DR. BIDEN PRAISES MILITARY FAMILIES FOR THEIR SACRIFICES

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Jill Biden Praises Sacrifices of Military Families
By Nick Simeone
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, May 3, 2013 - Dr. Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden, told a gathering of military wives today that the deployment of her son Beau to Iraq in 2008 made her realize the sacrifices military families repeatedly endure, a hardship she said most Americans will never know.

"I will never forget being at the deployment [ceremony] just trying to keep it together," Biden said in remarks to the 35th Annual Joint Armed Forces Officers' Wives' Luncheon in Arlington, Va. "My children were there, and I wanted to stay strong."

It was a hard year for the family, she said, coming just as her husband was about to take office as vice president and amid the cycles of deployments driven by the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Her family experienced only one deployment, she said, unlike many of those in the audience, who have repeatedly sacrificed as husbands, sons, wives and daughters have served multiple tours.

"My son's deployment gave me a window into your lives, but honestly I don't know how you do it time and time again," she told the group.

Biden said the experience of her son's yearlong Iraq deployment also made her realize how much of the nation is unaware of what military families repeatedly go through, something that inspired her to write a children's book to help others get through it.

"So many Americans don't know anyone in the military," she said. "They haven't been through the challenges of deployment, and they don't really understand what the military experience is really like."

To that end, she said her cameo role several years ago on the Lifetime Network's "Army Wives" program became another opportunity to acquaint Americans with the issues associated with deployments.

"Being part of the show was an incredible platform to share what it's like to be part of a military family with people who might not have knowledge of what it's like," she said.

Of all her experiences over the last four years, Biden said, one of her most vivid memories took place almost two years ago to the day, when U.S. forces killed Osama bin Laden during a raid on his compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. Recalling how her husband had been gone during much of that weekend, out of communication and not home for dinner, she said, she suspected something was in the works, but didn't know for sure until the vice president called her late that evening from the White House and told her to turn on the television.

Then, President Barack Obama announced to the nation that bin Laden had been killed.

"I went outside to wait for Joe to come home," she recalled. "All of a sudden the night came alive, and suddenly I heard the singing of 'God Bless America' from the crowd that had gathered outside our home. I will never forget that."

Dr. Biden, along with First Lady Michelle Obama, champions the White House's "Joining Forces" initiative, which seeks support for military families and works to connect service members, veterans and military spouses with the resources they need to find jobs at home.

FIRST LADY WORKS FOR VETERAN VOCATIONAL CERTIFICATIONS

FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE, FIRST LADY MICHELLE OBAMA
First Lady Asks Governors to Aid Certification for Veterans
By Amaani Lyle
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Feb. 25, 2013 - As the war in Afghanistan winds down and more than 1 million veterans return to civilian life, the nation's responsibility to help them in that transition will ramp up, First Lady Michelle Obama told the National Governors Association at the White House today.

Obama and Dr. Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden, spoke to the nation's governors to seek their help with the "Joining Forces" initiative to foster support for service members and their families.

The first lady noted that President Barack Obama created a task force to help service members obtain the national certification that they need to fill high-demand civilian jobs with the manufacturing industry.

"We're expanding this effort to the state level to focus on the health care and transportation industries," she told the governors. "We want to make it easier for those who served as medics or drivers in the military to get new jobs as paramedics and nurses and physician assistants or truck drivers."

Troops who have these skills shouldn't have to start from scratch in the civilian job market, the first lady said.

"If a service member has spent years treating wounded troops in a military hospital, they shouldn't have to then spend thousands of dollars to get back into the classroom and study things that they've already learned just to get the same kind of job in the civilian world," she said. "We want to make it easier for those who served as medics or drivers in the military to get new jobs as paramedics and nurses and physician assistants or truck drivers."

Just as the governors have helped to make it easier for military spouses with professional licenses move from state to state without starting over -- an effort still in progress and which Biden addressed in her remarks -- they can help to put troops back to work while retaining their state's standards.

"This is not about lowering standards," the first lady said. "We've done this for our troops with manufacturing skills, and hundreds of them have earned advanced certifications already. So now it's time to get them back to work in the medical and transportation fields as well, and to do it right away."

Obama set the end of 2015 as a goal for all 50 states to have taken legislative or executive action to help troops get the credentials they need. "We don't want our men and women -- and their families -- in uniform and veterans to be limited to where they can live because not all states are on board," she added.

"You're not going to have to twist many arms to make this happen," the first lady said. "People on both sides of the aisle will start lining up to help on this issue, because they know ... we're not just upholding our values and honoring our troops -- we'll also be lowering the unemployment rate. We'll be improving our health care system; we're going to be boosting economic growth in this country through these efforts."

Obama emphasized the long-term value of not only supporting troops on the battlefield, but sustaining the support to them and their families when they come home. And that's what the Joining Forces initiative is all about, she added.

