Washington, DC (February 28, 2020) — IAVA proudly kicks off its 2020 Spring “Storm the Hill” on Monday, March 2nd. During this week-long leadership training and advocacy program, IAVA member veterans from around the country (called Stormers) will come to Washington, DC to learn to advocate for their interests, then “Storm the Hill” to meet with Members of Congress and share their stories.
“This is IAVA’s most ambitious Storm the Hill in years,” said Jeremy Butler, CEO of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. “Our country is in a critical period and the need to advance legislation to support our veterans could not be greater. This group of veterans is set to have the biggest impact we have ever made on Capitol Hill, moving forward key pieces of legislation to significantly improve the lives and outlook of not just the post-9/11 generation but veterans of all eras. From stopping the national epidemic of suicide to ensuring that those exposed to toxic hazards while on active duty get the health care they need, there is no shortage of urgent work that must be done to ensure that our nation’s veterans are taken care of.”
The biographies of IAVA’s Stormers can be found here.
IAVA’s schedule of events for the week of Storm the Hill includes:
Monday, March 2
Storm the Hill Training
White House Meeting of PREVENTS Task Force aimed at developing a roadmap to combat military and veteran suicide.
Tuesday, March 3
Meetings with Congress
Welcome Honor Flight attendees to WWII Memorial
IAVA CEO testimony before joint hearing of House and Senate VA Committees
Wednesday, March 4
Meetings with Congress
IAVA Annual Member Survey Launch Capitol Hill Reception
Thursday, March 5
Meetings with Congress
Friday, March 6
Meetings with Congress
Stormer tour of DC monuments
More on IAVA’s Storm the Hill: Storm the Hill is IAVA’s signature leadership development program. Over the years, it has grown from a handful of veterans walking the halls of Congress into a nationally-recognized activation – elevating post-9/11 veterans across the media and in more than 100 meetings with our nation’s leaders. Storm the Hill is now a well-established advocacy campaign and the most powerful non-partisan policy impact program for post-9/11 veterans in America. Veterans are selected from all across America in an extremely competitive process. They are diverse in terms of military rank, geography, gender, political party and ethnic background. These dedicated leaders volunteer to leave behind their families, jobs and school to undertake an intense training experience in Washington, DC focused on helping them become powerhouse veteran advocates for the rest of their life. These inspiring leaders are then unleashed on Washington in small teams for a barnstorming week of IAVA-led Congressional testimony, press conferences, panel discussions, meetings with Senators and Representatives, visits to the VA, the Pentagon and the White House.
Each year, Storm the Hill also introduces the results of IAVA’s Annual Survey.
