New ad from IAVA does nothing for me

Paul Rieckhoff, Iraq Veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) has been a great advocate for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. I enjoyed hearing him on his many TV appearances and appreciated his candor when addressing the needs of our veterans. He has learned a lot over the years but with this ad following the other ad, he shows he has a lot more to learn. Maybe I'm just too old to appreciate this latest ad? While I really wish they had public service ads when Vietnam veterans came home, it's clear that this kind of ad wouldn't have done them much good.

If they really want to put together a ad worthy of the service of our veterans they need to do a better job.

Personally, separating Iraq and Afghanistan veterans from other veterans is not the right way to go, but this is an organization just for IAVA, so I understand that part. What they could do, since a lot of the Iraq and Afghanistan veterans are also children of Vietnam veterans is to show a father and son, wearing baseball hats, one Vietnam and one with Iraq or Afghanistan veteran on it, and then have a simple message of, "I know where you've been and I'm here for you" without them even having to say a word. A quick, meaningful message that will touch every Vietnam veteran along with the newer generation of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans sharing the same emotional price and the wounds within the walls of their souls. If anyone is going to offer any help or guidance to the new veterans, it's the Vietnam veterans simply because had it not been for them PTSD wouldn't even be acknowledge as a wound.

The Ad Council needs to do a lot more homework before they put together another ad.

This part they got right;

Friends and family play a crucial role in supporting their men and women in uniform, and now it's our turn to support them.

So why not show what families can do and have been doing across the country as a role model? I fully understand that some will take this the wrong way and I'll get slammed, but as most of you know I cannot keep my thoughts to myself when it comes to our veterans. Had I remained silent on this and just posted it, then I would be a hypocrite because of how often I slam the VA and the DOD for what they do. Not that the IAVA would ever consider what I have to say now when they haven't in the past either.

"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.
Click here to watch our new television ad at SupportYourVet.org. Then please forward it your friends and family, and help us reach our goal of 100,000 views by Mother's Day, May 10th.
Starting today, the 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.
Click here to watch the television ad, and learn more about this effort at SupportYourVet.org.
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.
Please take a minute to watch the ad now.