What a Stuffed Bunny Means to This Military Family | American Veteran

When Yolanda Mayo was a newlywed, she deployed to Iraq for Desert Shield/Desert Storm with her Marine Corps unit. Her husband sent her a stuffed bunny for Easter, and the memento quickly became a source of shared joy for her and her tent mates. After the deployment ended, the bunny came home with Mayo, becoming a much-loved toy for her son and daughter. A decade later, as she packed to deploy again, her children insisted she take the bunny with her. The bunny "stands for all of our military families and the separations we endure. He stands for love. He stands for why we serve. He stands for home." American Veteran: Keep It Close tells the stories of U.S. military veterans and the special objects they carried during deployment and beyond. These objects, ranging from a pebble to a vial of lip gloss, have provided everyday comfort and hope to the veterans — and offer civilians a window into the veteran experience. Although the stories are unique to the individual veterans and their military service, the concept of mementos and the emotions they can generate are universal. Join our "Keep It Close" social media campaign by sharing a photo or describing an object that has significance to your experience as a veteran. Civilians: post an object, person, or place that makes you understand what veterans experience or have experienced. Add the hashtag #AmericanVeteranPBS to join the campaign. Thank you to Analog Devices for supporting American Veteran: Keep It Close. You can learn more at https://www.analog.com/en/applications/markets/aerospace-and-defense-pavilion-home.html // Subscribe to PBS Voices so you never miss an episode! https://bit.ly/PBSVoices Watch the four-part PBS broadcast “American Veteran” starting October 26 (check your local listings), and listen to the podcast "American Veteran: Unforgettable Stories" wherever you get your podcasts. Check your local listings: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/american-veteran/ PBS Member Stations rely on viewers like you. To support your local station, go to: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/american-veteran/ Keep up with PBS Digital Studios Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PBSDigitalStudios Twitter: https://twitter.com/pbsds Instagram: https://instagram.com/pbsds #Veterans #Military #AmericanVeteranPBS


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