the idelogically identifying post-9/11 veterans groups. there s also the big one, iava. the first and largest post 9/11 veterans group. they re totally nonpartisan, aggressively nonpartisan, and they are not just influential in politics. they re actively feared on capitol hill and more broadly in washington, d.c. i don t spend a lot of time in washington, but whenever i do, i m usually talking to people about national security stuff. you talk to people in washington about anything that touches iava s political turf and i swear you can take it from me, you can see people retract physically when they start talking about the politaul topi. it s better sometimes to be respected and feared than it is to be liked. particularly in washington. particularly when you have a long-term horizon on the stuff you re advocating for, and for the interest of iraq and afghanistan veterans, seeing that physical reaction on both sides of the aisle, i have to