[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 178 (Thursday, December 3, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2881]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         MILITARY FAMILY MONTH

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                               speech of

                        HON. SHEILA JACKSON-LEE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 2, 2009

  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of 
H. Res. 861, which supports the goals and ideals of National Military 
Family Month. The fact that our star-spangled banner yet wave is a 
testament to the courage and honor of our military which is reason 
enough to thank the men and women of our military for the safety we 
have here in America; equally important are the loved ones they leave 
behind each tour, who support them and help keep them going day in and 
out.
  In 1996, the Armed Services YMCA expanded Military Family Week, which 
usually occurred around Thanksgiving, into Military Family Month. Just 
like the week grew into a month long celebration in appreciation, so to 
have military families grown in number. ``When I came in the service 
back in the Dark Ages, most of the troops were single. Everybody was 
single,'' said retired Navy Rear Adm. Frank Gallo, director of the 
Armed Services YMCA. Now, he added, 65 percent to 70 percent of service 
members are married, many with children. Families are a big part of the 
military, and the health of those families is also a big part of the 
readiness of the military, he said.
  Military Family Month puts a little extra focus on supporting the 
families who support the men and women of our military. This has 
especially been true since the beginning of the conflicts in 
Afghanistan and Iraq as more of our soldiers are deployed.
  The men and women of our military, through trial and tribulation, 
carry on; which they do in the name of many things, namely freedom, 
justice, democracy as well as in the name of their family and loved 
ones. The support necessary to keep a person going in such an atrocious 
environment is unfathomable, yet their families too, carry on. In my 
home district, the 18th District of Texas, we currently have, according 
to the Department of Defense, approximately 400 men and women in the 
military. With President Obama's planned deployment of 30,000 more 
troops to Afghanistan, there is bound to be more families left without 
sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, mothers and fathers here at home. 
National Military Family Month will help provide encouragement to 
military families who in turn support our military men and women.
  Military families, through their sacrifices and their dedication to 
the United States and its values, represent the bedrock upon which the 
United States was founded and upon which the country continues to rely 
in these perilous and challenging times. The month of November, which 
includes the Veterans Day holiday, is an appropriate month to observe 
National Military Family Month, which recognizes the sacrifices and 
dedication of military families and their contributions to the United 
States. H. Res 861 will also encourage the people of the United States 
to observe National Military Family Month with appropriate ceremonies 
and activities.

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