A resolution to encourage recognition of 2009 as the "Year of the Military Family".

Madam President, it is my privilege to support S. Res. 165, a resolution encouraging the recognition of 2009 as the ``Year of the Military Family.'' I am honored to be an original cosponsor of this resolution, along with my colleagues on the Committee on Armed Services, Senator Levin, Senator Ben Nelson and Senator Graham.

Our Nation is honored by the brave men and women who selflessly risk their lives for our freedom, and by their families, who accept risks, both known and unknown, in support of their country and loved ones who serve. The programs and resources our Nation provides must match the quality of the service and sacrifice of military families. That is why I and others fought so hard to include a special provision in the post- 9/11 G.I. bill to allow career service members the opportunity to share the educational benefits that they earn with their immediate family members.

Many military families are distinguished by generations, who have served, from the American Revolution, to the American Civil War, World Wars, Korea, Vietnam, the first gulf war and recent conflicts. The resolution before us today recognizes the contributions and resilience of all military families, and especially those who have endured multiple deployments, or the loss of a loved one who answered the call to service and paid the ultimate price in defense of our Nation.

SFC Kimberly Hazelgrove was serving as an intelligence expert in the U.S. Army when she received the news on January 23, 2004, that her husband, Army CW2 Brian Hazelgrove, had died. His helicopter crashed on its return from a combat mission in northern Iraq. On that tragic day, Kimberly Hazelgrove became a survivor of an American hero. But, like so many whose spouses have died as a consequence of their service to our Nation, she is also a hero in her own right. Kimberly had to abandon her own promising military career to care for four young children. She struggled, with the help of family and friends, to start over--to transition to civilian life, to find employment in which to apply her military skills, and return to school--and with courage and determination she succeeded. Today she balances a new career with the needs of the children that she and Brian had planned to raise, and has never abandoned her selfless advocacy on behalf of survivors of the fallen. Kimberly Hazelgrove represents the essence of service and sacrifice of military families, and I salute her.

Not all military families are defined only as the service member, a spouse,

and children. Many of the young men and women serving our country are unmarried and identify as a family with their parents and siblings. My friend 1LT Andrew Kinard graduated from the Naval Academy in 2005 and chose to lead Marines in Iraq. Andrew deployed as a platoon leader with the Second Marine Division in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in September 2006. He was gravely wounded by an IED attack while leading a security patrol in Al Anbar Province. His father Harry immediately left his surgical practice so that he could buoy Andrew's spirit through dozens of surgeries that followed. His mother, Mary, remained with Andrew for 5 more months after her husband returned to his medical practice. The separation that Andrew's parents and siblings endured represents a family's selfless sacrifice, to support Andrew and his quality of life even as he faced many surgeries and grueling physical therapy. Andrew Kinard is now a retired marine and will enter Harvard Law School in the fall. The Kinard family represents the unifying, supportive force of a military family that helps a service member survive the most grievous wounds of war, and then get back to the important work of citizenship. I salute them.

MAJ Brian Love is a Green Beret. His family accompanied him to assignment in Germany where, in 2004, their son Patrick was diagnosed with autism. Today Brian and his wife Naomi apply the unique problem solving skills of military special forces to the daily challenge of meeting Patrick's complex needs--a challenge compounded by the rigors of a career as a military leader, and the uncertain limitations of Federal, State and local programs. Major Love has deployed to Iraq twice since 2005. He believes that he is a better leader--that his family relationships are stronger--for having seen the world through the eyes of a child with special needs. Brian is now preparing to assume command of an Army special forces unit and faces the possibility of future deployments. His service, and that of his wife Naomi, honors each of us. Because of their service, and thousands like them, we can all view our victories differently. As an emblem of the dedicated service of military families and to their children, I salute them.

Finally, Mary Scott modestly asserts that hers is a ``normal military family.'' Her father was killed in 1972 in Vietnam; her husband served for 30 years in the U.S. Army; each one of their six children serves their nation in the military today. Kate is an Army captain and lawyer and now serves in Iraq; Karoline, an Air Force captain and public affairs officer; Andy, an Army captain and lawyer who has also deployed to Iraq; 1LT Kerney Scott pilots an Army Blackhawk in Korea; 2LT Alec Scott is a newly commissioned officer in the Army Chaplain Corps, and Cadet Adam Scott, followed his family's well worn path to the U.S. Military Academy. ``It's not unusual,'' Mary says, ``for kids to go into the family business.''

All of those whom I have described and their families, live the values of military service, and enrich us all. They volunteer and advocate on behalf of causes greater than their own. They support one another during challenging times, and find that even in difficulty they are bound more closely together.

I rise in support of the resolution encouraging the recognition of 2009 as the ``Year of the Military Family.'' I salute all military families, and it is to their service that I dedicate my own.

Madam President, there are more than 1.8 million family members of active duty servicemembers and an additional 1.1 million family members of reserve component members. Every one of these families makes sacrifices each and every day along with their servicemember and plays a very significant role in serving our country.

Military families often face unique challenges and difficulties throughout their loved one's career, including frequent relocations to bases across the country and overseas as well as the various demands stemming from continued deployments of members from every service. The Nation must ensure that all the needs of military dependent children and spouses are being met. The life of a military family member has never been an easy one, but in our 8th year of war, families are facing even more hardships.

Deployments are an undeniable strain on families. While a servicemember is away, spouses are often forced into the role of a single parent--juggling employment, child care, and household duties each and every day, all the while living with the pressure of having a family member deployed to a combat zone. Families are an integral part of the force, and stress on the force affects overall readiness.

Servicemembers will experience less stress in the field if they are assured their families are well taken care of back home. And it is imperative that families remain as resilient as possible in order to provide a stable environment for loved ones when they return home from those deployments. Families are often the first line of defense against posttraumatic stress and suicide, but may be experiencing similar feelings themselves. We must ensure that families and servicemembers have timely access to mental health resources and programs. We must make every dependent aware of the resources available to them to assist in everything from finances to job placement to health care and counseling.

Thousands of military family members have taken it upon themselves to confront these challenges by volunteering to provide critical assistance during deployments to servicemembers, their spouses, and children, as well as giving vital support to families relocating to a new area. And sadly, many families have made the ultimate sacrifice in the loss of a servicemember who proudly defended our Nation.

We in Congress have tried to do our part to help, and have made family support programs and initiatives a priority. In recent bills we have called for: the establishment of a Department of Defense Military Family Readiness Council; education, training, and tuition assistance to help spouses maintain careers; respite care for parents caring for children on their own due to deployments; authorized increased levels of Impact Aid for military dependents' education; and established and supported the nationwide expansion of the Department's Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program which is aimed at helping members and families of the Guard and Reserve. But there is still more to do.

With President and Mrs. Obama placing the support of our military families among their top priorities, we must take this opportunity to renew our commitment and express our deepest appreciation to military family members who bravely serve this Nation alongside their servicemembers. It is my hope that this Year of the Military Family inspires us, the Department of Defense, the military Services, and Americans everywhere to commit to helping military families and servicemembers in any way we can, and to ensure that these strong men, women, and children are given the recognition, appreciation, and support that they so truly deserve.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of S. Res. 165, submitted earlier today.

I ask unanimous consent the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the motions to reconsider be laid upon the table, with no intervening action or debate, and any statements related to the resolution be printed in the Record.