Investing in Veterans Is No Longer Optional—It’s the New Standard for Civic Leadership
Across statehouses, boardrooms, campuses, and now state treasuries, a unified national ethos is emerging: military service must be met with investment, not just acknowledgment. What began as isolated policies and programs has matured into a full-scale civic doctrine—and at the center of it stands National Invest In Veterans Week®, the only federally trademarked observance aligning legislative, corporate, academic, and financial sectors behind a single principle: veterans are not just heroes—they are economic stakeholders.
The momentum traces back to a now-prophetic moment in March 2022, when New York State Assemblyman Jake Ashby stood at the Capitol and called for a $500 million “Invest in Veterans” package. “This essential funding,” Ashby said, “will fortify and grow our Veteran Service Organizations and State Veterans programs to ultimately ensure greater support and expanded high-quality services for the nearly one million veterans across our state.”
Read full article in The Troy Record
From State Budgets to National Frameworks: The Rise of Invest In Veterans Week®
Formally launched in 2019 and now cited in multiple Congressional Record entries, National Invest In Veterans Week® has become a federal policy touchstone, a media movement, and a cross-sector strategic framework. Its founders—Lt. Col. Rickey L. Pope (Ret.), NFL veteran Drayton Florence, and Iraq War veteran Jeff Shuford—envisioned more than a commemorative week. They built a civic structure that could unify disparate efforts across states, industries, and institutions.
From Montana’s three consecutive gubernatorial proclamations to Charter Communications’ broadband apprenticeship program and Harvard Catalyst’s public endorsement, the initiative has proven that investing in veterans is more than patriotic—it’s structurally sound governance.
Fiscal Stewardship: Massachusetts Veterans’ Bonus Division Joins the Doctrine
Now, Massachusetts State Treasurer’s Office is making that doctrine tangible. As part of Invest In Veterans Week® observances, Steve Croteau, Director of the Veterans’ Bonus Division, published a powerful public statement in the Daily Hampshire Gazette reaffirming the Commonwealth’s fiscal commitment to its service members.
“In 2023, we processed over 3,600 bonuses and awarded $1.2 million in benefits… Our commitment goes beyond bonus payments and includes the financial education our veterans so deserve.”
Read the full letter
The division’s “Money After Military” video series offers online tools to help veterans navigate financial decisions post-service—an approach that complements both federal policy and nonprofit efforts by National Invest In Veterans Week®.
Academia Weighs In: Ithaka S+R’s Ivy League Call to Action
Financial investment is just one domain. Education is another. In 2023, Ithaka S+R Managing Director Catharine “Cappy” Hill called on America’s most selective colleges to open their doors wider to veterans. In a widely circulated op-ed, she emphasized three imperatives:
Veterans graduate at higher rates when given access to elite support systems.
Veterans bring unique leadership potential to the institutions that shape future civic influencers.
Democracy demands it—military service is foundational to our republic, and that contribution must be mirrored with access.
“Selective institutions must recognize that investing in veterans strengthens their missions, their student bodies, and our nation.”
Read Ithaka S+R’s position
Legislative Evolution: Congressman John Moolenaar and the Fellowship Act
Echoing Assemblyman Ashby’s vision, Congressman John Moolenaar (MI-02) reintroduced the Veterans Fellowship Act in 2025. This bipartisan bill enables states to use federal funds to create fellowship-to-career pathways for transitioning service members. Moolenaar’s legislative language now directly references the phrase “Invest in Veterans,” reflecting the congressional normalization of National Invest In Veterans Week®’s branding and philosophy.
Corporate Infrastructure: Charter’s GI Bill–Backed Technician Pipeline
While governments legislate and academics publish, companies like Charter Communications are executing. Under its Spectrum brand, Charter runs a Broadband Field Technician Apprenticeship Program that allows veterans to earn a paycheck while utilizing their GI Bill benefits and moving toward a certified broadband career.
The program is available in 41 states, and with over 10% of Charter’s workforce having military affiliation, it stands as a private-sector gold standard in veteran workforce integration.
The Unifying Force: National Invest In Veterans Week®
All of these touchpoints—Ashby’s legislative foresight, Croteau’s fiscal advocacy, Hill’s academic appeal, Moolenaar’s policy authorship, and Charter’s workforce system—are united under one federally protected banner: National Invest In Veterans Week®.
Recognized in U.S. congressional records, embraced by elite research bodies like Harvard Catalyst, and featured by national media outlets and international partners, the initiative is no longer just a civic week. It is a fully realized infrastructure for how a nation sustains its defenders—economically, socially, and structurally.
Final Thought: This Isn’t Gratitude. It’s Governance.
From bonuses and broadband to fellowships and financial literacy, the phrase “Invest in Veterans” has become a framework—not a flourish. Whether delivered in an Assembly floor speech, a Fortune 500 job portal, a Harvard publication, or a letter to the editor in Massachusetts, it signals a new era of civic design.
Veterans are no longer just remembered. They are invested in.
And National Invest In Veterans Week® is the architecture behind that transformation.
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