As the wife of the Vice President of the United States, Karen Pence has a national platform to bring attention to issues that she believes are vital to America’s future. In this role, she has worked to empower and encourage military spouses, a group that often goes unrecognized for the personal and professional sacrifices that they make to support an Active Duty, Reserve, or National Guard spouse.
Mrs. Pence met with military spouses at Fort Carson, Colorado earlier this month to deliver a message of encouragement.
“I can say without a doubt that the strength of our nation does not just come from the people in uniform who fight to protect our freedoms,” she said. “The spouses and the families, who serve alongside them, also make tremendous sacrifices to the greater benefit of our country. Most military spouses do not wear the uniform, but they honorably serve our nation, frequently without their loved ones standing beside them.”
The Second Lady gave out care kits for military children with a deployed parent living at Fort Carson. In the “With You All the Way! Dealing with Deployment” kits, she put a teddy bear, a journal, a guide for families, and postcards. Mrs. Pence invited spouses of congressmen to her home in Washington to assemble the boxes before bringing them to Fort Carson. The kits were made in collaboration with Comfort Crew for Military Kids, a nonprofit organization that provides care packages to help military children cope with a deployed parent.
Loved giving @TheComfortCrew kits to children with a parent deployed at @FortCarsonACS. We are with you all the way! pic.twitter.com/OFY2SsLLYu
— Second Lady Karen Pence (@SecondLady) September 14, 2018
She also recognized the important work that Fort Carson, like many other bases and installations, does to support families of deployed service members. In a statement from the White House, Fort Carson was chosen for a visit due to the 3 brigades, 1 field hospital, and special operators currently deployed. An additional brigade based out of Fort Carson is expected to deploy later this year.
“The pre-deployment fair that you hold here helps prepare soldiers and their families by offering a multitude of resources to help mitigate stress,” she told those gathered. “And I know during deployment, the family readiness groups and the family readiness liaisons frequently set up trainings for specific issues that arise and work to hold special events and share information.”
Mrs. Pence has held roundtable discussions with military spouses and other stakeholders to address the needs of the military community that impact spouses and families. She has championed initiatives in the private sector to increase military spouse employment opportunities. She has also encouraged military spouses to take advantage of their network of fellow spouses to find support, information, and even employment opportunities.
Some of the challenges she has taken on include state licensing requirements, supporting families of deployed service members, portable employment, and supporting military spouse entrepreneurs.
Mrs. Pence spoke as the daughter of an Air Force airman and mother of a Marine pilot.
The Second Lady was joined by numerous senior officers’ spouses, including Karen Kelly, wife of White House Chief of Staff John Kelly. Mrs. Kelly is also a gold star mother of her son, 1st Lt. Robert Kelly who was killed in action in 2010. Other attendees were Leah Esper, wife of the Secretary of the Army, Hollyanne Milley, wife of the Army’s Chief of Staff, Dawn Goldfein, wife of the Chief of Staff of the Air Force General, Sally Lengyel, wife of the Chief of the National Guard Bureau General, and Dawn Schultz, wife of the Commandant of the Coast Guard.
