Our country has a sacred obligation to protect and support our troops and their families. Unfortunately, the last two decades of protracted conflicts abroad have had untold negative impacts on military readiness, as well as the physical and mental health of service families. For example, frequent deployments mean that care-giving responsibilities fall disproportionately on spouses and partners, and military children are more likely than their peers to receive a mental health diagnosis and ... Read More
Our country has a sacred obligation to protect and support our troops and their families. Unfortunately, the last two decades of protracted conflicts abroad have had untold negative impacts on military readiness, as well as the physical and mental health of service families. For example, frequent deployments mean that care-giving responsibilities fall disproportionately on spouses and partners, and military children are more likely than their peers to receive a mental health diagnosis and suffer from higher levels of stress and anxiety.
We can meaningfully improve the lives of US military families. But in order to get there, we need two things.
First: we need to make sure military families can participate in the very democracy they serve to protect. Voting is a basic right for every American, but when you're stationed far away from home, that process isn't easy. SFF runs a Voting Ambassador program that helps military families all around the world learn how and when they can register to vote and cast their ballots. SFF also provides virtual multicultural community spaces for military families from all different backgrounds to connect, share their lived experiences, and support each other's civic engagement.
Second: we need to reframe the way the country talks about war and peace. We believe one of the most powerful methods to effect change is to tell our stories. Only 1% of the US population serves in the armed forces. Unlike the days of the draft, many members of the public don’t have any personal connection to the families charged with carrying out our national security missions. SFF exists to bridge that informational gap between military families and the general public. While news organizations tell the stories of military action in black and white, we add anecdotal dimension to those facts and figures to create a full-color 4K image of how war looks on the homefront.
With your help, we can continue connecting military families and sharing their stories.
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