2011 Year End Report
Introduction
2011 has been a year of changes for MFSO both internally and externally. The war in Iraq is coming to an end, yet there will still be a significant U.S. Military presence in the region. For many families, the war will never truly be over. Despite President Obama’s announced draw-down in Afghanistan, the war rages on, and our service members are still being deployed and put in harm’s way.Initially founded by military families opposing the war in Iraq, members voted in 2008 to add ending the war in Afghanistan to MFSO’s mission. Since then, ending the war in Afghanistan has become a primary focus, as more and more of our member’s loved ones are deployed to this seemingly endless war. In April of this year MFSO hired me as the new Executive Director, well as Clarissa Rogers as our new Office Manager. We established an internship program with our first intern, Liz Rocci, who has supported our Program Director and communication guru, Samantha Miller, and the organization moved the national office to Philadelphia, PA. Guided by our mission statement, MFSO also undertook a significant strategic visioning process that has resulted in the articulation of key strategic goals.Military Families Speak Out continues to stand firm in supporting the troops but not supporting the wars. Thanks to the support of our donors, we have been able to raise awareness about the challenges the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have created right here at home. Our members work hard encouraging the nation to pay much needed attention to the costs of war, and we now see a vast majority of the nation questioning our military presence in the Middle East. We realize we cannot take all the credit for this shift, but as military families with “skin in the game” we know that our voices are taken seriously.MFSO’s efforts on the ground this year have included advocacy initiatives to bring our troops home via meetings with 200 members of Congress, partnering with ally organizations to educate our communities about the deadly impact of the 10 year war in Afghanistan, and modeling non-traditional ways to heal from the traumas of war with our first healing retreat guided by elders of the Lakota nation. We also built a new website with more ways for our members to communicate and share their stories, and MFSO continues to be a go-to source for media looking for military families who oppose the wars.
In 2012 we plan to expand our emphasis on the healing of military families and on addressing the nation’s budget priorities as we continue to see the financial cost of war negatively impact our communities. We plan to improve our resources and create new ways to support the efforts of our members to highlight the varied challenges military families are facing.
With a refined strategic vision, MFSO seeks to challenge the culture of silence and dares to hold a nation accountable for the wars it is waging. Our work will not be done until both wars are over, all the troops are home, and all those who need to heal from their war wounds are honored with the time and the resources to heal.
Credit for the accomplishments of MFSO go to our dedicated staff and intern, the Board of Directors, and the many members of the organization working in the grassroots to raise awareness. It is my pleasure to share this annual report on the behalf of all who serve within MFSO.
Oskar Castro, Executive Director
True Costs of War Campaign
Begun in the Fall of 2010, the True Costs of War campaign is an effort to raise awareness about the ongoing financial and human costs of war. By joining coalitions that connect the costs of the wars to ongoing budget battles nationally and locally, we are working to shift our national priorities away from war and towards jobs and social services, and to ensure our service members and veterans are given the care they deserve. As part of this campaign, MFSO members and supporters collected over 30,000 postcards to President Obama and Congress with the message: “Bring our troops and tax dollars home!” We participated in a Spring Lobby Day with other organizations working for an end to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, bringing twenty military families to Washington DC to meet with their own Representatives and Senators, as well as with key legislators working on issues related to military spending and veteran care. As the budget battles continue to heat up over the next year, we pledge to continue highlighting the human and financial costs of the wars and to ensure veteran’s services are not sacrificed.
We Are Military Families
Launched in response to Michelle Obama’s “Joining Forces” campaign to support military families, this effort addresses the national debate around “support for military families” by showing that what we really need is policy change, not celebrity tributes. “Joining Forces” has can increase interest in the experiences of military families, creating an opportunity for us to tell our stories. The dominant narrative coming from the Administration is that military families are brave and courageous because of their willingness to serve without complaining, further reinforcing the pressure on military families not to criticize the wars or the way their loved ones are being treated. In addition to sharing the stories of military families through the new “We Are Military Families” blog, MFSO members have been trying to meet with Michelle Obama to discuss their concerns. We also launched a petition when Mrs. Obama announced that the disgraced Retired General Stanley McChrystal would lead “Joining Forces,” calling for his resignation. Best known for his part in the cover-up of the death of former NFL star Pat Tillman, and for overseeing the torture and abuse of prisoners in Iraq, his appointment was an insult to the military families the campaign purported to support.
He Sapa (Heart of the People): Healing Retreat for Veterans and Military Families
On Memorial Day Weekend 2011, MFSO members, veterans, and other military family members gathered for three days in the sacred Black Hills of South Dakota to experience traditional “healing from war” rituals and practices led by Lakota elders and healers from the Pine Ridge reservation community, who guided the participants along a journey of acknowledging, accepting, and healing their pain. The success of this retreat has led to an organizational commitment to incorporate healing into our work and make resources and events like this accessible to our members.Marking the 10th Anniversary of the War in Afghanistan
MFSO partnered with Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW), War Resisters League, Afghans for Peace, and other allies for a month of education about Afghanistan, culminating in a forum and day of action in Washington, DC and solidarity actions around the country. We worked to raise critical awareness of the war in Afghanistan and its true cost to both U.S. and Afghan communities on the 10th anniversary of the invasion by engaging in dialogue with veterans, military families, people from Afghanistan, and labor and community organizations affected by budget cuts in the U.S.
Communications
This year MFSO launched an exciting new website allowing for greater interaction between members, supporters and staff that enables us to better tell the stories of members and promote their grassroots actions. The new website allows members to post their stories in different ways such as blogging, sharing videos, and using Facebook through the site to capitalize on their social networks. We also expanded our social media presence. Members and supporters can follow MFSO on Twitter @MFSpeakOut, interact through our Facebook page or group, and create petitions and online donation campaigns through Change.org. We also expanded our online advocacy tools, allowing members to easily write Letters to the Editor and emails to Congress.
Strategic Goal Setting
The weekend of October 7-10th the MFSO Board of Directors, staff and selected members met to prepare for our next fiscal year, beginning January 1st, 2012. The Board entered into a strategic planning process that included articulating our vision, defining our purpose, clarifying our objectives, setting our goals for 2012 and beyond, and exploring our role within the larger anti-war movement in these changing political times.
Over the years MFSO’s mission statement has guided its goals: to immediately end the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, to bring the troops home, and to care for, in every possible way, (by their communities, society at large, and their government) those who have been in harm’s way.
At the retreat our staff and Board of Directors were able to develop specific goals based on this mission statement that will allow for greater flexibility in responding quickly and strategically to external changes. The MFSO Board of Directors agreed to the following goals:
1. END THE WARS IN IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN
2. ENSURE THE RIGHT TO HEAL FOR ALL SERVICE MEMBERS
3. SUPPORT VETERANS IN HEALING AND REINTEGRATION
4. SUPPORT MILITARY FAMILY HEALING
The staff and the Board of Directors of MFSO would like to thank everyone who has supported the organization this past year. We still have a lot of work to do and as the election cycle ramps up, and we know that now more than ever MFSO members have to be front and center in the public eye. We appreciate your support and look forward to working with you again in the upcoming year.
