The documentary has two purposes: first, to bring the stories of National Guard families to the public. Second, to serve as a catalyst for increasing informal, natural support in communities. This includes friends, neighbors, classmates, and even strangers.
The documentary is not a political statement. Although we have the support of General Bunting of the Kansas National Guard, we have received no funding from any outside source other than our normal budget from Kansas State University. At some point, we will need financial support from funders like Hallmark or Walmart to underwrite the broadcasts over public television or a commercial network. Kansas State University retains all editorial control over the final product.
There will be some people who will say, "They are there not on MY behalf!" Feelings about the conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan are intense no matter what you think about our being there. Ron and I ask you to set aside any political bitterness and anger you might have to simply consider the hearts of both the soldiers and their families. You can reach out and support them regardless of your opinions about the war. You can oppose the war and support these soldiers and their families. They deserve to be honored for their sacrifices.
Feel free to respond to this (or any other post on the blog) with your thoughts.
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I agree with Chuck that support for these families is needed. They are going through an emotionally hard time.
During the first Gulf War, I was the Public Affairs Officer for the Kansas Army National Guard (Part time military position). I was sent by Kansas to travel over to Saudi Arabia and do video stories about Kansas Guardsmen (Men and Women) who were serving in the Gulf during that war. One of my objectives (remember this was 1991 when there was no email or webcam type communications) was to videotape messages from the soldiers to be hand delivered to a family member back in the states. The families back home knew virtually nothing about what was going on in the Mideast, much less their loved ones. The recorded messages ranged from silly to emotional and personal.
When the Kansans came home, I had a number of wives come up to me and personally thank me for providing the personal videos. A couple of them told me this saved their marriage! Their children literally watched the messages hundreds of times. It was their only link to the mom or dad in Saudi Arabia.
This created a lasting memory of why it is so important for us to do all we can for the families of Guard and Reserve service members who are deployed anywhere in the world.
In a nutshell, this is the driving force behind this program. This is a different war, but the central issues confronting military families (Guard or Reserve or Active Duty) haven't changed.
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