[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 44, Number 18 (Monday, May 12, 2008)]
[Pages 661-664]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
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 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 
coast guardsman, 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.

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    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, 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 
coast guardsman named Nate Bruckenthal. Then in 2004, she learned that 
Nate had been killed by a suicide bomber in Iraq, the first coast 
guardsman 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 service members. 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 service member 
wounded in the war against these extremists. So far, she has made

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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, 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 service members 
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 service members 
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 service member 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.

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.

[[Page 664]]

Bruckenthal, USCG, who was killed in the northern Persian Gulf on April 
24, 2004.