Young Veterans

Carolyn Schapper, a Veteran Spokeswoman for Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, served in Iraq from October 2005 to September 2006 with the Georgia National Guard. Schapper currently lives in Washington, DC and is a member of the Virginia National Guard.

When I went to Iraq I was the ripe age of 32, my college days were long behind me and I found myself surrounded by, what I considered at the time, to be “kids.” These kids, as I viewed them, have made up 1,049,398 military personnel between the ages of 17-29 who have served in Iraq and/or Afghanistan. I know my view of my younger fellow service-members was likely seen as condescending at the time, but it has certainly altered after a year in Iraq and since.

At first I felt nothing but sorry for the soldiers whose peers were in college. How could this possibly be the life they had chosen? How could there be so many young people-- that have traveled so little and/or had so few life experiences-- that actually serve in Iraq? What a shocker to their worldview. How could they possibly die today or tomorrow without having actually lived a life yet?

It is not fair that the youngest tend to be the ones that most often die. I do not have figures but I check the casualty list regularly and I think it would be fair to say that 18-24 year olds are the majority of losses. Part of me, the older female side, wanted to take care of them, but that was not a reality. After all, regardless of age, as soldiers we were all peers in the war zone. We all saw the same terrible things, felt the same fear and wrestled with emotions we had never experienced before. Everyone grows up when they are in a war zone.

I am now sorry that so many young people had to grow up so fast and to become hardened to life long before the majority of the other 99% of the population who have never served do. I wish I could give them innocence in the place of the injustices and complexities they have faced in war. However, I do not hear them asking for the innocence; what I hear are young soldiers who are disgusted by the apathy and ignorance of those who have not had their experiences.

They are young soldiers who have moved beyond the academics of learning and have lived life and not just read about it. Yet, they still have their unbridled youth and the confusion of thoughts and feelings that are so innate within that age group, so many are now trying to find out where they now fit in into this complex world. Some do this through blogging and political action. And some, most importantly through education, this is where they have surpassed their peers. They can now become the more powerful student in school, they can draw more meaning from what they are taught and they can help transform an academic lesson into reality in the classroom with their life experience. ’

Aside from academics, Iraq and Afghanistan have created more politically active service members because they want to feel they can help create and participate in the political environment that will shape their military future. Iraq and Afghanistan have given rise to so many voices that are asking for change; for the military, for the Department of Veterans Affairs and for the basic rights of service-members. And this generation needs to do it for themselves. We can learn a lot from the Vietnam Veterans who paved the path for advocating for veterans issues and we must thank them for this, however, ultimately the fight is our own.

The needs we have today, such as mandatory mental health screenings and more mental health professionals in the VA, need to be fought for those who need the services when they come home from the current wars and are best fought by those who understand the issues their peers face. This is why it is so important for young veterans to get involved politically, even if it is just to vote, because they can influence how they and their buddies will be treated for years to come. Their military experiences give them an insight that so few others can understand and a rare authority regarding the ramifications of war. Such insight and authority can have a powerful impact on politics and that opportunity should not be wasted.

Voting Rights are Human Rights

Kudos to the ACLU for filing suit on behalf of Annette McWashington Pruitt, an Alabama woman who can't register to vote because of outstanding court expenses.

Alabama state law allows a person convicted of a crime involving "moral turpitude" to apply for voting rights restoration from the Board of Pardons and Paroles, but the applicant must have paid all fines, court fees, costs, and restitution associated with his or her sentence before becoming eligible to vote. Voting rights defenders say denying the right to vote based on one's inability to pay these fees amounts to income-based discrimination.

Pruitt has two sons serving in the US military. But she can't vote in an election that will certainly affect their future. It's not because she committed a crime, but because she couldn't afford to pay to have her rights restored.

Human rights groups, including Amnesty International, are working to make sure the right now vote is protected for all Americans. Just last week, Amnesty International USA helped register hundreds of voters. When you get down to it, voting rights are human rights.

Or as Amnesty International USA director Larry Cox put it, "There is no better time to rock the vote for human rights than now."

Patriotism

If you’ve ever read my blog posts, gotten me talking about voting rights and our democracy, or heard me ramble on about the miracle of a country founded on “we the people” (sorry if you have), you’d know I can get pretty seriously patriotic about America and the rights we have as voters to shape it.

So that’s why when I saw this article, and this one from last week, I was seriously pissed.

Here’s the background: a while ago, the Department of Veterans’ Affairs banned voter registration drives at its federally-run facilities across the country, including nursing homes, homeless shelters, and rehab centers.

The V.A. claims the “Hatch Act” prevents their facilities from allowing registration at V.A. facilities. But as Senator Daniel Akaka, chair of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, stated yesterday, that is bogus.

And as numerous democracy advocates have pointed out, state-run agencies are actually required by law to offer voter registration to clients, and a 1994 Executive Order said federal agencies may do the same.

Yet the V.A. still refuses to budge.

