We are a nonpartisan group of veterans who share a belief that America is

strongest and most secure when its policies and actions match its ideals.

OUR VISION Advocate American Ideals

We urge policymakers to take actions that reflect
We dedicated parts of our lives to our country as
our nations commitment to human rights.
citizen-soldiers, and 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 by advocating policies that are
consistent with the ideals that motivated us to serve in
the first place.

WHAT WE DO
We act as a trusted, nonpartisan bridge on issues
that are fundamentally about the values we swore to
uphold, and promote policies and actions that reflect
those values.
OUR CAMPAIGNS
HOW WE DO IT Our nation is a beacon of
Share Our Stories hope and freedom. To
honor those core values,
We raise veterans voices, telling stories of service
we are dedicated to
that reflect our national values, and our vision for
saving the Special
American leadership.
Immigrant Visa program
Bridge Partisan Divides for interpreters and
We work across both sides of the aisle and fight to translators who served
keep public and media focus on our shared national alongside the U.S.
valuesnot politics. military, protecting
refugees from violence
Empower Vets to Lead and persecution, and
We support other veterans to continue their service by countering Islamophobia
raising their voices and leading on values-based issues. in America.

WEBSITE: vfai.org TWITTER: @Vets4AmericanIdeals CONTACT: vfai@humanrightsfirst.org

HELPING OUR WARTIME ALLIES
Veterans served with, and at times depended on,
interpreters, translators, and other local allies to
successfully carry out missions in Iraq and
Afghanistan. Many of these individuals lives are now
in danger as a result of their service. The United
States offers Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs) to
qualifying allies to resettle in the United States, but
the Iraqi program ended in 2014, and not enough
visas have been allocated to meet the demand for
the Afghan program. VFAI advocates for Congress to WHAT YOU CAN DO
strengthen and expand the SIV program.
Join Our Cause
PROTECTING REFUGEES Sign-up to receive the latest news and to learn about
The world is facing the largest refugee crisis since opportunities for action. Visit vfai.org.
World War II. The United States should live up to the
Sign the Letter
words inscribed on the Statue of Liberty and offer
assistance to people fleeing persecution, violence, Add your name to our campaign letter calling on the
and upheaval. VFAI raises veteran voices to counter President to lead a global effort to protect refugees.
fear-based narratives about refugees and advocate Raise Your Voice
for policies that would improve the pace and scale of Tell us your stories and ideas. Help amplify our
refugee resettlement to the United States. message that protecting the vulnerable is central to
COUNTERING ISLAMOPHOBIA American values.

Anti-Muslim rhetoric has increased over the last year, Stay Informed
with some politicians and public leaders calling for Visit our website to read the latest on our advocacy
xenophobic policies such as shutting down mosques priorities and to add your name to petitions.
and banning Muslims from entering the United
States entirely. Hate crimes against Muslims
are at their highest rate since 9/11. VFAI
veterans speak out against Islamophobia,
sharing their stories as Muslim-American
veterans and allies to the Muslim community,
advancing the message that discrimination
undermines American values and security.

Veterans for American Ideals is a project of Human

Rights First, a nonpartisan, 501c3 international human
rights organization based in New York and Washington,
DC. We do not favor or oppose any candidate for
political office.

WEBSITE: vfai.org TWITTER: @Vets4AmericanIdeals CONTACT: vfai@humanrightsfirst.org