Date changed from May 20 to June 24, also to be sponsored with Uniformed Services League, new speaker lineup to be announced
Concerned Veterans for America (CVA) will be a major sponsor of the next Freedom Leadership Conference in Northern Virginia, with the date changed from 5/20 to the new date of Wednesday, June 24 at the Hilton Garden Inn Fairfax on Route 50 near the intersection of I-66, in order to focus attention on the continuing plight of American military veterans under the administration of Barack Obama and to continue its push for Congress to adopt the new “VA Accountability Act.”
One and most likely two speakers from Concerned Veterans for America will be highlighted at the June 24 conference, which should be announced very shortly, with the re-opening of the “early bird dinner” discount rates and a new, later expiration date (note: since this was originally posted the date has been changed again to June 24, early bird deadline to be announced).
CVA will join Uniformed Services League (USL) as a Sponsor of the June Freedom Leadership Conference in order to put pressure on Congress to enact the new VA Accountability Act it supports. USL also has strongly endorsed passage of this bill proposed by Jeff Miller, Chairman of the Veterans Affairs Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives at a news conference just two weeks ago, at which CVA’s Chief Executive Officer, Pete Hegseth, also made a strong statement of support.
There has been no employee at the Veterans Administration who has been fired one year after it was discovered that some veterans waiting and waiting on the VA waiting list had actually died while waiting for the medical care promised all American military veterans. In fact, several of the whistle-blowers who have reported on the VA neglect have been punished, exiled to sit in a library without any contact with the military veteran patients they had spent years helping.
CVA has provided expert witnesses on Capitol Hill before committees of Congress and their leaders have appeared in major media, including Fox TV where their CEO Pete Hegseth is a frequent commentator.
Several of the possible speakers for the May 27 Freedom Leadership Conference are shown in the photograph (above) including:
Pete Hegseth, CVA CEO & Fox TV Commentator, is likely the most recognizable spokesman for CVA because so many of our conference participants regularly watch Fox TV. His schedule on short notice makes it less likely that we will see him on May 27 but we remain hopeful that he will be one of the speakers CVA sends us that date.
Hegseth appeared with a number of Congressmen to support the introduction of the VA Accountability Act on April 30, saying ““We are entering a new era of choice, accountability and reform that is coming to the VA, and coming for veterans. Leaders can either stand in the front and lead that effort, or they can be dragged along – but veterans will no longer tolerate the status quo at the VA.”
CVA Virginia State Director Kurt Lofquist may be one of the speakers. The very young looking Kurt was deployed to Iraq in 2003 and 2005 as a U.S. Marine Sergeant where he participated in combat operations in Anbar province. Serving five years in law enforcement after his military service, Kurt became part of the CVA leadership team in 2012.
CVA Legislative Director Dan Caldwell has other duties that keep him very busy on Capitol Hill but his name has been put forward to us as one of the possible speakers for the May 27 Conference. The very young looking Dan actually became a U.S. Marine 10 years ago and has served in Iraq before becoming part of the CVA team and being deployed to a new “theater” – Washington DC for CVA since 2013. (note: since this article was originally posted Dan has confirmed as the speaker for CVA).
Another possible speaker – and there may very well be more than one from CVA – is Darin Selnick, CVA Senior Veterans Affairs Advisor. Darin has testified before the U.S. Senate Veterans Affairs’ Committee on the implementation and future of the Veterans Choice Card program, and was scheduled to appear next before the House Veterans Affairs Committee.
Any – or all – of these dedicated veterans experienced in defending America in uniform and now in the public policy process would be most welcome at the speaker’s podium at the May 27 Freedom Leadership Conference and we are most excited that CVA will shortly advise us of their choice and we look forward to announcing that in this space.
CVA spokesmen have appeared on radio and TV interviews, have testified on Capitol Hill and are regularly seen visiting Congressional Offices to apprise our elected officials in Washington about the concerns of American military veterans, who recently polled a shockingly low 15% as supporters of Barack Obama. No wonder military abstentee ballots are so hard to send and so easy to get lost in polling places manned by liberal-left establishment politicians and their cronies.
And this also explains – the low regard that the military has for Barack Obama as their Commander in Chief – why there is such a low priority in the Administration of Barack Obama for his Veterans Administration keeping the promise made by America for medical care for those who have served America in uniform.
As Dr. Johnny L. Simpson, Jr. said in behalf of Uniformed Services League at a recent conference, “the promises are not being kept.” Dr. Simpson works with American military veterans who are trying to obtain the support promised to them after their service and are being ignored. Dr. Simpson goes out of his way to employ military veterans at his internet website consulting firm, Vetscon.
His remarks at the June 24 Conference will focus on some specific veteran’s cases, and if funds are available some of those veterans will be invited to join us for the private dinner for the keynote speakers held just before the 7:30 to 9 PM Conference (doors open 7 PM; dinner is served 6 to 7 PM with doors open for that at 5:30 PM).
Stay tuned for more details to be announced about the specific speakers to be provided by Concerned Veterans for America to join Dr. Johnny L. Simpson, Jr. at the June 24 Conference, hopefully in the next few days.
Postponed from the May 20 and briefly a May 27 conference date, the new Freedom Leadership Conference to be held on June 24 with two major sponsors, promises to be one of the best ones since the monthly series experiment was begun in 2013. When the Conference began 15 years ago in southern California, most of the 61 sponsor organizations participated in the two days long event which drew over 300 to attend. The monthly event in Northern Virginia is smaller, but also a much shorter, weeknight event sponsored by one sponsor until now.
The actual conference on June 24 which runs from 7:30 to 9 PM is free with a suggested donation at the door of $5 to defray conference expenses including room rental (waived for veterans with military ID), but a required advance RSVP to secure your tickets, click HERE.
The dinner to be held to honor the keynote speakers and with the conference leadership has doors open at 5:30 PM and dinner served promptly 6 to 7 PM, click HERE to buy a discounted ticket (new early bird discount deadline to be announced; dinner proceeds help defray some of the conference expenses including dinner for the major speakers).
(note: a NEW conference flyer will be created as soon as we announce the new additional speakers from CVA for the new June 24 conference date – stay tuned and if you haven’t done so please sign up for the Freedom Digest, the free conference e-mail newsletter, HERE).
(note: this article is cross posted at the website of conference sponsor Uniformed Services League)