President proclaims November as Military Family Month

When I was a newly-minted specialist fourth class in the Army, there was a lot of talk about the "Total Army," in which we were encouraged to recognize that all the components - active, Guard and Reserve - are necessary to the success of the Army's operations overall.
In the late 1980s, that transitioned into talk about the "Army Family," as we began to recognize that, more and more, Soldiers either came into the Army with a spouse or, soon after entering, took on one.
At the time, taking care of families was championed by, then Army chief of staff, Gen. John A. Wickham Jr., who said, ". . . unit readiness is inextricably tied to soldiers' morale and discipline and to sustaining their families' strength. The better we can make soldiers and their families feel about the Army and the support provided by the Army, the better off the soldier, Army and nation will be."
By the early 1990s, quality of life for families was a regular consideration by leaders all around the Army.
During the final days of Operation Desert Shield and the lighting fast Operation Desert Storm, I was an officer candidate at Fort Benning, Ga. On the night they made the announcement that our forces had begun moving into Iraq, the chaplain or some other forward-thinking person, brought together the spouses of deployed Soldiers under one roof in Building 4, the main academic and training building at the Infantry School, to comfort them and give them as much information about the situation as possible.
Our company was summoned for duty. Our mission? To provide child care. I can still remember our company commander explaining to us how critical our mission was in allowing the spouses to have uninterrupted time with the leaders.
I'm sure the intended object lesson for our group was that taking care of families was not a secondary job for leaders, but was every bit as important as maneuvering to the flank of the enemy. For me, the lesson stuck, and was reinforced by leaders like Maj. Gen. Thomas Schwartz at Fort Carson, Colo., and Col. John Rosenberger, 58th colonel of the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment at Fort Irwin, Calif.
Our current commander in chief, recognizing the importance of military families, has issued the following proclamation officially declaring November as Military Family Month. The proclamation reads:
"No one pays a higher price for our freedom than members of our Nation's military and their families. As sons and daughters, husbands and wives, and mothers and fathers are deployed, military families endure with exceptional resilience and courage. They provide our troops with invaluable encouragement and love, and serve our Nation in their own right. During Military Family Month, we honor the families of our Armed Forces and thank them for their dedication to our country.
"Though only a small percentage of our Nation's population, our troops bear the great responsibility of protecting our people. They, along with their families, serve us every day with courage and dignity. Ensuring that military families receive the respect they deserve and the support they have earned is a top priority for my Administration.
"The strength of our Nation is measured not just by our success on the battlefield, but also by our ability to support those families who have made so many sacrifices for us. Time and again, military families have shown their heart in the face of adversity. We have a solemn obligation to ensure that while our men and women in uniform discharge their duties, we do all we can to promote and preserve the well-being of their families. We must also support the families of our wounded warriors and our fallen heroes who have paid the ultimate price for the freedoms we enjoy.
"This month, we celebrate the tremendous contributions of military families, convey to them our deepest respect and appreciation, and recommit ourselves to their support.
"NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim November 2009 as Military Family Month. I call on all Americans to honor military families through private actions and public service for the tremendous contributions they make in the support of our service members and our Nation."