Marine Corps Community, Marine Corps Spouse and Family Resources - Marine Corps Times

War-weary spouses make their voices heard on Capitol Hill: Navy wife’s feedback spurs bill to aid combat vets

When Navy spouse and author Kristin Henderson was interviewed on NPR about her book “While They Were at War,” she discussed the challenges military families face. An aide for Rep. Patrick Kennedy, D-R.I., heard the interview and asked her to come to his office to share what she knew.

“I had thought I’d be nervous, but I wasn’t — I just started talking, dumping on them everything I knew that military families were up against,” Henderson said.

When she brought up how combat trauma can affect families and how service members need to learn “mental health first aid” from the moment they enter basic training to reduce the stigma associated with getting help, Kennedy got excited. He is an advocate for mental health issues.

That meeting planted a seed resulting in Kennedy’s July introduction of a bill calling for improved mental health care for combat veterans. The “Psychological Kevlar Act of 2006,” HR 6003, was introduced too late in the year to have any hope of passing, but Kennedy’s staff members wanted to start the process to raise interest. They are researching and soliciting input on how to make this bill stronger for reintroduction in 2007.

Anyone who has lived with a veteran suffering from combat stress knows that preventive care and better access to post-deployment care would make a difference in the day-to-day lives of military families. We teach service members how to take care of their bodies and equipment in combat. But we don’t equip them with much in the way of psychological coping tools until just before they deploy, or even afterward. Introducing preventive mental health skills in basic training would create a climate of awareness and reduce the stigma associated with seeking help.

This is just one example of proposed legislative action that might affect military spouses. If bills like this matter to us, we need to make our voices heard in Congress. Bills with the most interest from constituents will get greater attention and be more likely to pass. If you think this bill makes sense, write your representatives and tell them it matters.

Can one person writing her congressman really make a difference? Of course.

As Joyce Raezer, the director of government relations for the National Military Family Association, says, “Members of Congress really do want to support military families — they may not know how. Most have never served in the military or their service was so long ago that they need to hear from military [people] serving today. They welcome military family input.”

NMFA has been making our voices heard in Congress for many years. As a result of NMFA testimony on Capitol Hill, many aspects of our military life have changed for the better. But it can’t do this work alone — it needs input from you.

If you’re not sure what to bring to your representatives’ attention, one great way to find out is by signing up for NMFA’s free weekly e-mail update on legislation important to military families. Visit www.nmfa.org, where you’ll find the e-newsletter subscription link in the “Government & You” section.

If you visit the site before Jan. 31, you can quickly and easily add your opinion to the mix by taking a survey; you’ll find it at www.nmfa.org/whatsimportant.

So what issues are important to you? Should the Defense Department do more to support families of deployed service members? Is helping military spouses in their careers a priority? How about making it easier for you to get an appointment at your local military medical facility? Should Congress provide bigger military pay raises or housing allowances?

NMFA is preparing its list of legislative and policy goals for the coming year. It will be asked by lawmakers and others about the challenges military families face, about what’s working for them and about what is important to them. Here’s your chance to help NMFA tell Congress what really is important to military families. The more survey responses it has, the better.

Whenever you have a specific issue about which you want to express your opinion, you can write directly to your state representatives — even if you don’t know who your state reps are — by visiting www.house.gov/writerep. You never know when you might plant a seed that results in positive change for military families.

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Kathie Hightower and Holly Scherer are military spouses who have written articles and presented workshops based on their research and experience for more than 10 years. They are the authors of “Help! I’m a Military Spouse — I Want a Life Too!” Send your questions and suggestions to marriedtomilitary@atpco.com.