Lincoln Awards Concert for Veterans and Military Families

A Concert for Veterans and The Military Family
PBS
May 22, 2015
Lincoln Awards
Enjoy a concert in celebration of the Lincoln Awards, which recognize outstanding achievement and excellence in providing opportunities and support to veterans and military families.

Nightshift PR on PTSD or Something Else?

First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden Visit ‘The Night Shift’
Military.com
JAMES BARBER
MAY 1, 2015

On Monday May 4th, NBC’s medical drama The Night Shift welcomes special guests Trace Adkins, Dr. Jill Biden and First Lady Michelle Obama for a special episode to promote the White House’s Joining Forces initiative. Cast members Robert Bailey Jr, Eoin Macken and Jill Flint joined Dr. Biden and the First Lady to make a PSA promoting the program.

We’ve got video of the PSA below, along with an interview with Trace Adkins (who plays Colonel Elwood “Smalls” Green, TC’s MMA group therapy leader) and Eoin Macken (who plays series lead character TC, a veteran doctor who’s coping with PTSD). Adkins and Macken talk about the episode and their efforts to aid the men and women who serve.
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If it is for PTSD, then great. If it is for this group, then I think I'll pass

"I’ve been associated with the Wounded Warrior Project now for as long as they’ve been around, almost seven or eight years now. That’s one of the most gratifying things I’ve done in my career. It’s just amazing to get to know some of these heroes and to see them progress through their journey as they make the transition back into civilian life. It’s very gratifying to be part of an organization that helps them do that."
Trace Adkins

What good has "raising awareness" done when there are more veterans committing suicide than before? What good does it do to "raise awareness" when the military/veterans community has been aware of the problems veterans face for decades? Oh, by the way, while the misinformation on the number of suicides continues to be repeated, what keeps getting missed is most of them are over the age of 50 and not included in on any of the "awareness" this group does. I lost count on how many groups have just followed their lead instead of doing what has been needed all along.


The Night Shift - Michelle Obama and Jill Biden Guest Star (Sneak Peek)
Apr 29, 2015
The hardworking staff of San Antonio Memorial gets a special thank you from First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden! All-new The Night Shift, Monday at 10/9c.

Michelle Obama encourages businesses to hire veterans in Disney speech

Michelle Obama encourages businesses to hire veterans in Disney speech
Workshop helps to find work for vets
WESH 2 News
By Gail Paschall-Brown
Nov 14, 2013

ORLANDO, Fla. —First Lady Michelle Obama was the keynote speaker at the Disney Veterans Institute on Thursday to talk about veterans and jobs.

Michelle Obama will be speaking at the Veterans Institute Workshop in Orlando on Nov. 14.

It was a one-day seminar where the theme park giant and other leaders shared information to help companies build their own veteran-hiring programs.
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First Lady Michelle Obama at the DAV Convention

First Lady Michelle Obama addressed the Disabled American Veterans Convention in Orlando today. She talked passionately about what it was like to spend so much time with military families but it was when she told the story of Marine Cpl. Winder Perez who not only survived being hit by an RPG, but the fact it had not exploded when other Marines risked their lives to save his. Of how the helicopter crew risked their lives and of how a bomb tech risked her life for the sake of this one Marine.

Amazing true story and in case you missed it, it was on CNN in 2012 and on Wounded Times. You have a live RPG in your leg

This is part one of two videos I shot today. I had us the feed footage because it seemed like everyone wanted to get pictures and got in the way of my camera.



President Obama's speech is being processed now so check back in a little while.

Technical Certifications for Veterans to Help Transition

First Lady Unveils Certification Plan for Veteran Jobs
By Terri Moon Cronk
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, April 29, 2013

First Lady Michelle Obama today unveiled the new Information Technology Training and Certification Partnership to put thousands of service members to work with industry-recognized IT certifications in hand before they leave the military.

Obama, who made the announcement at the White House Forum on Military Credentialing and Licensing at the White House, said a public-private partnership will offer the certification program.

“This new partnership will provide up to 161,000 service members with the chance to gain the certifications they need for 12 different high-demand, high-paying technology careers … from IT security analysts to computer programmers to quality assurance engineers,” she noted.

The program is expected to garner more than 1.8 million jobs by 2020, with salaries of more than $81,000, a White House fact sheet indicated.

“More than 1 million service members will be hanging up their uniforms and transitioning to civilian life … on top of the hundreds of thousands of veterans and military spouses already out there looking for work,” the first lady said.
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Why does the National Review pretend to care about troops now?

