[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2008, Book I)]
[May 6, 2008]
[Pages 640-644]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]
Remarks on Military Spouse Day
May 6, 2008
Thank you very much, Phil. I appreciate you
and your band members being here today. Thanks for entertaining us here
on the South Lawn of the White House. And we are so glad you have come.
We're honoring six recipients of the President's Volunteer Service Awards. And as we do
so, we celebrate the contributions and achievements of our military
spouses all across the country.
Laura sends her very best. She's heading down
to Texas for--[applause]. She left behind a DVD--[laughter]--with Steve
Martin; said, you might want to watch this
before you head down there yourself. [Laughter] But she sends her love.
And I'm very fortunate to have married such a kind and decent,
compassionate woman.
I appreciate the Secretary of Defense.
Secretary Bob Gates is with us. I'm proud
[[Page 641]]
you're here, Mr. Secretary. Secretary Pete Geren of the United States Army is with us. Secretary
Don Winter, U.S. Navy, and his wife
Linda have joined us. Vice Chairman of the
Joint Chiefs of Staff Hoss
Cartwright--General Hoss Cartwright and his wife Sandee have joined us. General Dick Cody, Vice Chairman of the--Vice Chief of Staff of the U.S.
Army, and his wife Vicki is with us. Thanks for
coming, General Cody; Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard Skip
Bowen.
Members of the United States Congress--John Carter, Susan Davis,
Dutch Ruppersberger--we're so
honored you all have come to pay tribute to the military spouses. I'm
really pleased that Mary Jo Myers, who is a
member of the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation, is
with us. She's the wife of General Richard Myers, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs. Appreciate the
winners' families joining us here today. But thank--most of all, thank
you all for coming.
So here's why this event is happening. Twenty-four years ago,
President Ronald Reagan signed a proclamation recognizing Military
Spouses Day. And my own judgment is, is that we need to recognize
military spouses every day. But this is the time of year that we honor
the wives and husbands who support our men and women in uniform. And
today it's my honor to welcome you here to the White House. I can't
think of a better place in which to say thanks.
Whether you're signed up for military life at the recruiting station
or at the altar rail, each person--[laughter]--each person is a
volunteer. And when you married your soldier, sailor, airman, marine, or
coastguardsman, you became more than just part of a family, you became
part of our Nation's military family.
It's not an easy life being in the military, particularly when we're
at war, and I understand that. For many of you, it means packing up your
belongings and moving on short notice. I suspect a lot of you have been
on the move much more than you thought you would be on the move.
[Laughter] For others, it means living in a foreign land, which can be
exciting, but it also means you're far away from your extended family,
and that's hard. And for many of you, it means missing a spouse as he or
she serves on the frontlines in this battle to secure our country and to
spread freedom for the sake of peace.
Being left behind when a loved one goes to war has got to be one of
the hardest jobs in the United States military. I've talked to a lot of
folks who have been in the theater and--as well as spouses, and it is
clear to me the harder job, in many ways, is to be the person at home
taking care of the kids and having sleepless nights as you pray for safe
return.
You're carrying out the burdens. You're serving our country. And
it's noble service, and it's necessary service. And the United States
[of] * America owes you a huge debt of gratitude. And so on behalf of
our people, thank you for what you're doing.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
* White House correction.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
One of the things I have learned in 7\1/2\ years as the President
is, as you've served our country, you also serve each other. I've spent
a lot of time visiting our military bases here in America and across the
world, and it's been a great experience. What I've found is that there's
always a close-knit community, people who are sharing a special bond and
people who take time to look out after people. It's a--it's been an
amazing experience to see the fabric of our military communities
firsthand. And today we're going to honor six military spouses who've
done a little extra to serve their communities and serve the Nation.
First, we honor an Army wife named Colleen Saffron. In May 2004, Colleen's husband Terry, who is with us, was severely injured while serving in
Iraq. And Colleen learned firsthand the challenges facing the families
of wounded warriors. So last year,
[[Page 642]]
she helped found Operation Life Transformed, which is a nonprofit that
helps family members and caregivers of our wounded troops get the
training they need so they can work from home while caring for their
loved ones. To date, Operation Life Transformed has helped more than 30
spouses and caregivers get the funding and support they need for new and
flexible careers. And one of those she helps is Maria Baez, and she was the mom whose marine son was paralyzed by a sniper bullet in Fallujah. Here's
what Maria said about Operation Life Transformed: ``I can't thank you
enough for helping me and trusting me and also for not giving up.''
And so, Colleen, America can't thank you
enough to help our wounded troops and their families. And we're so
pleased to have you here at the White House. First, stand up. Thank you.
Good job.
Today we honor a Coast Guard wife named Ramona Vazquez. Several years ago, while stationed in Miami, Ramona
got to know an enlisted coastguardsman named Nate Bruckenthal. Then in
2004, she learned that Nate had been killed by a suicide bomber in Iraq,
the first coastguardsman killed in military action since the Vietnam
war. Nate left behind a wife, who was
expecting their first child. And when she gave birth to a daughter named
Harper, Nate's dad was quoted as saying, ``When one door closes, another
door opens.''
He inspired Ramona to start Nate's Open Door Baby Pantry, a program that
provides diapers and formula and clothing and toys and furniture to
military members and civilians at no charge. The motto of this
organization is, ``Unconditional love and support.'' And so, Ramona,
America is proud of you; I'm proud of you. I have a feeling that Nate is
looking down on great pride today as well. Thank you for joining us.
