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Posts Tagged ‘Barack Obama’
Obama: Veterans With Post-traumatic Stress Deserve Best Care
The Veterans Affairs Department will begin making it easier for veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder to obtain the benefits and treatment they need starting next week, President Barack Obama said today in his weekly message, calling veteran care the nation’s “solemn responsibility.”
The full text of the message follows:
Last weekend, on the Fourth of July, Michelle and I welcomed some of our extraordinary military men and women and their families to the White House.
They were just like the thousands of active duty personnel and veterans I’ve met across this country and around the globe. Proud. Strong. Determined. Men and women with the courage to answer their country’s call, and the character to serve the United States of America.
Because of that service; because of the honor and heroism of our troops around the world; our people are safer, our nation is more secure, and we are poised to end our combat mission in Iraq by the end of August, completing a drawdown of more than 90,000 troops since last January.
Still, we are a nation at war. For the better part of a decade, our men and women in uniform have endured tour after tour in distant and dangerous places. Many have risked their lives. Many have given their lives. And as a grateful nation, humbled by their service, we can never honor these American heroes or their families enough.
Just as we have a solemn responsibility to train and equip our troops before we send them into harm’s way, we have a solemn responsibility to provide our veterans and wounded warriors with the care and benefits they’ve earned when they come home.
That is our sacred trust with all who serve – and it doesn’t end when their tour of duty does.
To keep that trust, we’re building a 21st century VA, increasing its budget, and ensuring the steady stream of funding it needs to support medical care for our veterans.
To help our veterans and their families pursue a college education, we’re funding and implementing the post-9/11 GI Bill.
To deliver better care in more places, we’re expanding and increasing VA health care, building new wounded warrior facilities, and adapting care to better meet the needs of female veterans.
To stand with those who sacrifice, we’ve dedicated new support for wounded warriors and the caregivers who put their lives on hold for a loved one’s long recovery.
And to do right by our vets, we’re working to prevent and end veteran homelessness – because in the United States of America, no one who served in our uniform should sleep on our streets.
We also know that for many of today’s troops and their families, the war doesn’t end when they come home.
Too many suffer from the signature injuries of today’s wars: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury. And too few receive the screening and treatment they need.
Now, in past wars, this wasn’t something America always talked about. And as a result, our troops and their families often felt stigmatized or embarrassed when it came to seeking help.
Today, we’ve made it clear up and down the chain of command that folks should seek help if they need it. In fact, we’ve expanded mental health counseling and services for our vets.
But for years, many veterans with PTSD who have tried to seek benefits – veterans of today’s wars and earlier wars – have often found themselves stymied. They’ve been required to produce evidence proving that a specific event caused their PTSD. And that practice has kept the vast majority of those with PTSD who served in non-combat roles, but who still waged war, from getting the care they need.
Well, I don’t think our troops on the battlefield should have to take notes to keep for a claims application. And I’ve met enough veterans to know that you don’t have to engage in a firefight to endure the trauma of war.
So we’re changing the way things are done.
On Monday, the Department of Veterans Affairs, led by Secretary Eric Shinseki, will begin making it easier for a veteran with PTSD to get the benefits he or she needs.
This is a long-overdue step that will help veterans not just of the Afghanistan and Iraq Wars, but generations of their brave predecessors who proudly served and sacrificed in all our wars.
It’s a step that proves America will always be here for our veterans, just as they’ve been there for us. We won’t let them down. We take care of our own. And as long as I’m Commander-in-Chief, that’s what we’re going to keep doing. Thank you. …more
President Issues Military Spouse Day Proclamation
WASHINGTON, May 7, 2010 – President Barack Obama has issued a proclamation declaring today as Military Spouse Appreciation Day.
Here is the text of the president’s proclamation:
When Americans answer the call to serve in our Armed Forces, a sacred trust is forged. Our men and women in uniform take on the duty of protecting us all, and their spouses and families also help shoulder this important responsibility.
As we mark Military Spouse Appreciation Day, we reaffirm our steadfast commitment to supporting and honoring the husbands, wives, and loved ones of our Nation’s servicemembers.
