Spielberg, Hanks and Winfrey Join Forces to Support Our Troops
Spielberg, Hanks and Winfrey Join Forces to Support Our Troops
Three of the biggest stars in America are lending their voices to Joining Forces, the initiative started by First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr.Jill Biden to bring attention to the unique needs and strength of America’s military families. Tom Hanks, Oprah Winfrey and Steven Spielberg have each created public service announcements (PSAs) that tell real stories about America’s military families and call on all Americans to give back to ensure service members and military families have the support they have earned.
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Tom Hanks Joining Forces PSA
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“The entertainment community answered the Joining Forces call and has done what they do best — bring to life stories that move us,” said Mrs. Obama. “Through this PSA campaign, Americans will learn more about the unique challenges and needs of our military families, see their strength, resilience and service, and find out how they can give back to these extraordinary troops and families who have given us so much.”
The project was conceived by Academy Award-winning producer Bruce Cohen, who leads the Inter-Guild Joining Forces Task Force, an entertainment industry coalition that provides creative and production support for Joining Forces. Each of the PSAs tells the story of a military family as they endure the hardship of a deployment overseas. The PSAs will be airing on A + E, CBS, NBC, ABC, FOX, and WB networks.
Dr Biden, whose son served in Iraq, said, “As a military mom, I know just how much it means when people reach out to show their support for our service members and their families. The first lady and I hope that this campaign will inspire more Americans to take action and reach out to military families in their own communities around the country.”
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Oprah Winfrey Joining Forces PSA
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Steven Spielberg Joining Forces PSA
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About Joining Forces
The First Lady and Dr. Biden have met with military families, learned about their successes and challenges, and made it their priority to support them. Joining Forces is a comprehensive national initiative to mobilize all sectors of society to give our service members and their families the opportunities and support they have earned.
Joining Forces:
- Brings attention to the unique needs and strength of America’s military families.
- Inspires, educates, and sparks action from all sectors of our society – citizens, communities, businesses, non-profits, faith based institutions, philanthropic organizations, and government – to ensure veterans and military families have the opportunities, resources, and support they have earned.
- Showcases the skills, experience, and dedication of America’s veterans and military spouses to strengthen our nation’s communities.
- Creates greater connections between the American public and the military.
In this ongoing effort, they’re highlighting issues that are of special importance to the military families they have met with across the country, including the areas of employment, education, and wellness.
Employment. In many cases, military spouses move from one community to another when their spouses are assigned to new duty stations. These transfers can make it very difficult for spouses to continue with their careers or to find similar jobs in new locations.
Joining Forces:
- Highlights the workforce potential of veterans and military spouses;
- Expands employment and career development opportunities for veterans and military spouses; and
- Helps employers create military family-friendly workplaces
Education. Military children move frequently due to a parent’s reassignment. These moves can make it difficult to transfer records, secure spaces in courses, stay included in extra-curricular activities, and complete required testing on time.
Joining Forces:
- Supports the academic achievement of military children by helping schools become more responsive to the unique needs of military children and families; and
- Promotes and supports higher education institutions and programs that expand education opportunities, eases transferability for military-connected students, and expands job training opportunities for military spouses and veterans.
Wellness. The stress of war, multiple deployments, and frequent moves can affect the wellness of military families. Children and spouses can experience anxiety, changes in relationships with family and friends, isolation or emotional challenges in dealing with deployments, illness or injury, and high mobility.
Joining Forces:
- Calls attention to the critical issues facing veterans and military families; and
- Expands access to wellness programs, and resources for military spouses and families.
Joining Forces provides ways for all Americans to step up and show their gratitude to our service members and their families. Through this effort, Mrs. Obama and Dr. Biden ask Americans to do more for those who have done so much for us. They are highlighting outstanding American citizens, communities, and businesses that are supporting our troops and making commitments to serve our nation’s military families. They are asking Americans to get involved in any way they can.
Get Involved
“The spirit of service and selflessness that is seen in military communities across our country represents what is best about America, and as a Nation we owe our brave service members and their families more than gratitude – we owe them the support they have earned. Joining Forces will ask all Americans to take action, because each of us has a role to play in reconnecting with military families in our communities.” — First Lady Michelle Obama
http://www.whitehouse.gov/joiningforces/
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The White House
* The above story is adapted from materials provided by The White House
