Not long after the presidential election we asked you a simple question: should the Joining Forces program, a White House sponsored push to connect military families and veterans with their civilian neighbors, stay or go?
We didn't have an overwhelming response to the poll -- only about 300 people took it. However, the result was resounding: Joining Forces should continue under the new president or, according to a small number of people, be replaced by a new military-family support effort.
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Despite the parade of criticism for Joining Forces over the years, that response doesn't really surprise me. As military families and veterans, it's nice to be recognized. It's important to see support for the families shouldering the burden of 15 years of war receive support from the top. So, yes, support from the top should continue.
We know very little about what is likely to happen under the next president. Many of the statements he made during the campaign are thought to be hyperbole by many who voted for him. But we do know that these wars are unlikely to end any time soon, that the work the military is asked to do is unlikely to decrease. We know that extraordinary things will continue to be asked of our military families. We can only hope that very public support for what they do, such as that received through Joining Forces, will continue.