It's not just about supporting our heroes while they're on the battlefield," she said. "It's about standing with them in these times -- standing with them and their families when they come home. When they come, it's a forever commitment, because we know that they don't stop serving this country when their military service ends. That is the beauty of our service members. They keep on going."

DR. JILL BIDEN SPEAKS ON MILITARY FAMILY SUPPORT

FROM:  AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE
Dr. Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden, speaks about the value of military family support during a roundtable discussion at the Pentagon, April 10, 2012. The roundtable included Deanie Dempsey, wife of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, and honored the winners of the Joining Forces Community Challenge, which is an effort to recognize and celebrate the extraordinary military family support efforts of citizens and organizations across the country. DOD photo by Elaine Sanchez

Dr. Biden, Mrs. Dempsey Salute 'Challenge' Winners
By Elaine Sanchez
WASHINGTON, April 11, 2012 - Leading up to a White House celebration today, two of the nation's top wives personally thanked a group of individuals and organization leaders for their efforts to improve military families' lives at the Pentagon yesterday.
 Dr. Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden, and Deanie Dempsey, wife of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, honored the winners of the Joining Forces Community Challenge during a roundtable discussion.

The Community Challenge, part of the Joining Forces campaign, is intended to recognize and celebrate the extraordinary military family support efforts of citizens and organizations across the country. First Lady Michelle Obama and Biden launched Joining Forces one year ago today to rally Americans around troops, veterans and their families, and announced the Challenge in July to capture the innovative ways people have chosen to support and honor them.

"What you're doing is so amazing," Biden told the group, which had just wrapped up a Pentagon tour. "This is a dream come true that you're out there helping military families."
USO President Sloan D. Gibson, who served as roundtable moderator, invited representatives from each of the six groups to explain their organizations' accomplishments and what spurred them to action. The winners range from a community that ensures families of deployed Guard members have a vast array of support, to a group that offers outdoor retreats to military spouses, to an organization of mental health professionals that volunteers their time, free of charge, to military families.

Whatever the service or support they provide, all embody the spirit of the Joining Forces campaign, Biden said, as they step up to serve and honor troops and their families. "Joining Forces is all about calling on people all across the country to lend a hand," she said.

Biden and Dempsey both passed on their personal gratitude for the groups' efforts. The Bidens' son, Beau Biden, is a captain in the Army National Guard who served a one-year deployment in Iraq, and Dempsey is a military wife and a military mom. Her husband commissioned all three of their children, she said, and their daughter is married to a captain in the Special Forces.

"What you do for all military families, you also do for the Dempsey family," the chairman's wife said. "From a personal standpoint, thank you from the bottom of my heart."
The Joining Forces Community Challenge winners are:

-- Armed Forces Service Center, St. Paul, Minn. The service center is a 24/7 "all free" lounge staffed by volunteers at the Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport for active-duty military personnel, their families, activated reservists and National Guardsmen and other members of the uniformed services.

-- Defending the Blue Line, Hastings, Minn. This organization works to ensure that children of military members have access to participate in hockey through free equipment, hockey camps, special events and financial assistance toward association and other hockey-related costs.

-- Give an Hour, Bethesda, Md. Founded by Washington, D.C.-based psychologist Barbara Van Dahlen, this organization is dedicated to meeting the mental health needs of military personnel, their families, and the communities affected by the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. In addition to counseling, providers also consult to schools, first responders, employers, and community organizations. Give an Hour has provided nearly 50,000 hours of free service, valued at roughly $5 million.

-- Project Sanctuary, Parker, Colo. This organization brings military families together in the Rocky Mountains after deployments to help them reconnect through recreational activities and therapy. Follow-up support beyond the retreat is also provided, and includes support to families with housing, job placement and veterans' assistance.

-- City of Richfield, Utah. The city has supported its local Army National Guard unit through four deployments since Sept. 11, 2001. Additionally, Richfield provides several programs and services for military families, including a city utility abatement program and distribution of the city's newspaper to deployed soldiers so they can stay in touch with the community.

-- Our Family for Families First Foundation, East Greenwich, R.I. This foundation, chosen by the public as the Challenge's "People's Choice Winner," supports military families pursuing higher education by supporting military children through scholarships and military spouses through grants and assistance identifying educational opportunities.

Other than the People's Choice award, the Challenge winners were selected with input from a panel of judges that included news correspondent and author Tom Brokaw; J.R. Martinez, an Iraq war veteran, motivational speaker and "Dancing With the Stars" winner; San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro; Deanie Dempsey; and Gibson.
At the roundtable, Gibson ticked off the reasons he believes these groups deserve this national honor. They're having a positive impact on military families' lives, are building stronger bonds between military families and their communities, and are inspiring others to bring the same "passion and obvious care and concern" to military family support, he said.

