Leaders must focus on military families, McHugh says

It is the families on the front lines when it comes to them coming home, and one day, being able to be sent back again. It is the families on the front lines for the rest of their lives as well when they do not go back. This we've heard before, but this may be just more talk instead of plans we waited for.

Leaders must focus on families, McHugh says

By Karen Jowers - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday Oct 6, 2009 17:22:24 EDT

If Army leadership doesn’t take care of the Army family, then the leadership has failed.

That, said new Secretary of the Army John McHugh, is one of the lessons he took away from his 17 years in Congress, delving into military quality-of-life and personnel issues.

At a family forum of about 800 people at the Association of the U.S. Army’s annual meeting, McHugh said he has a lot of things to focus on as the new top civilian Army leader. But when it comes to challenges, “preeminent in my mind is ensuring we take care of soldiers, and that means taking care of their families,” he told the attendees — more than half of whom were family readiness group leaders.

In his discussions with Army uniformed leaders during his first two weeks in the job, McHugh said, he has been “uplifted by the fact they understand.”

Army Chief of Staff Gen. George Casey, Vice Chief of Staff Peter Chiarelli and Lt. Gen. Robert Wilson, chief of the Army’s Installation Management Command, are “leading in this initiative to do a better job for families,” McHugh said.

He said it is critical to encourage bases — from the unit level on up — to “think innovatively to implement programs that tend to the needs of Army families.”
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http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/10/military_mchugh_families_100609w/