This message is from the Executive Director of Vets for Freedom as tomorrow more than 400 Iraq and Afghanistan vetreans will converge upon Congress:
For the past three weeks, the National Heroes Tour took the message of the success in Iraq straight to the American people. From San Antonio to Saint Paul to South Carolina, we engaged crowds large and small, and spoke with over 200 media outlets, reaching over 20 million people through local television and radio.
With just 3% of news coverage in the mainstream media committed to Iraq, we bypassed national media all together, and it worked. Local media outlets were very receptive to “ground truth,” and our veterans were able to provide it. Any way you slice it, the National Heroes Tour has been an overwhelming success.
But it’s not over yet. Tomorrow we bring our message to Congress, when over 400 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans descend on Capitol Hill for “Vets on the Hill.” Our guys will enjoy breakfast with the former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, General Richard Myers, before heading to Capitol Hill for a bi-partisan press conference with two-dozen members of Congress, including Senators John McCain, Joe Lieberman, and Lindsay Graham.
After the press conference, Vets for Freedom will flood the halls of Congress with a sea of warriors, armed with first-hand experience, facts about the incredible progress in Iraq, and a passion for nothing short of victory, Their stories are “taking points” that no one can refute—and members of Congress, on both sides of the aisle, will hear from them.
Our message is simple: Let them win! and listen to General David Petraeus. He was right in September, and has the best pulse on events in Iraq. Congress would be wise to heed his advice.
Previous posts (since March 17th) about Vets for Freedom:
Vets for Freedom national tour features WOT’s heroes
Good-sized groups hear Vets for Freedom heroes
4,000 Americans died for ‘Iraq’s Window of Opportunity’
Minneapolis high school cancels former student’s and Iraq vets’ talk
Vets for Freedom tour includes Medal of Honor nominee
Vets for Freedom march towards Capitol Hill