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Kanye West Gives Back To Iraq War Veterans
New York, NY (July 21, 2008) – In this next installment of "Choose or Lose," MTV's ongoing campaign to bring awareness to young veterans issues, MTV News and Kanye West have teamed up to tell the stories of returning veterans in the powerful documentary "Choose or Lose & Kanye West Present: Homecoming" set to air on Monday, July 28 at 10pm ET/PT. In this one hour special, Kanye West, along with MTV's Sway Calloway, give recently returned Iraq war veterans the surprise of their lives by unexpectedly visiting their homes. Viewers will see first-hand the d if ficult and often painful challenges young vets face when they return home. In order to make sure that the stories are heard Sway and Kanye traveled to the homes of veterans, heard their stories and expressed gratitude for their service. But it didn't end there…On behalf of MTV and the Dr. Donda West Foundation, Sway and Kanye gave each veteran a life changing gift. Debts were paid off, rents were taken care of and tuitions were funded.
"There are hundreds of veterans out there who are falling through the cracks. They make the ultimate sacr if ices for us by laying down their lives, but it seems like a lot of them just get forgotten about" said Kanye West. "I know my music inspires and helps a lot of people but you can always do more. I teamed up with MTV and took the opportunity to share the spotlight with these veterans and hear their stories. I went to their homes to listen and get their first hand experiences. I wanted to hear their stories."
"The stories of the veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are important and worth telling." said Dave Sirulnick, Executive Vice President for MTV News and Production. "In conversations with veterans over the last year, it became clear that Kanye's music is used by soldiers in Iraq as a way of connecting to home. Once these veterans return home, their stories are so moving that you can't help but want to do the right thing and help them out."
The "Choose or Lose & Kanye West Present: Homecoming" special will shine the spotlight on three Iraq war veterans, representing the diverse cross-section of America 's returning armed forces. The issues faced by these three young veterans are emblematic of the issues that will be faced by the more than 1.7 million young people who have fought in Iraq and Afghanistan . The documentary will also highlight how viewers can help through extensive resources available through Chooseorlose.com and the Dr. Donda West Foundation.
Viewers can go to Chooseorlose.com and interact with the show and the veterans, find ways to take action on these issues and share their own thoughts on the subject. They can also get more information on the veterans featured by clicking on the following profile links also available on chooseorlose.com: Tirann Lewis, Shameeka Gray and Lorenzo Zarate.
Recent MTV research revealed that nearly 70 percent of young people 18-29 personally know someone who has fought in Iraq . Through this special news presentation, Choose or Lose hopes to elevate the issues of young, new veterans; ensure Presidential candidates address these issues; and mobilize millions of young people to understand and take action in ways to help their peers who have served, who with the greatest honor, ensure that they register and vote.
The "Choose or Lose & Kanye West Present: Homecoming" special will also be available on MTV Mobile through all of its wireless carrier distribution partners. To receive regular alerts on their mobile phone, viewers will be able to text ST to 84465 from MTV's 51 "Street Team '08" members, specially-recruited citizen journalists, one in each state and Washington , D.C. , covering the 2008 elections from a youth perspective. There will also be weekly MTV News stories on issues that affect young veterans. Online viewers will be able to get a sneak peek of the special on Friday, July 25th when the first act will be featured on the home page of AOL and within AOL Music's The Boombox and PopEater sections, as well as AOL Video and AOL News .
Info: Kanye West
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