[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 9]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 11885]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




            RESOLUTION HONORING FAMILY READINESS VOLUNTEERS

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. SUSAN A. DAVIS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Wednesday, May 6, 2009

  Mrs. DAVIS of California. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of 
military Family Readiness Volunteers and Ombudsmen.
  This resolution honors 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 men and women volunteer their time and efforts 
to help improve the quality of life for military families by serving as 
a channel between deployed units and their loved ones at home. 
Frequently, these important volunteers are spouses themselves.
  Family Readiness Volunteers and Ombudsmen help our families solve a 
variety of problems, and successfully meet the challenges service 
members and their families face before, during, and after deployments.
  I firmly believe that the outstanding performance of our service 
members is a testament to their efforts, and with today's high 
operational tempo, their services are as important as ever. They could 
not do their jobs and execute the missions at hand if they were 
constantly worried about their loved ones back home.
  As a proud San Diegan, I am fortunate enough to be able to meet with 
Navy Ombudsman several times a year to discuss these important issues.
  These Ombudsmen provide invaluable insight into the struggles and 
challenges our military families face every day. They truly serve as 
the voice and as an advocate of those who serve our country and provide 
emotional support to spouses of deployed service members.
  Specifically, the Navy Ombudsmen I have met with in San Diego have 
reiterated the importance of ensuring our military families have a 
smooth deployment cycle, from when a family is preparing for a 
deployment to adjusting to life once the service member has returned 
home.
  Family Readiness Volunteers and Ombudsmen can assist newly enlisted 
service members and spouses with a wide range of issues--from 
understanding their health and retirement benefits to serving as a 
conduit of information to the command.
  They can also provide resources and support to families who are 
seeking support services, such as employment training, mental health 
counseling or where to find affordable day care services for their 
young children.
  These men and women volunteer their time to selflessly take on the 
responsibility of helping other military families while they themselves 
are often coping with the deployment of a loved one.
  Madam Speaker, since 2001, nearly two million members of the active 
duty and reserve force and the National Guard have deployed in support 
of overseas contingencies in Iraq and Afghanistan.
  As we all know, deployments are a difficult time for service members 
and their families.
  Inadequate communication between units abroad and families at home 
cause unnecessary stress on our service members and their families and 
can harm the overall readiness of our force. Family readiness equals 
mission readiness.
  I have heard time and time again that when deployed service members 
know their families are being taken care of, that they can focus on the 
task at hand. Family Readiness Volunteers and Ombudsmen help reduce the 
uncertainty and ease anxiety around deployments by keeping families 
informed and our service members focused on their mission.
  I hope you will help me recognize their important role to our 
national defense.

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