Read

Top 10 Quotes from the Military Service Initiative Summit

Yesterday, the Bush Institute’s Military Service Initiative hosted a Summit exploring how we can better serve our post-9/11 veterans and...

Yesterday, the Bush Institute’s Military Service Initiative hosted a Summit exploring how we can better serve our post-9/11 veterans and military families.  During the Summit, President Bush announced the release of Serving Our Post-9/11 Veterans, a comprehensive report on veteran-serving non-profit organizations to identify how they, and the funding community, can be more effective in supporting veterans.

The Summit started with a conversation moderated by President Bush with General Peter Chiarelli and post-9/11 veterans, Sergeant Dave Smith and Captain Brian Stann. Sergeant Smith and Captain Stann both talked about their own transition struggles and opportunities.

The day also included panel discussions focused on what a successful veteran transition looks like and how funders and communities play an important role. Here’s a look at some of the top quotes from the Summit’s discussions.

The Veteran Transition

“I have vowed for the remainder of my life that I will do what I can to help our vets.” – President George W. Bush

“If you don’t take charge of your transition, it is a dark and lonely road” – Captain Brian Stann

“Getting an education proved to me that I was more than just a grunt. That I could solve problems.” – Sergeant Dave Smith

“We need more people to stand up & say there’s nothing wrong with it. A big part of the problem is the stigma that surrounds PTS.” – Sergeant Dave Smith

“Where we see success, we see veterans who take charge of their transition” – General Peter Chiarelli

Elements of Effective Veteran-Serving Non-profit Organizations

“An important part of what all the veteran-serving organizations and military-serving organizations need to do is to connect to the community to help tell the veterans’ story.” – General Peter Chiarelli

“We need to speak more clearly to the civilian-military divide because I think there are a lot of people out there who, when they see our narrative, they say, ‘I’m really glad you’re doing that.’ What we need them to say is, ‘I want to be a part of that.’” – JD Crouch, President and Chief Executive Officer, United Service Organizations

“Almost anything can be measured if you’re willing to put resources into it.” – Dan Goldenberg, Executive Director, Call of Duty Endowment

“Find a way, whatever it takes, to know you’re doing what you think you’re doing. Learn, adapt, and measure.” – Ken Berger, President and Chief Executive Officer, Charity Navigator

“This Bush Institute and IVMF study gives us that toolkit we’re looking for – the toolkit to identify what we should be measuring and how we measure it.” – Todd Baxter, Executive Director, Veterans Outreach Center