Michelle Obama visited Camp Pendleton this weekend. The base lost five Marines in Afghanistan last week. The first lady visited the Wounded Warrior barracks and the base counseling center.
Then she addressed more than 3,000 Marines and their families, many of whom turned up on their day off to hear what she had to say. She said her husband has ordered a government-wide review urging every department to make supporting military families a high priority. And she challenged the private sector in America and the whole community to get creative with ways to show their support.
She said San Diego is setting a good example. "The great civilian communities here really get it " she said, " The wonderful ideas and initiatives here can be a model for communities all across the county. You’ re showing the rest of America what it really means to truly support and engage our troops and families."
Obama praised the spouses left to raise children alone during long deployments and she made a special mention of children whose parents are gone for most of their young lives.
As the crowd streamed off the parade ground, a military wife, Carla Conner, said that was the part of the speech that touched her most.
"Just thank you to the children, who often times are not mentioned in terms of what they have to sacrifice and how their lives are impacted," Connor said. "I was really glad that she did re-emphasize what children go through."
Obama said the readiness of the troops depends on the readiness of military families.
