STEPHEN “BUTCH” WHITEHEAD From the NATIONAL COMMANDER COMMENTARY A Supporting veterans starts with you s the youngest of seven children, I can attest that your surroundings help mold your actions and character. With a family history of military service—both grandfathers, my dad and three older brothers wore the uniform—it was only natural that I raised my hand to join the Army as well. While I’m incredibly proud to have served my country, returning from Iraq and Afghanistan taught me a sobering reality: America’s fighting men and women need unwavering support at every level of government to ensure they get the benefits they earned and deserve. And that’s what brought me to DAV. Lawmakers don’t become aware of veterans’ issues from their own staffs or federal agencies. They learn from the individuals who take up the mantle of our cause and whose voices amplify our message in local communities. Whether it be a one-on-one meeting or speaking out at a town hall, our members are some of the most tenacious advocates for veterans I’ve seen. Recently, your voices helped the VA MISSION Act and Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act become law. These two pieces of legislation will play a major role in the lives of those affected by their passage. In the coming year, I humbly ask for you to maintain that same tenacity as DAV focuses its legislative efforts on securing benefits for our sisters-in-arms and for the caregivers of those made ill as a result of their service. We will also push hard for legislation focusing on DAV | @DAVHQ | DAVHQ | veterans made ill as a result of toxic exposure to burn pits. Key to these efforts is your adoption of the tremendous number of resources DAV has developed and made available on DAV.org to help you advocate for injured and ill veterans, including issue papers for DAV’s top legislative priorities as well as reports, prepared speeches and much more. I encourage you all to become more familiar with these tools and ensure our members refer to them when working on behalf of veterans in their respective communities. Among other resources, the DAV Veterans Pulse Survey reveals how generations of veterans from World War II through post-9/11 view their military experience, benefits and overall quality of life. You will find this document very useful in talking to the media, veteran supporters, fellow veterans, community leaders and others. The Women Veterans resource page has DAV’s groundbreaking 2014 report Women Veterans: The Long Journey Home and the 2018 follow-up Women Veterans: The Journey Ahead, which can develop or enhance department women veterans outreach and advocacy. Serving the disabled veteran community is a sacred obligation to our members and future generations of veterans. I want to thank all of you for electing me to serve beside you as DAV’s national commander. I pledge to give you all my best during my tenure and ask that you do the same. Together, we can support more victories for veterans. DAVETERANS | DISABLEDVETERANS 1 COMPANY/DAVHQ |
Issue Articles
Supporting veterans starts with you
STEPHEN “BUTCH” WHITEHEAD
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