Veterans tout VA services in new ad campaign - Military News | News From Afghanistan, Iraq And Around The World - Military Times

Veterans tout VA services in new ad campaign

The Veterans Affairs Department is launching a six-city advertising campaign beginning Monday night featuring a Marine veteran of the Iraq war that is aimed at spreading the word about available help for newly discharged combat veterans.

The ad campaign is part of an effort to address the fact that there are 23 million veterans in the U.S., but only 8 million use VA services.

VA Secretary Eric Shinseki, a retired four-star general, former Army chief of staff and combat-disabled Vietnam veteran, has been pushing outreach efforts aimed at smoothing the transition to civilian life for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans by making sure they know about available resources such as disability compensation, medical treatment, education benefits and home loans.

“The sooner we meet their needs, the less likely they are to encounter the repercussions commonly associated with the post-combat experience,” said VA spokeswoman Katie Roberts.

Between now and Thanksgiving, about $1 million will be spent on television ads in six locations that were chosen because they have large numbers of returning veterans. The ad campaign will expand through the rest of the year at a total cost of $5 million, according to VA officials.

The advertising campaign is called “What Lies Ahead,” and it talks about various reasons why veterans might want to contact the VA, Robert said.

Featured in the television ads is former Staff Sgt. Robert Kugler, an Iraq veteran who moved to California to study acting after his 2009 disability retirement. Kugler’s older brother, Michael Doheny, a former Marine, was killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq in 2007 while working as a security contractor for the Army Corps of Engineers, according to VA.

Kugler, then attached to the 2nd Supply Battalion, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, out of Camp Lejeune, N.C., that was deployed to Taqqadum, accompanied his brother’s body back to their hometown of Broken Bow, Neb., and then returned to Iraq to finish his tour.

Kugler is not the only veteran featured in the ad, just the most prominent. Other people appearing in uniform in the commercial also are veterans, VA officials said.