TEXAS CABLE OPERATORS AND HISTORY® HONOR MILITARY VETERANS

 “Take a Veteran to School” and “Thank a Veteran at Work” events held across Texas 

Texas cable operators have organized special events in communities throughout Texas as part of HISTORY’s Take a Veteran to School Day annual outreach initiative in honor of Veterans Day. Several cable providers also are holding internal events to recognize their employee veterans through HISTORY’s Thank a Veteran at Work program.

In Texas, Cable One, Suddenlink and Time Warner Cable will host Take a Veteran to School Day programs throughout this and next week at a number of schools including Austin Middle School in Amarillo; Village Elementary School and Georgetown ISD’s office in Georgetown; Rapoport Academy in Waco; Belton Middle School in Belton; Cole Middle/High School on Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio; Metz Elementary School in Austin; and Ross Elementary School in Odessa.

Although each school designs and holds its own specific program connected with Take a Veteran to School Day, events honor and feature local veterans who share their stories with the students and receive a heartfelt “thank you” for their service

Launched in 2007, Take a Veteran to School Day is HISTORY’s premiere public affairs outreach program and connects veterans from all walks of life with students in schools and communities nationwide. In 2012, more than 5,000 schools in all 50 states are expected to participate. As part of this campaign, HISTORY offers participating schools curriculum-based educational materials at www.veterans.com as well as a Veterans Day video produced with the U.S. Department of Education, all provided free-of-charge.

“We are so pleased to be working with the Texas Cable Association and its cable operator members to honor veterans in the state,” said Dr. Libby O’Connell, Chief Historian and SVP, Corporate Outreach for HISTORY. “As part of this program, students will not only learn about Veterans Day, but they will also learn important life lessons about service and commitment. And in the process, the veterans will receive a well-deserved thank you from all of us.”

“Texas’ cable operators have enthusiastically embraced this program from its start and look forward each year to helping veterans share their stories with our state’s school children,” said Kirsten Voinis, communications director for the Texas Cable Association. “We have found over the years that participating in both the Take a Veteran to School and Thank a Veteran at Work programs is as rewarding for our cable members as it is for the veterans and students.”

Take a Veteran to School Day is a key component of HISTORY’s broad veterans outreach campaign, which also includes Thank a Veteran at Work, which encourages employers to recognize former military service men and women.

As part of that campaign, San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro is among those who have recorded public service announcements reminding all Americans to thank our nation’s veterans. It can be found at http://www.history.com/interactives/thank-a-vet.

These PSAs will run on-air and on-line throughout November. More than 500 companies have participated in the Thank A Veteran initiative.

HISTORY also is mobilizing people to “Thank a Vet” through an active social media campaign. From Nov. 1-11, HISTORY is thanking veterans from all branches of service on Twitter using the hash tag #THANKAVET. A special website located at www.history.com/thank-a-vet houses the Twitter feed, making it easy for anyone to type in their Tweet and honor those who have served. As part of the Twitter campaign, HISTORY also is donating funds to non-profit organizations including America’s VetDogs to help support their efforts. Special short video vignettes with the theme “It’s Never Too Late to Thank a Vet” also will run on the site during the campaign.

About the Texas Cable Association

TCA (www.txcable.com) has been the primary trade organization for cable operators in Texas since 1960. Members include Allegiance Communications, Cable One, Charter Communications, Comcast, CommuniComm, Suddenlink Communications and Time Warner Cable. Follow TCA’s activities on Facebook (www.facebook.com/texascable) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/texascable).

About HISTORY®

HISTORY® and HISTORY HD® are the leading destinations for revealing, award-winning original non-fiction series and event specials that connect history with viewers in an informative, immersive and entertaining manner across multiple platforms. Programming covers a diverse variety of historical genres ranging from military history to contemporary history, technology to natural history, as well as science, archaeology and pop culture. Among the network’s program offerings are hit series such as American Pickers, Ax Men, American Restoration, Ice Road Truckers, Top Gear, Pawn Stars and Top Shot, as well as acclaimed specials including Gettysburg, America the Story of Us, WWII in HD, 102 Minutes That Changed America and Life After People. HISTORY has earned four Peabody Awards, seven Primetime Emmy® Awards, 12 News & Documentary Emmy® Awards and received the prestigious Governor’s Award from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences for the network’s Save Our History® campaign dedicated to historic preservation and history education. Take a Veteran to School Day is the network’s signature initiative connecting America’s schools and communities with veterans from all wars. The HISTORY website, located at www.historypressroom.com.