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Youth Voter Group Urges Members to Read Latest OpTruth Report and Support the Troops -- by Listening to Them
NEW YORK -- As Operation Iraqi Freedom enters Year Three, the largest organization for voting youth is lending its support to the first and largest Iraq Veterans' organization. On the front page of its website ( www.rockthevote.com) and in an email to its one million members, Rock the Vote writes, "The young men and women in Iraq--our friends, our family, our peers--are fighting for you. That's what keeps them going. Are you fighting for them? Rock the Vote is proud to stand with Operation Truth to give soldiers the strongest voice possible. Because if all you do is say 'we support the troops,' well, that and a dollar will get you a bag of chips."
The email also urges Rock the Vote members to read the latest report issued by Operation Truth earlier in the week. That report went through hundreds of stories submitted by Troops and organized them into an After Action Review, examining what has gone well, what has not, and what needs to change. The full report can be found on the organization's website.
Jehmu Greene, President of Rock the Vote, said, "For many young people, the war in Iraq is about their peers who are doing the fighting. That's what makes a group like Operation Truth so important. Rock the Vote is proud to support the soldiers' political expression and we want to help them find a powerful voice right from the start. Since 70% of the troops serving in Iraq are under the age of 30, it is important for those of us back home to hear an unvarnished view, without a filter."
"On the two-year anniversary of the start of the war, all the talking heads and writers are going to ask pundits and Pentagon brass how things are going. All you will hear from them is spin and official platitudes," said Paul Rieckhoff, an Operation Iraqi Freedom Veteran and Executive Director of Operation Truth. "Our report cuts through it all and lets the Troops tell you how it's going."
"We are thrilled that Rock the Vote recognizes what so many don't - from media to politicians: Really supporting the Troops means first listening to them. American youth must become educated on these issues, because in many ways this affects them the most," he added.
Operation Truth ( www.operationtruth.com) is the nation's first and largest non-partisan organization representing Veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Rock the Vote is a non-profit, non-partisan organization, founded in 1990 in response to a wave of attacks on freedom of speech and artistic expression. Rock the Vote empowers young people to create change in their communities and take action on the issues they care about.
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