Jasper Craven

2 weeks ago | veteranspolicy.org | Jasper Craven

Last week, five-thousand protestors gathered on the Mall in Washington, D.C. under the banner of Unite for Veterans /Unite for America. The crown included many former servicemembers, including some who belong to AFGE, NNU, National Federation of Federal Employees, and other unions. Speakers included vets like Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and former Republican House member Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), who became a major Trump critic during his first term.

2 weeks ago | veteranspolicy.org | Jasper Craven

While public attention remains focused on the looming crisis of VA employees facing termination, an even more ominous threat to veterans’ healthcare is advancing nearly unnoticed through the halls of Congress. Three pieces of legislation are gaining momentum, each crafted to systematically dismantle VA-delivered care under the guise of sympathy for veteran suicide and mental health struggles.

1 month ago | motherjones.com | Jasper Craven

It’s Memorial Day weekend, and I’m hung over in the hull gunner of an M36 Jackson tank. This green, mean fighting machine once killed its fair share of Nazis. Decades later, its engine still roars with a fresh ferocity, though its cannon is a couple of firing pins short of battle-ready. That’s fine by me. I’m no soldier but a civilian, a queasy millennial tourist cosplaying as a member of the Greatest Generation. For a $195 “donation,” I’ve secured a 10-minute ride in this 29-ton piece of history.

1 month ago | lymeline.com | Jasper Craven

On a perfect summer day in late August of 2022, I met Susan Rankin on the bank of the Passumpsic River, in St. Johnsbury. It was the first I’d seen her since the pandemic and we caught up for hours, seated at a picnic table with pizza from Kingdom Crust. I’d brought my then-new girlfriend, Lauren, on Susan’s insistence, even though the reason for our gathering was somewhat grim. We were supposed to discuss her obituary. Susan was then in her early 70s, and for much of her life she’d been sick.

2 months ago | prospect.org | Jasper Craven

Jonathon Solonar spent 19 years in the U.S. Navy as a medical corpsman, deploying across the world to help keep America’s fighting force healthy. Among his various roles, Solonar served as the sole medical official on a nuclear submarine, providing primary care to more than 160 fellow sailors traversing the deep seas. Solonar’s service ended abruptly, in 2022, when he was medically retired, forcing him to scramble for a civilian career.