“Today, I’m proud to announce that for the first time ever, supporting the well-being of our military families will be a priority not just for the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs, but all across the federal government. ” President Barack Obama (1/24/11)

Earlier today, representatives from leading organizations supporting servicemembers and their families as well as military family members joined President Obama; First Lady Michelle Obama; Dr. Jill Biden; Cabinet Secretaries; Congressmen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Mrs. Mullen, Joint Chiefs of Staff and their spouses as well General McKinley and other representatives from the National Guard and Reserve for the release of the report, “Strengthening Our Military Families: Meeting America’s Commitment”.  The report details 50 commitments from different federal agencies around issues affecting military families centering around 4 key priorities:

1. Enhance the well-being and psychological health of the military family.
2. Ensure excellence in military children’s education and their development.
3. Develop career and educational opportunities for military spouses.
4. Increase child care availability and quality for the Armed Forces.

Looking around at the people in the audience, it was a bit awesome. To understand why….rewind back a few months…..to last July when I was among a group of military spouses invited in to hear about the initiatives going on at all the different agencies to support servicemembers and their families.  It was an extraordinary opportunity to hear about the breadth of programs that exist from senior level representatives and to provide our feedback and additional insights on challenges and opportunities.  Now back to today….reading the report, it was apparent that they listened to us (for the most part).  From the thoughtful remarks to the document itself, it’s obvious that the feedback they received from our group as well as others in the field helped shape the initiative.  I think in the past it’s been too easy to relegate military family issues to the DoD or VA when the reality is that military family issues are everyone’s issues.  It was gratifying to to see all the cabinet secretaries in attendance; their presence spoke volumes about their commitment to the cause.  Even the biggest skeptics among us have to recognize the power of bringing together all these federal agencies with the single purpose of making sure supporting military families rises toward the top of their priority lists.  It was even more exciting to read the report and see how their commitment is being manifested into working collaboratively across stovepipes on behalf of military families:

• The Department of Education will make supporting military families one of its supplemental priorities for its discretionary grant programs.
• The Department of Defense in coordination with the Council of State Governments will pursue the complete development of the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children.
• In order to encourage quality reintegration time, Education and DoD will provide guidance to school districts on best practices for approving “block leave”.
• Department of the Interior, one of the largest Federal employers of youth ages 15-25 in conservation, will partner with DoD to identify military youth for employment opportunities.
• Department of Labor and the Department of Commerce will educate corporate America on the benefits of hiring from the military and encourage them to hire more military spouses. *
  

These are just a small number of commitments outlined in the report.  Here is the full report.

However, government can only do so much…..

“One percent of Americans may be fighting our wars, but a hundred percent of Americans need to be supporting our troops and their families — a hundred percent.” President Barack Obama (1/24/11)

Businesses and other communities also play a huge role in the success of these programs.  But this is a conversation for another post….suffice it to say, exciting to watch the convergence of all the innovative efforts going on out there to better support military families.  My two cents about why today’s event was significant – in a nutshell, unprecedented support for military families across all the federal agencies.  Of course, being the natural skeptics that we are, military spouses will continue to wait and see what develops as a result of this directive, but today’s event was a good start.

* Excerpt from “Strengthening Our Military Families: Meeting America’s Commitment”

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Saying that caring for the loved ones of servicemembers should no longer be seen as the sole province of the two agencies most closely identified with the military, President Obama Monday laid out a what he said was a coordinated, comprehensive approach to improving the well-being of military families.

Sixteen agency heads have signed on to a plan to make supporting military families a priority across the government, Obama said in a White House ceremony. The agencies have made a total of 50 commitments that will pay special attention to the health, education and career opportunities of military spouses and children, he said.

This collaborative effort is the result of Presidential Study-9, which Obama in May 2010 directed the National Security Staff to develop a coordinated governmentwide approach to supporting military families. The 25-page report details what each agency committed to do. First Lady Michelle Obama and Second Lady Dr. Jill Biden have been leading the effort.

The agency commitments break down into four broad areas, the President said. They include well-being and psychological health, education for military children, career and education help for military spouses, and better, more accessible child care.

Obama said many of the programs that the agencies have committed to improving or expanding are not new, but the cabinet-level, governmentwide commitment to the issues is.

“In other words, we’re not simply reaffirming our responsibility to our military families, we are upping our game,” the President said. “In fact, these 16 members of my cabinet have signed their name to this report, pledging personally to see this through. And not only to fulfill these commitments, but to make sure that as we go forward our military families are being heard across the government. That’s what we’re looking for here.”

