November 2010 Navy
by Force Master Chief Ronney Wright, Navy Reserve Force Master Chief
When President Lincoln gave his second inaugural address in 1865, the Civil War was drawing to a close. With the bitter war's end in sight, he spoke in words of reconciliation. Both sides had suffered massive losses – more than a half million dead and another halfmillion wounded. He charged a war-weary nation with the duty "to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan."
Fulfilling President Lincoln's promise by serving and honoring the men and women who are America's Veterans is the stated mission of the Department of Veterans Affairs. It is a noble and honorable mission.
It is a sad fact of war that some Veterans return from war with injuries, some profound and some hidden. Battlefield medical care saves many lives that would have been lost in previous wars, but the wounded return with injuries requiring extensive rehabilitation. Lost limbs and traumatic brain injury are signature injuries of today's wars.
Our wounded Veterans deserve not only our best medical care, but also the occupational therapy and mental health services needed to allow them to be as independent and productive as possible. The work our caregivers and therapists do to help restore the bodies, minds, spirit and dignity of our wounded Veterans is awe-inspiring and humbling. The Department of Veterans Affairs, led by Retired U.S. Army General Eric K. Shinseki, is doing a magnificent job.
But even though we have a well-led, well-funded cabinet-level department of our Federal government dedicated to caring for Veterans, we all have a responsibility to care for those who have served our Nation.
Support for our troops has never been stronger. We can be grateful that our Nation values the men and women who serve, even as some may disagree about the policies which send our sons and daughters overseas. As Vietnam Veterans can attest, this was not always the case. Today's returning war Veterans are greeted with the applause and thanks they deserve.
Our Nation has been at war for the last nine years, testing the limits of our all-volunteer force, both active and reserve. Garrisoned forces have rotated to the battlefield. Guard and Reserve forces have mobilized as units and individuals, left their jobs and families behind and taken their place at the front.
Unfortunately, too few Americans have a direct connection to today's troops. While grandpa may have stormed the beaches of Normandy and grandma may have been a nurse at Inchon, most of our fellow citizens do not have a family tie to our armed forces. As Secretary of Defense Robert Gates stated, "No major war in our history has been fought with a smaller percentage of this country's citizens in uniform full-time — roughly 2.4 million active and reserve service members out of a country of over 300 million, less than one percent."
Because service in America's armed forces is voluntary, this obligation to care for our Veterans and their families must be led by those who understand our Veterans the most – today's active and reserve service members.
It is our responsibility because we understand military life. We understand deployment and family separation. We understand the young men and women who serve in arduous conditions and remote locations. We understand the stress of combat.
It is our responsibility to educate our fellow citizens about these extraordinary men and women. The more they understand the contribution our service members make to our Nation's security, the more they will value the service of our Veterans and make President Lincoln's promise their own. Most of all, it is our responsibility to do all in our power to make these men and women and their families strong and resilient while they are in the service.
The Navy Reserve is doing this today. Throughout the deployment cycle, we have established a "continuum of care" that starts with education and information. Each Navy Operational Support Center hosts an annual predeployment family readiness conference (PDFRC) where families can spend the day learning what to expect during deployment and the resources available to help prevent and solve problems when their Sailor is deployed.
Because so many of our Sailors deploy as individual augmentees, we have formalized the process for ensuring that each Sailor is assigned a personal point of contact back home and a battle buddy who calls and checks in on both the Sailor and his/her family. The Command Individual Augmentee Coordinator (CIAC) program makes sure that no one deploys alone.
While deployed, a vast array of services is available to help families handle both life's emergencies and the normal day-to-day, mom-and-dad, husband-and-wife issues. From student tutoring to household repairs to financial management, our families have the resources needed to solve their own problems.
And while coming home is usually joyous, redeployment and demobilization presents challenges and stresses as well. Our Navy Reserve Returning Warrior Workshops provide our Sailors and a guest – a spouse, a parent, a friend – with a weekend getaway at a resort hotel where trained facilitators address the issues that returning warriors and their families face.
The result of these efforts is that the majority of our Sailors and their families report that deployment is a positive experience for their family. Spouses and children step up to the challenge and find strength and skill they didn't know they had. They are proud to serve as a Navy family.
We also enjoy the support of our civilian employers – the only ones in our all-volunteer force who didn't have a choice regarding our service. The overwhelming majority of our employers comply with the letter and spirit of the law, and many employers have found innovative ways to support their Reservists. They enable our Navy Reserve Sailors to serve America on a part-time basis and to be ready for full-time duty when called – and to return to work when their service is complete. This support can never be taken for granted.
Action to support our Veterans starts with each of us. And if you doubt the difference that one person can make, consider this: November 11, which we now celebrate as Veterans' Day, was originally proclaimed by President Woodrow Wilson in 1919 as Armistice Day, to commemorate the end of World War I.
In 1953, one person, Alfred King, a shoe store owner in Emporia Kansas, thought Armistice Day should be expanded to celebrate all Veterans. Mr. King, an active member of the support group American War Dads during World War II, began a campaign to turn Armistice Day into "All" Veterans' Day, enlisting the support of his Representative, Congressman Ed Rees. By mid-1954, President Eisenhower signed the bill into law, creating the Veterans' Day we celebrate today.
Each of us can make a difference in the lives of our Veterans. Take care of today's service members and their families by helping them become strong and resilient. Honor the employers of our Guard and Reserve forces by thanking them for their support. And when you encounter that well-meaning citizen who wants to support our troops but doesn't quite know how, find a way for him/her to serve.
And if you are reading this magazine, you are likely a Veteran or a Veteran's family member yourself. Thank you for your service.