FIRST LADY RECOGNIZES WOMEN VETERANS

FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

First Lady Recognizes Women Veterans, Addresses Unemployment

By Amaani Lyle
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, March 19, 2013 - First Lady Michelle Obama today honored 14 women veterans who, after serving honorably, continued as leaders at the local, state, regional or national level.

During a "Champions of Change" event at the White House, Obama also pledged to continue addressing ongoing employment challenges through her Joining Forces initiative, which -- among other things -- connects servicemen and women, veterans and military spouses with the resources they need to find jobs at home. The first lady co-sponsors Joining Forces with Dr. Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden.

"You all are part of a long line of women who have broken barriers, ... defied expectations and served this country with unparalleled courage and determination," the first lady said to the veterans. "You've been on the front lines, often in the line of fire, and generation after generation, women like you have proven you not only serve alongside men, you lead them as well."

Obama lauded the women for performing their jobs with "grace, ... poise and dignity" wherever they'd served, and noted their demonstrated dedication and selfless service continues beyond their military obligations.

"You don't stop serving [the country] after you hang up your uniforms," she said. "You are the leaders in our businesses and schools and our communities. You're mothers raising your kids with that same sense of honor that defines your own lives."

Obama commended the women whose accomplishments include helping veterans and their families start businesses, promoting gender equality in the military, and working to end homelessness, domestic violence and sexual assault.

"Being part of something bigger than ourselves ... is the common thread that connects our 14 honorees," Obama said. "We're determined to ensure that all of our veterans and military families get the benefits, support and respect that they have earned."

This mission, Obama said, is particularly urgent as hundreds of thousands of veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan are seeking employment, or will be soon. "We have so many talented, highly skilled veterans who have so much to offer this country," she said. "We need that service operating here at home."

The first lady said she recently attended the Business Roundtable, an association of chief executive officers representing more than 80 of the nation's leading businesses.

"I challenged some of the biggest [companies] in this nation to hire and train even more of veterans and military spouses in the coming years," she added, to ensure that veterans have access to the jobs they need and deserve when they return home.

Efforts under way include President Barack Obama offering tax credits to businesses hiring veterans or wounded warriors, as well as helping troops translate their skills and match them with civilian careers that suit their experiences. American Job Center, an online jobs bank, connects U.S. companies to veterans in local communities, the first lady said, and efforts continue to streamline the credentialing processes for military people to earn professional certifications.

"This work couldn't be more urgent," she said of the leagues of women hanging up their uniforms. "We know that right now is the time when you need us most."

The first lady acknowledged that many women veterans face a critical transition.

"We are not going to stop working until all of our veterans and all of their families feel the support of the entire country," she said. "We are proud of you, we are grateful and we're going to keep working for our nation, because we still need you."

The honorees are:

-- Navy veteran Tia Christopher of Davis, Calif., chief of staff for the Farmer-Veteran Coalition. She speaks nationally on women veterans' issues, including testifying before the state and federal legislature about military sexual trauma. She wrote "You Are Stronger Than You Think You Are: A Straightforward Transition Manual."

-- Stacy L. Pearsall of Charleston, S.C., a combat-disabled Air Force veteran who earned the Bronze Star Medal and commendation with valor for heroic actions under fire. She now plays a key role in developing new policy regarding veteran health care at the Ralph H. Johnson Veterans Affairs Medical Center. She singlehandedly funds and photographs veterans for the Veterans Portrait Project Foundation. Though disabled from combat injuries, Pearsall is a multi-medaled athlete, including gold, from the U.S. Paralympic Committee-sponsored Warrior Games in 2010, 2011 and 2012.

-- Retired Air Force Brig. Gen. Wilma L. Vaught of Arlington, Va., who was instrumental in building the $22.5 million Women's Memorial at the gateway to Arlington National Cemetery. She is now the President of the Women in Military Service for America Memorial Foundation, the nation's only major memorial to pay tribute to America's 2.5 million women who have served.

