First Lady Michelle Obama, Dr. Biden Address Marines at Camp Lejeune

REMARKS BY THE FIRST LADY AND DR. BIDEN

TO BASE COMMUNITY

Goettge Memorial Field House

Camp Lejeune, North Carolina

10:02 A.M. EDT

DR. BIDEN: Good morning. I’m Jill Biden and I am a proud military mom. I’m delighted to be back here at Camp Lejeune, and I’m especially fortunate to be here today with General Dunford and Bonnie Amos, wife of the Commandant of the Marine Corps.

Looking out at this crowd of Marines and their amazing families, one word comes to mind: Oo-rah!

AUDIENCE: Oo-rah!

DR. BIDEN: I love that. (Laughter.)

When I visited two years ago, I was struck by what an amazing community you have here. I’ve had the honor of spending precious time with some of the Marines and family members of the 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion who were about to deploy to Afghanistan.

I shared their pride, their concern and even their tears. And as always, it was the mothers who sought me out. They knew that I understood the powerful mix of emotions they were feeling at that moment.

As I greeted the mother of a young Marine, she gave me a tight hug. I encouraged her to hang in there, hang in there. And in that strong way only a Blue Star mom could, she said something to me I'll never forget. She said, “Every day. Every day.”

I understood exactly what she meant because my son, Beau, has been a member of the Delaware Army National Guard for the last 10 years. In 2009, he served a year in Iraq. I’m very proud of him, but I also know how tough it can be when a family member is in a war zone thousands of miles away. I know how much you worry. I know how much you pray.

So to each of you and to your families, please accept our heartfelt thanks for your service to our nation.

While I was here, I also had the privilege of visiting the Wounded Warrior Battalion where I met injured Marines whose overriding concern was when they could return to their units. And while we can never repay these brave soldiers for their sacrifice, we can and must always make sure that we never forget them.

And I visited some dedicated students at Coastal Community College just down the road -- students like Julia Frost who in addition to being a former active duty Marine and a wife of a current Marine, was taking courses to become a teacher.

Every person I met demonstrated that you are real heroes, service-members and families alike, from the moms and dads who keep your families together while your loved ones are serving overseas, to the grandparents who step in with much needed support, to the children who are so strong and brave while their mom or dad is away from home.

You go about your business every day, lifting up your communities, volunteering at your schools, lending a hand to your neighbors. And you do it all while carrying a heavier burden than most folks can imagine. You are truly remarkable.

And you are not doing it alone. The people in the surrounding Lejeune community who are supporting our troops and their families are showing all Americans that there are countless ways to help -- some large and many small, but all are important.

And I can tell you, from personal experience, all appreciate it. We can all join forces.

That's why the First Lady and I are here today, because we need all Americans to support our military families the way you do it here.

With that, I'd like to introduce my dear friend, my Joining Forces partner, and our amazing First Lady of the United States of America, Michelle Obama. (Applause.)

MRS. OBAMA: Thank you. (Applause.) Thank you all. Thanks so much.

(Applause.) Thank you. And thank you, Jill. I am so grateful to have such a magnificent friend and partner in Jill. She’s just been amazing in so many ways. And I am grateful, grateful.

I also want to recognize General Dunford; Major General Jensen; Mrs. Bonnie Amos, the wife of the Commandant of the Marine Corps; Mrs. Liz Kent, the wife of the Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps. I also want to recognize Senator Kay Hagan who is here with us today. Please, Kay, stand, because she flew all the way back here from Washington to be here. (Applause.) And I am so grateful to Kay for all her support. And of course North Carolina’s First Gentleman Bob Eaves, as well, thank you so much for taking the time to be here. (Applause.) And thank you for your work on behalf of the military and their families.

And of course, I want to thank all of you -- all of you -- here at Camp Lejeune.

Now, the stories like the ones that Jill told are exactly why we’re here today. We can’t tell you how much it has meant to us to have the chance to meet all of you, to hear your stories, and quite frankly to steal a few hugs from your kids, because they’re all so cute! It’s usually the best part of the visit.

All of you -– the Marines, the Sailors, the spouses, the children, the grandparents and everyone else out there –- you all are incredible. You all are incredible. Your strength and spirit inspire me every single day. And I mean that. And I’m so thankful that I’ve had the opportunity to learn from so many of you over the past few years.