Why does the National Review pretend to care about troops now?
by Kathie Costos
Wounded Times Blog
March 1, 2013

Once again the disinformation sucks the truth out of our country like the sinkholes in Florida.

This is yet one more load of political BS! First, Congress is responsible for funding and coming up with Bills for the troops and veterans among everything else. Obama as with all Presidents, sets out what he wants done but in the end, it falls under the control of Congress. Much like when President Bush sent troops into two wars but there were less doctors and nurses working for the VA than there were during the Gulf War. Amazing isn't it? It was not Bush's fault no one planned for the wounded two wars would create but it was in fact Congress that dropped the ball. Of course no one talked about it because that would have looked bad especially when it was Republicans doing the damage much like no one wanted to talk about how every defense of this nation failed on the one day they were all needed, or talked about the failure of sending troops into combat in Iraq.

What happened was a massive backlog of claims they were also not talking about.

I wrote this when Congressman Miller decided to finally talk about all of this.

In 2007 we had to deal with this. Neglect? The VA's current backlog is 800,000 cases And then by December of 2007, there were these reports.

The agency’s new plan to hire at least 150 new appeals judges to whittle down the backlog, which has soared to 755,000 from 311,000 in 2000, will require $100 million more than the president requested this year and still more in the future. The plan has been delayed by the standoff between Congress and the White House over domestic appropriations.

148,000 Vietnam Vets sought help in last 18 months

Followed by this one.

VBA's pending compensation and claims backlog stood at 816,211 as of January 2008

Followed by this one

VA reported 879,291 claims were in backlog

And ending 2008 with this one.

806,000 Veterans backlog claims listed

And then this

VA Claim backlog hit 915,000 on May 4, 2009

As you can see, none of this is new. While it would have been easy to just deal with the backlog of cases and ignore the veterans left behind from Vietnam, the rules were changed to try to do the right thing even though it meant the challenge would be greater especially when Congress did not do their job and make sure the funding and staffing were all in place. The backlog has been exacerbated by the administration’s 2010 decision to accept 260,000 previously denied and new claims associated with Agent Orange exposure.

Did the Republican "trusted" sources report on any of this? Hell no. This was and is horrible for the troops and veterans because at the same time sites like National Review were pretending to be patriotic, they were playing politics when wounded veterans were suffering from neglect. Telling the truth and paying attention is our responsibility so the general public knows what is going on. They will not take a stand for the troops or veterans if they believe lies like this one.

The rest of us know how much Michelle Obama cares about the troops, veterans and their families. If Republicans feel like idiots, they have their own media to blame.

Just Props: The Obama Administration Fails Veterans
National Review
By Pete Hegseth
February 28, 2013

What are we to make of Michelle Obama’s satellite appearance at Sunday’s Academy Awards ceremony, in which she announced the “Best Picture” Oscar while surrounded by a phalanx of uniformed military personnel?

Almost immediately, questions were raised as to the appropriateness of using service members as “props” in a commercial entertainment broadcast. I tend to agree it was inappropriate, especially since the first lady made no mention of the troops decorating her appearance. Even so, it was a relatively minor offense.

But perhaps we should be grateful to the White House for making it crystal clear otherwise that, when it comes to our military personnel and veterans, this administration’s priorities are definitely “just for show.” The fact is, the Obama administration’s support for post-9/11 veterans has been anything but awards-worthy.

Just look at the dismal situation at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, where a persistent backlog of benefits claims has left hundreds of thousands of veterans in limbo.

According to a report published in the military newspapere Stars and Stripes just this week, the claims backlog has actually grown by 7 percent from a year ago, in spite of VA secretary Eric Shinseki’s promises of speedier service.
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Obamas Urges Nation to Thank Veterans

Obamas Urges Nation to Thank Veterans
President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama are wishing Americans a Merry Christmas and happy holidays in the president's weekly radio and Internet address.
Dec 22, 2012

In Fla., first lady praises military families

In Fla., first lady praises military families
By Gary Fineout -
The Associated Press
Posted : Friday Apr 13, 2012

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — First Lady Michelle Obama steered clear of an ongoing political controversy over mothers and work and instead used a Thursday evening stop in Jacksonville to praise military families. Mrs. Obama visited Naval Air Station Jacksonville as part of the one-year anniversary of her Joining Forces program, which aims to help veterans and their families.

BOB SELF / THE FLORIDA TIMES-UNION VIA AP First Lady Michelle Obama and the teen daughters of military families react to the annoucement that they would receive gift certificates from JCPenney on Thursday at Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Fla. Mrs. Obama visited NAS Jacksonville as part of the one-year anniversary of her Joining Forces program.

