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.

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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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