with our communication
equipment that was there,

562
00:21:27,090 --> 00:21:29,850
but we still don't know fully

563
00:21:29,850 --> 00:21:33,330
what impact those pieces
of technology have

564
00:21:33,330 --> 00:21:34,380
on the human body, right?

565
00:21:34,380 --> 00:21:36,720
Whether they're things like
aircraft survivability equipment

566
00:21:36,720 --> 00:21:39,210
that send out, you know, radar signals

567
00:21:39,210 --> 00:21:42,030
to block incoming
potential ordinance, yep.

568
00:21:42,030 --> 00:21:43,320
- I know there's been
a handful of research

569
00:21:43,320 --> 00:21:44,490
on the blast pressure waves

570
00:21:44,490 --> 00:21:45,960
from some of these heavy ordinances.

571
00:21:45,960 --> 00:21:46,860
- Yep, exactly.

572
00:21:46,860 --> 00:21:47,693
And then that's the next,

573
00:21:47,693 --> 00:21:49,410
you know, these new heavy
ordinances that we have,

574
00:21:49,410 --> 00:21:51,570
what it means for these
subconcussive blast pressures

575
00:21:51,570 --> 00:21:52,403
that are there, right?

576
00:21:52,403 --> 00:21:53,970
So looking at exposures beyond

577
00:21:53,970 --> 00:21:55,980
just the environmental impact of exposures

578
00:21:55,980 --> 00:21:57,420
is another piece of the PACT Act

579
00:21:57,420 --> 00:21:59,820
that we really need to
focus on to get the research

580
00:21:59,820 --> 00:22:02,760
so that we know, you know,
what the impacts might be

581
00:22:02,760 --> 00:22:05,430
so we can proactively treat people, right?

582
00:22:05,430 --> 00:22:06,660
Preventative care is always better

583
00:22:06,660 --> 00:22:08,790
than, you know, needing
to do interventions

584
00:22:08,790 --> 00:22:09,960
when something has happened.

585
00:22:09,960 --> 00:22:14,280
And then finally is looking
domestically at exposures

586
00:22:14,280 --> 00:22:16,560
that have occurred and happened
as part of the PACT Act.

587
00:22:16,560 --> 00:22:19,050
Whether it is water
and water contaminants,

588
00:22:19,050 --> 00:22:21,420
you know, we know that a huge majority

589
00:22:21,420 --> 00:22:24,150
of our military bases don't
have adequate water testing.

590
00:22:24,150 --> 00:22:26,280
You know, Camp Lejeune is sort
of in the news all the time,

591
00:22:26,280 --> 00:22:29,550
but there's a whole lot
more where this is an issue,

592
00:22:29,550 --> 00:22:32,160
as well as we have several Superfund sites

593
00:22:32,160 --> 00:22:35,640
that are on or very
close to military bases.

594
00:22:35,640 --> 00:22:38,070
So really doing more work there.

595
00:22:38,070 --> 00:22:39,060
And then I know we said three,

596
00:22:39,060 --> 00:22:41,730
but I'm gonna add four as
a final one on here too,

597
00:22:41,730 --> 00:22:44,700
which is really the
impact of toxic exposures

598
00:22:44,700 --> 00:22:47,910
on reproductive health and the
ability for family formation.

599
00:22:47,910 --> 00:22:50,790
You know, anecdotally
we are starting to hear

600
00:22:50,790 --> 00:22:55,020
that there have been issues
and concerns with fertility

601
00:22:55,020 --> 00:22:58,710
or the ability to successfully
carry pregnancies to terms

602
00:22:58,710 --> 00:23:00,420
or even the development of tumors

603
00:23:00,420 --> 00:23:03,510
and cancers in children of
veterans who are exposed.

604
00:23:03,510 --> 00:23:06,480
And so there does need to be
more work done to look at,

605
00:23:06,480 --> 00:23:08,640
you know, what is the
long term impact again

606
00:23:08,640 --> 00:23:11,940
so that we can ensure
the right sort of care

607
00:23:11,940 --> 00:23:13,680
gets to those who are exposed.

608
00:23:13,680 --> 00:23:15,540
- I appreciate you spending some time

609
00:23:15,540 --> 00:23:16,980
educating all of us on this today.

610
00:23:16,980 --> 00:23:18,900
- Absolutely, thank you so
much for having me today.

611
00:23:18,900 --> 00:23:20,550
- For more coverage on all these topics,

612
00:23:20,550 --> 00:23:23,820
visit us on militarytimes.com
and defensenews.com.

613
00:23:23,820 --> 00:23:25,320
You can also follow all of our headlines

614
00:23:25,320 --> 00:23:26,850
on our social media channels.

615
00:23:26,850 --> 00:23:29,184
Thank you for joining us
and we'll see you next week.

616
00:23:29,184 --> 00:23:31,934
(dramatic music)

617
00:23:39,225 --> 00:23:42,171
(dramatic music fades)