She was greeted in a wide-open hangar by hundreds of high-school aged girls whose parents are in the military. During the hour-long event, television star Ellen DeGeneres appeared remotely via a big projection screen and told all of the young women that they were getting a $250 department store gift card that they can use for their upcoming proms.

The first lady said it was important to recognize that the children of people in the military are also making sacrifices and must often move from school-to-school, or deal with prolonged absences of one of their parents.

“You have lived lives that make you incredibly special,” Mrs. Obama said. “...You don’t take your families for granted.”
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First lady plugs Joining Forces on ‘Colbert’

First lady plugs Joining Forces on ‘Colbert’
The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Apr 12, 2012 8:14:53 EDT

WASHINGTON — First lady Michelle Obama appeared Wednesday on Comedy Central’s “The Colbert Report” to plug the anniversary of her Joining Forces initiative designed to honor U.S. troops and their families, particularly by helping find employment for veterans returning from war.

“We have seen people hiring our veterans and finding wonderful flexible opportunities for spouses because employment is a key issue for these families,” Mrs. Obama said of the program she began with Jill Biden, the vice president’s wife.
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Watch it here
Michelle Obama on Colbert Report
April 11, 2012 - Michelle Obama Views: 7,410 Aired: 04/11/12 Episode: 08084 Troops and their families face unique economic challenges, Stephen trains a Marine to be a pundit, and Michelle Obama voices support for military families.

Obamas give holiday tribute to the troops

Obamas give holiday tribute to the troops
The Associated Press
Posted : Saturday Dec 24, 2011

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama is wishing a Merry Christmas and happy holidays to all Americans in his weekly radio and Internet address, with a special message of thanks to the troops.

“Let’s take a moment to give thanks for their service; for their families’ service; for our veterans’ service,” the president said Saturday. “And let’s say a prayer for all our troops standing post all over the world, especially our brave men and women in Afghanistan who are serving, even as we speak, in harm’s way to protect the freedoms and security we hold dear.”
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First lady, TV show bring attention to veterans

First lady, TV show bring attention to veterans
By Lynn Elber - The Associated Press
Posted : Saturday Sep 24, 2011
LOS ANGELES — Michelle Obama found an unusual ally — reality TV — in her effort to bring attention to the needs of military families.

The first lady, appearing Sunday on the two-part season premiere of “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” (7-9 p.m. EDT) says the program was the right platform for the cause.

“We live in a media age, and one of the things we still share is our love of television” and the stories it can tell so effectively, Obama said. “We thought this was an extraordinary venue to highlight the struggles and challenges and triumphs of a special family.”

Barbara Marshall of Fayetteville, N.C., who served in the Navy for 15 years, was dismayed by the number of homeless female veterans and established Steps-N-Stages Jubilee House to provide shelter, counseling and other aid. When the house grew cramped and inadequate, “Extreme Makeover” and the first lady stepped in.

She joined with series host Ty Pennington, a local builder and community volunteers on the Jubilee House project and was on hand at the unveiling to surprise Marshall.
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Michelle Obama helps build home for homeless women veterans

In North Carolina, under a blazing sun, the First Lady lent a hand to crew and volunteers building "Steps N Stages Jubilee House," a boarding home for homeless women veterans.

Her visit was filmed for an episode of "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" that drew a huge crowd early in the day, hundred of fans hoping to see Michelle Obama in person. For some of these fans, the wait was overwhelming. The Times Union reports "the early afternoon heat and excitement got the best of some and a handful of people fainted, requiring the care of emergency medical crews."

But for the most part, the event was a success, if a sweltering hot one. Obama took a tour of the project with Barbara Marshall, herself a 15-year Navy veteran who allowed her own home to be demolished to make room for the boarding house, playhouse, greenhouse, and resource center-- all intended to function as shelter for women veterans. Several families will be able to live in the new building.
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First lady speaks to Vt. guardsmen, families

First lady speaks to Vt. guardsmen, families
Burlington (Vt.) Free Press
Posted : Thursday Jun 30, 2011 17:21:27 EDT
SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vt. — First lady Michelle Obama spoke to military families here on Thursday, telling them that Americans stand ready to support them.

“We have you in our hearts, we have you in our prayers, we have your back,” she said.

Obama was in Vermont for a fundraiser for President Obama.

Veterans and military families were invited to the event at the National Guard Aviation Support facility. Michelle Obama expressed support to military families for their service.

