[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 9]
[Senate]
[Pages 12297-12298]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

                                 ______
                                 

               NATIONAL MILITARY SPOUSES APPRECIATION DAY

 Mr. CRAPO. Madam President, Friday, May 11, 2007, was National 
Military Spouses Day. Oftentimes, those who are, as the saying goes, 
``married to the military'' are not recognized for the support they 
provide and sacrifice

[[Page 12298]]

they endure during the time of their spouses' active duty service. 
Certainly when a member is deployed, but throughout a military member's 
career, the strength and support of a wife or husband can make the 
difference between success or failure for that individual and that 
family. Military spouses endure the hardship of separation from loved 
ones, frequently take on the role of a single parent, and move more 
often than most civilians throughout the course of a military career. 
They receive no commendation medals and few accolades, save the 
gratitude of an exhausted spouse who comes home to a warm embrace and 
nurturing bond after a long deployment or simply another late night at 
work. Military spouses are truly war's unsung heroes. In addition to a 
job they may have outside the home, they are teacher, chief consoler, 
housekeeper, accountant, taxi driver, cook, referee and nurse. They 
encounter their own battles bravely, with efficiency, expertise and 
stubborn persistence supporting our Nation in their daily challenges 
every bit as valiantly as our military members do.
  I commend the over 1,000 military spouses in or from Idaho and U.S. 
military spouses worldwide and thank them for their service to our 
Nation, sacrifice and patriotism. Our country, but most importantly 
their families, need their strength. We all depend on it.

                          ____________________