[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 148 (Wednesday, October 14, 2009)]
[House]
[Pages H11306-H11307]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


    RECOGNIZING THE VITAL ROLE FAMILY READINESS VOLUNTEERS PLAY IN 
             SUPPORTING SERVICE MEMBERS AND THEIR FAMILIES

  Mrs. Davis of California. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules 
and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 408) recognizing the vital role 
family readiness volunteers play in supporting servicemembers and their 
families.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                              H. Res. 408

       Whereas since 2001, nearly 2,000,000 active duty and 
     reserve sailors, soldiers, airmen, Marines, and Coast Guard 
     personnel have deployed in support of Operation Enduring 
     Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom;
       Whereas the more than 1,800,000 family members of regular 
     component members of the Armed Forces and an additional 
     1,100,000 family members of reserve component members make 
     significant sacrifices on behalf of the United States in 
     support of their loved ones deployed overseas;
       Whereas the readiness of the United States Armed Forces is 
     predicated on the ability of each member of the Army, Navy, 
     Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard to focus on their mission 
     during deployments;
       Whereas the military necessity of long and often 
     unpredictable deployments, frequent relocations, and 
     infrequent family contact for members of the Armed Forces can 
     be extremely challenging for members and their families;
       Whereas, in response to these sacrifices and challenges, 
     family readiness volunteers from each branch of the Armed 
     Forces have stepped forward to provide critical support 
     during deployments to service members and their families;
       Whereas the family readiness volunteer programs in each 
     service help commanding officers have a better understanding 
     of the welfare of the families within his or her command 
     during a deployment and allow families to be informed about 
     the status of their loved ones' unit overseas;
       Whereas family readiness volunteers consist of Army Family 
     Readiness Volunteers, Navy Ombudsmen, Coast Guard Ombudsmen, 
     Air Force Key Spouse Volunteers, and Marine Corps Key 
     Volunteers;
       Whereas the thousands of family readiness volunteers are 
     generally spouses of members of the Armed Forces who provide 
     assistance to military families while also enduring the 
     challenges of military life;
       Whereas these volunteers are motivated by the desire to 
     improve the lives of other military families and to assist 
     future generations;
       Whereas family readiness volunteers also connect the 
     community with military families and local military 
     installations, often leveraging donations and resources for 
     military families;
       Whereas family readiness volunteers provide their services 
     on a voluntary basis, with little public recognition and 
     financial assistance, and often contribute their own 
     resources to help other military families; and
       Whereas the outstanding performance of our service members 
     is a testament to the great success of family readiness 
     volunteers: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives recognizes and 
     honors the family readiness volunteers of each branch of the 
     Armed Forces who selflessly devote their time, talent, 
     energy, and resources in service to the United States and 
     commends family readiness volunteers for their dedicated 
     contributions to the quality of life of members of the Armed 
     Forces and their families.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
California (Mrs. Davis) and the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. 
Shuster) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from California.


                             General Leave

  Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that 
all Members have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend 
their remarks on the resolution under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
might consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 408. I introduced this 
resolution to honor the work of the Army's Family Readiness Volunteers, 
Air Force Key Spouse Volunteers, Navy Ombudsmen, Marine Corps Key 
Volunteers and Coast Guard Ombudsmen. Each day, thousands of these men 
and women volunteer their time to help improve the quality of life for 
military families by serving as a channel between deployed units and 
their loved ones at home. Most of these important volunteers are 
military spouses, frequently with a loved one deployed overseas.
  I also introduced this measure to bring their efforts to the 
attention of all Americans. As chairwoman of the Military Personnel 
Subcommittee, I know that today's all-volunteer force is, in many ways, 
less integrated into the society that they are sworn to protect. My 
hope is that this resolution will help shed light on a group of 
dedicated volunteers that the average American may know little about 
but who are a crucial component of military readiness. I firmly believe 
that the outstanding performance of our servicemembers is directly 
connected to their efforts, and with today's high operational tempo, 
their services are as important as ever.
  Family Readiness volunteers and ombudsmen help our military families 
solve a variety of problems and meet the challenges servicemembers and 
their families face before, during, and after deployments. As Admiral 
Mullen wrote when he was Chief of Naval Operations, ``A strong command 
Ombudsman Program, both ashore and afloat, will help ensure that 
families have the information necessary to meet the challenges of a 
military lifestyle.''
  Across each service, these volunteers also assist newly enlisted 
servicemembers and spouses and their families with a wide range of 
issues, from understanding their health and retirement benefits to 
serving as a conduit of information to the command.
  Mr. Speaker, I am fortunate enough to be able to meet with Navy 
ombudsmen in my district several times a year to discuss the issues 
that military families care most about, from everyday issues like day 
care to uniquely military issues such as coping with the deployment.
  And, in fact, when I first came to Congress, it was a Navy ombudsman 
in San Diego who helped me understand the complex issues faced by our 
all-volunteer force. And just last week, I had the pleasure of meeting 
with over 100 Army Family Readiness Volunteers who traveled to 
Washington to learn how to improve their abilities to advocate on 
behalf of the families they help at home. I was inspired by the 
willingness of these women and men who traveled from across the United 
States for training that will ultimately help them support their 
soldiers.
  When you meet with volunteers, you quickly realize that a key 
component to our overall military readiness is the readiness of our 
military families. In my view, and the view of our top military 
leaders, America's deployed men and women could not do their jobs 
abroad if they were constantly worried about their families back home. 
Simply put, Family Readiness volunteers and ombudsmen help reduce 
uncertainty and ease anxiety around deployments by keeping families 
involved so our servicemembers can stay focused on their mission.
  Today, it would be really impossible for our military to mitigate 
some of the stresses of war if there was not the valuable and active 
family contact maintained by these individuals. With every year of war, 
these volunteers have taken on an increasing amount of responsibility, 
so much so that the services have even begun to compensate a small 
number of individuals for their efforts.
  While volunteers help provide peace of mind for our deployed 
personnel, they also provide information about the status of a unit's 
deployment overseas.
  I recall the role that the Navy ombudsmen played when the USS New 
Orleans and the USS Hartford collided in the Strait of Hormuz earlier 
this year. For the families of the sailors and marines aboard both 
ships, the news was startling. Families were all wondering the same 
things: Was their loved one injured? Was the ship still able to sail? 
How would the incident impact the length of their deployment?
  The ombudsman for the USS New Orleans, a ship stationed in my 
district, recounted to my office how within 10 minutes of the news 
breaking, he had over 20 calls from concerned family members. It was at 
that point that he e-mailed his families a simple message, with the 
subject line reading: ``USS New Orleans Collision, Everyone is safe.'' 
His message at a time of need let the families know not to worry.

