The VFW’s political stunt backfired

Growing up in a military family, I learned what veterans’ advocacy looked like long before I understood the term.

My father served as general counsel for the California Department of Veterans Affairs. His work was not glamorous, and it rarely attracted public attention. It happened across conference tables, in legal offices, and through countless conversations with veterans trying to navigate an often overwhelming benefits system. He devoted years to helping people who had sacrificed for our country.

This should not be about a T-shirt that ignites a political firestorm on X. It should be about modern solutions that deliver victories for those who have already fought for us.

Watching him, I came to understand that advocacy is not measured by volume. It is measured by results.

California is home to the nation’s largest veteran population, and the cases my father handled reminded me that behind every dispute, delay, or bureaucratic error was a veteran who had fulfilled an obligation to this country.

Those veterans were not looking for political theater. They wanted someone who understood the system and was willing to fight on their behalf.

The most effective advocacy often happens out of sight. It requires drafting legislation that improves access to care, building coalitions around meaningful reforms, providing legal assistance to veterans who cannot afford it, and working with elected officials to remove unnecessary barriers to benefits.

These efforts rarely make headlines. They improve lives.

That is why some developments in the veterans’ advocacy world are so discouraging.

The recent controversy surrounding the Veterans of Foreign Wars’ “Honor the Contract” campaign illustrates how easily attention can shift away from veterans themselves. The campaign’s T-shirt depicted veterans facing a firing squad — an inflammatory image meant to make a political point about how Washington serves veterans.

Whatever message the organization hoped to communicate was lost in the controversy that followed.

House Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Mike Bost (R-Ill.) was right to express concern that this kind of messaging lowers the standard of public discourse.

Veterans’ organizations should be among the country’s most respected civic institutions. They represent Americans who answered the nation’s call to serve, often at extraordinary personal cost.

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That moral authority should be used to persuade and educate, not to contribute to the outrage politics already poisoning our national conversation.

The VFW’s campaign suggests a troubling disconnect from what veterans need out of Washington.

Healthy debate is essential for good government. Veterans’ organizations have every right to advocate forcefully for or against legislation. But there is a difference between forceful advocacy and deliberately provocative messaging.

One advances the conversation. The other distracts from it.

The backlog of veterans’ claims has dropped below 70,000 for the first time since 2020. That is progress. But tens of thousands of veterans are still waiting for answers.

They deserve more than symbolic fights and social media firestorms.

This should not be about a T-shirt that ignites a political firestorm on X. It should be about modern solutions that deliver victories for those who have already fought for us.

My father never chased headlines or put politics ahead of people. He spent long hours doing meticulous legal work with the quiet determination to solve problems many veterans could not solve alone.

That example has stayed with me because it reflects the highest ideals of public service.

Veterans’ organizations have accomplished extraordinary things throughout American history by operating according to those same standards. They should strive to uphold them and elevate public discourse rather than mirror its worst tendencies.

The men and women who fought for our country already answered the call to serve. Those who advocate on their behalf should return the favor by delivering results and staying focused on the work that helps veterans most.