Paul Rieckhoff
Paul Rieckhoff
Paul Rieckhoff is an American writer, social entrepreneur, advocate, activist and veteran of the United States Army and the Iraq War. He is the Founder and CEO of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. He served as an Army First Lieutenant and infantry rifle platoon leader in Iraq from 2003 through 2004. Rieckhoff was released from the Army National Guard in 2007...
good guys handle opinion people public seem starting understanding washington
Now I think the public opinion is starting to change, and people are understanding that the guys who've been in Washington don't seem to have a good handle on it,
push seek
Everything's on the vet. It's on you to come forward, you to push the paper, you to seek the treatment.
army ensure level wrong
I don't think the Army is wrong by doing this, because the Army has to ensure some level of quality.
bottom defense department donald failing line soldiers
The bottom line is that Donald Rumsfeld and the Defense Department are failing soldiers again.
continue severity size
They continue to downplay the severity and the real size of the problem.
among facing health heard iraq issues last members mental stress study
The study confirms what we've heard from our members for the last two years -- that mental health issues and (post-traumatic stress disorder) are among the No. 1 issues facing Iraq veterans.
brings policy rest
policy that brings in the rest of the world and relieves their burden.
courage incredible leadership match men time washington women
men and women of extraordinary courage and incredible capability. But it's time we had leadership in Washington to match that courage and match that capability.
admission easy expect free leaders problems serious situation solution
I don't expect an easy solution to the situation in Iraq. I do expect an admission that there are serious problems that need serious solutions. I don't expect our leaders to be free of mistakes, I expect our leaders to own up to them.
friends-or-friendship health mental people unstable worried
People don't feel comfortable getting mental health care, necessarily, because they're worried that their friends are going to think they're unstable or they're crazy.
attention paying people tip
People should be paying attention to it, because I think it really could be the tip of the iceberg.
accepted became culture
It just became an accepted part of the culture,
accepted became culture guard money national spend
It just became an accepted part of the culture. If you were National Guard or Reserve, or NCOs, noncommissioned officers, you were going to spend a lot of money out of your pocket.
help iraq iraqi secure
to secure Iraq and help the Iraqi people.