-- Kayla Williams of Ashburn Va., who wrote "Love My Rifle More Than You: Young and Female in the U.S. Army," a memoir about her experiences negotiating the changing demands on women in today's military during a deployment to Iraq. Williams graduated cum laude with a bachelor of arts degree in English literature from Bowling Green State University, and earned a master of arts degree in international Affairs with a focus on the Middle East from American University.

-- Natasha Young of Boston, a fellowship recruitment associate at The Mission Continues, serving the northeastern and southeastern United States. A 12-year veteran of the Marine Corps, Young served two tours in Iraq and a recruiting tour stateside before a medical discharge in October 2011. She has dedicated herself to helping other veterans overcome the struggles of their transitions and emerge empowered not only to lead new lives of service, but also to set the example for others to follow.

-- Ginger Miller of Accokeek, Md., founder and CEO of Women Veterans Interactive, which is dedicated to meeting women veterans at their points of need and actively promotes the importance of tailoring services to women veterans' needs. She has organized women veteran programs that feature information, mentoring and peer support. Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley appointed her to the Maryland Commission for Women and the Maryland Caregivers Support Coordinating Council.

-- Michelle Racicot, of Albuquerque, N.M., a family nurse practitioner at an urgent care center. A former Army Nurse Corps officer who deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, Racicot is the vice executive director for American Women Veterans, a national organization that advocates on behalf of servicewomen, veterans, and their families. Racicot educates legislators and local community members about homelessness, post-traumatic stress disorder, women in combat and health disparities.

-- Retired Navy Capt. Glenna Tinney of Arlington, Va., who for more than three decades has facilitated change in both the civilian and military systems to eliminate violence against women. She is the military advocacy program coordinator for the Battered Women's Justice Project, a national technical assistance provider for the Justice Department's Office on Violence Against Women. As one of the original 12 Navy social workers recruited for active duty in 1980, Tinney served for 24 years working with military families and managing worldwide family violence and sexual assault programs. Today, she manages a special project funded by OVW to develop a model coordinated community response to co-occurring incidents of combat-related conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder and intimate partner violence.

-- Dawn Halfaker of Arlington, Va., who was seriously injured during a combat patrol near Baghdad in 2004. She formed Halfaker and Associates in 2006 to empower veterans through meaningful careers. Today, her team has more than 130 employees.

-- Priscilla Mondt of Fayetteville, Ark., chief of chaplain service at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center there. An Army veteran who served in operations Desert Storm and Iraqi Freedom, Mondt received the Bronze Star and Legion of Merit. Her approach to spiritual care, from personal care to technology, set a high standard for addressing the needs of veteran patients and families.

-- Marsha Tansey Four of Philadelphia, an in-country Vietnam veteran who sits on the national board of directors for Vietnam Veterans of America, and has devoted the past 24 years to working with and advocating for veterans by contributing, writing, and delivering testimony related to veterans issues on local, state and federal levels. In 1993, Tansey initiated the Philadelphia Stand Down for Homeless Veterans and recently retired as the executive director of the Philadelphia Veterans Multi-Service and Education Center, a nonprofit agency providing free, comprehensive services to regional veterans.

-- Sharie Derrickson, of Nashville, Tenn., who served at the military's Stars and Stripes newspaper and was a combat photojournalist with Navy Combat Camera. She is now the vice president of New Wind Energy Solutions in Nashville, where she and her team are committed to global sustainability, vetting the newest technologies to ensure they are not only reliable, but practical, and affordable. She has helped her company grow through projects around the world, including international relief efforts.

-- Marylyn Harris of Houston, who in 2010 founded the nation's first and only Women Veterans Business Center there to educate and empower women veterans and their families in starting their own businesses. A former Army nurse and disabled war veteran, Harris travels throughout the country advocating for active service members, veterans and military families.