At the heart of our Armed Forces, servicemembers’ spouses keep our military families on track. They balance family life, military life, and their careers — all while supporting other military families and giving back to their communities. Many have served in uniform themselves and, understanding the obligations involved, can provide unparalleled support. They are pillars of strength in their families, often celebrating their children’s life milestones while the other parent is away.
Military spouses also care for our wounded warriors and honor the memory of our Nation’s fallen heroes, including their own loved ones. They impact countless lives on military bases and in schools, places of worship, and neighborhoods across our Nation. Their contributions help protect our freedom by strengthening our communities and our servicemembers.
My Administration is committed to improving opportunities and quality of life for these brave spouses and families who know the separation and stress of war. We are increasing servicemembers’ compensation as well as funding for better housing, job training, counseling, outreach, and support for spouses and their families. We are also expanding our ground forces to reduce the strain of repeated deployments, and to give servicemembers more time with their loved ones.
There are many ways for each of us to show our appreciation for military spouses. Working through community-based organizations, workplaces, schools, and places of worship, we can help them support their families, establish or build a career, and address the unique challenges they face.
I am inspired every day by our men and women in uniform and their families. They are America’s greatest military asset, and my Administration is committed to fulfilling our obligations to them. Today, let us honor the spouses and families who support our servicemembers and, in doing so, help defend our Nation and preserve our liberty.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the
United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim May 7, 2010, as Military Spouse Appreciation Day. I call upon the people of the United States to honor military spouses with appropriate ceremonies and activities.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this sixth day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand ten, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-fourth.
Barack Obama
Obama Signs Caregives and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act
Along with their loved ones, we give thanks every time our men and women in uniform return home. But we’re forever mindful that our obligations to our troops don’t end on the battlefield. Just as we have a responsibility to train and equip them when we send them into harm’s way, we have a responsibility to take care of them when they come home.
As Michelle and Dr. Biden have reminded us in all their visits to military bases and communities, our obligations must include a national commitment to inspiring military families —- the spouses and children who sacrifice as well. …more
Vets Salute Obama on Funding
President Obama is struggling to fulfill campaign promises to pass energy and immigration measures, but he’s poised to notch another victory for a stump-speech vow: to make sure veterans’ funding isn’t held hostage to the government’s bad finances.
While watchdogs caution there’s still a long list of problems for veterans, all sides agree the President Obama has made big strides on promises he made in 2008 when competing for military votes against Republican nominee and Vietnam veteran Sen. John McCain – to fully fund the Veterans Administration, expand access to care in rural areas and improve treatment for mental health conditions, such as post-traumatic stress disorder.
“The accessibility with this administration has been outstanding. They listen, they reach out to the veterans’ service organizations, they see the value in communicating,” Peter Gaytan, executive director of the American Legion, the nation’s largest veterans’ organization, with 2.5 million members. …more
President Obama Launches Major Veterans Employment Initiative
November 9, 2009
Washington, DC – Today, the White House announced the launch of an initiative that is designed to transform the federal government into the model employer of America’s veterans. This evening, President Obama will be joined by Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki, Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis, Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano and Office of Personnel Management Director John Berry to sign an Executive Order on the Employment of Veterans in the federal government, which establishes the Veterans Employment Initiative for the Executive Branch. The Initiative underscores to federal agencies the importance of recruiting and training veterans, aims to increase the employment of veterans within the Executive Branch, and helps recently hired veterans adjust to service in a civilian capacity.
“Honoring our sacred trust with America’s veterans means doing all we can to help them find work when they come home so they never feel as if the American Dream they fought to defend is out of reach for them and their families,” said President Obama. “But this initiative is about more than repaying our debt for their courageous service and selfless sacrifice. It’s also about continuing to fill the ranks of federal employees with men and women who possess the skills, dedication, and sense of duty that Americans deserve from their public servants. And few embody those qualities like our nation’s veterans.”
Veterans Day Message from President Obama
Today, on Veteran’s Day, my message to you is simple: Thank you. Thank you for your selfless service, for your valor, and your strength of purpose that make all of us proud to be Americans.
