Secretary
of Defense Robert M. Gates Speaks at the Military
Child Education Coalition Conference
GRAPEVINE,
Texas — GATES:
Thanks, Beth, for that kind introduction. From consoling
the wounded to comforting
families, Beth Chiarelli has served
this nation in countless ways. She has
also moved the Chiarelli family more than 25 times in over 30 years of
marriage. That alone should qualify you for a medal with
oak leaf clusters – though
whether for family mobility or being married to Pete, I’m not sure.
As
Beth said, General Pete Chiarelli has been my senior military assistant for
the last 16 months. He has provided wise counsel on just about everything
that has crossed my desk; he has traveled with me from Bagram to Baghdad
and beyond. He has always been an honest broker to make sure
that I see and hear
what I need to do this job. Pete is known Army-wide for his personal commitment
to and compassion for the soldiers who followed him through fire as a senior
commander in Iraq – twice. I can’t help but praise – and
therefore embarrass – this good and trusted friend by saying how much
I’ll miss him when he moves in just over a week to become the Army’s
next vice chief of staff. Pete is the right leader at the right time for
this demanding job. And our soldiers are truly fortunate to have you leading
from
the front, Pete.
It’s
also good to see General Ward again. Thank you, Kip, for your
service at Africom and your support for this wonderful effort.
It is great
to be here today among so many people involved with military
children. After retiring as director of CIA in 1993, I soon became involved
with young
people beyond my own. I became president of the National Eagle Scout
Association
in 1996, interim dean of the George H.W. Bush School of Government and
Public Service at Texas A&M in 1999, president of Texas A&M in
2002, and secretary of defense in 2006.
So, over
the last 15 years, I’ve
learned a lot about young people beyond what my own taught me. For
example, the humorist Robert Orben once said, “Never
raise your hand to your child – it leaves your midsection unprotected.” Or
President Truman who said, “the best way to give advice to your
children is to find out what they want and then advise them to do it.”
In
all seriousness, the accomplishments of young people in history have
always fascinated me. The Holy Roman Emperor Charles V was 21
when he
gave a speech
that put Martin Luther on trial. Richard II of England was 14 when
he put down a rebellion with a speech. Rossini first wrote an opera
when
he was
14. Pascal
inscribed his essay on conic sections at 16, and Alexander Hamilton
was George Washington’s aide at 20.
Today, our
children may not be emperors or kings, but their potential – and
their deeds – can be just as inspiring. Our military children
are awesome, just as their parents are. But they have extra hurdles
to clear, burdens to
bear – repeated moves, the absence of a parent at war, an
injured parent, or the loss of a parent.
Many of our
men and women in uniform will tell you they fight for
our country, but they also fight to keep their children – and
all children – safe.
And this
is why the extraordinary efforts of local communities and groups
like this, which support
military families, are so
vitally important. You give our
fighting men and women peace of mind because they know what
you are
doing
for them and for their families – helping to mitigate
the effects of these sacrifices on their children – helping
to make sure their children can reach their full potential.
And so, I
have come here to thank organizations like the Military Child
Education Coalition, which have done so much to help
those in uniform
and their families.
Congratulations on celebrating your 10th year and your many
successful programs, among them:
-
“Parent-to-Parent,” which
has trained more than 26,000 moms and dads on how to become
a child’s strongest advocate;
-
“Student-to-Student” is
now active in 164 high schools and 43 middle schools around
the country;
-
“Space Camp Scholarship” has
enabled hundreds of kids to learn about space exploration.
For those who don’t
know, it was created in memory of a sailor’s 11-year-old
son who died aboard the aircraft flown into the Pentagon
on September 11th; and
-
Your “Living the New Normal
Program” has helped countless
children wrestling with the unseen scars that result from
the loss or injury of a parent.
Overall,
organizations such as M.C.E.C. have embraced the nearly
two million children whose parents serve in the armed forces.
And for that,
I thank
you.
Today we
are engaged in the longest war with an all-volunteer force
since the American Revolution. A greater percentage of
moms and
dads are
serving in this
conflict than in any time in recent history. More specifically,
44 percent of the active duty force and 42 percent of the
Guard and Reserves
are
parents. A generation of children has had a parent deployed
for war at least once – if
not multiple times. The empty seat at the dinner table night
after night is a constant reminder of a child’s worry
for the safety of his or her parents. And there is also the
grief and the heartbreak when a loved one is injured
or killed – the grim reality of war.
Even in peacetime,
military kids also face special circumstances, such as
moving every time mom or dad gets a new assignment.
During their
Kindergarten through
12th-grade years, they may attend anywhere from six to
nine different schools, in addition to the “regular” transitions
between grammar, middle, and high school. Most teenagers
of military parents will attend at least two
high schools before graduating.
Our military
parents know that their service today will pay dividends for
our children
tomorrow. When the nation
calls
them to difficult
and dangerous
places,
they do so freely knowing that they are protecting the
loved ones they’ve
left behind. Perhaps children understand this fact the
best. Said one teenager: “My
father doesn’t do an everyday job.” His dad
is currently deployed with the 101st Airborne Division
in Afghanistan.
