The Iowa Front: Military & Veterans’ Weekly Roundup

Veterans/Political Fronts

The line between veterans and politics is blurring to the point of nonexistence as more and more veterans are actively engaging in the political process. A number of bills regarding veteran issues have been introduced in both chambers on Capital Hill. Not to mention, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are not only pushing veteran issues to the national stage, but veterans are forcing the political hands of Congress members and presidential hopefuls.

“‘Our Second Call to Duty’: Iowa Democratic Party Courting Veterans”: The GOP has traditionally owned the military veteran vote. But if you were to ask anyone at last weekend's Iowa Democratic Party Veterans' Caucus meeting, odds are you would get a different answer. "As a patriotic American, I can't help but be a part of the Democratic Party," said Joe Stutler, Army veteran and Linn Count liaison for the veterans caucus. "As a veteran, it bothers me greatly to see how our veterans and current military are treated in this country, and I would feel as if I left my brothers in arms behind in a hot zone if I didn't speak up and support them." Sensing Stutler is not alone, but rather, a microcosm of discontent regarding how veteran issues have been consistently ignored by politicians, the IDP formed the Armed Forces Veterans' Caucus.

Sen. Joe Biden is gaining support from Iraq and Afghanistan War veteran activists:

“Keeping Real Time with J.B. White, Veterans for Biden’s New National Coordinator”: Iraq War veteran J.B. White doesn't waste any time when it comes to explaining why he and other Veterans for Biden support Sen. Joe Biden for president. "The thing about Veterans for Biden is not only do we support Biden, but we believe in him as well. We believe that he's the one who can get his Iraq plan implemented," said White. "There's a big difference between having a viable plan and being able to implement the plan. Biden's position in the Senate and his experience with foreign affairs make us feel he's the one who can get it done."

In her piece, “Military Wife Answers Her Own Call to Service,” Iowa Independent’s Lynda Waddington interviews Carissa Picard, president of the Military Spouses for Change. Picard, whose husband, Chief Warrant Officer Caynan Picard, is expected to redeploy to Iraq in early 2008, wanted to better serve her country by getting politically involved. After carefully analyzing and comparing all of the presidential candidates, Military Spouses for Change chose to endorse. Sen. Joe Biden.

'Our Second Call to Duty': Iowa Democratic Party Courting Veterans

The GOP has traditionally owned the military veteran vote. But if you were to ask anyone at last weekend’s Iowa Democratic Party Veterans' Caucus meeting, odds are you would get a different answer.

“As a patriotic American, I can't help but be a part of the Democratic Party,” said Joe Stutler, Army veteran and Linn Count liaison for the veterans caucus. “As a veteran, it bothers me greatly to see how our veterans and current military are treated in this country, and I would feel as if I left my brothers in arms behind in a hot zone if I didn't speak up and support them.”

Sensing Stutler is not alone, but rather, a microcosm of discontent regarding how veteran issues have been consistently ignored by politicians, the IDP formed the Armed Forces Veterans’ Caucus. One pre-Vietnam War veteran even went so far as to exclaim: “If you’re not an activist under the Bush administration, you need to be resuscitated.”

The immediate goal of the outreach group is to organize Iowa veterans and to elevate veteran issues during the presidential caucuses. "This is an historic time in our country, and I urge you to answer this 'second call to duty,'" says chairman Bob Krause. "Your country needs your involvement now as never before.”

The caucus is not only concerned about the current influx of veterans returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan but also wants to make sure that those veterans who served in previous wars and peace-time duties are not forgotten. To bridge the multi-generational veteran factions, the group adopted the slogan, “Never shall one generation of veterans abandon another.” A few of the Vietnam and Korean War veterans in attendance not only voiced their concerns about the current problems and travesties facing the post-9/11 veterans, but also worry that their issues will be forgotten in today’s political discourse.

Democratic presidential hopefuls also have sensed a shift in veterans’ allegiances to the GOP and have been actively targeting veterans in and out of Iowa. Last weekend's meeting was attended by representatives from the campaigns of Joe Biden, Christopher Dodd, John Edwards and Barack Obama. Time was allotted at the beginning of the meeting for the representatives to speak on behalf of their candidates. While the representatives from the Dodd and Edwards’ campaign went over their respective candidates' veteran talking points, Biden and Obama’s people used their experiences as military veterans to illustrate their support.

Presidential reps from Obama, Dodd, Edwards, and Biden campaigns join IDP Veterans' Caucus chair Bob Krause (center) at meeting in Riverside

Iraq War veteran Stephen Dunwoody, who is Obama’s deputy veterans outreach coordinator in Iowa, told how and why he felt personally connected to Obama. While working at a campaign stop in Davenport, Dunwoody was approached by a decorated Vietnam veteran, who saw his monthly veterans benefits cut from $2,300 to $800 a month when he was diagnosed with cancer. He wanted to talk to Obama, but given the size of the audience, Dunwoody couldn’t make any promises. Nonetheless, Obama ended up speaking to him personally and assured the veteran he would have his staff look into his predicament.

J.B. White, another Iraq veteran as well as Biden's national coordinator of veterans, summed up his support with a paraphrase from Biden: “If I had $10 and veterans needed nine of those dollars, I’m going to give them those $9.”

After all the campaign reps finished, Krause made it clear that all the Democrat hopefuls would be given an equal opportunity to submit their specific proposals to the caucus, which will publish them on its site.

The rest of the meeting was dedicated to discussing and revising the group’s charter, developing promotional and organizing efforts, and brainstorming ideas on how to boost membership. A sense of urgency pervaded the group as one of the members indicated, “We need to strike while the iron is hot.” Others, including Joe Stutler, shared this sentiment, “The rights and freedoms I knew in my youth are being eroded, and the current bunch running things seems to have forgotten about ‘We the People’,” said Stutler. “We feel an obligation to support those who sacrifice for our freedoms. Without those who served before us, us, and those who follow our boot prints, there would be no ‘We the People.’”

