Last year, Ilona Meagher, author of Moving a Nation to Care: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and America’s Returning Troops joined NPT for a day-long summit on Depression and what we need to do as a nation to help returning serviceman. The effects of post-traumatic stress disorder, and other psychological disorders, as well as the physical injuries suffered by serviceman returning from war, also have a profound effect on the families of the soldiers. How to help families adjust to a “new normal?” On Wednesday, April 1, 2009, at 7:00 p.m. on NPT and PBS stations nationwide (check local listing), Sesame Street cast members, together with John Mayer and Queen Latifah, will do their best to help. COMING HOME: MILITARY FAMILIES COPE WITH CHANGE tells the stories of service members returning home with injuries—both visible and invisible—and explores the heroic struggles their families face on the path to finding that “new normal.” With help from Elmo, Rosita and their Sesame Street friends, “Coming Home” gives voice to the children as they play a central role in the family’s adjustment process, and encourages them to be what they are: kids.
Additionally, the program features coping strategies and powerful real stories to help these families and others find ways to be there for each other. Join us as we focus on the challenges faced by injured soldiers and their families, salute their extraordinary courage, offer the general public ways to support service members in the community, and provide a brief but powerful glimpse into the lives of these amazing families.
