Kanye West And Choose Or Lose Give Young Veterans A Surprise 'Homecoming' - Dallas Cowboys Forum

**WoodysGirl** · 07-25-2008

West and MTV's Sway visit returning vets and give them life-changing gifts on upcoming special, which airs July 28 at 10 p.m. ET.

By MTV News staff

Young veterans returning from the war in Iraq face a host of difficult challenges, from re-acclimating to civilian life to dealing with unpaid bills and the hard memories of war. In an upcoming MTV News special, "Choose or Lose & Kanye West Present: Homecoming," the Chicago MC and MTV's Sway Calloway give returning veterans the surprise of their lives during home visits where they listen to the soldiers' stories and express gratitude for their service.

The one-hour special, which airs July 28 at 10 p.m. ET, will feature West and Calloway dropping in unexpectedly at the homes of some Iraq war veterans and seeing firsthand the often difficult and painful challenges the young vets face after returning home.

"There are hundreds of veterans out there who are falling through the cracks. They make the ultimate sacrifices for us by laying down their lives, but it seems like a lot of them just get forgotten about," West said. "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 firsthand experiences. I wanted to hear their stories."

West didn't just listen, though. On behalf of MTV and the Dr. Donda West Foundation — named in honor of the rapper's late mother — Sway and West gave each veteran a life-changing gift, from paying off their debts to taking care of their rent or tuition.

"The stories of the veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are important and worth telling," Dave Sirulnick, executive vice president for MTV News and Production, said in a statement. "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."

"Homecoming" will focus on three Iraq war veterans, whose stories represent the diverse cross-section of America's returning armed forces and some of the issues that will face the more than 1.5 million young people who have fought in Iraq and Afghanistan. Viewers will also be given information on how they can help by tapping into the extensive resources available through ChooseOrLose.com and the Dr. Donda West Foundation.

Profiles for all three vets (Tirann Laws, Shameeka Gray and Lorenzo Zarate) are available on the Choose or Lose site, where viewers can also interact with the veterans and find ways to take action on these issues and share their own thoughts on the subject.

The special will also be available on MTV Mobile through its wireless partners, and online viewers can get a sneak peek of the special on Friday, when the first act will be featured on the AOL home page and within AOL Music's the Boombox and PopEater sections, as well as AOL Video and AOL News. There will also be weekly MTV News stories on issues that affect young veterans.

To receive regular alerts via mobile phone from MTV's 51 Street Team '08 members — who are specially recruited citizen journalists from each state and Washington, D.C., covering the 2008 elections from a youth perspective — viewers will be able to text ST to 84465.

http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/159...st_kanye.jhtml

gazmc_06 · 07-25-2008

I can't wait to watch this. Kanye is my favorite artist and geting to se him sit down with soldiers and hear their stories will be a GREAT WATCH.

Yeagermeister · 07-25-2008

That's pretty cool. How about helping the other veterans?

**WoodysGirl** · 07-25-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yeagermeister

That's pretty cool. How about helping the other veterans?

Meaning the vets like yourself who have been out of the military for umpteen years? LOl

Srsly, I don't know. If I'm not mistaken, part of the mission of their foundation is for those vets coming from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Quote:

Viewers will also be given information on how they can help by tapping into the extensive resources available through ChooseOrLose.com and the Dr. Donda West Foundation.

If I remember, I'll prolly watch it just to see what all it entailed and what kinda follow-up their plannning.

**trickblue** · 07-25-2008

That's a great thing to do and I applaud them. I just hope they don't turn it political because it shouldn't be...

Rackat · 07-25-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by trickblue

That's a great thing to do and I applaud them. I just hope they don't turn it political because it shouldn't be...

That is kinda what I am hoping, too. I don't know anything about Kanye other than his tirade a few years ago. I hope he stears clear of the political side of things.

**WoodysGirl** · 07-25-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rackat

That is kinda what I am hoping, too. I don't know anything about Kanye other than his tirade a few years ago. I hope he stears clear of the political side of things.

Outside of that majorly inappropriate rant, Kanye is one of the more positive hip hop artists you can find. He's not what you call a hardcore rapper. Unfortunately, the opportunity for him to show that to the mainstream public vs just hip hop fans, he pissed it away.

MTV will replay it over and over, so I don't have to watch the debut, but I'll try to do it, so I can post some observations.

Cajuncowboy · 07-25-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by trickblue

That's a great thing to do and I applaud them. I just hope they don't turn it political because it shouldn't be...

I won't hold my breath. This guy has done nothing to prove he is anything but a loud mouth with no credibility.

While I do applaud him for this effort, I will reserve judgment utill I see the fruit of his labor and the motivation behind it.

Vintage · 07-25-2008

Its a shame...because up until Kanye's tirade, I actually supported him (by buying his music).

But the rapper-trying-to-be-political-hack stuff annoyed me.

Its a shame, bec. now it seems like NaS is going that route with his affiliation with MoveOn.org and his "attack" on FoxNews as racist.

Which brings me to a dilemma.

Either be a hypocrit.

Or quit listening to NaS.

For Kanye, the choice was easy. I liked him; but eh. I don't miss his music that much. For NaS........................ that's going to be like trying to give up beer. It might last. For a couple of weeks.

**trickblue** · 07-25-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vintage

For NaS........................ that's going to be like trying to give up beer. It might last. For a couple of weeks.

But imagine how bad you'll feel the next morning after you listen...

zrinkill · 07-25-2008

Seems like a great thing to do .....

I hope its sincere and not just more damage control from his "Bush Hates Black People" fiasco.

I will reserve passing judgment till I hear some soldiers testimony about the event.