A Town Hall for Troops in Central Command

To the troops deployed to CENTCOM:

 

First, thank you.  Thank you for being deployed away from love ones; for protecting our nation’s security; and for setting an example of service and sacrifice that we all look up to.  As I hope you know, President Obama believes there is no greater honor than serving as our nation’s Commander-in-Chief.  He understands that he commands the finest military that history has ever known and takes great pride in doing so.

 

As you stand on the front lines of two wars, we want to make sure we are hearing from you and communicating clearly. The White House and the Department of Defense are proud to launch a joint project called "Troop Town Hall."  This initiative allows troops from across Central Command to submit their questions by email, text or video and allows participants to vote for the questions that think are the most important.   At the conclusion of the program, the President and Secretary Gates will answer the top questions (President Obama promises not to give all the hard ones to Secretary Gates).  

 

As a veteran who deployed to CENTCOM for OIF and OEF, I never had this opportunity.  I understand the demands placed on you, but hope you can make time to participate in this project.  The program ends in late September.   At that time, we will provide a link to all of the questions and the answers.  In the meantime, here is a video of the President introducing the program.

Matt Flavin is the White House's Director of Veterans and Wounded Warrior Policy