The President's speech honoring military spouses

May 6, 2008

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much, Phil. I appreciate -- appreciate you and your band members being here today. Thanks for entertaining us here on the South Lawn of the White House.

We are so glad you have come. We're honoring six recipients of the President's Volunteer Service Awards. And as we do so, we celebrate the contributions and achievements of our military spouses all across the country.

Laura sends her very best. She's heading down to Texas for -- (She left behind a DVD -- with Steve Martin, said, you might want to watch this before you head down there yourself. But she sends her love. And I'm very fortunate to have married such a kind and decent, compassionate woman.

I appreciate the Secretary. Secretary of Defense, Secretary Bob Gates is with us. I'm proud you're here, Mr. Secretary. Secretary Pete Geren of the United States Army is with us. Secretary Don Winter, U.S. Navy, and his wife, Linda, have joined us. Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Hoss Cartwright -- General Hoss Cartwright and his wife, Sandee, have joined us. General Dick Cody, Vice Chairman of the -- Vice Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army, and his wife, Vicki, is with us. Thanks for coming, General Cody. Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard, Skip Bowen. Members of the United States Congress John Carter, Susan Davis, Dutch Ruppersberger. We're so honored you all have come to pay tribute to the military spouses. I'm really pleased that Mary Jo Myers, who is a member of the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation, is with us -- the wife of General Richard Myers, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs. Appreciate the winners' families joining us here today. But thank -- most of all, thank you all for coming.

So here's why this event is happening. Twenty-four years ago, President Ronald Reagan signed a proclamation recognizing Military Spouses Day. And my own judgment is, is that we need to recognize military spouses every day. But this is the time of year that we honor the wives and husbands who support our men and women in uniform. And today, it's my honor to welcome you here to the White House. I can't think of a better place in which to say thanks. Whether you're signed up for military life at the recruiting station or at the altar rail, each person, each person is a volunteer. And when you married your soldier, sailor, airman, Marine, or Coast Guardsman, you became more than just part of a family -- you became part of our nation's military family.

It's not an easy life being in the military, particularly when we're at war, and I understand that. For many of you it means packing up your belongings and moving on short notice. I suspect a lot of you have been on the move much more than you thought you'd be on the move. For others it means living in a foreign land, which can be exciting, but it also means you're far away from your extended family, and that's hard. And for many of you, it means missing a spouse as he or she serves on the front lines in this battle to secure our country and to spread freedom for the sake of peace.

Being left behind when a loved one goes to war has got to be one of the hardest jobs in the United States military. Talked to a lot of folks who have been in the theater, as well as spouses, and it is clear to me the harder job in many ways is to be the person at home taking care of the kids and having sleepless nights as you pray for safe return.

You're carrying out the burdens -- you're serving our country. And it's noble service. And it's necessary service. And the United States [of] America owes you a huge debt of gratitude. And so, on behalf of our people, thank you for what you're doing.

One of the things I have learned in seven and a half years as the President is, as you've served our country, you also serve each other. I've spent a lot of time visiting our military bases here in America and across the world. And it's been a great experience. What I've found is that there's always a close-knit community, people who are sharing a special bond, and people who take time to look out after people. It's a -- it's been an amazing experience to see the fabric of our military communities firsthand, and today we're going to honor six military spouses who have done a little extra to serve your communities and serve the nation.

Our country appreciates the service and devotion. Our country owes you something else in return. One way we can repay the service of our spouses is by making the burdens of military life a little easier. So this year I signed into law a change in the Family and Medical Leave Act, which allows a spouse, parent, child, or next of kin to take up to 26 work-weeks of leave to care for a service member with a serious injury or illness who is undergoing therapy or treatment. I hope that helps. When we find substandard housing, we'll take care of it. We want to make sure that the sacrifice you're making is one that at least you understand that the government appreciates what you're doing.

I sent up some legislation -- I certainly hope Congress moves on it quickly -- that will make it easier to expand access to child care, create new authorities to appoint qualified spouses into civil service jobs, provide educational opportunities and job training for our military spouses, and finally, allow our troops to transfer their unused education benefits to spouses or children. This legislation is moving. I hope to be able to sign it as quickly as possible. It is the absolute right thing to do. It should send a clear message that we care for you, we respect you, and we love you.

Thanks for coming to the White House. May God bless you, your families, your loved ones, and the United States of America.