“The Bravest Families in America”

This was the first episode of the Oprah show that I've ever watched. Along with a visit from Michelle Obama, Oprah also brought on a few military families. Sgt. Corey Briest and his wife,a mother who lost her teenage son in Iraq and an Army wife/mother who spoke about the stress of the homecoming. Oprah was joined by Tom Brokaw and Bob Woodward. I'm glad I caught this episode and if you didn't,I suggest you go online and watch or be on the lookout for when it reruns. It's one that any American should see.


First Lady Michelle Obama will redouble efforts to shine a spotlight on the nation’s military families, in a campaign formally launching in March.
In an appearance on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” airing today, Mrs. Obama says that it’s not that Americans won’t help military families; it’s just that they are not aware of the pressures of deployment on families. This is something that she hopes to remedy.

“We’re going to ask the country to get ourselves together and be a part of reconnecting these families to be a part of the broader community."

So often, Mrs. Obama says, people see a happy homecoming between military families on TV but do not see the other “ramifications” to the deployment that are not talked out.

“And these families need some help and support to get through it.”

On Monday, President Obama announced new initiatives to help support military families across the federal government and declared that they are now “upping their game” in support. Mrs. Obama said that there are a lot of simple things that people can do to help – if you’re an accountant, helping a military family prepare their taxes for example, she said.

“A lot of these women can use a girl’s night out, a manicure, a pedicure, a break,” she said, “There are things we can do as a nation big and small.”

Mrs. Obama first took up the issue of helping and highlighting military families during her husband’s 2008 presidential campaign.

“Everywhere I went there were stories that were completely unfamiliar,” Mrs. Obama told Oprah in an interview taped last week, “and those were the stories of military women.”

The First Lady said that in these families months go by where birthdays are missed, parents are struggling to raise kids alone and have to answer the questions for their children when mom and dad are coming home.

“Their stories took my breath away,” Mrs. Obama said, “and I vowed then that if my husband had the honor of serving our country that I would be that voice.”
The First Lady said that whenever she is feeling bad or sorry for herself she thinks of their courage and sacrifice.

“I suck it up because of these families,” the First Lady said, “Part of the challenge of getting the message out about military families is they never ask for help. They never ask for help because you don't do that when you're in the military. You get it done. That's how you're trained. That's what you're taught.”

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2011/01/michelle-obama-on-oprah-military-families-need-to-be-reconnected-to-the-broader-community.html