The president addressed the public from our nation’s military headquarters today to unveil the outcome of the months-long Defense Strategic Review.

He talked about our military’s successes: “We’re turning the page on a decade of war,” the president said. “Three years ago, we had some 180,000 troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. Today, we’ve cut that number in half. And as the transition in Afghanistan continues, more of our troops will continue to come home.  More broadly, around the globe we’ve strengthened alliances, forged new partnerships, and served as a force for universal rights and human dignity.”

And he talked about the government’s responsibility to its troops: “We owe them a strategy with well-defined goals; to only send them into harm’s way when it’s absolutely necessary; to give them the equipment and the support that they need to get the job done; and to care for them and their families when they come home.  That is our solemn obligation.”

But most crucially, he and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta talked about the coming changes to our military as we reach this next “moment of transition.”

“The size and the structure of our military and defense budgets have to be driven by a strategy, not the other way around,” the president said. “We can’t afford to repeat the mistakes that have been made in the past -- after World War II, after Vietnam -- when our military was left ill prepared for the future.”

What does this mean for our current military service members? No concrete numbers were offered today – specific details about reductions in our numbers of ground troops haven’t been revealed yet. But the message was clear: In the years to come, our country will have a smaller active-duty force than we have had during these 10 years of war. There will be more emphasis on high-tech solutions (including unmanned drones) and special operations. And when future conflicts arise, National Guard and Reserves forces will increasingly step into combat roles.

On the Military Spouse magazine Facebook page, many readers were upset about today’s announcement. Although specific details on how many troops will be downsized weren’t announced today, many of our readers were against the idea of shrinking our ground forces now that the Iraq war has ended.

“Weakening our National defense is the last thing that needs to be done in this day and age where the middle east hates the western way of life. Sorry but there are other ways of cutting back to help our national debt problem,” posted Valerie Garbo.

And we heard this from Jamie Ferrell-Killaly: “Since we don't know for sure what all this entails, I do know that there has to be some cuts; I see on a daily basis money just thrown down the drain. My husband got his Master's at AFIT and the school wanted his thesis to be submitted for possible solutions to the budget. His idea was shot down because there are some that are very set in their ways and don't like what technology has to offer. So we'll continue to pay some civilian six figures to sit around to do the same job a soldier has been trained to do. I could really get started on this stuff, but I'll step back and wait to see what the President has to offer.”

Other readers had a different take, like Jaye Lawrence, who posted this: “Look, folks, unless you want to see us at war forever, there WILL be troop reductions. No matter who is in office, Democrat or Republican. No nation keeps its forces at these incredibly expensive wartime levels during peacetime, and the plan is for us to gradually withdraw from Afghanistan as we withdrew from Iraq. If you want peace, you have to accept military downsizing. You'd be better served to agitate for downsizing that retains the best & brightest & most loyal, in the most urgently needed specialties, vs. trying to fight the inevitable downsizing that will come.”

We’d love to hear your opinion. Please post below or join the conversation in our forums.

As 2011 draws to a close, we’re looking back on the many moments that drew the attention of our community. We’ve listed 20 here, but there were plenty of others worth noting. You’re invited to add to this list in the comments section below.  And let us know: Which were the most important to you? 

January: Military spouse and Congressional Representative Gabrielle Giffords was shot at a public event in Arizona. Her recovery continues.



February: The Congressional Military Family Caucus held their first summit in Washington, D.C., focusing their energies on supporting our community.

March: A devastating earthquake and tsunami hit Japan, affecting millions of Japanese citizens and many U.S. military families. Since then, a group of military spouses have spearheaded ongoing relief efforts.

March: The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Department of Labor Veterans’ Employment and Training Service held the first of 100 Hiring Our Heroes job fairs for veterans and military spouses. These events will continue into 2012.

April: The Joining Forces initiative was launched by Michelle Obama and Jill Biden. Some military families criticized the program as a political move, but others applauded this groundbreaking effort to get civilians thinking about military families.

April: As debate and disagreement dragged on, the federal government nearly shutdown until an interim budget was agreed on by Congress. Months later, budget deadlocks and disagreements continue.

May: Bianca Strzalkowski was named Military Spouse of the Year, and began working on an initiative to gain increased funding for military spouse education.

May: Sept. 11^th mastermind Osama Bin Laden was apprehended and killed by U.S. forces in Pakistan.

June: Senator Richard Burr’s “Caring for Camp Lejeune Veterans Act of 2011,” which provides medical care for those exposed to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune between 1957-1987, was approved by the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee. Somewhat controversially, Burr included a provision that would pay for that medical care by removing the appropriations that help cover the cost of the military commissaries. The bill is awaiting debate in the Senate. 
 

July: The future king and queen of England, who are a military couple, packed care packages for U.S. military families alongside MissionServe and Blue Star Families at a Hiring Our Heroes event in Los Angeles.  

August: Thirty U.S. troops (22 SEALs and eight Army and Air Force service members) were killed when a Chinook helicopter was shot down over Afghanistan. It was the largest loss of life in a single incident during the Afghanistan war.

August: President Obama publically challenged corporate America to hire more veterans and spouses, proposing tax credits for organizations that support our heroes.