Nicole Alcorn, a military spouse who was at the White House for Monday’s event, said the signatures of the agency heads was not merely symbolic, but an indication that all sectors of the government would be-as the president put it Monday– “on the hook” for seeing to the welfare of military families.

“Its across-the-board accountability, their personal commitment and professional commitment,” said Alcorn, whose husband is a Navy explosives disposal expert, in an interview. “It’s very much that it takes a village, and when everybody takes a little bit of ownership, we become involved, there’s a sense of buy-in and responsibility.”

Sue Hoppin, another military spouse who founded the National Military Spouse Network and who also attended the White House event, said she was hopeful that the administration’s effort was the beginning of a long-term change in how the government as a whole approaches military family issues.

“This is the first time I think that they’ve approached it at this level,” she said. “There’s a recognition in America now that the responsibility for military families and servicemembers doesn’t just reside at VA or DoD. Our military children are in public schools. Our spouses certainly fall under the Department of Labor. There are interesting things going on at Health and Human Services to help wounded warriors. These agencies should really be talking and breaking down the stovepipes, and coordinating more of an effort at a federal level to support military families.”

Hoppin said new initiatives relating military spousal employment were some of the biggest breakthroughs. The Labor, Commerce and Defense departments, together with the Small Business Administration will help to market veterans and military spouses to private industry as job candidates.

“I’d be surprised if you met a (military) spouse who hasn’t had to write a financial plan for an organization or who hasn’t had to deal with a little PR campaign for a spouse group,” she said. “Just in everyday life, military spouses are gaining valuable experience that makes them very valuable employees.”

Another of the specific interagency commitments announced Monday brings together DoD and the Department Health and Human Services to address the psychological health of military families. Todd Bowers, a staff sergeant in the Marine Corps reserve said that was an area that deserved the government’s focus.

“I always tell people that I volunteered for my military service, and subsequently my deployments,” he said. “My family was drafted. That’s something that I don’t think the American public fully understands. The impact that this has is overwhelming for these families at times. Every time I’ve deployed-the four times I’ve deployed since 9/11-each time gets harder and harder for my family. So when I look at this, I’m going to try to put myself in their shoes, because each time that I’m leaving or I’m coming home, it’s not until I see their tears that I fully understand the impact of my choices and what it does to them.”

Bowers, who is also deputy director of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, a servicemember advocacy group, agreed that it makes sense to have a governmentwide approach to services for military families. He said there were already a multitude of agencies involved in providing those services, but they have lacked a framework or a mandate to work together until now.

But Bowers said ensuring that the new commitments go beyond a one-day White House media event will take genuine commitment.

“Effective oversight. That is the best way to put it,” he said. “Both Congress and military advocates need to watch these things and make sure they get implemented in an effective manner. But I have a feeling based on the level of investment that was in that room today that this is going to be something that there’s going to be a lot of follow through on.”

Michelle Obama, the First Lady, emphasized Monday that the release of the report and the signatures of agency heads was not the final step. The President also promised a broader public outreach effort on military family issues. Later this week, Michelle Obama will appear on Oprah to make the case that all Americans should make efforts to support the families of servicemembers.

This story is part of Federal News Radio’s daily DoD Report. For more defense news, click here.

(Copyright 2010 by FederalNewsRadio.com. All Rights Reserved.)

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Read the Army Times article here.

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Read The Guest List On Politico

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After reading the invitation, I knew that we were expecting Dr. Biden to be in attendance, but I don’t think anyone expected that the Vice President would show up to introduce her!  So, I’m sure there will be lots of blog posts and articles about the event, but what can I tell you that the cameras may have missed?

• One of the most touching moments came when General Casey visited with the row of AIT soldiers sitting behind us.  He coined each one of them as a “down payment on the great service I know we can expect from you in your careers”.   What you may not know….General Casey also coined Tanya in appreciation of her work and contributions.  She was thrilled!
• If you looked hard enough, you may have recognized some faces in the audience who went by unnoticed by the majority of the star struck folks in attendance.  In the front row, you would have seen the Chief of the Army Reserve, LTG Jack Stultz and his wife, Laura chatting with the new DUSD/MCFP, COL (USA, Ret) Rob Gordon.
• Behind the Stultz’s and COL Gordon was LTC Gregory Gadson who just took over command of the Army Wounded Warrior Program.  LTC Gadson understands the issues of those he serves because he himself is a double amputee.  You may remember reading about him back in 2008 when he was dubbed the “Giants’ honorary co-captain” during their Super Bowl season.