-- Becky Kanis of Los Angeles, who served for nine years as an Army officer after her 1991 graduation from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y. Unwilling to continue obscuring her sexual orientation, she resigned her commission in 2000 and soon began working to end homelessness in New York City. After helping to reduce street homelessness in Times Square by more than two thirds, Kanis became the director of the 100,000 Homes Campaign, a grassroots nationwide effort to find and house 100,000 of the most chronic and vulnerable homeless people by July 2014. Under her leadership, more than 37,000 homeless Americans, including 13,000 veterans, have found permanent homes. In 2012, she co-founded the Social Change Agency with her wife, Christine, to support nonprofit leaders in creating thriving teams that change the world.

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."

FIRST LADY THANKS COUNTRY FOR MILITARY SUPPORT

FROM:  AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE

Family Matters Blog: First Lady Thanks Nation for 'Outpouring' of Military Support

By Elaine Sanchez
WASHINGTON, April 13, 2012 - First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden, the vice president's wife, marked the one-year anniversary of their Joining Forces campaign this week with a renewed call to action and a message of gratitude to the nation.

"The hours logged, the services donated, the love and devotion and offers to help that have poured in from every corner of the country -- all of that has far surpassed even our wildest expectations," Obama said at an anniversary event on the South Lawn of the White House April 11.

I vividly remember attending the launch of this military-support initiative last year at the White House. Flanked by their husbands and senior military leaders, the first and second ladies announced their intent to raise awareness of military families and to spur Americans to better support troops, veterans and their families for years to come.

"This campaign is about all of us, all of us joining together as Americans to give back to the extraordinary military families who serve and sacrifice so much every day so we can live in freedom and security," the first lady said at the time.

This week, the first lady and Dr. Biden celebrated the campaign's anniversary with the White House event, followed by a whirlwind two-day tour across the nation. They spoke to everyone from military spouses and teens, to nurses seeking to provide better care for military families, to late-night talk show hosts, including satirist Stephen Colbert.

But fanfare aside, their intent was simple: to spread a message of gratitude for the "outpouring of support" Americans gave military families over the past year.

At the anniversary event, the first lady ticked off a list of contributions from the past year:

-- More than 1,600 businesses have hired more than 50,000 veterans and spouses, and have pledged to hire at least 160,000 more in the coming years;

-- Technology and employment companies such as Google, Monster and LinkedIn have stepped up to help connect veterans with jobs;

-- State leaders are passing legislation to ease employment woes for military spouses with professional licenses moving across state borders;

-- Medical schools are training health care providers so they can better care for military families;

-- The Defense, Veterans Affairs, Treasury and Labor departments all have made "groundbreaking" announcements to support veterans, wounded warriors, caregivers and military spouses;

-- Associations of doctors, nurses, physician's assistants and social workers are working to improve treatment for post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injuries;

-- TV shows such as "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," "Sesame Street" and organizations such as NASCAR, AOL and Disney are sharing military families' stories; and

-- Stars such as Tom Hanks, Oprah Winfrey and Steven Spielberg have appeared in a series of popular public service announcements.

"If I had to sum up what we have seen since launching Joining Forces in one word, it would be 'inspiring,'" Dr. Biden said at the anniversary event. "These efforts aren't always in the headlines, but they support our military families every single day in real and meaningful ways."

While a powerful gauge of the nation's commitment, Joining Forces' true impact can't be measured in numbers of hours served, the first lady said. "The true measure of our success lies in the lives that we've helped to change."

The first lady reiterated her call to action by asking Americans "to keep raising the bar" through actions big and small.

"We're going to keep driving forward until all of our nation's military families feel in real and concrete ways the love and support and gratitude that we all hold in our hearts," the first lady said, calling Joining Forces a "forever proposition." "That is our simple promise to you."

