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Houston Freedom Fest is an exciting new initiative that
honors the troops and maximizes awareness of the urgent
physical and spiritual needs of our military community.
On November 11, 2007 we kicked off our awareness campaign
with a celebration that entertained, informed, inspired, and
connected with the Veterans, churches and citizens of
Houston; resulting in an affirmation of Houston's military
community and relationship building to meet the unique needs
of these military troops and their families.
The Need is Urgent
The Iraq War began in March 2003 and Operation Enduring
Freedom in Afghanistan started October 2001, with over
2,000,000 troop deployments to date. These deployments have
averaged approximately 10 months at a time, with sometimes
short returns home. On the national level, U.S. force have
sustained over 25,000 casualties, with 3,000+ deaths and
another 22,000+ wounded. With plans for bolstering
deployments in 2007, many families will be facing their
second, third, and even fourth deployment. Additionally, the
Veterans Affairs reports over 400,000 untreated cases of
PTSD, beginning from Vietnam forward.
From a Texas and Houston perspective, there are thousands of
active, guard, and reserve troops and families in our local
communities that are silently hurting - bruised and bleeding
on our behalf. Men and women returning from service who face
difficulty with the transition back to "normal" life,
experiencing relationship or financial struggles and even
post traumatic stress syndrome, "a ticking time bomb in this
generation of returning warriors". The personal and societal
effect of these burdens is dramatic, as seen in the rising
military divorce rates and in the increased potential for
substance abuse, domestic abuse, and criminality.
Hence, there exists a moral mandate, and very practical
societal rationale, for the leadership of Houston, Texas, to
reach out to these military men, women, and children amongst
us who so urgently need our support.
Our Mission
To help in meeting these needs requires an intentional,
concerted effort by developing a "Corps of Compassion"
(comprised of churches and other caring organization, armed
with expanded resources and training), which reaches out to
meet the needs at a personal relationship level. This kind
of support goes well beyond bumper stickers and an
occasional prayer to truly knowing and supporting
individuals, to understand and help meet their individual
needs.
Our Community
In many ways, Houston is a "military town": thousands of
serving citizen soldiers, active duty families with parents,
sons, and daughters serving around the world; various
Reserve component headquarters, a major Veterans Affairs
hospital, Bush Intercontinental Airport as a major
thoroughfare of military personnel, and an absolute
multitude of military veterans.
Following the caring response to the needs of the victims of
hurricane Katrina, Houston is nationally recognized as a
beacon of compassion. It is our hope that Houston can once
again be a model for other cities in recognizing the urgent
needs of military families and responding with a heart of
compassion. This call also provides an opportunity for
national healing, through properly honoring our military
service men and women and their families for their service,
rather than allowing them to sink into lives of isolation,
poverty, and public alienation. Regardless of one's outlook
on this war and conflict in general, these families need our
compassion. No one supporting the Katrina victims was "pro
hurricane" - they were simply responding to the human needs.
Houston Freedom Fest will partner with other like-minded
individuals and organizations locally and nationally to
execute its mission. It will enhance community cohesion by
integrating many other existing groups that support military
families, churches, and other ministries throughout Houston.
An Impact Houston and Military Ministry Initiative
www.impacthouston.net
www.militaryministry.org
Houston Freedom Fest Thanks
Houston Organizations Who Hire Vets for Their Support!
www.HoustonHiresVets.com
For Inclusion on this Employment Site, go to:
www.HoustonHiresVets.com and
click on Register
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