Welcome

    On Our Behalf is an ad campaign being created at Kansas State University that tells the story of National Guard and Reserve families during and after deployment to Iraq or Afghanistan. We hope that our efforts will serve as a catalyst for understanding, respect, and support for these families within their caring communities.
    We call the campaign On Our Behalf because we believe the  men and women who are deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan are engaged in a noble purpose on behalf of their country. This means on behalf of their communities, neighborhoods, and all of its families. Regardless of how we might feel about the wisdom of our nation being in these areas of conflict, we should support these soldiers and their families.
    Support means more than saying “I support our soldiers and their families.” It means knowing where they live in our neighborhoods, whether they attend the same house of worship, or work for the same company. It means shoveling the snow from their driveways or mowing their lawns, taking their kids to a matinée, responding to a fearful call in the middle of the night. Sometimes the most powerful forms of support are the little things: a stop and talk, a smile in the supermarket, a basket of warm cookies. Support is building trust through these little things. It means that the remaining parent and his or her children can find a kind and caring shoulder in their darkest moments of fear and sadness.
    The soldiers, spouses, and children we have interviewed for our campaign are proud people. They do not want our pity. They don’t want handouts. They want to be seen and recognized for what they are contributing to the nation. They want their communities to recognize their strengths, their courage, and their sacrifices.

Charles A. Smith, Ph.D.
Professor, School of Family Studies and Human Services
Kansas State University