Senator Patty Murray (above) is the Chair of the Budget Committee. Friday, her office issued the following:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, February 8th, 2013
CONTACT: Murray Press Office
202-224-2834
Murray Discusses Challenges for Military Spouses at Symposium in Tacoma
(Washington, D.C.) -- Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) discussed employment challenges and opportunities for military spouses at the 2013 Military Officers Association of America's Military Spouse Symposium in Tacoma. The event, titled "Keeping a Career on the Move," brought service members, veterans, and military spouses together with local business experts and employers. Senator Murray's remarks focused on the challenges that military spouses face to support their loved ones and her personal experiences from growing up in a military family. As the former Chair of the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs, Senator Murray is a leader in Washington on issues to service members, veterans and their families.
The full text of Senator Murray's speech follows:
"Thank you Admiral Ryan for that kind introduction.
“I’m so pleased to be here today as part of
this important event, and I have to say that it is so great to see that so many
of you came out today to access the resources, advice, and experts that MOAA has
made available to help you all in what I know can be trying times.
“So of course I
want to thank MOAA and all the people who have volunteered their time and energy
to make this event possible.
“But first and
foremost, I want to thank all of you.
“Now, often
times when I thank the spouses of service members I get the same modest answers
back.
“I hear – “oh
don’t thank me, thank my husband or thank my wife” - or I hear “it’s not that
big of a deal.”
“But the truth
is - it is a big deal.
“So I do want
to start by thanking all of you for the unprecedented sacrifices that you – and
all military spouses – have made over the last decade.
“Thank you for
picking up and moving your family – time and time again – in every corner of the
country in order to be with your loved one.
“Thank you for
braving the uncertainty that every new day brings when a spouse is in harm’s
way.
“Thank you for
not only being Mom or Dad - but for sometimes being either, or both, when the
situation calls for it.
“Thank you for
juggling schedules, and practices, and homework when there is so little time in
the day, and for making ends meet when money is tight.
“And finally
thank you for being courageous enough, and self-assured enough to ask for help
when you need it.
“For coming to
an event like this to figure out how the country that your family is sacrificing
for can help provide you with the skills and training to find work or to get
into school.
“I know it’s
not easy.
“But I also
know from my own life that reaching out can really pay off in the long
run.
“As some of you
may know, I grew up in a military family.
“My father
fought in World War II, was one of the first on the beaches of Okinawa, received
a Purple Heart, and came home from war to start a big family in Bothell.
“Growing up, I
was not only a twin, but I was one of seven children…..
“So as you can
imagine, personal space among us kids was a concept we didn’t quite grasp.
“But we were a
close family - not only because we slept and ate elbow-to-elbow - but also
because we were a loving family that had food on the table and lived a
relatively secure life.
“But when I was
15, things for my family changed.
“My father, who
had up until that point run a five and dime store on Main Street in Bothell,
fell ill, was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, and within a few short years he
could no longer work.
“Suddenly
everything fell to my mother.
“My mother who
now found herself with 7 children, a husband whose medical bills were mounting,
and very few of the skills she needed to go out and find a job that would
actually pay her well enough to support our family.
“For a little
while we relied on food stamps.
“For even
longer my siblings and I thought there was no way we would be able to leave our
family and go off to college.
“But my mother
was brave enough to reach out for help – and thankfully the country her husband
had sacrificed for was there to answer her calls.
“Through a
program established by the federal government my mom was able to enroll in
courses at Lake Washington Vocational School where she got a two year degree in
accounting that helped her find work that would support our
family.
“It allowed us
get back on our feet.
“It got us
through a very difficult time.
“And because
that support was there for my mom and for our family, today those seven kids
have grown up to be a school teacher, a lawyer, a homemaker, a computer
programmer, a sports writer, a firefighter, and a US Senator.
“So these days,
whenever I talk to military spouses - who not only faces similar difficulties,
but who also must constantly worry about the safety of their loved
one.
“It forces me
to ask – are we as a nation there for today’s families the way we were there for
mine?
“What are we
doing to keep today’s military spouses and their children above
water?
“The answer is
that we are doing some, but not nearly enough.
“I’m happy that
in recent years we have expanded many of our employment efforts so that they
don’t just focus on veterans and active-duty military members, but also on
military spouses.
“In some
instances this has worked well.
“We have seen
many spouses take advantage of the Military Spouse Employment Partnership, an
Army program that works with Fortune 500 companies that pledge to hire our military spouses.
“And now that
we have expanded it to the spouses of servicemembers in the Air Force, Navy, and
Marines - it is having an even greater impact.
“We have also
seen spouses utilize the Military Spouse Career Center which has centralized
many important resources online.
“But for
other programs, like the Transition Assistance Program that I helped expand, we
still have to get the word out that military spouses can also take advantage of
the training program.
“And for other
federal programs like MyCAA we have been able to attract many military spouses,
only to see the government cut back benefits because of limited resources.
“So the truth
is that our response to the hardships and the unique situation that you all find
yourselves in has been uneven at best.
“And there are
still many things that can be done.
“For one, I
believe that we need to do a better job of reaching out to corporate America on
the benefits of hiring military spouses.
“We talk a lot
about, and I authored legislation on, how to help employers understand the
skills your spouses gained through their military service.
“But we also
have to do more to help them understand what you bring to the table.
“Like your
spouses, you are all used to the sacrifices and compromises that come with being
a team player, you understand hard work and the day-to-day discipline it takes
to succeed both at home and on the job, and importantly, you are resilient and
resourceful in ways that I’m sure few other job candidates are.
“These are
qualities we have to get across to companies large and small.
“Second, we
need to do more to provide opportunities and support for the children of
military families.
“One area that
I have been working on is in helping military families with children who have
disabilities.
“Believe it or
not, today many of the behavioral therapies for children with autism, Down
syndrome, and other disabilities are not covered by TRICARE. I’m fighting to
change that.
“I’m also
working to ensure that school districts like the ones here in the Tacoma area
that are at a disadvantage because they are on or near federal land – and don’t
have the tax base that other schools have – get the support they need.
“Over the
years, I have worked to get millions for the Clover Park school district here
which has faced these challenges and has been affected by steep declines in
enrollment due to parents moving and long-deployments.
“These school
districts are in every part of the country – and they need federal support.
“And finally,
we need to offer more opportunities like this one today.
“Opportunities
for you to join with your peers to swap stories about everything from help
wanted ads to help finding a babysitter.
“And to meet
with experts on how you can translate your diverse and sometimes even
disorganized work history into a resume that will get noticed.
“To learn more
about interview techniques and tips.
“To hear about
workforce training programs and the skills needed to find a job in the in-demand
careers in your communities.
“And to come
together the way only our nation’s military community can to ensure that
everyone has someone to lean on.
“I applaud you
all again for your determination to keep your families and your careers going in
what are often difficult days.
“And I promise
all of you that I will continue to fight for federal programs that help military
spouses, that create opportunities for you to succeed, and that ensure that we
as a nation are there for you and your family, just like it was there for my own
family.
“Thank you for
having me today.”
Sean Coit
Press Secretary
Office of U.S. Senator Patty
Murray
202-224-2834