For Immediate Release
Office of Mrs. Bush
April 30, 2003
Remarks by Mrs. Bush at Senate Spouses Lunch
Thank you, Fran and Diane. I always look forward to this
luncheon - to this time with each other and the chance to share our
interests and concerns. The Fort Belvoir School Choir is the perfect
entertainment for what I want to talk to you about today., Many of
these choir members are children of our military men and women. Fort
Belvoir is a Fairfax County school that serves both military and
civilian children.
Over the last year, as Ive traveled to military bases across the country, Ive become aware of the special challenges that face the children of our military men and women. Today, I want to talk to you about the young troops in our military who serve on the home front every day the children of our military families. When an Air Force officer was asked what he needed in Iraq, he said, "Please dont send cookies, care packages, or socks. Just help take care of our children."
Military children spend their young lives moving from home to home and school to school. Transition and separation are part of their lives, and these children accept their duty with brave hearts. There are nearly one million military children. Thirty-five thousand have both their mom and dad in the military while more than 80 thousand are children of single parents. And 800 thousand military children go to public and Department of Defense schools in your home states.
Many of us may think that military families live only on military bases. But nearly 75 percent live in neighborhoods near the base or post. Wright-Patterson Air Force Base is a large installation in Frans home state of Ohio with nearly 6,400 children in school near the base. And in Dianes home state of Nebraska, there are more than 10 thousand school-age children living near Offutt Air Force base.
Military children move as many as six to nine times from
kindergarten to high school. By her senior year, a child will have
attended six elementary and middle schools and two or more high schools
- often in different states.
Lara, a 10th grader at E.J. King High School in Sasebo, Japan,
said: "Moving every so often ... is something I do not really look forward
to. My mind goes through twice as much confusion as someone who never
moved during his or her life. When I was little I did not have close friends, I was just there
getting to know everybody. And then when I did, it was time for me to
move again. Moving in the middle of my school year was really tough for me, I
had to get used to new teachers and the atmosphere. Still ... I am very
proud of my dad for serving our country ... My dad sacrifices so much for
us and yet so do his children."
This constant change has a huge impact - both academically and
socially - on children. And it has a great impact on our schools. Many schools are not prepared to help military children transition
from one school to another. There is no systematic process that ensures
that records, grades, and accomplishments transfer with a military
child. And this is a problem for every child, not just military
children, in our highly-mobile society. Many students lose their class rank after transferring, and many
fall behind in class requirements because their new school will not
grant credits for their previous coursework. Many children who were athletes at their old school miss the
opportunity to participate in sports because they transfer too late or
miss tryouts. Some students, like Renee, deal with the challenge of not
graduating.
Renee lives with her sister and her sister's husband, a soldier. As
a senior, she recently moved to her fourth new high school in four
years. Renee's new school has more graduation requirements. She must pass
a graduation test and have a year of computer science. Her new school
requested that Renee's previous school grant her a reciprocal diploma.
But the school refused. Renee is receiving extra special help and support from her new
school, but she may not graduate on time.
This is a common problem for many military children and their
families. But it does not have to be this way. Our country has always
supported its military - in times of war there were community efforts
to roll bandages and knit socks. We have a great capacity to care for the home front. Now is the
time for a new Victory garden. In this garden, we can tend to the needs
of military children.
First - and I want to ask all of you to do this - we can be
advocates for military children. Visit military bases and installations
in your home states and talk to children and their families. Spend time
in classrooms and ask students how they are doing in school. Talk to
school administrators about how they prepare students for transition to
a new school. Second, encourage schools to become part of the
solution. Schools can work to provide continuity by sharing information
and developing a process to resolve transition issues. For example, in
Washington state, courses in Pacific Northwest History are waived for
entering high school students who have taken state history in another
state.
And we can work to bring attention to this important issue. We can
reach out to the military leadership in our states and bring schools
and families together to talk about transition issues. This is a great
cause for all of you. You and your spouses
know how difficult it can be to relocate and start anew. Your help and
support can make a difference on the home front for our military.
The Military Child Education Coalition is working to do that. The coalitions founder, Dr. Mary Keller, works with schools and families to help military children with transition. I have brought publications to provide you with more information on how you can help military children children like Kiara who deserve not only a great education, but our support.
A sixth grade student at Belle Chasse Academy in Louisiana, Kiara
wrote a poem titled "I Serve Too." It reads, "I'm a military child, I
stay strong when my dad goes away. If there is a war and my dad is
detached, I will help him fight back. With my braveness and courage I
can stay strong, my family's support helps me carry on. Whenever we
move, I start over again, I have to go to a new school, and make new
friends. Even though people think I'm a military brat, I just don't
quite see it like that. My daddy helps defend our country, so we can
live in peace and harmony. So all the military children help their
mothers and fathers because we serve too, we're their sons and
daughters."
With your support, we can fulfill our duty on the home front - and
the hopes of every military parent who prays, "... help take care
of our children." Thank you.
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