Seeking Military Families willing to Speak Out against Afghanistan

       As President Obama prepares to convince the American electorate to stay the course in Afghanistan, he can expect not only dissent and division within the Democratic Party but also active protest from the pro-Peace base of the party that gave him victory over John McCain.

       Alliances of Veteran, military family, and troop pro-Peace organizations are simultaneously preparing to meet any speech Obama makes with protest and opposition, and in that spirit Military Families Speak Out (MFSO) is seeking military families willing to speak out and talk to the media about their feelings and views on escalation of war in Afghanistan.

ROBERT L. HANAFIN
Major, U.S. Air Force-Retired
Editorial Board
VT News Network &
Our Troops News Ladder     Outreach to MFSO Members and ALL Military Families

      MFSO is reaching out to members and all military families at this critical moment to encourage us all to consider the opportunities available to SPEAK OUT and raise the public awareness of the impacts the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have in our lives, and the need to bring them to an end.

      Below is a request from Kim Huynh at Robert Greenwald’s Brave New Foundation to connect with MFSO members and any military family with loved ones in Afghanistan or deploying to Afghanistan who are willing to consider going on camera. Please contact her if you are interested in speaking out.

As you may know, Robert Greenwald is a long standing MFSO supporter and is the producer and director of several documentaries, including "Iraq for Sale: The War Profiteers", "Uncovered: The Iraq War", "In Their Boots" and most recently "Rethink Afghanistan".

[VT Editors Note: Although not an immediate impact, but documentary films have the best chance of intelligently yet simplistically educating the American electorate about the burdens endured by our military families. No one is better at trying to get the American people to relate to our burdens than Robert Greenwald at Brave New Films. Now more than ever, we need to sensitize the American elector (yes, only those who vote matter) to relate to us. Major Hanafin]
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      My name is Kim Huynh and I am the Associate Producer on Robert Greenwald’s film Rethink Afghanistan, a documentary film campaign that is pushing for more debate in Congress on alternatives to the current US military approach in Afghanistan. To find out more about our campaign click here .

      We are looking for anyone who has loved ones in Afghanistan or loved ones about to deploy that might be interested in speaking to us on camera about their opposition to this war. If you or anyone you know is interested in participating in our project, please contact me at 310-204-0448 x290 or at Kim Huynh

We appreciate your support!

Best,

Kim Huynh, Associate Producer
Kim Huynh
Office: 310-204-0448 x290
Fax: 310-204-0174
Mobile: 808-282-7312

      As personally challenging as it may be, it is important for all of us to raise our voices to SPEAK OUT, and this film campaign provides an exceptional opportunity for MFSO members and all military families to have an impact by sharing our  personal stories and our ground truth with a far-reaching audience.

      At MFSO we are also looking for members or any military family willing to be available to speak with the press over the next few weeks as President Obama makes his announcement about the potential escalation of the war in Afghanistan and the subsequent public attention to this will bring.

      Please contact me at Deborah Forter or Sam, MFSO’s National Organizer, at Sam Diener if you have a loved one who is serving, has served, or is to be deployed to Afghanistan and you are willing to speak with the press.

Thank you for your effort and work to speak out to bring our troops home now!

In Peace,

Deborah Forter
National Director

Robert L. Hanafin

Readers are more than welcome to use the articles I’ve posted on Veterans Today, I’ve had to take a break from VT as Veterans Issues and Peace Activism Editor and staff writer due to personal medical reasons in our military family that take away too much time needed to properly express future stories or respond to readers in a timely manner.

My association with VT since its founding in 2004 has been a very rewarding experience for me.

Retired from both the Air Force and Civil Service. Went in the regular Army at 17 during Vietnam (1968), stayed in the Army Reserve to complete my eight year commitment in 1976. Served in Air Defense Artillery, and a Mechanized Infantry Division (4MID) at Fort Carson, Co. Used the GI Bill to go to college, worked full time at the VA, and non-scholarship Air Force 2-Year ROTC program for prior service military. Commissioned in the Air Force in 1977. Served as a Military Intelligence Officer from 1977 to 1994. Upon retirement I entered retail drugstore management training with Safeway Drugs Stores in California. Retail Sales Management was not my cup of tea, so I applied my former U.S. Civil Service status with the VA to get my foot in the door at the Justice Department, and later Department of the Navy retiring with disability from the Civil Service in 2000.

I’ve been with Veterans Today since the site originated. I’m now on the Editorial Board. I was also on the Editorial Board of Our Troops News Ladder another progressive leaning Veterans and Military Family news clearing house.

I remain married for over 45 years. I am both a Vietnam Era and Gulf War Veteran. I served on Okinawa and Fort Carson, Colorado during Vietnam and in the Office of the Air Force Inspector General at Norton AFB, CA during Desert Storm. I retired from the Air Force in 1994 having worked on the Air Staff and Defense Intelligence Agency at the Pentagon.