Spending Time with Our Military & Their Families

One of the great honors that the Vice President and I have had over the last two years has been being able to spend time with our service members and their families who shoulder so much of the burden for our country.  I wanted to share some photos from two great visits we had recently.

Last week the Vice President was at Fort Campbell for an arrival ceremony to welcome home members of the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, returning from Afghanistan.  He also made a point to meet with families of the returning soldiers to thank them for their sacrifice, and took some time for the Fort Campbell Falcons high school football who have family members serving in the military.

For my part, I was at Fort Stewart in Georgia earlier this week, where I heard from teachers, parents and school administrators about some issues they face in educating military children.  While no doubt challenging, the elementary school was doing a great job and they have found some innovative ways to keep parents involved in their children's education during a deployment.  One teacher told me she sets up parent-teacher conferences over the internet, so she can update them on their children's progress in the classroom.

We also saw some of the ways the Army takes care of soldiers when they return from deployment.  Fort Stewart is using cutting-edge technology to connect soldiers to behavioral health providers at other locations, to make sure they can talk to someone as quickly as possible when they come home.

And finally, I also had the honor of sitting down with some family members who have lost their soldiers and marines in combat, and by other causes.  It is important to me to hear about their loved ones, and to make sure they know that we will never forget about them.  Each of their stories was personal, and I admire their tremendous strength and courage.  We can never thank them enough.

-- Jill