Ryan Gallucci: First Post-9/11 Veteran to Lead the VFW's Washington Office
#250FOR250, Nex-finityNews

A Post-9/11 First: Ryan Gallucci Leads the VFW’s Washington Office

June 9, 2026June 9, 2026By Dominick Bianco, Editor-in-Chief
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Ryan Gallucci: First Post-9/11 Veteran to Lead the VFW's Washington Office
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WASHINGTON — Ryan M. Gallucci, an Army veteran of the Iraq War, became executive director of the Veterans of Foreign Wars’ Washington Office on March 1, 2023 — the first post-9/11 veteran to lead the organization’s Capitol Hill operation.

This profile is part of #250for250, a NexfinityNews series marking America’s 250th anniversary in 2026 by recognizing 250 veterans and the leaders who serve them — Americans whose commitment to country did not end when they left the uniform. Gallucci is honored for bringing the post-9/11 generation into the leadership of veterans advocacy in Washington.

An Iraq War Civil Affairs Sergeant

A native of North Kingstown, Rhode Island, Gallucci served in the U.S. Army Reserve from June 1999 to June 2007. He deployed to the Iraq War from 2003 to 2004 as a civil affairs sergeant with the 443rd Civil Affairs Battalion, earning the Bronze Star and the Combat Action Badge. In simple terms, civil affairs soldiers work at the intersection of military operations and the local population — a role that often demands as much diplomacy as soldiering.

A Decade Inside the VFW

Gallucci joined the VFW as an employee in June 2011 and held a series of increasingly senior roles, including National Veterans Service director, National Veterans Service deputy director, National Legislative Service deputy director, and deputy executive director under former executive director Bob Wallace. He is a member of VFW Post 3150 in Arlington, Virginia.

He was appointed executive director of the Washington Office on March 1, 2023, and was additionally named Assistant Adjutant General on July 27, 2023.

The Job

As executive director, Gallucci is responsible for the VFW’s day-to-day operations in the nation’s capital, including all engagements with the executive and legislative branches of the federal government, foreign dignitaries, and peer veterans service organizations. He took the role on the heels of the landmark Honoring Our PACT Act, which expanded benefits for veterans exposed to toxic substances, and has framed the VFW’s task as pressing forward on veterans’ issues while cultivating relationships with Congress, the VA, the Defense Department, and the White House.

Implementing a law as sweeping as the PACT Act — ensuring that veterans actually receive the toxic-exposure benefits Congress authorized — has been among the central tasks facing veterans advocates in Washington, and the VFW’s Washington Office plays a direct role in monitoring how the VA carries it out. Gallucci has said the organization has a unique opportunity to distinguish itself as a premier professional advocate for veterans’ interests.

A Generational Shift

Gallucci’s appointment as the first post-9/11 veteran to lead the VFW’s Washington Office signaled a generational handoff within the century-old organization. As the population of living veterans increasingly reflects the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the VFW’s choice of a leader from that generation aligns its advocacy operation with the veterans it increasingly serves.

What the VFW Is

Founded in 1899 and chartered by Congress, the VFW is the nation’s oldest and largest organization of war veterans, with roughly one million combat-veteran members and headquarters in Kansas City, Missouri. Its Washington Office is the arm through which the organization advances its legislative agenda.

Conclusion

Gallucci’s rise from a frontline civil affairs sergeant to the VFW’s chief presence in Washington tracks the arc of the post-9/11 generation itself — now moving into the leadership of the institutions that advocate for all who served.

Key Takeaways

  • Ryan Gallucci became executive director of the VFW’s Washington Office on March 1, 2023, the first post-9/11 veteran in the role.
  • An Army Reserve veteran, he served in Iraq in 2003–2004 as a civil affairs sergeant and earned the Bronze Star and Combat Action Badge.
  • He joined the VFW as an employee in 2011 and rose through its national service and legislative offices.
  • He was also named the VFW’s Assistant Adjutant General in July 2023.
  • The VFW, founded in 1899, has roughly one million combat-veteran members.

Sources

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