Military spouses have the ear of U.S. Sen. Robert Casey Jr. (D-Pa.) and 19 other senators who last week formed the Senate Military Family Caucus, a bipartisan group that will focus on issues facing the families of active, Reserve/Guard and veteran servicemen and women.
Casey wasted no time tapping his military constituents for input. On Thursday he hosted a roundtable discussion with military spouses and representatives from a variety of military family groups. The roundtable at the headquarters of the Army Reserve’s 316th Expeditionary Sustainment Command in suburban Pittsburgh drew participants from across Pennsylvania.
“I’m grateful for the opportunity to mostly listen, because that’s something we don’t do enough of in Washington (D.C.),” Casey said.
He listened as Kathy Kling, whose husband serves as an Army flight medic, related her own family’s struggles with repeated deployments during her husband’s 16-year career.
“It is difficult, but it’s an extraordinary life,” said Kling, who heads the Pennsylvania Chapter of Blue Star Families. “I wouldn’t trade one day of it for anything.”
When she was young, Kling’s daughter thought her father abandoned her when he deployed overseas. When he called home, she didn’t want anything to do him. It took about month to work through the issue, but eventually she was excited to talk to daddy every chance she got.
“She didn’t sign up for this,” Kling said. “Nobody asked her what she wanted.”
Robin Edwards is the state youth coordinator for the Pennsylvania National Guard (PANG). She outlined the services available to the families of both Guard and Reserve members in Pennsylvania, where most military families have to drive many miles to take advantage of resources at active duty military bases. The PANG Child & Youth Program’s services include teen summer camps, tutoring, day and overnight events, Hero Packs, grants and YMCA memberships.
The office also works with schools to help them understand issues related to deployment. “When you let the schools know, they really do step up a lot of the time,” Edwards said.
Casey, who is not a veteran or military brat, said he is relying on input from military spouses to help him understand their needs.
“In order to maintain a highly effective force, we not only have to take care of the men and women in uniform, but also their families who patriotically share the sacrifices of military service,” Casey said. “As an elected official, it is my duty to understand the challenges military families face and do everything possible to provide them with the support they deserve.”
Casey recently introduced the Military Spouse Job Continuity Act, which would offer a tax credit of up to $500 to military spouses who have to transfer a professional license across state lines when they PCS.
The Senate Military Family Caucus will work closely with the recently formed House Congressional Military Family Caucus to improve programs and services available to military families, including childcare, education, employment, health care and the effects of multiple deployments on the mental health and well-being of spouses, caregivers and children.