Five Questions with The Boot Campaign Girls!

14 years ago Liv Carter Comments Off on Five Questions with The Boot Campaign Girls!

Last week I wrote about the launch of a wonderful new campaign to raise awareness about the needs of returning military personnel, both those still on active duty and retiring combat veterans: The Boot Campaign. Choosing military combat boots as a symbol, the girls are asking people to show support for returning troops. The aim of The Boot Campaign is to get 1 million people to ‘get their boots on’!

One of the Boot Girls, Heather Fordham, was kind enough to answer a few questions so we could learn a little bit more about the campaign.

UCB: What was it about the Marcus Luttrell ‘Lone Survivor’ book which made you say ‘we have to do something’?
HF: Marcus did an amazing job of making his account of Operation Redwing very relatable for those of us who know nothing besides the fact that we could never survive training camp, much less the death of our friends in our arms. His story captured the development of the super-human qualities required to be a Navy SEAL and the human side of his emotion as an everyday person leading up to his tour of duty. It was clear that no matter how much you’re mind and body can survive, there is something on the other side of those experiences that no person can prepare for. Marcus did that for me, as an American, and I felt that after learning his story and how many there are like his, I had to figure out a bigger way to say thank you and to spread the message.

UCB: Why did you choose boots as the symbol?
HF: Combat boots are a visual, non-partisan, representation of the military that everyone recognizes. I love that anyone can participate without conversation, debate, or discomfort about their political opinions.

UCB: What has the feedback been from the military?
HF: The feedback from the military is what it always is, absolutely humbling. They have been nothing but appreciative, supportive and grateful which is ironic considering that we are doing this to thank THEM. They have also submitted many amazing stories to us via email and Facebook to answer our question “Where have your soles been?”

UCB: Why were country music artists the first group of celebrities you approached?
HF: Country music artists have a long-standing reputation for supporting our military thorough their song-writing and entertainment tours. We also happened to have access through a local Texas event we were helping to plan that had 4 country music performers, 2 of which had just returned from overseas tours – Joe Nichols and Derek Sholl.

UCB: You’ve got lots of celebrities already. Which other celebrities would you love to see get involved?
HF: I am a huge sports fan so I am dying to see Mike and Mike in the morning from ESPN and the LeBron/Wade/Bosh trio in the boots. But, when it comes to country music, I would love to see some of my favorites, Garth Brooks, Carrie Underwood and Darius Rucker… I could go on for days about who I want to read that book and say THANK YOU for my freedom!

Check out the video below introducing the campaign. If the girls have inspired you to help out please visit the campaign website. For the latest updates, follow the Boot Girls on Twitter.

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Liv Carter

Liv Carter

Liv is a career coach for creatives, and the people who work with them.
She holds several certificates from Berklee College of Music, and a certificate in Positive Psychology from UC Berkeley.
Her main influences are coffee, cats, and Alexander Hamilton.
Liv Carter

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