Social media blitz to thank troops for Iraq service
Published: August 30, 2010
Iraq will be the main news story again all this week, as the U.S. military officially ends its combat mission there and President Obama delivers remarks to troops at Fort Bliss and the nation as a whole in separate speeches on Tuesday. But, before that, the White House is asking all Americans to show their support for the efforts of U.S. troops returning from the controversial war.
This weekend administration officials unveiled their Saluting Service in Iraq initiative at the official White House website. The social media campaign is designed to encourage all Americans use social networks like Twitter and Facebook to show their support for the work done overseas, and offer their own personal thank yous.
Obama posted his own YouTube video on the site over the weekend, thanking troops and their families for the sacrifices they've made over the last seven years. Jill Biden, who recently traveled to Iraq, also posted a similar video, asking all Americans to "commit an act of kindness for a military family" in coming months.
To participate in the initative, the White House has offered a host of tags and suggestions:
-- YouTube: Tag your video with SaluteTroops.
-- Facebook: Change your profile picture or post your message of thanks on the White House Facebook Page.
-- Twitter: Use the hashtag #salutetroops.
-- Flickr: Use the tag SaluteTroops.
And you can submit messages directly through WhiteHouse.gov.
Of course, under Defense Department restrictions none of these sites can be viewed on official military computers used by the 50,000 or so troops still serving in Iraq. But, military families on private networks and troops with access to non-DoD computers can view the social media sites, and will have a chance to interact as well.
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