No matter whether it’s been meeting with soldiers and families at Fort Bragg or other military bases, or sitting down at policy meetings with your commanders, or seeing the courage of our wounded warriors in hospitals all over this great nation, or feeling the strength of the families of one of our fallen heroes, you all have opened your arms, you’ve opened your hearts. You’ve shown me what being in a military family is all about.

And I know that every single member of a military family is serving this country, whether you’re wearing fatigues or whether you’re wearing hospital scrubs or a business suit or an elementary school uniform.

For all of you out there who might be spouses or moms or dads, I know that you’re doing it all. I know that you’re cooking breakfast before dawn. I know that you’re shuffling the kids off to school and heading off to work for a full day yourself.

I know that you’re trying to balance your own career. Many of you are hitting the books, trying to complete your own degrees at the same time.

I know that you’re getting your kids off to their Little League teams, helping them with their school projects, hosting birthday parties.

And while all of this is enough to fill any family’s plate, yours is also full of so much more. It includes everything that comes with having a family member in the military. And America needs to know.

With each move, you know that means yet another school for your kids. You know it means another new job for yourselves.

With each deployment, you run your household by yourself and you watch as your kids grow up just a little bit faster because mom or dad is away.

And night after night, you pray, you pray that the next newscast or the next knock on the door will bring only good news.

And you do it all with such dignity, with such grace that most Americans don’t even realize what you’re going through.

Military families are so good at keeping everything together that it’s almost like you’re wearing camouflage, even though you’re not the ones on the battlefield. People can’t always see your special brand of service because you don’t wear it on your sleeve.

Take Tanya Queiro, for instance, from right here at Camp Lejeune. A Marine for 12 years herself, Tanya is married to another Marine who’s still on active duty. Together, they have three kids between the ages of 10 and 14. And she’s pursuing a doctorate in organizational psychology. She works full-time as a human resource specialist, while also volunteering as a mentor to other military spouses. And she’s done it all through at least eight of her husband’s deployments, which last more than six months at a time.

But even with all these achievements and contributions, do you know what Tanya says? And these are her words. She says, “I don’t think I’m a super-woman and I don’t think I really do anything extra-ordinary.”

And that’s just it. That's just it. Your ordinary is extraordinary. Your ordinary is extraordinary for anyone.

And that’s why Jill and I are here today. We want everyone in this country to know just how extraordinary military families are.

And that’s why we’ve launched the Joining Forces campaign. Now, this is a nationwide effort to bring Americans together to recognize, honor and serve our nation’s military families. And we’re going to focus on the things that military families like yours have told us that you care about most; things like employment and education and wellness and mental health. These are the issues military spouses brought up as we’ve been traveling around the country. They’re the concerns we’ve heard from troops who just want to make sure their families are taken care of when they’re deployed.

And so we’ve put out a call; a call to action to every sector of our society so that everyone mobilizes to do what we can to make a real commitment to support military families like yours.

And our motto is simple: Everyone can do something. Everyone can do something. Everyone can ask themselves, “What can I do to give back to these families that have given our country so much?”

And I am pleased that Americans of all kinds are already stepping up to answer that call. And you all should know that. People are excited to help. They’re pumped up.

We’re joining forces across the federal government. My husband directed his federal agency -- all of them; not just the Departments of Defense and the VA, but all of them, to identify ways that they could make life easier for all of you. And in January, they came back with nearly 50 commitments –- everything from improving access to mental health care and childcare, to helping spouses and veterans find jobs.

We’re joining forces with businesses and non-profit organizations across the country. Companies like Sears, and Kmart and Sam’s Club, they’ve promised us that if a military spouse who works at their stores has to move to a new duty station, they’ll do their best to have a job waiting for those spouses.

Siemens told us that they’ll set aside 10 percent of their open positions for veterans.

The SCORE Foundation and partners like Wal-Mart, and Cisco, Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft said that they’ll provide materials and services to 16,000 veterans and spouses to help them start successful small businesses.

Reach Out and Read will distribute 400,000 books to military kids.

The PTA and the Military Child Education Coalition have committed to help schools across the country better understand the unique challenges that military children face.

And let me tell you, the list goes on and on and on. And after today’s launch, we’ve gotten even more calls from more businesses and more non-profits across this country.

We’re joining forces with individuals and communities, so that each of us finds our own way to serve the military families who are our neighbors and our co-workers and our classmates, because mostly, this is about joining forces with you. We want to make sure that these commitments make a real difference in your lives.

And this isn’t going to be a one-way street, because we really need to hear back from you so that we can keep finding ways to work together and lighten the load for our military families. We need to hear from you. This doesn’t matter if it’s not hitting you where you live. So we’re going to need to know.

And that’s something that all of you here in Jacksonville know a whole lot about, stepping up in a community, because the military and civilian communities here have been joining forces for decades. We’re here because this is a model of what can happen.

I’ve heard about how the Beirut Memorial outside of town was built. I’ve heard about how, in the face of a tragedy, the citizens and businesses of Jacksonville came together to raise funds and gather donations in order to honor our fallen heroes and their families.

And in the decades since that time, this community’s commitment has never wavered. That's what I’ve been told.

To this day, this community is holding fish fries and selling hot dogs out of backs of trucks to raise money for military causes. I hear that the local businesses here give donations to military families in need. The car dealerships sponsor scholarships for kids of Marines. I know that the YMCA here has worked with your schools on programming to help children adjust to the transitions of military life.

And I know that your own young people are getting involved in very special ways, like 17-year-old Margaret Rochon, who was honored as one of the nation’s military children of the year just last week. I got to meet her. Very special young woman.

Margaret single-handedly convinced six nationally recognized experts to come lead a seminar for some of your schoolteachers about the effects of PTSD on military families. This young girl did this. Now it’s part of the formal annual training for teachers in Onslow County, I’m told. And she did it all while volunteering more than 500 hours right here in this community. That's what Margaret did. And she’s a kid.

So, all these stories -- and there are so many more -- all these stories are beautiful. They’re inspiring. And they show something very important. They show the rest of the nation that you don’t have to be the First Lady of the United States, you don't have to be a CEO, you don't have to be a General to get involved in this effort.

And that’s exactly what we want to accomplish with Joining Forces. Our goal is for every community in America to feel like this one feels. This is the model -- for every school to understand the challenges of being a military child. We want every business to do something, to do anything, to show their support; for community groups, and faith communities, and individuals to take every step they can so that military families know that they never have to go it alone.

And we want to make sure that these commitments last, no matter who the President is, who controls Congress, no matter if we’re in a time of war or in a time of peace, because the truth is, showing our gratitude to those who serve this nation, whether they’re on the battlefield or right here at home, is something that every single one of us, as an American, can and should get behind.

This is something that we all can believe in –- as neighbors, as community members, but most importantly, as Americans.

So I truly hope that this initiative makes a real impact in your lives. I really hope it does. And I hope that this is worthy of the strength and the service and the commitment that your families demonstrate every single day. That is our hope.

And so to all of you here, I just want to say thank you. Thank you for setting that example for the rest of us. And thank you for being so extraordinary.

May God bless you all, and may God bless the United States of America. Thank you. (Applause.)

END 10:23 A.M. EDT

Photo source: The Department of Defense

Author: U.S. Government

Permission: Public Domain

A Warrior's Curse: Required Reading for 2012 Presidential Candidates and the Nation

U.S. Marine Vet's Powerful Essay Addresses PTSD and Honors Troops

In May of this year, I filmed an exclusive and explosive interview with United States Marine Corp veteran Bob Cuba, Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). Cuba served two tours of duty as a sergeant and agreed to appear on the Internet news/talk show version of this blog to discuss the horrors he experienced and witnessed while fighting in Iraq. He also appeared to address many of the myths and outright lies surrounding Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), a condition Cuba has waged a valiant battle against for the last several years.

An outspoken advocate on matters concerning PTSD and U.S. military veterans, Cuba recently submitted an essay, which is a world exclusive, for publication on this blog. “A Warrior’s Curse” cuts through all the psychobabble and innuendo about PTSD and, in true Marine fashion, addresses it in an extremely direct, no-nonsense and powerful way.

I truly believe that A Warrior’s Curse provides great insight and possible methods for treating PTSD -- and helping veterans -- from the greatest possible source: a veteran who was on the front line, diagnosed with the condition, and watched fellow Marines die while serving their country.

Candidates will soon announce they intend to make a run for the White House in 2012. All will have aspirations about being the most powerful political figure on the planet, but how many of them are willing to take the country to war at a moment’s notice. In addition, what are they willing to do for current veterans and those fortunate enough to return home after engaging in bloody and brutal conflicts in the name of America?

A Warrior’s Curse delves deep into these issues in a blunt and concise manner, and everyone in this nation, from President Barack Obama to Al Pacino to Joe Scarborough to “Joe and Jane Six Pack”, is urged to read it, especially if they truly, truly give a damn about the men and women of the United States military.

