[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 83 (Tuesday, June 5, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E973]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO MILITARY FAMILIES

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JOE WILSON

                           of south carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 5, 2012

  Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, on May 30 The Times and 
Democrat of Orangeburg, SC, published a thoughtful tribute to military 
families. As chairman of the Military Personnel subcommittee of the 
Armed Services Committee, but more importantly as the grateful dad of 
four sons currently serving in our military I appreciate the message.

           Needs of Military Families Must Not Be Overlooked

       With Monday's Memorial Day gathering at the Vietnam 
     Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, the United States 
     officially begins its observance of the 50th anniversary of 
     the Vietnam War, paying tribute to the 3 million men and 
     women who served during one of the most challenging missions 
     this country has ever faced.
       As we remember the military personnel who fell in Vietnam 
     and those who lived to return home, we should also remember 
     the families of our servicemen and women, the challenges they 
     face and the courage they display.
       Stressors confronting military families were identified in 
     the 2012 Blue Star Families Military Family Lifestyle Survey 
     released earlier this month.
       ``The families of America's men and women in uniform are 
     the backbone of the United States military,'' U.S. Senator 
     Richard Burr, R N.C., said at a joint session of the Senate 
     and House Military Family caucuses when the Survey results 
     were presented.
       ``They provide the support that our servicemen and women 
     rely upon as they serve in the finest armed forces in the 
     world, and the more information we have about their unique 
     situations, the better equipped we will be to accurately 
     target assistance and support for them. This survey will help 
     us identify and provide the kind of support they need and 
     deserve.''
       The survey, which details the challenges faced by military 
     families after more than a decade of continuous war, and the 
     way families and service members are coping, found that among 
     the key concerns are: pay/benefits, with specific emphasis on 
     changes to retirement benefits; the effects of deployment on 
     children; military spouse employment; and issues surrounding 
     post-traumatic stress, combat stress and traumatic brain 
     injury.
       The survey found that 62 percent of respondents who felt 
     their service member had exhibited signs of post-traumatic 
     stress, regardless of any official diagnosis, said the person 
     did not seek treatment, demonstrating there is still much to 
     be done to help service members and their families ``cope 
     with the invisible wounds of war.''
       Frequent separation, the subsequent predeployment and 
     reintegration processes and the issues surrounding frequent 
     relocation place added pressures on military families--those 
     of National Guard and Reserve service members as well as 
     active duty--who also have to deal with the same issues as 
     other families, including balancing work and family, 
     parenting, education and maintaining healthy relationships
       According to the survey, since September 11, 2001, more 
     than 2 million service members have been deployed, with a 
     large percentage of those serving multiple deployments--some 
     as many as five tours of duty.
       That is a huge period of time for families to have to be 
     apart, representing many missed birthdays, holidays, 
     graduations and other major milestones in the lives of 
     families.
       The survey also noted that although service members 
     themselves are surviving head trauma and other catastrophic 
     injuries their predecessors did not because of the vast 
     improvements in medical technology, ``those injuries, both 
     physical and non-physical, have an impact on the family unit 
     and are additional and substantial stressors upon a small 
     segment of the population as well as the agencies and 
     community organizations designed to support them.''
       We must never forget the sacrifices our military families 
     make--the worries, the fears, the loneliness they endure--
     while their loved ones serve and protect this nation across 
     the globe.
       ``Often, when discussing our nation's armed forces, we tend 
     to focus primarily on our brave service members who put 
     themselves in harm's way to protect the freedoms we 
     cherish,'' U.S. Representative Sanford Bishop, D GA, said 
     when the Blue Star Families survey results were presented. 
     ``However, we cannot forget that the families they leave 
     behind sacrifice just as much as our heroes who deploy on 
     missions for our country. These families are impacted in 
     countless ways--seen and unseen--and we have an obligation to 
     do right by them. The Blue Star Families survey will serve as 
     an informative guide on what we can do as a nation to ensure 
     that our troops, veterans and their families have the support 
     they need.''
       The full survey report is available at http://
bluestarfam.org/2012survey.

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