Column: Military Families Need Your Support

Military Families Need Your Support
Rep. Boozman's Column for the Week of June 12, 2005

Washington, Jun 12 - As chairman of the Economic Opportunities Subcommittee for the House Veterans Affairs Committee, a great deal of my legislative focus is on ensuring that our servicemen and women, and their families, have a smooth transition into civilian life. However, last week, I had the opportunity to focus on their current situation. Specifically, on the unique circumstances military families find themselves in during a time of war. To draw attention to this situation, I introduced a bill designating the week of June 12, 2005 as National Military Families Week.

Last Friday, the day this legislation passed the Senate, I had the pleasure of welcoming entertainer Hilary Duff to Capitol Hill. Hilary took time out of her extremely busy schedule to spend time with some of her biggest fans, who also happened to be children of servicemen and women from across the country. She signed autographs, posed for pictures and read a story to these young children who were just so excited to meet one of their idols. The event - sponsored by the Armed Forces Foundation and hosted by myself and Rep. Stephanie Herseth, the ranking member of the Economic Opportunities Subcommittee - was held to draw attention to National Military Families Week.

National Military Families Week is an effort to recognize that the nation supports troops in uniform, but also their families who sometimes get forgotten in the media's focus on the War on Terror. For the first time since the Vietnam War, families are feeling the strain of extended deployments. We were blessed with a period of peacetime that was shaken on September 11th, 2001. Since then, men and women in all branches of the military have been deployed overseas to fight terrorism and defend the American way of life.

These men and women come from all over the country, many from Arkansas, and many of them are guardsmen or reserves who have left their traditional jobs to defend our freedom. The guard and reserves have been deployed more frequently and for greater duration than ever before. For the first time, many of the families of these guardsmen and women are feeling the immense strain of deployment, ranging from the worries about their loved one's safety to money stresses.

There are husbands and wives of servicemen and women who remain here in the United States while their spouses are making this enormous sacrifice. They are here working and caring for children and other family members left behind. These families face unique challenges while their loved ones are deployed. Yet, they remain resilient because of the wonderful support system they have here at home.

When the Arkansas National Guard's 39th Infantry Brigade returned from their extended tour in Iraq, I was on hand to welcome them home. Tears of joy ran down many cheeks as soldiers were reunited with their spouses and children, many holding their babies for the first time. It was a wonderful site to see Arkansans come together to welcome home these men and women. But not long after that welcome home ceremony, the Arkansas Air National Guard 188th Fighter Wing were deployed to Iraq and just recently, the 142nd Field-Artillery Brigade's Battery B, in Springdale, AR, learned that they would be off to Iraq in the near future.

Arkansas' servicemen and women are making enormous sacrifices in this war and so are their families. Arkansans see the sacrifices the families of these servicemen and women are making, and offer support at every opportunity. This is the reason I introduced the resolution to establish National Military Families Week, to remind Americans to remember the sacrifices being made by, and the strain that is placed on, the families of members of the Armed Forces and take the time to thank them and help them through these tough times. It's an effort acknowledging that we as a nation need to support the families too, not only in our thoughts and prayers, but by our deeds and actions.

http://www.boozman.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=29194