The Secure Families Initiative released a compelling 9/11 anniversary video, highlighting stories from U.S. military families about what the last 20 years of wartime operational tempo have looked like on the homefront.
Last month marked the end to 20 years of U.S. military involvement in Afghanistan. But while this chapter of active fighting may have closed, the toll this conflict has taken on military families will persist. Because the military community has become so insular over time, many civilians do not know military families personally, making the SFI video a crucial platform for conveying these lesser-told stories.
“We hope these stories remind viewers to never forget the hidden scars this community will continue to live with for years to come,” said Sarah Streyder, Executive Director at Secure Families Initiative. “It is my hope that these lived experiences can better inform our country’s decisions over war and peace moving forward.”
The video features three story-tellers: one Gold Star Special Forces spouse, and the spouse and child of a 20-year active-duty Marine. Behind-the-scenes interviews were conducted to include a number of additional experiences as well:
- Active-duty spouse whose husband deployed to same base in Afghanistan as her dad did a generation apart
- Special Forces spouse whose family separated due to exhaustion with the post-9/11 operational tempo
- Active-duty spouse whose husband deployed in one of the final circulations to Afghanistan
- Special Forces spouse whose husband died by suicide following traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) during deployment
- Two active-duty caretakers whose husbands struggle w/ suicidal ideation following their deployments
We are grateful to the story-tellers for being a part of this project. Thank you for watching, sharing and honoring their experience.