From Temecula To D.C.: Local Veteran Advocates For Military Caregivers On Capitol Hill

TEMECULA, CA — A Temecula man who has been a caregiver for his army veteran brother for many years, took his advocacy for military caregivers to Capitol Hill last week.

G.R. Zuniga is just 20 people nationwide selected for the Elizabeth Dole Foundation’s 2025 class of Dole Caregiver Fellows.

READ MORE: Temecula Man Picked For National Military Caregiving Fellowship

As part of the Month of the Military Caregiver, Zuniga traveled to Washington, D.C. to meet with elected officials and share firsthand the challenges caregivers face when supporting veterans with service-connected injuries and illnesses.

He also participated in the Foundation’s National Convening on Military and Veteran Caregiving, which included speakers such as Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins, U.S. Sens. Ruben Gallego and David McCormick and The Honorable Dina Powell McCormick.

Zuniga's brother, Doc Ziggy, a retired SSG who served in the 101st Airborne as a combat medic, after 9/11, now suffers from PTSD, epilepsy and multiple traumatic brain injuries.

Through the Dole Caregiver Fellows program, Zuniga and others are trained to advocate on behalf of caregivers in their home communities and nationwide.

The group also highlighted findings from a new RAND Corporation study commissioned by the Foundation: America’s Military and Veteran Caregivers: Hidden Heroes Emerging from the Shadows. The study estimates that the unpaid care provided by military and veteran family caregivers is valued at more than $400 billion annually.

The report also paints a sobering picture of the hardships caregiving families face:

• One-third live at or below 130 percent of the federal poverty line.
• Food insecurity affects 40 percent of caregivers supporting a veteran under age 60.
• Approximately 5.5 million children live in military and veteran caregiving households, with many experiencing anxiety, isolation, or academic struggles.

Zuniga has said caregiving is the most demanding role he has ever taken on, but he has found ways to cope."Exercise, meditation, journaling my daily lessons learned, reading, and listening to music," he said.

"Optimizing my body and mind for this journey has allowed me to cope through the tough moments and recognize where I can become a better version of me."

But the most important lesson?

"I have learned that I can lead with empathy. My kids say that I’ve gone soft in my old age. I maintain I’ve leveled up through my caregiver experience," he said.