FIRST LADY MICHELLE OBAMA ANNOUNCES EFFORTS TO HIRE MILITARY SPOUSES

American Forces Press Service

First Lady Unveils New Military Spouse Hiring Effort

By Elaine Sanchez

WASHINGTON, April 4, 2012 - First Lady Michelle Obama today announced a new hiring effort intended to deliver thousands of portable, flexible job opportunities to military spouses and veterans in the coming years.

Eleven companies have pledged more than 15,000 jobs for military spouses and veterans, the first lady said, noting the vast majority of these jobs can be accomplished from home.

This commitment will make a "huge difference" for military spouses, Obama said during a teleconference announcing the initiative. "We're working hard on their behalf because we're proud of them," the first lady said. "Having an opportunity to have a decent job ... is one of the most important ways we can support these families."

This new effort will offer spouses thousands of at-home employment opportunities in areas such as customer support and telemarketing, as well as jobs that are physically located near military installations, a White House news release said today. Nearly two dozen contact centers -- which offer family-friendly scheduling, growth opportunities and the ability to transfer seamlessly from one center to another -- have committed to hiring spouses.

These companies and their job opportunities will be integrated into the Defense Department's Military Spouse Employment Partnership, the release said. MSEP is an effort in which more than 100 private-sector companies have committed to a focused effort on military spouse employment.

"Whatever comes up in life along the way, these types of
jobs will give them the type of flexibility and portability they'll need to succeed, not just in their careers, but the rest of their lives as well," Obama said on the conference call.

The first lady noted the value of flexible, portable jobs for military spouses, who must balance work and home life with military-related demands. Portability enables spouses to move without the stress of finding a new job at each new location, the first lady explained, noting military families are 10 times more likely to move across state lines than civilian families. And flexible work hours offer a better work-life balance, particularly for spouses caring for children or elderly parents.

Also on the call, Air Force wife Dawn Shaffer recounted the employment challenges that drove her to find the at-work flexibility she needed.

Shaffer started out as a veterinary technician, but was unable to find work in her field after she and her husband, Air Force Staff Sgt. Travis Shaffer, moved from Guam to Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo. Wanting time at home with their baby daughter, Shaffer found a job as an at-home customer service professional, which offers her both portability and flexibility. She now provides customer service to some of the largest companies in the world, she said. "I absolutely love what I do."

Military spouses shoulder a significant burden, Obama noted. They move frequently, take on additional responsibilities during deployment -- all while balancing the demands of family, careers and community.

But while challenging, a military lifestyle also equips spouses with a vast array of in-demand job skills, the first lady said. They're able to troubleshoot a variety of situations, manage schedules and deal with changing circumstances -- all qualities any employer would value, she noted.

"Military spouses often are the most talented and most resilient and most employable people around," she said. "What we're trying to do is meet these spouses where they are."

The first lady's announcement comes in advance of next week's Joining Forces anniversary. Obama and Dr. Jill Biden, the vice president's wife, launched this national initiative last year to rally the nation in support of troops, veterans and their families.

Since then, they've focused much of their efforts on employment issues for spouses and veterans, the first lady said, and have "made strides all along the way."

The first lady praised the companies that have stepped up to support spouses and veterans. "Companies are not just telling military families we are inspired by them," Obama said, "They're backing it up with meaningful, concrete action."

Companies' key commitments include:

-- Alpine Access has pledged to recruit, train and hire more than 3,000 military-connected Americans over the next two years. The company also will launch TalentSprout, an online portal with skill-building and job training curriculum. These career and personal development courses will be offered free-of-charge to qualified members of the armed forces and to their eligible spouses and caregivers.

-- Arise Virtual Solutions Inc. plans to add 10,000 new independent business and client services professionals from military families over the next several years. Arise also intends to develop special programs to create awareness among military spouses and veterans.

-- DialAmerica aims to increase the number of military-affiliated employees to make up 20 percent of its workforce by 2014.

-- Etech Global Services has committed to hiring a minimum of 200 military spouses and veterans in next two years.

