On the recordMarch 8, 2011
the sacrifices of military families all too often go unrecognized. For every one of the 186,000 troops currently deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan, there is a family that patiently waits for their servicemember's safe return. There are countless wives and husbands, separated by a deployment, who celebrate anniversaries over email and deployed parents who see their children age in photographs. None of these military families ask for recognition, but their sacrifices deserve our respect. I am pleased by the President and First Lady's recent efforts to recognize the challenges facing military families. Their leadership on this issue will help ensure that all agencies and departments of the Federal Government will lend a hand to servicemembers, veterans, and their families. Our Nation asks a lot of military families. Military families must provide support in innumerable ways during a deployment. From child care, to paying bills, dealing with legal issues and household repairs, military families work together to deal with the absence of the servicemember. Should a servicemember return home wounded or weakened by the tolls of war, we ask military families to help take care of their son or daughter, husband or wife. We hope and pray that all those who are sent to war will return safely to the arms of their loved ones. However, we know that this is not always the case.
