SupportYourVet.org: Massive New Ad Campaign Targets Vets' Friends and Families

Last November, on Veterans Day, I told you about IAVA’s groundbreaking national public service advertisement campaign to help veterans coming home from war reintegrate into their communities. You’ve probably seen the TV ad on ESPN, CNN, or MTV. (One good thing about this economy is that the ads are getting even more traction than we expected – stations have a lot more inventory.)

But reaching out to veterans was only one piece of the puzzle.  When servicemembers deploy, they leave behind wives and husbands, mothers and fathers, sisters, brothers, sons, daughters, friends and coworkers.  They are the ones waiting for phone calls, worrying for their loved ones’ safety, and welcoming our warriors home.  Our troops’ friends and families are called to service on the homefront, and they need support, too.  

I’d like to share the story of one of those military families.

Don Gomez was a paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne Division.  He deployed twice, securing supply lines along the dangerous highways of Iraq.  Don is home now, studying at the City College of New York.  He was recently named a Truman Scholar. But while he was gone, his mother, father and fiancée struggled.  They wanted to stay positive, and be tough for Don, but they were afraid for his safety.  And when he came back, Don was different.  According to Don’s father, “He seemed harder. He had been overseas and he made it back. He didn't really want to talk about it."  His family wanted to understand what Don had been through, and help him make the transition home – but they weren’t sure how to start the conversation.

For families like the Gomez’s, we’re launching a second PSA campaign with the Ad Council.  If anything, it’s going to be even bigger than the first campaign.  In the coming weeks and months, you’ll be seeing the ads on TV, on the radio, in magazines, airports, and billboards nationwide.  Be among the first to see our new television PSA here:

You can check out the print and radio ads here.

The ad directs friends and family members to a unique new website, www.SupportYourVet.org, where friends and family members can find critical resources, tips on how to talk to veterans about their experiences, and forums where they can connect with one another.

And this campaign could not come at a more critical time.  Over the next two years, hundreds of thousands of veterans will be coming home from Iraq for the last time.  We have a unique opportunity, in this brief moment, to finally turn the page on Vietnam, and welcome our veterans home with the honor and support they have earned.  Much of that burden will fall on the friends and families of our servicemembers.  As a nation, it’s time to support the people who stand behind our troops every day.

So check out the ad, and forward it on to anyone you know who needs help starting the conversation with the veteran in their life. Help us reach our goal of 100,000 views on YouTube by Mother's Day.  It’s a small step, but you will be making a real difference in the lives of military families.

Crossposted at www.IAVA.org.

Comments

[larry278]

It's safe to say that there were no welcome home parades for Korean War or 'Nam veterans. The USA discarded these veterans. The USA threw out 2 generations of veterans. The USA made no substantive efforts to reintegrate these veterans into American society. A lot of veterans of the Korean War are dead & gone. The veterans of 'Nam still are alive. Too many of them are dead men/women walking. It's too late to welcome them home.
There is time & this is the time to welcome home the veterans of Afghanistn/Iraq (of the invasion, occupation of & the Iraq/Afghanistan civil wars). Welcome home, GI.

[WarSkeptic]

The whole spitting on Vietnam vets thing really didn't happen very much. That was just propaganda
The only times they were ridiculed was if they showed up to an anti-war rally and voiced support for the war.
There weren't groups of liberals standing outside the airport waiting to spit on returning troops
Conservatives like to shift the blame of who mistreated the troops on their return from the government to the public. Oddly enough this stance goes against their stated ideology
Slate did a good piece on the myth a few years back.
http://www.slate.com/id/1005224/

[LewDan]

I am a Vietnam Vet. No-one ever spit on me. But I couldn't put my military service on my resume because it cost me interviews. Being drafted pulled me out of college. Trying to dance around what I'd been doing for years made it much harder to find work. I had to accept jobs and salaries well beneath my experience and training because I couldn't talk about that experience if I wanted a job at all.

But no-one ever spit on me. At least not physically.

[jqcitizen]

Paul-

The "Turning of the page" of Viet Nam is fine with me if that page has been read.

Thank you for calling attention to the fact that GIs don't start wars, they try to end them.

These people, mostly youngsters, are not born to be heroes or flag waving patriots, but for sure will have a better knowledge about wars than those who seem to believe wars are necessary without ever being near one.

Good job, Paul.

[poorpearl]

I saw this PSA last night on Rachel's show and just like your last PSA, it is spot on and very effective. In my work as a psychoanalyst I am well aware of the terrible pain and alienation that people can feel when they have gone through something traumatic. That sense of an unbridgeable gulf that separates you from others can be devastating for the traumatized person, and also for those around them not knowing how to connect. The work you are doing will help. Thank you for your service and for this critical work, keeping people aware of the potential long legacy of trauma.

[RogerTheShrubber]

It's an odd thing in this country that we often treat our vets poorly. Just don't understand how we let this happen. Nice to see this campaign and website resource for vets and their families. Hopefully they'll get the support and honorable treatment they deserve.

[rjdemont]

What happened to our returning troops from Vietnam, from both the public and govt., was horrible. It's good to see we've turned the corner.