August: Military Spouse magazine founder and executive editor Babette Maxwell was featured on an NBC Nightly News segment, bringing national attention to the unique and challenging lives of America’s military spouses.

September: Our country marked the 10^th anniversary of the Sept. 11^th attacks and the start of the Afghanistan conflict.

September: The much-debated “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” rule was repealed. An extensive survey of the military by the Department of Defense and a survey of civilians by the Gallup organization showed widespread support for the repeal.

October: General Martin E. Dempsey took over as the 18th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, upon the retirement of Navy Admiral Mike Mullen.

October: The former leader of Libya’s oppressive government, Muammar Gaddaffi, was captured and killed by rebel forces who had toppled his regime. 


 

November: Veteran’s Day took place on 11/11/11, which won’t happen again for 100 years.

December: Sen. Mark Warner held a town hall meeting to hold Lincoln Military Housing accountable for mold issues at privately managed military housing units in Virginia. Warner pledged to continue pushing the issue until all problems are resolved.

December: The nearly 9-year-long Iraq War officially ended. A small contingent of U.S. civilian experts remain to assist the Iraqi government on its path toward increased stability, but our troops have come home.

What other moments mattered most to you? Tell us below.

The Dept. of Defense requires that all service members be vaccinated against influenza. But for military dependents, as with all other Americans, getting the flu vaccine is optional—and it’s often something we’re too busy to get around to doing.

Recent Dept. of Defense guidance states that military family members, including children, are a top priority for receiving first-available flu vaccine doses on base each year. We wanted to offer a reminder that flu season has begun and it’s important to make sure your children are vaccinated. An average of 20,000 children under the age of 5 are hospitalized each year due to influenza complications, according to the CDC.

Dr. Henry Wojtczak, a pediatric pulmonologist with decades of experience in military family health and wellness, spoke to Military Spouse about the importance of flu vaccine. He points out that the flu vaccine is available for free to everyone within the military healthcare system.

But, “many people fail to realize the benefit of having every child flu vaccinated. Children who go unvaccinated have a 40-45% risk for influenza infection, which leads to many missed school days, and likely missed workdays for parents,” he says. “Young healthy adults do not see the need for receiving flu vaccine, even though up to 20% of people in this group will get influenza each year.”

Both the traditional “flu shot” and the nasal spray (“FluMist”) are available through the Dept. of Defense. Many DOD healthcare facilities will conduct "flu clinics' to maximize access to the vaccine (ask at your base clinic or check the base newspaper for details). But the vaccination is covered by TRICARE, so you can get in anywhere—not just at your installation.  

One last reminder from Dr. Wojtczak: Immunity wanes over time, so a vaccination from last year won’t necessarily protect you this year.  

We wanted to update you about renewed debate over the Stolen Valor Act.

In 2007, California resident Xavier Alvarez claimed to be a Marine vet and Medal of Honor recipient during a public meeting. He was indicted under the Stolen Valor Act, which was passed by Congress in 2006. That law makes it a crime to lie about having earned military medals.

When Alvarez appealed the conviction, the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals voted to strike down the law. Today, it was announced that the Supreme Court will decide in 2012 whether that law is constitutional.

Free speech is the issue: One of the judges involved in the California case pointed out that people frequently lie about themselves when they interact socially. Should the law say that people can be jailed for lying about their personal history? How much First Amendment protection should a person get for false statements? We'd love to hear your thoughts on this subject.

More than a dozen people have been arrested since the law was passed. Most weren’t seeking any financial benefit from their false claims of valor, and most who were convicted have been sentenced to community service, rather than jail time.

Arguments will take place in the early months of 2012 in the case of U.S. v. Alvarez, 11-210.

At Military Spouse magazine, we’re always thrilled when a military spouse is recognized for doing meaningful work in his or her community. So we’re happy to bring you the story of Terry Dougherty.

Terry is a third-grade teacher, a mother and 30-year military spouse (USCG). Earlier this year, she was nominated by the local Rotary club in her area for the “Great American Teach-Off” contest, hosted by the University of Phoenix and a website called Good.

Fast-forward to this month: Terry was named one of 10 finalist in the competition. And this week she made it through the first round of elimination: She is now one of 8 finalists still competing.

Here’s how it works:

            Each week during October, videos are posted at www.good.is/gato in which the finalists answer questions about education and how they work with their students. Visitors to the site can watch the videos and vote for their favorite teacher. The bottom two vote getters are eliminated at the end of each week.

What does the winner get? A $10,000 classroom grant for their school. 

We invite you to watch the videos at the site and listen to Terry, who currently teaches at Roland Rogers Elementary School in Galloway, N.J.

Calling all crafters, and readers with craft-loving kids:

We're devoting several pages in our December issue to crafts and we'd love to include your favorite projects on our pages. It can be something with a military or holiday theme, or anything else that you enjoy creating.

You can post the instructions in the comments section below, or post on our Facebook page, or email us the information at editorial@milspouse.com. Please include the instructions for your craft project, along with your name, your location (installation or town/city) and your branch of service. And if you'd like, you can tell us a bit of background: Why do you like making this particular craft and how did you get started doing it?

If you'd rather mail us an example of the craft project or you'd like to send the instructions by ground mail, you can find us at 429 Mill St., Coraopolis, PA 15108.

Thanks very much,

The MSM editorial team