“What was it like? Were you scared? Are you OK?”
For anyone who has welcomed someone home from Iraq or Afghanistan, these questions may sound familiar.
After spending months, or years, apart, being reunited at the end of a deployment is a welcome relief. It means the end of waiting for phone calls and worrying about a loved one’s safety. But millions of families and friends of veterans are finding that coming home isn’t always easy.

For them, we have one message: we can help you start the conversation.
Today, we’re launching a massive new effort, in partnership with the Ad Council, to empower the friends and family members of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, and to offer support and guidance after a deployment.

Starting today, that ad will be on TV, as well as radio, online and in magazines and newspapers. Hundreds of media companies, from local television stations to national magazines, are offering to run them free of charge, by donating ad space. Because of their generosity, we’ll be able to reach friends and family members of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans in every corner of the country.

With the drawdown in Iraq and a new wave of troops heading to Afghanistan, these ads are launching at a critical time. Friends and family play a crucial role in supporting their men and women in uniform, and now it’s our turn to support them.

Thank you for standing with us.
Sincerely,
Paul Rieckhoff
Iraq Veteran
Executive Director & Founder
Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA)