Military Family Month, 2010

Proclamation 8590 of October 29, 2010

Military Family Month, 2010

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

We owe each day of security and freedom that we enjoy
to the members of our Armed Forces and their families.
Behind our brave service men and women, there are
family members and loved ones who share in their
sacrifice and provide unending support. During Military
Family Month, we celebrate the exceptional
contributions of our military families, and we reaffirm
our commitments to these selfless individuals who
exemplify the highest principles of our Nation.

Across America, military families inspire us all with
their courage, strength, and deep devotion to our
country. They endure the challenges of multiple
deployments and moves; spend holidays and life
milestones apart; juggle everyday tasks while a spouse,
parent, son, or daughter is in harm's way; and honor
the service of their loved ones and the memory of those
lost.

Just as we hold a sacred trust to the extraordinary
Americans willing to lay down their lives to protect us
all, we also have a national commitment to support and
engage our military families. They are proud to serve
our country; yet, they face unique challenges because
of that service. My Administration has taken important
steps to help them shoulder their sacrifice, and we are
working to ensure they have the resources to care for
themselves and the tools to reach their dreams. We are
working to improve family resilience, enhance the
educational experience of military children, and ensure
military spouses have employment and advancement
opportunities, despite the relocations and deployment
cycles of military life. Our historic investment to
build a 21st-century Department of Veterans Affairs is
helping to provide our veterans with the benefits and
care they have earned. We are also standing with our
service members and their families as they transition
back into civilian life, providing counseling as well
as job training and placement. And, through the Post-9/
11 GI Bill, our veterans and their families can pursue
the dream of higher education.

However, Government can only do so much. While only a
fraction of Americans are in military families, all of
us share in the responsibility of caring for our
military families and veterans, and all sectors of our
society are better off when we reach out and work
together to support these patriots. By offering job
opportunities and workplace flexibility, businesses and
companies can benefit from the unparalleled dedication
and skills of a service member or military spouse.
Through coordination with local community groups,
individuals and organizations can ensure our military
families have the help they need and deserve when a
loved one is deployed. Even the smallest actions by
neighbors and friends send a large message of profound
gratitude to the families who risk everything to see us
safe and free.

As America asks ever more of military families, they
have a right to expect more of us--it is our national
challenge and moral obligation to uphold that promise.
If we hold ourselves to the same high standard of
excellence our military families live by every day, we
will realize the vision of an America that supports and
engages these heroes now and for decades to come.

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 2010 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
support of our service members and our Nation.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
twenty-ninth day of October, in the year of our Lord
two thousand ten, and of the Independence of the United
States of America the two hundred and thirty-fifth.