All 20 Challenge finalists will be honored at today's White House event, which also marks the one-year anniversary of Joining Forces.

"JOINING FORCES CHALLENGE" WINNERS ANNOUNCED BY THE WHITE HOUSE

FROM:  AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE

White House Announces 'Joining Forces Challenge' Winners

From a White House News Release

WASHINGTON, April 6, 2012 - First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden today announced the five winners and "The People's Choice Winner" of the Joining Forces Community Challenge, an effort to recognize and celebrate the extraordinary efforts of citizens and organizations across the country that are working to improve the lives of military families.

The announcement comes in advance of the one-year anniversary of the launch of Joining Forces, the national initiative started by the first lady and Dr. Biden to support and honor America's service members and their families.

The Joining Forces Community Challenge, launched in July, captured the innovative ways Americans have stepped up to support and honor military families.

"Jill and I are so proud of all of these finalists and the work that they have done for our military community," the first lady said. "Our military families demonstrate such strength, service, and sacrifice every single day, and we're so grateful for everyone who is stepping up to give back to these families. The challenge winners are leading by example, and showing that all of us can find a way to serve those who serve us." 

Dr. Biden also praised the winners and all efforts to support military families. "As a military mom, I know firsthand the impact a small act of kindness can have on a military family," she said. "So the great work we have seen through the Joining Forces Community Challenge has been inspiring. I hope others can look to these incredible examples for ways to support service members and military families in their own communities."

The Joining Forces Community Challenge winners are:

-- Our Family for Families First Foundation, East Greenwich, R.I., also chosen as the "People's Choice Winner." The foundation supports military families pursuing higher education by supporting military children through scholarships and military spouses through grants and assistance identifying educational opportunities. Since 2006, Our Family for Families First has provided more than 20,000 hours of outreach in communities surrounding seven military installations, and its scholarship program has given more than $3.5 million in direct scholarship and grant awards to the children and spouses of active duty service members. John G. Picerne, president and chief executive officer of Picerne Military Housing, created the effort.

-- Armed Forces Service Center, St. Paul, Minn. The service center is a 24/7 "all free" lounge staffed by volunteers at the Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport for active-duty military personnel, their families, activated reservists and National Guardsmen and other members of the uniformed services. Maggie Purdum founded the center in 1970 after her son was killed in action in Vietnam. More than 766,800 active duty service members have passed through the center since its inception, and more than 25,800 military family members have been served since Sept. 11, 2001.

-- Defending the Blue Line, Hastings, Minn. This organization works to ensure that children of military members have access to participate in hockey through free equipment, hockey camps, special events and financial assistance toward association and other hockey-related costs. Since it was founded by two Minnesota National Guard soldiers in 2009, more than 3,000 families across the United States have been served, including more than 300 recipients of hockey equipment, more than 700 children attending hockey camps. In addition, more than 2,000 professional hockey tickets have been donated.

-- Give an Hour, Bethesda, Md. Founded by Washington, D.C.-based psychologist Barbara Van Dahlen, this organization is dedicated to meeting the mental health needs of military personnel, their families, and the communities affected by the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. As of February, Give an Hour had about 6,000 providers across the nation -- in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and Guam -- with more volunteer mental health professionals joining its network every day. In addition to counseling, providers also consult to schools, first responders, employers, and community organizations. Give an Hour has provided nearly 50,000 hours of free service, valued at roughly $5 million.

-- Project Sanctuary, Parker, Colo. This organization brings military families together in the Rocky Mountains after deployments to help them reconnect through recreational activities and therapy. Follow-up support beyond the retreat is also provided, and includes support to families with housing, job placement and veterans' assistance. Project Sanctuary has hosted 22 therapeutic retreats and is providing support and services to 164 families, 80 percent of which are those of wounded warriors.

-- City of Richfield, Utah. The city has supported its local Army National Guard unit through four deployments since Sept. 11, 2001. Additionally, Richfield provides several programs and services for military families, including a city utility abatement program and distribution of the city's newspaper to deployed soldiers so they can stay in touch with the community. The Richfield community has contributed more than $250,000 in monetary and in-kind donations to build a Veterans Memorial.

Since 20 finalists were announced in February, the public voted to select Our Family for Families First Foundation as the "People's Choice Winner." The additional five winners were selected with input from a panel of judges:

-- Tom Brokaw, NBC News special correspondent and author of five bestsellers, including The Greatest Generation;

-- J.R. Martinez, Iraq war veteran, motivational speaker and "Dancing with the Stars" winner of season 13;

-- Sloan D. Gibson, USO president and CEO;

-- Julian Castro, mayor of San Antonio, one of the nation's largest military communities; and

-- Deanie Dempsey, military family advocate and wife of Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.