Wow. Banning the most basic action of a democracy from centers helping and housing men and woman who have been fighting for democracy. It makes my head spin.

Why do I care so much? Outside of the fact that this is completely convoluted, the V.A.’s action will disproportionally impact thousands of young Americans recently returned from serving in the Middle East.

Three-quarters of the men and women who have died fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan were under 30 years of age. Thousands of veterans are young Americans who could be participating in a presidential election for the very first time. Young Americans are giving their lives for our country.

To erect a barrier to allowing these young veterans, and all veterans, from registering to vote and participating in our democracy is wrong.

It should be the other way around. Just like state-run agencies – from food stamp offices to the Department of Motor Vehicles – are required to register their clients to vote, federally-run V.A. facilities should do the same. Centers should be helping their constituents update their registration address, get registered, and ensure they are given the tools for active participation.

I remember back in ’05 when I heard that solidiers stationed in Virginia were being (illegally) required to fill out additional paperwork to register to vote in the state. That was outrageous.

What the V.A. is doing is ten steps beyond outrageous.

There are hundreds of nonpartisan organizations working their tails off to register voters this year – let them come and register our veterans! Or better yet, encourage V.A. facilities to register their clients themselves. All it takes is one piece of paper and five minutes to help make sure another American has his or her say in their own future and that our democracy lives up to its incredible potential.

Donny Hathaway and the Year 2025

[Editor's note: This post is one in a series from Rock the Trail Reporters on what kind of music inspires them to rock the vote.]

Soul singer Donny Hathaway is the reason I spell my name with a "y" and not an "ie." His songs reflect a lot of the troubles I go through while still making me feel hopeful. He deals with fear, acceptance, death, faith – things that aren't just on my mind, but on the minds of many young people. He sings and writes songs from a real and vulnerable place, motivating me to do the same with my writing.

If We Ruled the World

The more cynical side of me thinks nothing major will be different by 2015. People will be people, government will be government and Oprah will be king. But if I could have it my way (like another king says), it would go some thing like this (cue the wavy daydream lines):

The war is over. All over the world, mothers and fathers get their sons and daughters back from war zones. In my vision of 2015, the war will have been over for some years, but it won't be far from the minds of young Americans. We won't forget the time when we fought a war for the wrong reasons. The "vacuum effect" many pro-war supporters predicted never happened and the Iraqi government is self-sustaining. America is popular again and is no longer seen as the country equivalent of Britney Spears: the one hot girl that everyone admired until something went terribly wrong. We are no longer seen as the nation that hurts before it helps. We prove this to the world by starting at home: We rebuild New Orleans (all of it!!). We do our very best to kick our oil addiction. It's very hard for us, but we take it one day at a time. The greatest gains will be made by the youth: Young people will continue to build powerful communities on-line, and create their own form of honest media. The power that we gained by so radically changing the outcome of the 2008 election will inspire us to become even more involved. Candidates will no longer ignore us and youth media will host the most important debates in upcoming elections. We will use our power wisely and the world will be a better place.

One More Reason

One more reason why voting matters, from our newest summer intern:

Hi! I'm Maeve Hallman and I am a rising senior at the Potomac School in McLean, Virginia. The 2008 Election is the first election that I have followed since its start. I realize that its outcome will affect the youth of America in an infinite number of ways. The winner of the 2008 Election will make world-changing decisions and set our country in a new direction. He must take action regarding gas prices, health care, and of course, the War in Iraq. We will face the short and long term consequences of our next President's decisions.

I cannot vote in the upcoming election because my 18th birthday is not until December. I'm envious of everyone who is able to vote for the candidate they believe in. However, I am very excited to be working with Rock the Vote, and look forward to encouraging those who can vote to register!

Vote Tomorrow on New GI Bill

Approximately three-quarters of the men and women serving our country in Iraq and Afghanistan are under 30 years of age, part of the Millennial Generation we highlight here on this blog so often.

They're also part of that same generation that's having a devil of a time making ends meet, not least due to the rising cost of college and increasing burden of student loans.

So I wanted to give you all the heads up that tomorrow, the U.S. House of Representatives will vote on a bill that would expand the G.I. Bill for veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

The bill has broad support. In the Senate, the effort to expand the GI Bill is led by Jim Webb (D-VA) and Chuck Hagel (R-NE), both veterans; in Congress, nearly 300 members have expressed support for the bill.

From Bob Herbert's column in the issue:

Reinvigorating the GI bill is one of the best things this nation could do. The original GI Bill of Rights, signed into law by President Franklin Roosevelt in 1944, paid the full load of a returning veteran's education at a college or technical school and provided a monthly stipend. It was an investment that paid astounding dividends. Millions of veterans benefited, and they helped transform the nation. College would no longer be the exclusive preserve of the wealthy and those who crowned themselves the intellectual elite.

What do you think? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

If you'd like to contact your member of Congress before tomorrow's vote, you can find them and their contact information here.