Today we honor Air Force husband Bob Davison. Since his wife Lisa joined
the Air Force nearly 12 years ago, Bob has lived on bases across the
country and across the world. And everywhere Bob goes, he's made a
difference.
When Lisa and Bob were stationed at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas,
Bob raised $10,000 for the local Fisher House. When they were stationed
at Lakenheath, England, Bob established the Airman's Food Pantry,
raising nearly $120,000 in donations to provide short-term food aid for
our military families facing financial difficulties. When they were
stationed at Scott Air Force Base in Illinois, Bob began volunteering
with Operation Home Front, which is a national nonprofit that assists
our military families in need. He has continued working with Operation
Home Front at his wife's current duty station at Columbus Air Force Base
in Mississippi.
To date, he's raised donations worth more
than $350,000 for the organization, including more than 1 million phone
card minutes for distribution to our servicemembers. Lisa
Davison is a leader in the United States Air
Force. Bob Davison is a leader in America's armies of compassion. And I
welcome you today to the White House. Good job. Thanks for serving.
We honor Navy wife Ellen Patton. Ellen's
husband Mark is a captain in the Navy, and
her son Erik is a cadet at West Point. She
loves our military, she loves her boys, and she loves to sew. [Laughter]
So she put these two loves together--or three loves together--and began
to volunteer with Quilts of Valor Foundation. The organization has taken
on a mission to provide wartime quilts to every single servicemember
wounded in the war against these extremists. So far, she has made and
sent more than 80 quilts to veterans and wounded troops. She also
tracked down many of the sailors injured during the attack of the USS
Cole and made quilts for them as well. Ellen says that when she sees
troops coming home with terrible wounds, she wants to provide them with
some ``healing in knowing that they are appreciated.'' So,
[[Page 643]]
Ellen, we thank you for what you do to wrap our soldiers in quilts made
with such loving hands. And welcome to the White House.
We honor Army Reserve wife Dawnle Scheetz. In 2006, Dawnle's husband Major Larry Scheetz deployed to Iraq with the U.S. Army Reserve. When he
arrived, Larry saw terrible conditions of young Iraqi children and told
Dawnle about it. So Dawnle started Operation School House, a project to
collect school supplies and clothing and toys for poor children in
Afghanistan and Iraq. During an 8th-month span, she collected 5 tons of
supplies, which were packaged and shipped to the frontlines and
distributed by our troops. Here's something even more impressive: She's
doing it while fighting breast cancer.
And so, Dawnle, your service has changed
young lives in Iraq and Afghanistan; your service has inspired the whole
Nation. We all pray for a speedy recovery, and we honor you here at the
White House.
We honor a Marine wife named Kaprece James. Kaprece has been married for 2 years to Second
Lieutenant Rodney James. She's living at her
first duty station, the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in
Twentynine Palms. She's been a force of nature since she's arrived.
When she moved on the base, Kaprece
immediately began volunteering with the American Red Cross. She's
assisted with more than 100 Red Cross communications messages that have
provided our deployed servicemembers with notification or assistance in
emergency situations. Kaprece developed the first year-round youth
leadership program on base to help young people learn from
professional--learn professional leadership and interviewing skills. She
raised funds for a program that will allow young people to assemble 500
disaster kits for enlisted servicemembers and their families. She
developed a special newsletter for distribution to 250 families of
deployed personnel. And on top of all that, she serves as a cheerleading
coach for the children of marines and civilian personnel on base. Whew.
[Laughter]
So today, Kaprece, we honor you. We honor
your enthusiasm. We admire your dedication to the corps. And we thank
you for the example you've set.
The six individuals we honor here today have earned the respect of our Nation. They represent
thousands of other military spouses who make significant contributions
to our country. So we honor six, but we say thanks to millions.
Our country appreciates the service and devotion. Our country owes
you something else in return. One way we can repay the service of our
spouses is by making the burdens of military life a little easier. So
this year, I signed into law a change in the Family and Medical Leave
Act, which allows a spouse, parent, child, or next of kin to take up to
26 workweeks of leave to care for a servicemember with a certain--
serious injury or illness who is undergoing therapy or treatment. I hope
that helps.
When we find substandard housing, we'll take care of it. We want to
make sure that the sacrifice you're making is one that at least you
understand that the Government appreciates what you're doing.
I sent up some legislation--I certainly hope Congress moves on it
quickly--that will make it easier to expand access to child care, create
new authorities to appoint qualified spouses into civil service jobs,
provide educational opportunities and job training for our military
spouses, and finally, allow our troops to transfer their unused
education benefits to spouses or children. This legislation's moving. I
hope to be able to sign it as quickly as possible. It is the absolute
right thing to do. It should send a clear message that we care for you,
we respect you, and we love you.
Thanks for coming to the White House. May God bless you, your
families, your loved ones, and the United States of America.
[[Page 644]]
Note: The President spoke at 9:55 a.m. on the South Lawn at the White
House. In his remarks, he referred to entertainer Phil Vassar; Cpl.
Visnu Gonzalez, USMC, son of Maria Baez; and Patricia, wife, and Ric,
father, of PO 3d Class Nathan B. Bruckenthal, USCG, who was killed in
the northern Persian Gulf on April 24, 2004. The Military Spouse Day
proclamation of May 5 is listed in Appendix D at the end of this volume.