A Warrior’s Curse

It’s not new by any means and has been called by many names. It was called “soldier’s heart” during the Civil War, shell shock in World War I, battle fatigue in World War II and Korea, and since the Vietnam War it has been known as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). No matter the name, it’s still the same thing. However, it’s not a disease and it’s not a mental illness. PTSD is psycho-spiritual manifestation of an incomplete rite of passage that results from modern society’s ignorance and its refusal to properly honor the warriors that wage war on their behalf.

Previous civilizations recognized the need for a warrior class to serve as protectors. These warriors placed their very lives in danger and were often rewarded with special honors and status in society. Sadly, that is no longer the case, as war has evolved to a point where destruction is immeasurable and the violence unthinkable. It can only be compared to Hell itself. Although, I suspect Hades would be a bit less traumatizing.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) defines PTSD as “a psychiatric disorder that can occur following the experience or witnessing of life-threatening events such as military combat, natural disasters, terrorist incidents, serious accidents, or violent personal assaults like rape. People who suffer from PTSD often relive the experience through nightmares and flashbacks, have difficulty sleeping, and feel detached or estranged, and these symptoms can be severe enough and last long enough to significantly impair the person's daily life” (Ford, Huber and Meagher 1).

In addition, the DVA notes “PTSD is marked by clear, biological changes and psychological symptoms. PTSD is complicated by the fact that it frequently occurs in conjunction with related disorders such as depression, substance abuse, problems of memory and cognition, and other physical and mental health conditions. The disorder is also associated with impairment of the person's ability to function in social or family life, including occupational instability, marital problems and divorces, family discord, and difficulties in parenting” (Ford 1-2).

While modern medicine does, in fact, provide for the ability to recognize symptoms, it fails to take into account the humanity of the people it diagnoses and completely ignores the soul, which, though intangible, is what defines a person. War kills the soul -- in the sense that it will never be the same; it is transformed when innocence is lost and seeks to become wise in its place. When a soul in unable to make that transition, when it cannot grow, then the reality of combat remains forever present as though the warrior is still there, fighting. In the case of the soldier, this is not a mere psychological disorder. It is a spiritual condition that feels more like a curse than anything else.

Is it any wonder that experts have absolutely no idea how to deal with the most devastating condition afflicting thousands of men and women serving in the Armed Forces? They just don’t know how to address the problem and openly admit it. According to the Institute of Medicine (IOM) “there is no generally accepted and used definition for recovery in PTSD” (IOM 4). Particularly disturbing, is it not?

There is a very good reason for this madness. The experts can’t figure it out because they are the product of the society in which they are born and because you have to be engaged in war in order to know what it actually does to you. Consider all of the external factors – public resistance and denial of government elected and appointed officials, military brass and biased researchers that are trying through influence to disguise the problem, while proposing that it’s something that will just…go away -- and you have a winning combination for destroying yet another generation of our nation’s finest men and women, who -- as the warriors of antiquity -- put their lives on the line for the safety and security of the entire population.

Look no further than September 11, 2001, as an example. Do you remember how angry the majority of Americans were and how easily and quickly we embraced men and women of the Armed Forces as they went off to war? But now they are forsaken, misunderstood and abandoned because there is something that is far more important than the well being of our nation’s heroes. What is that? The answer is money; the cost of providing adequate care for our veterans is too high for an ungrateful nation.

The argument that “generous VA disability payments may act as a disincentive to recovery” (Satel 2) might be a good indicator as to why there is no effective way to treat PTSD. It implies that the veterans whose lives are being devastated by their war experiences just don’t want to let go of their petty compensation payments for their suffering and so they make no effort to recover. What? These men and women gave everything but their lives, which they would have gladly sacrificed for their country. As a result, they suffer and that’s their fault? They don’t deserve to be treated in this fashion or dishonored in any way, and this is one of the major reasons so many of them cannot make the transition to civilian life.

There is no place for the veteran in our consumer-oriented society. We expect them to reintegrate without regard to their valor, to their sacrifice, as though nothing had happened and shun them if they dare expect gratitude, let alone a place of honor among us. They are expendable, mass-produced fighting machines no better than a car, to be hauled away as junk when the engine doesn’t turn properly anymore. Veterans Day is just another day off from work or to go out, enjoy family and, maybe, drink a little beer. At most, the veterans get a parade here and there, but as soon as it’s over they’re forgotten once more.

