Tom Kilgannon and Oliver North Discuss Helping Veterans During Crisis

Freedom Alliance President Tom Kilgannon recently joined Oliver North on North’s series Real American Heroes to discuss public service and how Freedom Alliance is helping combat-wounded troops persevere through the COVID-19 pandemic.

National Service

Kilgannon spoke about his time as a Commissioner on The National Commission on Military, National, and Public Service which “conducted a comprehensive and holistic review of the Selective Service System and all forms of service to the Nation.” The Commission’s final report, Inspired to Serve was released on March 25, 2020.

Kilgannon notes that millions of patriotic young Americans who are serving our country in both a military and civilian capacity. The two major issues which the commission addressed is whether women should be required to register with Selective Service System and how to inspire young Americans to serve their country.

While Kilgannon held a different point of view, the Commission ultimately recommended that women aged 18-25 should be required to register with the Selective Service and become eligible for a future draft.

Additionally, they recommended a system be implemented to allow Americans with special skills to voluntarily register with the Federal Government to help during a National Emergency, such as the one we are facing in the current COVID-19 pandemic.

In total, the commission sent a total 164 recommendations to the President and Congress and it is now up to Legislature to determine which of those to implement.

Helping Combat Wounded Veterans and their Families

Kilgannon and North concluded their conversation about how the Military and Veteran community are being impacted by the coronavirus – and how Freedom Alliance is helping them persevere.

Currently, Freedom Alliance is providing 500 scholarships to the children of fallen or disabled military personnel. This is ensuring these students have the resources they need to graduate from college and more importantly honors their parent’s sacrifice for our country. Our team has connected with all 500 students and offered support to them during the pandemic.

Freedom Alliance wants America’s combat wounded troops and veterans to have full and robust social activity, so our programs are designed to provide meaningful social connection between them.

Isolation can be very difficult for those with post-traumatic stress, so the team at Freedom Alliance is connecting personally via telephone and through video meetings like Zoom and Facetime to ensure that they are healthy and in good spirits. In cases where there is a need, we work to get them the help they need.

“Despite not being able to gather in person, Freedom Alliance is still there to take care of America’s injured warriors and those on the front lines,” remarked Kilgannon.

Freedom Alliance is also encouraging Buddy Checks – expanding our impact by encouraging veterans to reach out to their buddies, and preparing for when the restrictions are lifted to ensure that these veterans have a healthy place to go when they can go out.

Those wishing to learn more about Freedom Alliance can visit this site.

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