                              {time}  1045

  This ombudsman told my office, ``The emails and phone calls that I

[[Page H11307]]

fielded that day calmed my families. They were getting some bad news, 
but from a familiar voice . . . someone that they know and have spoken 
to . . . this does not necessarily make the news better but certainly 
more palatable.''
  Many of the families of the sailors and marines aboard the USS New 
Orleans responded to the ship's ombudsman about the valuable service he 
provided. One family member wrote, ``Thank you so much for the updates. 
Having you as a connection to information to our loved ones has been 
critical and really important. My parents and I are incredibly grateful 
as we have been very worried about my sister.''
  Another family member wrote and said, ``Thank you. You have been 
helpful through this difficult time. I appreciate the phone call and 
the reassurance that everything was okay.''
  Thanks to the work of this ombudsman, families at home had the right 
information at the right time. This is the invaluable role family 
readiness volunteers play and will continue to play as long as our 
military is at war.
  Before I yield back, Mr. Speaker, I would like to strongly encourage 
all of my colleagues who have not yet had the opportunity to meet with 
these men and women to reach out to the family readiness volunteers and 
ombudsmen in their districts or States. I hope that they will do that. 
I also hope my colleagues will help me recognize the important role 
readiness volunteers and ombudsmen play in helping military families 
and honor their enormous contribution to our Nation's defense by 
supporting this measure.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to rise today in support of resolution 408 and 
thank the author, Representative Davis of California, for putting this 
resolution forward.
  This resolution commends a large group of selfless and dedicated 
people, the vast majority of whom are volunteers, in organizations that 
provide support to the families and children of deployed members of the 
Armed Forces as well as to the servicemembers themselves.
  Because these organizations go by various names and work quietly and 
effectively behind the scenes, it's important today that we acknowledge 
them explicitly. They are the Army Readiness Volunteers, the Navy 
Ombudsmen, the Coast Guard Ombudsmen, the Air Force Key Spouse 
Volunteers, and the Marine Corps Key Volunteers.
  Our military families face extraordinary demands, stresses and 
challenges related to the service of their loved ones. To ease these 
burdens, family readiness groups unselfishly step in to connect 
military families with the community and with local military 
installations.
  Among the approximately 2.9 million family members of those serving 
in the Active and Reserve components, the needs are many, and 
supporting these needs is a matter of military readiness. The support 
challenge is made more complex because virtually all the families of 
National Guard troops and Reservists reside in civilian communities 
spread across this Nation. Yet the family readiness groups have taken 
on that challenge to provide help and support, particularly during 
extended periods of mobilization and deployment.
  Our military forces could not have sustained the stress related to 
repeated deployments and combat without the assistance, dedication, and 
outstanding work over the years of these family readiness groups. 
Today's resolution is a fitting way to celebrate and thank such 
dedicated volunteers.
  Again, I want to thank Representative Davis for putting this 
resolution forward, and I urge my colleagues to support House 
Resolution 408.
  I have no further speakers, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Speaker, at this time, I have no 
further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Davis) that the House suspend the 
rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 408.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the resolution was agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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