Family Matters Blog: First Lady Thanks Nation for 'Outpouring' of Military Support
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Family Matters Blog: First Lady Thanks Nation for 'Outpouring' of Military SupportBy 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; -- The Defense, Veterans Affairs, Treasury and Labor departments all have made "groundbreaking" announcements to support veterans, wounded warriors, caregivers and military spouses; |
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