House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Robert McDonald, secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs, stand next to each other during the national anthem. Both leaders spoke at the launch of Hidden Heroes. (MNS)
MSNBC anchor Richard Liu emceed the Hidden Heroes event. NBC News Special Correspondent, Tom Brokaw, also spoke at the event and NBC Today show host Matt Lauer was in a featured video. (Kelly Norris/MNS)
Actor Tom Hanks speaks on stage at the launch of the Hidden Heroes campaign to raise awareness for military caregivers. Hanks is the chair of the campaign. (MNS)
Caregiver and West Virginia Elizabeth Dole Fellow Kristi Dumas spoke at the Hidden Heroes launch by telling her own caregiver story. (MNS)
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi gave her support to the Hidden Heroes campaign. She praised Sen. Elizabeth Dole’s dedication to helping military families. (MNS)
Former Sen. Elizabeth Dole founded the Elizabeth Dole Foundation in 2012 to care for military families, like her own. Dole has cared for her own husband, former Sen. Bob Dole, after he served in the Army during World War II. (MNS)
A panel of sponsors and donators to the Hidden Heroes campaign sits on stage preparing to speak about their motivation for joining the movement. (MNS)
Former Sen. Elizabeth Dole and actor Tom Hanks embrace onstage. Hanks called on the public to support military families by telling them about the Hidden Heroes campaign and encouraging caregivers to visit hiddenheroes.org. (All photos Kelly Norris/MNS)
WASHINGTON — When Hal Dumas returned from deployment to Iraq, the signs of post-traumatic stress disorder were not immediately evident. And as they appeared, his wife, Kristi, felt isolated and helpless as she moved into a caregiver role.
It was hard to get needed support, she said, especially because she didn’t really realize there were millions of other military caregivers who’d been thrust into the role without resources to know how to manage it.
“When you’re out at the mall, people don’t know you’re constantly keeping an eye out for triggers like loud noises or large crowds,” she said. “At the grocery store, the store clerk can’t see the way you’re watching for early warning signs exhibited by a veteran that only you can recognize.
Dumas is among approximately 5.5 million caregivers for active duty troops and veterans. Many don’t label themselves as caregivers, which makes it all the more difficult to ask for support.
“We are now also ready to ask: What can we do to help you next?” Tom Hanks
On Tuesday, former North Carolina Sen. Elizabeth Dole and actor Tom Hanks launched Hidden Heroes, a campaign to raise awareness for caregivers sponsored by the Elizabeth Dole Foundation. In addition to Hanks, journalist Tom Brokaw and political leaders ranging from House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi to Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert McDonald spoke to a group of military caregivers from around the country.
“We are now also ready to ask: What can we do to help you next?” Hanks said. “You’re no longer hidden, you’re certainly not alone. America is ready to serve along with you every single day.”
The campaign, which has received two million-dollar donations from billionaire philanthropist Jennifer Pritzker, a retired Army lieutenant colonel, and the United Arab Emirates government, unveiled a website that provides lists of resources and a community forum for caregivers, and a list of 54 cities that have signed on to promote its mission. In addition, a video featuring Hanks and a caregiver with her family will begin airing across the country through a partnership with Comcast NBCUniversal.
At the event, McDonald announced new VA initiatives by the VA, including extending its Coursera benefit — which allows veterans to take free courses online — to caregivers and qualifying Lyft and Uber ride-sharing programs under the VA’s beneficiary travel program.
“Partnership and collaboration are absolutely fundamental for serving veterans,” McDonald said, hinting at another partnership with Amazon, which he said would be revealed at Wednesday’s “Empowering Hidden Heroes: Pathways to InnoVAtion” summit, hosted by the Elizabeth Dole Foundation and the VA.
