First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden visit Sesame Street as part of the "Joining Forces" Initiative and Sesame's military families project, to tape Public Service Announcements asking all Americans to support our military families. © 2011 Sesame Workshop. Photo by Richard Termine. via WhiteHouse.gov blog
Hello everyone, hope you are enjoying this Memorial Day weekend. As a kid, my grandparents didn't call it Memorial Day. They called it Decoration Day. We would visit several cemeteries decorating the graves of our family members who had severed in the military. My grandparents were the center of our large and extended family. Over time, various family members were taken in and cared for by my grandparents. Most of them were those who had served in the military, their wives and children.
I am so happy to learn about Joining Forces, an initiative to support and honor our military families.
Joining Forces aims to educate, challenge, and spark action from all sectors of our society – citizens, communities, businesses, non-profits, faith based institutions, philanthropic organizations, and government – to ensure military families have the support they have earned. As part of Joining Forces, businesses and organizations, including some of the best know names and brands, announced major new commitments to support military families in the areas of employment, education and public awareness.
Joining Forces was launched on April 12, 2011 by President Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Biden.
excerpts:
The President:
Whenever I’m with our troops overseas, when I ask them what we can do for you, there’s one thing they request more than anything else: “Take care of my family.” Take care of my family. Because when our troops are worried about their families back home, it’s harder for them to focus on the mission overseas. The strength and the readiness of America’s military depends on the strength and readiness of our military families. This is a matter of national security. It’s not just the right thing to do; it also makes this country stronger.
The First Lady:
So, Jill and I truly believe that if enough people across this great country realize just how much our military families do for us, and if we look in our own lives to see what we can offer, then there is absolutely no limit to what we can do together to keep these families, and our country, strong. And if we do this, if we come together, I know that we’ll come closer to our vision of a nation that truly recognizes and honors our military families.
It’s an America where every soldier, sailor, airman, Marine and Coast Guardsman -- and woman –- can deploy knowing that their family will be taken care of back at home.
It’s an America where every military spouse has the support that he or she needs to keep their family strong and thriving.
It’s an America where every military child has the support they need to grow and learn and realize their dreams.
It’s an America where our veterans and their families, especially our Gold Star families who have sacrificed so much, are honored throughout the entirety of their lives.
In short, we see a nation where more Americans across every sector of society are Joining Forces on behalf of our military families.
And believe me, this is going to remain one of my defining missions as First Lady.
So I thank you all for joining us to help make this happen. And Jill and I hope that this campaign will be worthy of the service and sacrifice and strength of every single military family in this country, and that it will make a real difference in their lives for years to come.
From the WhiteHouse.gov blog:
First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden stopped by Sesame Street to film public service announcements for Joining Forces, their national initiative to support and honor our troops and their families. With Sesame favorites Elmo and Rosita, Mrs. Obama and Dr. Biden ask all Americans to get involved in anyway they can. Watch the PSAs below, some behind-the-scenes footage, and learn how you can get involved at JoiningForces.gov.
As the First Lady said, “our motto is simple: Everyone can do something.”
(Pixdaus.)
I would also like to invite you to read this diary NFTT - On the Long Low Road Protecting a Nation by Militarytracy. Please don't forget about the Netroots for the Troops fundraising this weekend.