Effect Change fromtheeditor
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As veterans return from war with unique challenges and the cost of a college education continues to rise, it’s more important than ever to ensure military families get the help they deserve.
On Veterans Day, the country honors the brave men and women, past and pres- ent, who have served our great nation, protecting us and providing us the oppor- tunity to prosper. In honor of Veterans Day, this issue’s
cover story, “Saluting Their Sacrifi ce,” page 60, focuses on those veterans who have returned from Iraq and Afghanistan with physical and psychological challenges — some visible, some not — brought on by war. We provide an excerpt from the Sept. 13 Warrior-Family Symposium, sponsored by MOAA and the National Defense Industrial Association. The stories the participants told during this daylong symposium were inspirational, yet sobering, and gave attend- ees a personal look at some of the incredible challenges and hardships our wounded warriors must endure and conquer upon their return from war. These accounts of being wounded in service and navigating recovery afterward reminded everyone in the room about the personal cost of war to these warriors and their families. One way to truly honor those wounded
*online: Stay up-to-date! Sign up for one of MOAA’s e-newsletters at
www.moaa.org/email. — Capt. Gordon J. Hume, USN-Ret.
warriors — and all who have served — is to hold our government leaders accountable for the commitments they made to those who serve. As part of MOAA’s commitment to keep its members updated, informed, and engaged, Col. Mike Hayden, USAF-Ret., deputy director of MOAA’s Government Relations Department, off ers in “Fact vs. Fiction,” page 54, an examination of defense leaders’ assertions that servicemembers’
12 MILITARY OFFICER NOVEMBER 2012 PHOTO: MIKE OLLIVER
pay and benefi ts will break the Pentagon bank. The analysis and facts presented should assist you in being an informed member of MOAA’s One Powerful Voice®. In this issue, we also debut an eff ort to
provide you a look at how each state stacks up in its support of our military members and their families. In a special 16-page in- sert, “State Report Card,” between pages 44 and 45, we take a look at a variety of at- tributes considered to be military-friendly and how each state is supporting those initiatives. If you see areas in which your state can do more to help military families, we urge you to take action at the grassroots level to eff ect change in your state. Another way to eff ect change is to invest
in the lives of military children. “MOAA Scholars,” page 71, highlights almost 1,000 of the roughly 1,600 students the MOAA Scholarship Fund has assisted in the 2012- 13 academic school year. With college costs rising, the need for fi nancial assistance has never been greater. MOAA is proud of its scholarship program and the opportunities it provides military families. Is your email address up-to-date? If not,
you might be missing a chance to make your voice heard when MOAA asks for your help in supporting our troops and their families. Update your email address today!
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