-- Hilton Hotels employs nearly 800 military-related employees at their hotels and offices around the globe. In partnership with Recruit Military and other community-based organizations, Hilton Worldwide is pledging another 3.5 percent of their Hilton@Home call center positions to military spouses through 2014.

-- Prosperity America intends to hire 50 more veterans and military spouses.

-- Quality Contact Solutions is creating 150 work-at-home business-to-business marketing and communication jobs for military spouses over the next two years. These jobs will be in the health care and telecommunications industries.

-- Agility Marketing is planning to add 100 jobs for military spouses and veterans over the next two years.

-- QCSS Inc. will ensure a minimum of 10 percent of the forecasted 200 new hires from now through 2014 will be veterans and their families.

-- SP Data intends to add more than 150 jobs for military spouses and veterans over the next two years.

-- Veteran Call Center, LLC plans to create an additional 1,000 jobs for military spouses and veterans over the next two years.
 

FIRST LADY TALKS MILITARY FAMILY SUPPORT ON "LATE NIGHT"

The following excerpt is from A U.S. State Department American Forces Press Service e-mail:

First Lady Talks Military Family Support on 'Letterman'

By Elaine Sanchez
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, March 20, 2012 - First Lady Michelle Obama encouraged Americans to rally in support of military families during an appearance on the "Late Show with David Letterman" last night.

The first lady shared a few laughs with Letterman, but then grew serious when the topic turned to her Joining Forces campaign. Obama and Dr. Jill Biden, the vice president's wife, launched this initiative last year to boost support to troops, veterans and their families.

Service members and their families have served and sacrificed for more than a decade, the first lady noted, yet most Americans are unaware of the extent of their challenges. "We take it for granted because we have 1 percent of this nation serving and protecting the rights of the other 99 percent of us," she said.

Growing up in south Chicago and with limited exposure to the military, the first lady said, she wasn't aware of these challenges either until recently. "It wasn't until I started campaigning and traveling around to military bases where I got to meet these very resilient, proud, disciplined, smart individuals," she said. "I thought, 'Most Americans have no clue about the level of sacrifice they're making so we can live in freedom.'"

The Joining Forces campaign is intended to ensure every service member, veteran and family member understands "they live in a grateful nation," she said.

Obama cited the progress she's seen in military family support since Joining Forces launched last spring, particularly in the area of employment. Organizations have been hosting veteran job fairs across the nation, and President Barack Obama has launched programs and incentives to encourage private-sector employers to hire veterans.

Due to these efforts and others, she said, the unemployment rate among veterans is decreasing at a faster pace than the broader unemployment rate. As of last week, the unemployment rate for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans was down from last year's high of 12.5 percent to 7.6 percent, below the national rate of 8.3 percent.

While this progress is a "great thing," the first lady said, she also called attention to military spouses' employment challenges. In this decade of war, military spouses have moved forward despite the challenges of frequent moves and deployments -- all while caring for children and a household.

But when it comes to moving forward in their own careers, she said, military spouses often run up against a brick wall as they're forced to kick-start their careers at each new location.

"These men and women are just as trained, they are just as prepared, they are just as competent" as their civilian-life counterparts, Obama said. "They're some of the best this country has to offer."

The first lady encouraged people to find military families in their midst and then "do whatever they do best," whether it's offering to mow a lawn or babysit for a family with a deployed loved one, or providing pro bono accounting or attorney services.

Obama also noted the importance of caring for children from military families. It's hard to imagine what they're going through, she said, as they move from base to base every couple of years. She recalled meeting children attending their 12th school in nearly the same number of years.

Still, they're keeping their grades up and are "still managing to keep it all together," she said. "Just imagine what these kids need."

Military families need to be on the forefront of Americans' minds, she told the audience. And, through Joining Forces, "we'll do everything we can to rally support for them so that they never feel that they're alone in this."