An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Home : News : Article View
NEWS | April 10, 2012

Mrs. Obama: Nation must 'step up forever' for military families

By Lisa Daniel American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON - As First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden mark the first anniversary of their "Joining Forces" campaign this week, the two say they will continue to solidify its successes so a structured effort to help military families is a permanent part of American culture.

"This has been a phenomenal first year," Obama said. "But the truth is, Jill and I have been working this issue since our husbands took the oath of office" in January 2009.

Obama and Biden - wife of vice president Joe Biden - said they've been amazed by the outpouring of support by American civilians. More than 100 companies have committed to participate in the administration's goal of the private sector hiring of 100,000 spouses and veterans.

They also noted a Joining Forces commitment from the nation's medical colleges to better train civilian health-care providers in caring for war veterans and their families.

"We've seen Americans - 13 million of them - step up to pledge hours of service," Obama said. "It's been phenomenal to see a grateful nation step up to help military men and women who sacrifice so much for us."

Biden, a community college professor, said she's been gratified by progress in the education arena. Teachers colleges have incorporated military family matters into curricula to help teachers-to-be understand the unique challenges their students from military families face, she said. And more and more school systems recognize course credits of military family members who must relocate frequently, she said.

Teachers are doing small things that make a big difference, Biden said. Some conduct parent-teacher conferences with deployed parents on the Internet. Others - as the teacher of Biden's granddaughter did when the Bidens' son, Beau, was deployed to Iraq - display photos of deployed parents to help children cope.

Obama and Biden said they have felt privileged to meet with military families across the nation.

"Every American should have the privilege of getting to know a military community, a family, a unit, because these men and women are the best this country has," the first lady said. "I'm always in awe of what they are able to manage, what they sacrifice, and doing it with such grace and poise. It's been a gift to shine light on these military men and women."

Biden also spoke of the resilience of military family members.

"They face a lot of difficulties and challenges in their lives," she said, noting that most military members relocate at least 10 times in their career. "That's tough on a family - to pack up, lose friends, make new friends, get new sports teams - but they never complain. They just feel it's part of their job."

Obama said she expects the campaign's second year will continue progress in those areas and more. A major goal, she said, will be to build on successes in professional license portability for military spouses.

Thirteen states already have passed legislation to make it easier for military spouses who work in fields such as teaching, nursing, real estate, and social work to transfer their professional licenses easily from one state to another, and 13 more have pending legislation, she said.

The outpouring of support for the Joining Forces campaign has proven that Americans want to help military families and need the structure the campaign provides, Biden said.

"Americans want to help. All they need is a little direction," she said. "They're saying, 'OK, give us ideas.'"

Obama said she expects the campaign to endure indefinitely.

"Our husbands, and Jill and I, we're committed to making sure this becomes part of our culture," she said. "I know the president and the vice president are working with the [Defense and Veterans Affairs departments] to set up a structure to ensure this continues, regardless of who's in office.

"These are lifelong commitments," she said. "As a Blue Star mom, Jill is always in, and I consider myself an honorary Blue Star mom. ... This is a forever issue for us."

The important thing for civilians to understand, Obama said, is that these issues don't end when wars end.

"That's when the hard work begins for many of these families," she said. "When someone is on active duty, they're still transferring. Their kids are still going from school to school to school."

The first lady noted that one percent of Americans serve in the all-volunteer force to protect everyone else. "So, we have to step up forever," she said. "I think our country is ready to do that. It just helps to have a structure like Joining Forces."

 

 

Related Articles
Air Force Gen. Steve Nordhaus, chief, National Guard Bureau, visits the 49th Missile Defense Battalion, Alaska National Guard, on Fort Greely, Alaska, April 28, 2025. Soldiers of the 49th Missile Defense Battalion operate and secure the ground-based midcourse defense system and are an integral piece of the homeland defense mission to protect the U.S. from intercontinental ballistic missiles using ground-based interceptors.
In Alaska, Nordhaus Sees National Guardsmen Defending the Homeland, Enabling Global Power Projection
By Master Sgt. Zach Sheely | May 1, 2025
EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska – From within Alaska’s vast Interior, Alaska National Guardsmen defend the homeland from long-range missile attacks and enable global power projection.Air Force Gen. Steve Nordhaus, the chief of...

Sgt. Jessica Shields, a water purification specialist with the 935th Aviation Support Battalion, Missouri Army National Guard, checks the chlorine levels of the water meant for cooking and cleaning laundry during TRADEWINDS 25 exercise at Teteron Bay, Trinidad and Tobago, April 27, 2025.
Missouri National Guard Water Purification Team Supports TRADEWINDS 25
By Sgt. 1st Class Benjamin Crane, | May 1, 2025
TETERON BAY, Trinidad – Few resources are more critical than clean water for sustaining troops in the field. From cooking meals to maintaining hygiene, a steady supply of safe water is essential to keeping Soldiers healthy,...

Group photo of Delta Company, 341st Military Intelligence Battalion Soldiers standing in front of the Seattle / King County Clinic.
Washington Guard Soldiers Support Clinic Through Language and Compassion
By Joseph Siemandel, | May 1, 2025
SEATTLE – A group of Soldiers from the Delta Company, 341st Military Intelligence Battalion, recently volunteered at a Seattle and King County medical clinic to provide language support for visitors receiving free medical,...