Because of
the unique way the husbands and wives, the sons and daughters
of our all-volunteer
force serve this
nation,
we have
a sacred responsibility
to care for them. To that end, the Department of
Defense has on its own created new initiatives.
There is
the Army Family Covenant that General Casey
spoke about earlier this morning – which
is already improving quality of life of Army families
at more
than 100 posts.
Last November,
Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao and I
launched the Military Spouse Career Advancement Initiative.
More
than $35 million
has been
invested in the
project’s initial demonstration phase, which
began in January, and includes 18 military installations
in eight key states. This initiative will help military
spouses obtain the professional training, licenses,
and certificates they need
to have high-growth, portable careers in fields such
as technology and health care. The wife of an Army
staff sergeant at Fort Carson, Colorado, aptly summed
up the program, saying, “Your career can travel
with you … [and]
you won’t have to worry about what your next
job will be.” So far,
more than 2,000 military spouses have enrolled.
Last
month, Defense and the Department of Education
signed an agreement to ease the strain on families
as overseas
units moving
back home
in accordance with the Base Realignment and Closure
Act. The agreement will help military
students make smoother transitions between schools
and will teach them
coping
skills to deal with the stress of deployed parents.
This effort is the culmination of years of informal
partnering
between
the two departments
and represents,
in the words of one military father, “one less
worry” when moving
across the country to a new post.
Likewise,
I applaud the governors who have joined the “Interstate
Compact on Education Opportunity for Military Children.” This
compact, now signed into law in 10 states, eases
school transitions for military kids by standardizing
record transfers, course placement, and graduation
requirements, among other
things. Initiatives like this help ensure our military
children receive the quality education that they
deserve.
I’d
also like to mention the new provisions of the Montgomery GI
Bill. You’re aware of
the increased benefits. But for the first time,
these benefits may be passed on to a spouse or child if
troops opt not to use them. I first heard of the
idea of transferring GI Bill benefits during a
meeting I had with military spouses at Fort Hood. One spouse
asked about this possibility,
and I passed along her idea and it next appeared
as a proposal in President Bush’s State of
the Union Address in January. And then last month,
thanks to the support of Congress, the President
signed it into law. Transferring
educational benefits to a service member’s
spouse or child underscores the monumental importance
of “the power behind the power” – the
husbands and wives, sons and daughters, brothers
and sisters of our men and women in uniform. It
also demonstrates our nation’s gratitude.
I have seen
that gratitude in airports around the country, when Americans
applaud those returning
from Afghanistan
or Iraq. There
are warm
thank you’s
and rounds of drinks – at least we hope
for the over 21s. Recently a woman from Jefferson,
Oregon, wrote a letter to the Chicago Tribune
about
such
kindness. Her son had just finished Navy boot
camp. To celebrate, he and some buddies went
to Wrigley
Field to attend a Cubs game, but they found that
ticket
prices, $75 each, were too steep. Seeing their
disappointment, a stranger graciously bought
tickets for the young sailors. Throughout the
game, others
picked up
the tab for drinks, hot dogs, and even some famous
Chicago-style pizza.
America’s
children are also showing their own appreciation to military
members in a thousand different ways. For instance:
-
A
13-year-old organized a “Freedom Walk” in
his hometown of Paramus, New Jersey;
-
Three elementary
school kids in Virginia, clearly future philanthropists, opened
a
lemonade stand to help raise money
to help wounded Marines and sailors; and
-
Girl Scout
troops in New York sold about 10,000 boxes of cookies earmarked
for U.S. troops serving overseas. In
case
you’re
wondering, I would note that Thin Mints and
Somoas were the biggest sellers.
Then
there was the story of a fourth-grade
lacrosse team, “The Gray Sweeties,” who
dedicated their 2006 season to U.S. airmen.
They were led by one young girl who wanted
to support her brother and his unit, the
43rd Logistics Readiness
Squadron at Pope Air Force Base. The
team’s
hometown, Garden City, New York, lost
nearly 30 people during the attack on the
World
Trade Center. So
throughout the season, the girls proudly
wore the squadron patch on their lacrosse
uniforms as a way to thank our service
members. And to this day, a picture of “The
Gray Sweeties” hangs in the office
of the 43rd LRS.
And that
brings me to my final thought today: Our troops, volunteers
all, are
the heart
and soul
of this nation.
They joined up
to leave the world
as a better
place for all children. This really
hit
home with me two weeks ago when visiting
wounded
warriors at Madigan
at
Fort Lewis.
I had the
opportunity
to greet
and congratulate two new military mothers – their
babies less than 24 hours old. Our
men and women in uniform are giving
something
very special to future
generations: a legacy of service before
self. They are a force for good in
the world.
The Nobel
Prize-winning author Anatole France once said, “To accomplish
great things, we must not only act, but
also dream; not only plan, but also believe.” I
thank all of you not only for your acts
on behalf of our military children, but
for your dreams for them; not only for
your plans for
them but also for believing in them.
Thank you.
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