Today, the country celebrates Military Spouse Appreciation Day. Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E) service would like to express its gratitude to the spouses that sacrifice so much to support their loved one’s military careers. Military spouses often give up stable jobs, move constantly, and be away from their spouses for long periods of time. That sacrifice is one that cannot be ignored, nor can their commitment and support for their spouses. For that, we thank our nation’s military spouses.
On April 17, 1984, President Ronald Reagan recognized the profound importance of spousal commitment to the readiness and well-being of military members with Proclamation 5184. Congress officially made Military Spouse Appreciation Day part of National Military Appreciation Month in 1999. Subsequently, the Department of Defense standardized the date by declaring the Friday before Mother’s Day every year as Military Spouse Appreciation Day. Each year, the President regularly commemorates this day with a formal proclamation to show appreciation for the sacrifices of military spouses.
VR&E can assist and support military spouses through three educational and job assistance-related programs:
- Personalized Career Planning and Guidance (Chapter 36).
- Survivors’ and Dependents’ Education Assistance (DEA) (Chapter 35).
- VetSuccess on Campus (VSOC).
Additionally, on-the-job training and job apprenticeships may be available for spouses in certain situations. Interested individuals should check with their local VR&E regional office to see if they are eligible. VR&E may also be able to help with external resources for military spouses.
Military spouses are silent heroes who are essential to the strength of the nation. They deserve as much as possible in the way of support and benefits. Please take a moment to thank military spouses in your community.
Samantha Owens is a management analyst with VBA’s Veteran Readiness and Employment service
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I wonder why the government cuts a spouse’s amount of pay to 55% of what she was getting while her husband was alive. That’s with her husband having paid the surviving spouse benefit stipend for decades before dying. I would think that the least the government could do is leave her with the entire same income as she had when her husband was alive. Talk about governmental spousal abuse! She still has to pay for the retirement home where they were living. They do not cut her rent by 45% to help her out.