Kay Bailey Hutchison: “As I have traveled across Texas and visit military bases, I have met with many military members and their families. The…”

“As I have traveled across Texas and visit military bases, I have met with many military members and their families. The feedback I have received from the members and the spouses was that the military services provided wonderful family support during the conflict in Afghanistan and Iraq. I also heard that some family members who were deployed, particularly from the National Guard and Reserve, need better access to family support resources at the nearest military base. Because many Guard and Reserve personnel do not live where they serve, family members do not get to develop the relationships with the nearest family support service, and if it is provided by a different military service or component, than their own, it is a special hardship. To work toward ensuring that families of our Guard and Reserve personnel are adequately served, I have introduced an amendment that requires the Secretary of Defense to include in his report on the conduct of Operation Iraqi Freedom a study of family support services provided to the dependents of National Guard and other Reserve components of the Armed Forces who are called to active duty.”