Today, Americans will pause amidst a great conversation about the future of our nation to take a moment and recognize your service to our democracy — a service that guarantees us all the liberty to engage freely in that conversation, no matter what our views may be.
We know that we owe you a debt which cannot be repaid. But we can and will fulfill our nation’s promise to stand by you and your loved ones. That is why we’ve worked hard for better care for our veterans, and why we provided the largest increase in Veterans Administration funding in history.
Today, we honor those Americans past and present who’ve served on battlefields from Lexington to Antietam, Normandy to Manila, Inchon to Khe Sanh, Ramadi to Kandahar. You have defended our freedom on land, and at sea, and in the air.
You reflect the diversity that makes this America. You share a patriotism beyond question. And you share the same unflinching courage, selfless compassion, and uncommon camaraderie that — when faced with the tragedy of a despicable and heartbreaking attack last Thursday — the soldiers and civilians of Ft. Hood humbly revealed to the world.
You and your loved ones are the patriotic men and women we honor today, Veterans Day. And you are the men and women we shall honor every day, in times of war and times of peace, so long as our nation endures.
Thank you.
President Barack Obama
President Proclaims Military Family Month
WASHINGTON, Nov. 2, 2009 – President Barack Obama pledged his support of military members and their families and said Americans have a “solemn obligation” to preserve their well-being in his proclamation declaring November as Military Family Month.
The proclamation reads:
“No one pays a higher price for our freedom than members of our Nation’s military and their families. As sons and daughters, husbands and wives, and mothers and fathers are deployed, military families endure with exceptional resilience and courage. They provide our troops with invaluable encouragement and love, and serve our Nation in their own right. During Military Family Month, we honor the families of our Armed Forces and thank them for their dedication to our country.
“Though only a small percentage of our Nation’s population, our troops bear the great responsibility of protecting our people. They, along with their families, serve us every day with courage and dignity. Ensuring that military families receive the respect they deserve and the support they have earned is a top priority for my Administration.
“The strength of our Nation is measured not just by our success on the battlefield, but also by our ability to support those families who have made so many sacrifices for us. Time and again, military families have shown their heart in the face of adversity. We have a solemn obligation to ensure that while our men and women in uniform discharge their duties, we do all we can to promote and preserve the well-being of their families. We must also support the families of our wounded warriors and our fallen heroes who have paid the ultimate price for the freedoms we enjoy.
“This month, we celebrate the tremendous contributions of military families, convey to them our deepest respect and appreciation, and recommit ourselves to their support.
“NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim November 2009 as Military Family Month. I call on all Americans to honor military families through private actions and public service for the tremendous contributions they make in the support of our service members and our Nation.”
Obama Touts VA, DOD Funding During Speech
WFTV-TV Orlando, FL broadcast that during a speech in Jacksonville, Florida, on Monday, President Barack Obama “had a important message” for US troops and “400,000 veterans living around Central Florida.” Obama “highlighted increased funding” for the VA and the DOD,…
President Signs Bill to Expand Veteran Benefits
The President speaks at the signing of a bill that will increase the VA budget, help fund the post 9/11 GI Bill, and dramatically increase funding for veterans health care. October 22, 2009.
Senators Ask Obama to Review Personality-Disorder Discharges
WASHINGTON — In the Senate, Barack Obama fought for better mental-health care for troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.
Now that he’s president, some of his former colleagues want him to pick up the gauntlet once more and make sure troops are getting the benefits they deserve.
“In 2007, we were partners in the fight against the military’s misuse of personality disorder discharges,” four senators — Democrat Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas and Republicans Charles Grassley of Iowa, Kit Bond of Missouri and Sam Brownback of Kansas — wrote in a letter this week asking Obama for a report to Congress on the current use of the discharges. “Today we urge you to renew your commitment to address this critical issue facing thousands of returning service members.”
Because the military views personality disorders as a pre-existing condition, many service members returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan with mental health problems have been unable to receive health benefits. There have been questions, however, about how scrupulous the military has been in making sure that the personality disorder discharges were proper.