Our society is the absolute antithesis of the ancient and medieval ones, where the warrior was celebrated and respected. “Make no mistake about it, the veterans of this country want nothing more than to become successful and productive members of the society we fought so hard to defend” (Leal Jr. 4). Truer words have never been spoken, but how can they?

We have been at war in two separate theaters of operation -- Afghanistan and Iraq -- for the better part of a decade with no end in sight. Moreover, we don’t just ask our men and women in uniform to go to war once; we ask them to go back again and again, year after year. In one of the studies conducted, it was determined that “the prevalence of PTSD increased in a linear manner with the number of firefights during deployment: 4.5 percent for no firefights, 12.7 percent for three to five firefights, and 19.3 percent for more than five firefights” (Norton 2). But keep in mind, this by no means takes into account other traumatizing events like surviving a mortar attack or exposure to an improvised explosive devise, commonly known as an IED, which is the most common form of engagement used by the enemy in the aforementioned regions. Therefore, it’s reasonable to expect that a sizable percentage of combat veterans will exhibit symptoms of PTSD. Why is it, then, that with all the resources available to the richest, most powerful nation in the world, there is still no effective way to treat PTSD?

Medication does not work in any meaningful way other than in suppressing the symptoms of PTSD, and that is in no way, shape, or form a solution. Psychotherapy is pointless because the therapists avoid talking about the actual war experience, and even if they didn’t, they wouldn’t understand anyways. War can only be experienced and understood from a personal standpoint.

Furthermore, PTSD groups are more depressing than they are helpful. So what can be done? The ideal solution would be to go back in time and prevent these wars from happening in the first place, but that would’ve been unlikely. This is not the kind of war that can be won, so we should cut our losses and recall the troops. The latter is also unlikely.

The first thing that we need to do is realize, like it’s some kind of scientific breakthrough, that “people don’t have nightmares about, ‘It’s another Groundhog Day…they have nightmares about the killing they’ve done and seen” (Weinstein 2). Next, make people aware of the fact that the killing that was done and witnessed by American troops was on behalf of and at the request of the government of the United States and therefore, the people. We cannot and, indeed, should not continue to place the burden of responsibility on the shoulders of our veterans because they only followed orders.

Finally, while honoring their service, we must also honor the veteran -- including those currently serving on active duty -- in a personal and meaningful way, instead of the empty displays of feigned gratitude that we are accustomed to. We must take good care of them because, when all is said and done, they took good care of us as a nation -- and they did so while making sacrifice after sacrifice. Once America begins to make good on this promises, the veteran’s rite of passage will be completed…. and they will begin to heal.

Cited works for this essay include the following:

"The Iraq War Has Increased the Number of Veterans with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder." Behavioral Disorders. Ed. Louise I. Gerdes. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2010. Opposing Viewpoints. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 15 Nov. 2010.

"Most Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Therapies Are Ineffective." Behavioral Disorders. Ed. Louise I. Gerdes. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2010. Opposing Viewpoints. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 15 Nov. 2010.

"Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Is Over-Diagnosed." Veterans. Ed. Margaret Haerens. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2011. Opposing Viewpoints. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 15 Nov. 2010.

"Better Mental Health Outreach Is Needed for Veterans." Veterans. Ed. Margaret Haerens. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2011. Opposing Viewpoints. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 15 Nov. 2010.

"Mentally Ill Veterans Need More Effective Psychotherapy." Mental Illness. Mary E. Williams. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2007. Opposing Viewpoints. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 15 Nov. 2010.

"Honest Discussion About Killing Can Help Soldiers with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder." Behavioral Disorders. Ed. Louise I. Gerdes. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2010. Opposing Viewpoints. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 15 Nov. 2010.

Photo source: Bob Cuba, OIF, USMC Veteran

Copyright: Bob Cuba, OIF, USMC Veteran

From The G-Man: Season 1, Episode 4

War and PTSD: A Former Marine Speaks Out

Former U.S. Marine sergeant Bob Cuba, who served two tours of duty in Iraq, reveals the truth about the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, how the mainstream media distorts the facts, the suicide of a fellow Marine, and his endless and painful battle with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

This is an extremely powerful episode that the Obama administration, high-ranking military officials, soldiers and their families, and every American should watch, especially if they have loved ones in the war zones!

This exclusive interview provides an uncensored examination of the consequences of war and how it completely alters a soldier's life. Please share this link/episode with as many people as possible. Doing so could save millions of afflicted soldiers in America and abroad. Thank you.