WEBVTT 00:04.442 --> 00:08.750 - We understand that the families serve. 00:09.130 --> 00:11.060 It's not just the member of the military. 00:11.060 --> 00:12.550 It's actually the spouses and the 00:12.550 --> 00:14.220 children that serve as well, 00:14.590 --> 00:17.440 and I think it's important to listen to them, 00:18.160 --> 00:20.250 find out ways we can support them 00:20.250 --> 00:23.960 so that they can support the member of the military as well, 00:23.960 --> 00:28.600 and we had a great visit with about 20 spouses just now 00:28.620 --> 00:31.344 who were able to say, "This is what's working, 00:31.344 --> 00:33.930 this is what we could use a little help with." 00:33.950 --> 00:34.790 I think so. 00:34.980 --> 00:36.823 Actually this was more of a listening session. 00:36.823 --> 00:40.206 We wanted to hear from the spouses, what can we do 00:40.206 --> 00:43.927 in this position, what can we take back with us 00:43.927 --> 00:46.760 that we can maybe make your lives a little bit easier? 00:46.760 --> 00:48.740 What's one of the biggest frustrations 00:49.040 --> 00:54.040 that we could maybe solve or help to fix a little bit? 00:54.080 --> 00:56.030 So, we've got a lot of great ideas today 00:56.030 --> 00:57.330 that we want to take back. 00:57.570 --> 01:00.520 You know, if you have a military member who is 01:01.328 --> 01:05.500 confident, rested, secure, 01:06.970 --> 01:08.730 has the support from home, 01:09.070 --> 01:11.140 that person is going to do a better job. 01:11.650 --> 01:14.900 Just like anybody else, if they have that support from home. 01:15.850 --> 01:20.850 But a spouse and children, they're sacrificing as well, 01:21.170 --> 01:25.022 and so to be able to come alongside them is important to us, 01:25.022 --> 01:29.136 because if we can do that, and they're happy, 01:29.136 --> 01:32.023 then the military member is happy, 01:32.023 --> 01:35.270 and everything works smoother. 01:36.520 --> 01:39.270 And there were several things that came up, 01:39.270 --> 01:42.180 one of them being security clearance. 01:42.180 --> 01:44.110 So if they want to be a substitute teacher, 01:44.110 --> 01:46.104 it takes a year to get security clearance. 01:46.104 --> 01:48.190 That's a frustrating thing. 01:48.190 --> 01:50.900 Some of them have businesses, and not being able to 01:50.900 --> 01:52.870 really practice those businesses here. 01:52.870 --> 01:55.222 Some of them are trying to get degrees from 01:55.222 --> 01:58.471 universities that are represented here on base, 01:58.471 --> 02:00.853 but certain credits don't transfer, 02:00.853 --> 02:02.437 or scholarships run out. 02:02.437 --> 02:04.685 So, specific things that I think really 02:04.685 --> 02:07.199 we could take back and we can kind of work on 02:07.199 --> 02:09.725 and say, "Can we all come together and figure out 02:09.725 --> 02:11.940 a better way to do this?" 02:12.110 --> 02:14.340 Not that we know everything in the office of the 02:14.340 --> 02:17.493 second lady, but we are positioned to get people in 02:17.493 --> 02:20.040 who do know what they're doing from the military, 02:20.040 --> 02:23.211 so, we've made that commitment to the spouses in this room 02:23.211 --> 02:25.470 that we want to see if there's something, 02:25.730 --> 02:27.260 for the next month or so we're gonna 02:27.260 --> 02:30.209 actually choose one thing, that we can really focus on 02:30.209 --> 02:33.991 and kind of pile drive through, to help these spouses. 02:33.991 --> 02:36.839 Well, that's right, I'm a blue star Mom, 02:36.839 --> 02:39.119 so for all those Moms out there, 02:39.119 --> 02:41.578 we're so proud of our service members, 02:41.578 --> 02:43.846 we're so proud of Michael and what he's doing, 02:43.846 --> 02:45.530 it's a calling. 02:47.375 --> 02:49.690 He wasn't raised in a military family, 02:49.690 --> 02:52.320 he was raised in a family with great respect for military, 02:52.320 --> 02:56.280 and just said, "Mom, I want to be a Marine," 02:56.320 --> 02:59.010 and he loves being a Marine. 