Last year, 1,500 Vermont National Guard members deployed to in Afghanistan for a year. It was the largest deployment since World War II.
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First lady speaks to Vt. guardsmen, families

First Lady and Hollywood joining forces for those who serve

News: First Lady and Hollywood joining forces

Office of the Chief of Public Affairs Los Angeles
Story by Sgt. 1st Class Duane Brown

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. – First Lady Michelle Obama, U.S. Armed Forces service members and the Writers Guild of America come together to participate in a panel discussion to inform the Hollywood community on ways it can support the military and its Families at the WGA Theater in Beverly Hill, Calif., June 14.

The event was initiated by the First Lady Michelle Obama highlighting the Joining Forces initiative, and a task force of top level producers, writers and directors in Hollywood with the goal to inspire the entertainment community to create more television, feature film and Internet projects about military Families and the military.

Obama and Dr. Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden, created the Joining Forces initiative to help the nation understand "That when our country goes to war, we have families that are serving right along with them."

When Obama began on the campaign trail, she spent a lot time meeting with working women. As she toured the country and began to meet with working military spouses on service installations, she began to realize how little she knew about what they go through.

“I didn’t come from a military Family,” said Obama. “I began to realize how little I knew, so I began to ask the question, ‘why?’”

After researching the issues and working with Dr. Biden, they came to the conclusion that military service members represent only one percent of our population, but they shoulder the responsibility of protecting our entire Nation. Missing birthdays, anniversaries, graduations and so many of the daily moments we spend with the people we love, they make incredible sacrifices. But , they don’t make them alone.
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First Lady and Hollywood joining forces

First lady at West Point: Keep families in mind

First lady at West Point: Keep families in mind
By Michael Hill - The Associated Press
Posted : Friday May 20, 2011 20:48:20 EDT
WEST POINT, N.Y. — First lady Michelle Obama urged more than 1,000 cadets Friday night on the brink of graduating to keep in mind the families of the soldiers they will lead.

Obama addressed the white-clad cadets and their families gathered in the U.S. Military Academy’s castle-like mess hall for a graduation-eve banquet. It marked her first trip to the storied academy and dovetails with her recent work on behalf of military families.

“You’ll be helping your troops deal with the joy of a new birth and the disappointment of not being in the delivery room,” she said. “You’ll be helping a soldier cope with a family emergency halfway around the world.”

She noted that more than half of service members are married and 40 percent have two or more kids.

Obama is the only first lady to address cadets at their graduation banquet — a rare occasion for them to wear their dress whites and dine with their relatives. The mess hall was filled with thousands more family members in suits and dresses dining on filet mignon and garlic mashed potatoes.

Obama reminded cadets that they not only must support their soldiers’ families, but that their families helped them to this point in their careers.
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First lady at West Point: Keep families in mind

First Lady Aims to Improve Military Families’ Lives with Joining Forces

American Forces Press Service

First Lady Aims to Improve Military Families’ Lives

By Elaine Sanchez
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, April 25, 2011 – First Lady Michelle Obama stood tall behind a podium in the White House’s East Room, her husband close at hand, as she addressed a packed audience of high-ranking military and government officials.


Although it was a high-powered crowd, the first lady wasn’t there for the officials or for the star-studded brass. She was there to speak for military families.

As the flashes of hundreds of cameras lit the room, the first lady unveiled an unprecedented initiative intended to draw the entire nation together in support of military families.

This is about “the extraordinary military families who serve and sacrifice so much every day,” Obama said. One Marine wife, tightly gripping her husband’s hand, wiped away tears.

The event marked not only the launch of the “Joining Forces” campaign, but also the culmination of a long journey to improve military families’ lives. Over the past two years the first lady, with Dr. Jill Biden at her side, has traveled to bases -- stateside and overseas -– to meet with military spouses and to advocate for funding on their behalf.

“This is the moment that we’ve been working toward for such a very long time,” she said.
For Obama, it’s a journey that began even before her husband took the oath of office. Just over two years ago, she hit the campaign trail and met with working women to discuss the challenges of balancing work and family while “staying sane.”
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First Lady Aims to Improve Military Families’ Lives

Michelle Obama, Jill Biden talk about Military families on the View

Michelle Obama, Jill Biden talk military families, other issues, on 'The View'
By: CNN Political Producer Shannon Travis
Washington (CNN) – First lady Michelle Obama and Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden, appeared on ABC's "The View" on Monday to talk about the challenges military families face and urged Americans to do more to support them.

And since the show is known for casual chats, Mrs. Obama and Mrs. Biden also discussed other subjects, such as how each woman reacts to political criticism of their husbands, the upcoming presidential race – even how President Obama, as a dad, is handling his oldest daughter's becoming a teenager.

