In Our Veterans, Suzanne Gordon, Steve Early, and Jasper Craven explore the physical, emotional, social, economic, and psychological impact of military service and the problems that veterans face when they return to civilian life. The authors critically examine the role of advocacy organizations, philanthropies, corporations, and politicians who purport to be "pro-veteran." They describe the ongoing debate about the cost, quality, and effectiveness of healthcare provided or outsourced by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). They also examine generational divisions and political tensions among veterans, as revealed in the tumultuous events of 2020, from Black Lives Matter protests to the Trump-Biden presidential contest. Frank and revealing, Our Veterans proposes a new agenda for veterans affairs linking service provision to veterans to the quest for broader social programs benefiting all Americans.

List of Abbreviations  ix
Preface  xiii
Authors' Note and Acknowledgments  xvii
Introduction: Friendly Fire  1
1. A Toxic Workplace  27
2. Life and Work after the Military  57
3. Stolen Valor  85
4. Last Stand of the Legion Post?  108
5. The New VSOs  134
6. A VA Healthcare Struggle  155
7. Playing the Veteran Card  176
8. Veterans and the 2020 Election  199
Conclusion: Rethinking Veterans Affairs  222
Notes  253
Selected Bibliography  311
Index  317

Suzanne Gordon is Senior Policy Analyst at the Veterans Healthcare Policy Institute and the author of many books, most recently, Wounds of War: How the VA Delivers Health, Healing, and Hope to the Nation’s Veterans.

Steve Early is a freelance journalist, labor organizer, lawyer, and the author of, most recently, Refinery Town: Big Oil, Big Money, and the Remaking of an American City. His work has appeared in theNew York Times, the Washington Post, and theNation, among others.

Jasper Craven is a freelance journalist who covers the military and veterans. His work has appeared in the New York Times, the Atlantic, theNew Republic, and theBaffler, among others.