02:59.320 --> 03:00.577 But he also is newly married, 03:00.577 --> 03:02.800 so I know from having a daughter-in-law 03:02.800 --> 03:06.047 who is a military spouse, I'm starting to learn 03:06.047 --> 03:08.881 some of the struggles of that role, 03:08.881 --> 03:12.547 some of the difficulties, and some of the joys 03:12.547 --> 03:14.874 and fun experiences that they're having, 03:14.874 --> 03:18.380 starting their marriage in the military. 03:20.045 --> 03:23.013 But I think having it so close to home now, 03:23.013 --> 03:27.010 I think of Sarah when I go out and see all of these spouses 03:27.010 --> 03:29.000 I think of the struggles that she has and how 03:29.000 --> 03:31.105 she wants to support Michael, but 03:31.105 --> 03:34.340 she needs her own identity as well, 03:34.340 --> 03:36.700 so, we wanna help in any way we can. 03:38.470 --> 03:41.770 I will tell you, art therapy is one of the most 03:41.770 --> 03:46.680 powerful mental health tools that is out there. 03:46.680 --> 03:50.450 And I have talked to military members all over the world, 03:51.650 --> 03:54.040 you take these guys in the military, 03:54.040 --> 03:57.346 you guys are tough, it was hard to say, 03:57.346 --> 03:58.880 "I need help. 03:59.250 --> 04:00.260 I'm depressed. 04:00.260 --> 04:01.820 I go to a dark place. 04:01.820 --> 04:02.950 I have nightmares. 04:02.950 --> 04:04.330 I have TBI. 04:04.330 --> 04:05.960 I have PTSD. 04:06.330 --> 04:07.570 I need help." 04:07.570 --> 04:09.140 And it's hard to do that. 04:09.140 --> 04:11.570 And it's really hard for someone who doesn't 04:11.570 --> 04:12.629 have any art background to even 04:12.629 --> 04:16.486 conceive of the idea that art could heal the brain. 04:16.486 --> 04:18.910 But we're actually doing a lot of research at 04:18.910 --> 04:22.150 Walter Reed, and we're actually taking pictures of the brain 04:22.150 --> 04:24.060 before therapy, and after, 04:24.200 --> 04:27.079 whether it's music therapy, art therapy, drama therapy, 04:27.079 --> 04:31.700 and what happens is the brain waves actually change. 04:31.700 --> 04:33.130 They actually heal. 04:33.970 --> 04:35.394 I was at Schofield Barracks in Hawaii, 04:35.394 --> 04:37.827 spoke to a soldier there who said, 04:37.827 --> 04:40.570 "I was suicidal." 04:40.830 --> 04:43.020 and we hear that a lot in our military. 04:43.020 --> 04:45.753 And he said, "I really was at the end of my rope, 04:45.753 --> 04:48.300 and I started working with an art therapist, 04:48.300 --> 04:49.590 we worked with clay." 04:49.658 --> 04:53.790 And he said, "It was miraculous." 04:53.790 --> 04:56.454 Working with the art therapist and working with the clay, 04:56.454 --> 04:59.534 he said, "I don't go to that dark place any more." 04:59.534 --> 05:02.921 Other soldiers have told us, "This has saved my life, 05:02.921 --> 05:07.097 I struggled with memory issues after TBI." 05:07.097 --> 05:09.231 We were in Alaska two days ago 05:09.231 --> 05:12.810 and they were showing us one of the guys doing 05:12.810 --> 05:15.888 music therapy said, "When I started working 05:15.888 --> 05:18.305 with the music therapist, all of a sudden 05:18.305 --> 05:20.761 I could remember where I'd left my keys," 05:20.761 --> 05:24.971 He said, "I went to the session and my brain was scrambled, 05:24.971 --> 05:27.596 and after working through music therapy," 05:27.596 --> 05:32.596 he said, "Now my memory is returning, 05:33.120 --> 05:35.356 and my life has more order, 05:35.356 --> 05:37.316 and I don't have such anger issues." 05:37.316 --> 05:42.316 So the arts therapy are so good for our military. 05:43.536 --> 05:48.370 And I'm seeing more and more that we need 05:48.370 --> 05:51.522 more and more arts therapy, whatever kind of art it is, 05:51.522 --> 05:54.705 on our bases, helping our soldiers, 05:54.705 --> 05:56.810 because the brain can heal. 05:56.810 --> 06:00.902 So any of your fellow service members are hearing this 06:00.902 --> 06:05.560 or learn about it, they should look into it 06:05.560 --> 06:09.080 because it works and it's miraculous.