For someone who could make a professional sport of people watching, it was a lot to take in.  Everywhere you looked, there was another little story unfolding.  The most remarkable part of the evening though, it was genuinely fun.  Everyone was incredibly relaxed.  The folks in charge did a great job in setting out movie style snacks and as the lights dimmed, everyone settled back to watch Dr. Biden’s acting debut.  The illustrious company seemed to fade into the background as the show unfolded.  Reactions were honest, vocal and pronounced.  As far as acting debuts go, Dr. Biden did a good job, as did the real Army wives who played cameo roles in the episode.  After the viewing, the VIPs stayed for a long time, shaking hands and posing for pictures.  All in all, it was a great evening.

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I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I don’t think I imagined that these senior leaders from the agencies would fill a room to hear the feedback from a handful of military spouses, but that’s exactly what happened. We started the afternoon with an informal reception in the “War Room” of the EEOB. Mingling with the other spouses and some of the staff on hand, we took a few minutes to enjoy refreshments and get acquainted. There were less than a dozen spouses in attendance….I very much felt like the kid that found the golden ticket and vowed right then and there that I would capture everything I could to share with you.

After our reception, we moved up to a larger meeting room. The interest from the other agencies to get in front of military spouses and hear the feedback far exceeded everyone’s expectations, so we were ushered into a big room where chairs had been set up around the perimeter to accomodate everyone.  We spouses sat at the table and were interspersed among senior officials from agencies such as: Justice, State, Treasury, Education, Health and Human Services, Agriculture, DoD, VA, etc….I’m sure if I had taken a harder look around, I would have noticed that all the agencies were represented. At the head of the table, our hosts from the NSC were seated beside representatives from Mrs. Obama’s office as well as Dr. Biden’s office. They were all there to update us on their initiatives and then listen to our feedback. Even though the time allotted to us was short at an hour, I have to commend them for presenting us with a great opportunity to share our insights. There was a lot of information flying around, but I thought I’d provide some of the highlights:

• All the agencies are working on ways to integrate military families into their programs and initiatives.  Several agencies to include the Departments of Health and Human Services as well as Education have elevated military families to one of their top three priorities.  More importantly, they are also allocating money and resources to support their commitment.
• There are a lot of programs out there supporting military families and service members that we are not aware of.  The challenge will be finding ways to get the information out to the families and communities who need them.  As an example, the Department of Education has an extraordinary amount of money allocated in a discretionary fund.  Since they have made military families a top priority, they are looking at ways to fund grants that address our demographic.
• Reading between the lines, I would say that there are deep cuts coming our way [no surprise to anyone who's been paying attention].  Look for more programs to go away.  However, the good news is, I don’t think we are aware of all the programs out there supporting us, so hopefully where one program goes away, we’ll be able to find another with a little extra work.

Based on feedback I received from military spouses, I left the committee with two parting thoughts regarding military spouse employment:

• As DoD reviews and revamps MyCAA, it’s important for them to understand that portable careers and 4 year degrees are not mutually exclusive.  There are any number of portable career choices (teacher, nurse, counselor) that require a 4 year degree.
• The military spouse internship program is great in theory, but no one really understands it.  In addition to the website that’s been established to educate HR personnel, it would be helpful to have a checklist for military spouses on how the program works as well as a bellybutton we can reach back to in case we encounter an agency that is not familiar with the program.

Biggest takeaway from the meeting: when you’re out there looking for programs supporting military families, DoD should only be your starting point.  There’s a lot going on within the other agencies that get less attention.

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While the Drinkwine case referenced in the articles above was extreme, I think we’ve all met these people at some point in time.  Watching it all unfold, I had flashbacks to my own experiences back in Okinawa with a horrible command spouse.  Maybe it’s the benefit of hindsight, but I weigh all the great people I’ve met and the wonderful experiences against that one lousy egg, and I wouldn’t hesitate for a minute in encouraging new spouses to get involved with their family readiness/family support/spouse groups. 

Don’t let the actions of any one person taint your view of all groups. 

Well run, functioning family readiness/family support/spouse groups are a great way to: meet new people, make friends, volunteer in a meaningful manner and make a real difference in the military community.  I think we’ve all been around the block enough times to realize that bad, ill-intentioned people exist everywhere.  When they make you their special project, it’s not fun.  Trust me, I know.  Don’t let your experiences with those people steer you away from getting involved….because if they did, it would effectively mean that the bullies (those bad eggs) get to chalk up a win.

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