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WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 30, 2008) - The goal of a troop-support
group's new Web-based campaign is simple: tell the troops "thank
you" a million times over, starting today.
Hire A Hero, which works to connect military job seekers and
military-friendly employers, has created the "One Million Thank
Yous" campaign to do just that.
"We ... know that servicemembers are not aware of the tremendous
amount of support that exists for them," said Brac Selph, executive
director of Hire A Hero. "We want servicemembers to have a virtual
place they can go to remind themselves that what they are doing is
appreciated and necessary for Americans to live the way they
live."
Though a beta version on the "One Million Thank Yous" Web site
launched on Memorial Day, the campaign officially launches today,
Selph said. Americans are encouraged to help Hire A Hero thank
servicemembers by submitting a "thank you" e-mail through the Hire
A Hero Web site through Veterans Day to help reach the 1 million
"thank you" goal.
Troops and their families can read the messages already received
online at the "One Million Thank Yous" section of Hire A Hero's Web
site, www.hireahero.org.
The organization is looking not only for more creative ways to
get the messages in front of servicemembers, but also for partners
in this endeavor.
"Some ideas that have been suggested [include] monitors playing
the messages as troops disembark, printed booklets with several
hundred of the messages to be distributed to the troops [or] an art
project to memorialize the messages in the real world," Selph said.
"We are still trying to finalize this part of the project."
The "One Million Thank Yous" project, though relatively
straight-forward, has a secondary goal to solidify the distinction
between supporting the troops and political opinion of the war,
Selph added.
"Most everyone we speak to, regardless of political affiliation
or opinion about the war, supports our troops," he said.
Hire A Hero is a supporter of America Supports You, a Defense
Department program connecting citizens and companies with
servicemembers and their families serving at home or abroad.
Editor's Note: To find out about more individuals,
groups and organizations that are helping support the troops,
visit www.AmericaSupportsYou.mil. America
Supports You directly connects military members to the support of
the America people and offers a tool to the general public in their
quest to find meaningful ways to support the military
community.
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