Most of the talk focused on support for military families. In the audience were service members and their families, some of whom explained the challenges they face as they serve abroad while loved ones must care for family matters at home.

The issue is one that Mrs. Obama and Mrs. Biden have long been passionate about. Last week, the first lady and Mrs. Biden visited four states, in two days, to raise awareness about the needs of families of military service members.

"We're trying to expand public awareness. Because our military families sacrifice so much for us," the first lady said. "And most Americans are probably like I was. Not really recognizing the sacrifices and the challenges that these families make."

Obama said that the focus on the campaign, titled "Joining Forces: Taking Action to Serve America's Military Families," will be on employment, mental health and wellness for troops and their families and education.

Mrs. Biden urged Americans to commit to acts of kindness.

"Go to your schools or your churches or your communities and find out [who] the families who are," she said.
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Michelle Obama, Jill Biden

First lady wants you: to help military families

First lady wants you: to help military families
(AP) – 20 hours ago
WASHINGTON (AP) — Drawing in everyone from Best Buy's Geek Squad to the Afghan war commander fired by her husband, Michelle Obama ramped up her campaign to support military families on Tuesday and prodded everybody else in the country to get in on the act.

The first lady, joined in the East Room by the president and Vice President Joe Biden and wife Jill, launched "Joining Forces," an initiative to help military families who face a long list of unique challenges, such as moving around a lot and having a parent or spouse facing wartime perils far away.

Mrs. Obama didn't dangle federal grants or incentives, rather a call to be civic-minded.

"This is a challenge to every segment of American society not to simply say thank you but to mobilize, take action and make a real commitment to supporting our military families," Mrs. Obama said.

President Barack Obama, for his part, said it was time to do more to support "the force behind the force."

"They, too, are the reason we've got the finest military in the world," he said.

Over the past year, Mrs. Obama's primary focus has been an ambitious campaign against childhood obesity, in which she urged businesses, non-profits, school and others to get involved in fighting the problem. Now Mrs. Obama, working closely with Mrs. Biden, wants to use that same model to tackle military family issue.

As a down payment, the White House released a list of companies and groups that already have signed on to the effort.

For example, Best Buy's Geek Squad will help military families use technology to connect with loved ones who are deployed, Sears and WalMart will offer transfers to employees who are military spouses who have to move, and the national PTA will expand efforts to help military children adjust to new schools.

Mrs. Obama, in an interview with The Associated Press, said she first got to know about the special challenges facing military families during the 2008 presidential campaign, as she met with military spouses while participating in roundtable discussions with women.
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First lady wants you: to help military families

Michelle Obama honors military families on Oprah

Michelle Obama honors military families on Oprah

CARYN ROUSSEAU
Associated Press
January 27, 2011

CHICAGO (AP) — First lady Michelle Obama urged Americans during an episode of the "The Oprah Winfrey Show" that aired on Thursday to offer more support for the country's military families.

"There are things as a nation we can do big and small," Obama said during the episode, which was taped on Jan. 21. "And it's not a difficult thing to do."

The first lady has become an advocate for military families has traveled to military installations to talk with service members about their needs and concerns and has urged Americans to volunteer time to help them. On Thursday, she visited the Army's largest training post at Fort Jackson outside Columbia, S.C., and said the military's new exercise regimen and healthier foods could be a model for others across the U.S.

Her appearance on Winfrey's show comes after President Barack Obama announced new government-wide initiatives to support military families, including programs aimed at preventing suicide and homelessness.
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Michelle Obama honors military families on Oprah

For other stories from this program and more on Oprah go here
The Bravest Families in America

New website highlights support for military families

New website highlights support for families
By Karen Jowers - Staff writer

Posted : Friday Jul 23, 2010 17:03:36 EDT

Those who devote large amounts of their time and effort to help military families now have a way to share their stories with the nation.

“As a military mom, I’ve seen firsthand how acts of kindness can improve the life of a service member,” Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden, told about 1,300 people who attended the annual conference of the Military Child Education Coalition.

To showcase the efforts of those who support military families, Jill Biden and First Lady Michelle Obama have worked with the Corporation for National and Community Service to create a website dedicated to military families and veterans at http://www.serve.gov.

Biden noted that the site is a work in progress, but she urged people to share their stories about how they are supporting a military family, “whether it’s offering to mow their lawn, or bake cookies, or just go over with a movie and popcorn, or organizing a care package event in your neighborhood.”

“We want to hear your story about how you’re supporting those who serve us every day,” she told the group of teachers, counselors, administrators and other educators, military families, service and defense officials who work with military children, and members of private organizations.

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New website highlights support for families