Activision, Supporting the Troops One Dog Tag at a Time

As much as I'm willing to drive the verbal stake into the heart of a greedy conglomerate, it would remiss of me not to point out when that same conglomerate is doing a good thing.

Activision -the greedy conglomerate in question- will begin selling Call of Duty Dog Tags, with all proceeds going to support the Call of Duty Endowment , a charity set up by Activision in 2009 to help troops returning from war to acclimate back into society and the civilian work force.

The problem, as described at the COD Endowment website is probably familiar to anyone who has a family member in the armed services.

A generation ago, American soldiers risking their lives in Southeast Asian jungles returned home to a nation ambivalent to their sacrifice. Good jobs were scarce. Educational opportunities were limited. Too often sidewalks and parks served as home. This national shame cannot be repeated. Many of our soldiers who risked their lives patrolling the streets and villages of Iraq and Afghanistan and other conflicts are met with closed doors unless we pry them open today. Rather than be rewarded for their service, they are effectively penalized.Recent statistics say volumes about the issue. According to recent figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are more than 902,000 men and women between the ages of 18 and 64 unemployed. And the present unemployment rate for recently discharged veterans is an alarming 21.9 percent.¹ More than 60 percent of employers surveyed recently do not believe they have “a complete understanding of the qualifications ex-service members offer,”² and more than three quarters of veterans themselves find it difficult to “effectively translate their military skills into civilian terms.”³

In a statement, Bobby Kotick said:

"Our youngest veterans - those 18-to-24 years old - currently face an unemployment rate that is almost twice the national average of their non-veteran peer group, and this is unacceptable. With the sale of our limited edition Call of Duty Endowment dog tags, we are urging Americans to join us in the support of our heroes as they attempt to re-join the workforce."

Of course I fully support Activision in this endeavor, and firmly believe that we as a society are strongest when we are all elevated to take advantage of the same opportunities. And considering the Tags only cost $4.99 -and we routinely spend $60 on the most awful drivel- no one has much of an excuse to pass it up.