"Paul Rieckhoff" is a writer, social entrepreneur, advocate, activist and veteran of the United States Army and the Iraq War. He is the Founder and CEO of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA). He served as an Army First Lieutenant and infantry rifle platoon leader in Iraq from 2003 through 2004. Rieckhoff was released from the Army National Guard of the United States/Army National Guard in 2007.

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It just became an accepted part of the culture. If you were National Guard or Reserve, or NCOs, noncommissioned officers, you were going to spend a lot of money out of your pocket. These are bureaucratic failures, but when they make mistakes like this, guys die. There has been progress made, but we're still seeing serious shortages.

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Men and women of extraordinary courage and incredible capability. But it's time we had leadership in Washington to match that courage and match that capability.

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Now I think the public opinion is starting to change, and people are understanding that the guys who've been in Washington don't seem to have a good handle on it.

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Policy that brings in the rest of the world and relieves their burden.

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To secure Iraq and help the Iraqi people.

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We're definitely looking at a wave of guys coming back who will want to run.

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I don't expect an easy solution to the situation in Iraq. I do expect an admission that there are serious problems that need serious solutions. I don't expect our leaders to be free of mistakes, I expect our leaders to own up to them.

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We saw firsthand the terrible suffering that they had endured. We protected a hospital and kept a school safe from sniper fire. We saw hope in the faces of Iraqi children who may have the chance to grow up as free as our own.

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