To learn more about or to join the IDP Veterans' Caucus, go to the group's website. The next meeting will be held in Des Moines on July 28 (go to site for details and to sign up).

Keeping Real Time with J.B. White, Veterans for Biden New National Coordinator

Iraq War veteran J.B. White doesn’t waste any time when it comes to explaining why he and other Veterans for Biden support Sen. Joe Biden for president. “The thing about Veterans for Biden is not only do we support Biden, but we believe in him as well. We believe that he’s the one who can get his Iraq plan implemented,” said White. “There’s a big difference between having a viable plan and being able to implement the plan. Biden’s position in the Senate and his experience with foreign affairs make us feel he’s the one who can get it done.”

White, a native of McComb, Miss., was appointed National Coordinator of Veterans for Biden last week. The former Marine and Army National Guard member will work out of Biden’s Iowa campaign headquarters in Clive, where he’s been the past three weeks organizing the new outreach group.

Armed with a desire to protect and fight for his country, White initially joined the Marines just prior to the Gulf War in 1991. White’s basic training on Paris Island began two days before President George H.W. Bush’s Jan. 15 bombing deadline. “I joined the Marines with the intent of going to fight in Kuwait. We had no idea back then that the war would be over before I finished basic training.” White finished his six-year contract of the Marines but chose not to re-enlist. “I’m not a big fan of peace-time military service.”

Then along came the war in Iraq, and White joined the Army National Guard in 2002 with the intent of completing Officer Candidate School. Before he had a chance to begin OCS, his Guard unit was deployed to Iraq. Consequently, White didn’t have a trained MOS (Military Occupational Specialty), so he was assigned one based on his civilian experience as an English teacher. “Since I didn’t really have a trained specialty while in Iraq, I became a jack-of-all-trades. Primarily, I was involved with convoys and security logistics.”

After White’s deployment to Iraq, where he served with the 168th Engineering Group from February of 2003 to March of 2004, he returned home to serve his fellow veterans. White was named director of Hope for New Veterans, a pilot program in New York City. The program was designed to help troops adjust to civilian life upon their return by providing them with housing and resources to help minimize Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

When he found out that Biden was running for president, White knew his next calling. “I’ve known about Joe Biden since I was 21 years old and always thought he would make a great president,” said White, who is no stranger to politics. Before re-enlisting in 2002, White was a graduate student studying political science at the University of Southern Mississippi . Seven months later, White was tabbed national coordinator of Veterans for Biden’s campaign.

Since he’s been part of Veterans for Biden, White’s convictions behind supporting Biden have strengthened through discussions among other people involved with Veterans for Biden. “When we hear Senator Biden speak about Iraq and other issues, we identify with him. Having been on the ground in Iraq, we can identify with what he’s saying,” said White. “When I hear others talk about Iraq, it’s like they’re talking about it in the abstract, as if they’ve never really been there and that they’re reading a script about Iraq.”

One of the main reasons White supports Biden is his plan in Iraq. “Biden’s plan is the best way to get our troops out in a responsible manner. We do have to worry about what we leave behind. His plan has bipartisan support and, having been on the ground in Iraq, I feel his plan if far better than any other plans I’ve heard pitched.”

Another reason White is supporting Biden, a reason that separates him from some of his Democratic rivals, is Biden’s "‘yes" vote in the Senate supporting the Iraq war supplemental funding bill. “By voting ‘no’ to fund the troops, the other Democrats are essentially doing exactly what George W. Bush does all the time, and that’s talk a good game about funding the troops but then not delivering for us.”

“Every troop in Iraq is on 'real time,' not American political time. Real time means what’s going to happen in the next five minutes,” said White. “A part of the Iraq supplemental bill was also funding for the MRAPs that will save up to two-thirds of the lives in Iraq.” MRAPs, or Mine Resistant Armored Vehicles, are new armored vehicles capable of protecting troops against the deadliest roadside bombs in Iraq. Nicknamed the “Bull,” these vehicles have already been tested by the Pentagon and were awaiting funding approval attached to the supplemental bill.

As White noted during the interview, “Any ‘no’ vote could have delayed the production of the MRAP by a week or a month. When I go on a convoy in Iraq, I’m not thinking about the politics at home, I’m thinking about whether or not I’m going to get my ass blown off in the next five minutes. If it hadn’t been for Biden, I’m not sure if anyone would’ve mentioned the MRAP issue. Biden definitely understands the next five minutes.”

The production of MRAPs was not a new initiative but had been pointed out last fall by White’s good friend, Paul Reickhoff, author of “Chasing Ghosts,” contributor to “Huffington Post” and founder of the Iraq Afghanistan Veterans for America. White indicated that many veterans have voiced their concerns about the current administration's record of ignoring their needs and how issues like these keep getting shoved under the rug -- until something like a Walter Reed incident surfaces.

When asked why he thought this might be the case, White said, “I think that everything in Iraq was going to be funded by Iraqi oil. Now that it’s not being funded by oil, we’re spending billions of dollars on this war. Now, everything is about cutting. When I was over there, the body armor issue came up. It’s been a real travesty how this administration has not only mishandled the strategic aspects of this war but the aspects dealing with the troops on a daily basis.”

It’s this travesty, along with other issues facing troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, that White hopes to tap into during the presidential campaign. White feels other veterans will be drawn to Biden’s candidacy because of he real-time issues facing troops in Iraq and Afghanistan: “The bottom line is that our troops need protection in Iraq now, and if you look closely, Biden has shown the leadership to do what needs to be done now.”