Vets for American Ideals

About

Veterans for American Ideals is a nonpartisan group of veterans who share the belief that America is strongest when its policies and actions match its ideals.

We dedicated our lives to our country as citizen-soldiers, and we believe that honor, courage, commitment, duty, and country are not just words, but values worth defending. After taking off the uniform, we seek to continue serving our country by advocating for policies that are consistent with the ideals that motivated us to serve in the first place. Our current campaigns are focused on saving the Special Immigrant Visa program for interpreters and translators who served with the U.S. military, protecting refugees, and countering Islamophobia.

We, veterans, dedicated parts of our lives to our country as citizen-soldiers.

We believe that honor, courage, commitment, duty, and country are not just words, but values that embody our service and our entire nation.

To be a citizen-soldier is to be part of a courageous and service-oriented family that breathes life into citizenship.

After taking off the uniform, we seek to continue serving our country.

Veterans for American Ideals advocates policies that are consistent with the principles that motivated us to serve in the first place.

SIV Sips

Veterans for American Ideals, in collaboration with Starbucks, is proud to present SIV Sips. By bringing veterans and refugees together for coffee and conversation, we build bridges between communities and grow together.

Named "SIV Sips" in honor of the brave interpreters and translators who received Special Immigrant Visas for their service alongside U.S. troops in Iraq or Afghanistan, the project shows new Americans that they are part of a community, and veterans that their work isn't done just because they've taken off their uniforms. Hosted regularly at Starbucks stores in 14 U.S. cities, SIV Sips invite attendees to sip coffee, build their networks, and share the challenges and victories of life in the United States.

Last year, we welcomed our newest neighbors and nurtured the special bond between veterans and SIVs. In 2019, we look forward to hosting SIV Sips in new locations, and to building more welcoming communities together.

Get Involved

Resources

Letter: Veteran-Led Organizations Call on the President to Evacuate SIVs from Afghanistan

Human Rights First
Letter | May 10, 2021

Veterans for American Ideals (VFAI) led fifteen veteran-led organizations in a letter calling on President Biden to swiftly evacuate the over 17,000 Afghans in the Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program as a central element of our military withdrawal from Afghanistan.

How the Trump Administration’s Refugee Policies Harm Our Iraqi Wartime Allies

Human Rights First
Factsheet | October 01, 2020

U.S.-Affiliated Iraqis and the Iraqi Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) Program

Is Honduras Safe for Refugees and Asylum Seekers?

Human Rights First
Factsheet | May 01, 2020

On May 1, 2020, the Trump administration published an agreement signed with Honduras in September 2019, that purports to allow the United States to transfer third-country asylum seekers to Honduras, despite the failure

Veteran Coalition Letter to Members of Congress in Support of the Afghan Special Immigrant Visa Program

Human Rights First
Letter | September 19, 2018

September 19, 2018 Dear Members of Congress, We represent more than two hundred thousand veterans from every branch of the United States military and every American conflict since Vietnam.

How the Trump Administration's Executive Orders on Refugees Harm Our Iraqi Wartime Allies

Human Rights First
Factsheet | September 19, 2018

U.S.-Affiliated Iraqis and the Iraqi Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) Program

The Afghan Special Immigrant Visa Program

Human Rights First
Factsheet | September 19, 2018

The Afghan Special Immigrant Visa Program 2009-2018 What is the Afghan Special Immigrant Visa Program? Download

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News and Views

We Left Our Afghan Allies for Dead. A Former Interpreter and Marine Are Bringing Them Back
Blog | April 21, 2022 |

Hugh Tychsen and Haseeb
Haseeb always kept an extra bullet for himself.

Alone, and in the middle of the desert, he remembered the bullet. When a car pulled in front of his taxi, he quickly stashed his computer under the floorboard and...
Steps to Protect Your Online Identity from the Taliban: Digital History and Evading Biometrics Abuses
Article | April 21, 2022 | Human Rights First
Reveille
| November 18, 2020 |

For years, I misunderstood the Constitutional Oath which I regularly retook as a U. S. Marine. In fact, for a long time, I missed the point entirely. What did pretty words about freedom and democracy have to do with me? I was a member of a highly...

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