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ALI SON
FILES OF USSA MUSCATINE - SPEECHWRITING
Bx 10F22
Column: military Spouses 12/17/95
St. Ann's 12/20/95
column: women's movies 1/7/96
Column: 1/7/96
Column #26: MLK Birthday 1/14/96
HRC/Barbara Jordan 1/20/96
Column: RTC Report/Whitewater I 1/21/96
Column 30 : Bosnia Humanitarian Relief 2/4/96
Column: Kennedy/Kassebaum Bill 2/14/96
Column: Military - AIDS 2/13/96
Column: Ramadan 2/22/96
Column: Turning 16 2/27/96
HRC/ media Execs 2/29/96
Column - Whitewater #2 RTC Report 3/5/96
Column #35/Gender / Internat'l women's Day 2/14/96
HRC/Lady Bird Johnson + Beautification 3/21/96
Column: Bosnia 3/28/96
HRC / Column Greece/Olympics 4/2/96
HRC/Column - Oklahoma / Ron Brown 4/11/96
HRe Column / Cubs 4/11/96
Column / Legal Aid 4/23/96
ENCLOSURES FILED OVERSIZE ATTACHMENTS 12073
22 liokesfiled 8/11/98
NARA 9426
Column: Chernobyl 5/1/96
HRC+BC/Mother's Day column 5/11/96
Column/Adoption 5/16/96
Column/Arts+kids 5/23/96
Column: Commencements 5/30/96
Column: women 6/6/96
Column: Father's Day 1996 6/11/96
Column: Youth Violence 6/19/96
HRC Column: THANK FMLA 6/26/96
Column: RFE 7/3/96
Column: Teen smoking 7/17/96
Column: Olympics 7/25/96
Column: Smoking 7/17/96
HRC/ Column: Olympics + Terrorism 7/30/96
HRC Emily's List 4/26/96
HRC California 4/12-13/96
HRC CA Democratic convention (education) 4/13/96
HRC/A.A.W.A.R.E Fundraiser 5/7/96
HRC/PNC Gala + Saxaphone Club 5/8/96
HRC/WLF Luncheon 5/14/96
HRC maine State Party convention 5/17/96
,
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
December 13, 1995
MEMORANDAUM FOR FIRST LADY STAFF
FROM: LISA CAPUTO
RE: HRC COLUMN
Attached is HRC's column for the upcoming week. Enjoy!
12/13/95 WED 09:13 FAX
CREATORS SYNDICATE
LISA CAPUTO
5.
002
TALKING IT OVER
BY HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON
RELEASE: WEEKEND, DECEMBER 16-17, 1995
They call themselves sisters. That's how close they feel, having gone through
their husbands' military service together and even waited together as their husbands
went to war.
They are the wives of Army soldiers and officers now heading for Bosnia as part
of the NATO peacekeeping effort. I met them at the Smith Barracks in Baumholder,
Germany, earlier this month when I accompanied my husband on his visit to the First
Armored Division.
I visited with many soldiers and their families after the President's speech and
during the lunch we shared in the mess hall. Later, I spent nearly two hours over coffee
with 20 women whose husbands will be leading American forces in Bosnia.
Often when our troops represent us around the world, we overlook the sacrifices
made by their families. Some of these wives have spent years overseas, far from
friends and relatives. They have raised their children in foreign lands, often on their
own, while supporting their husbands' careers and our country.
The wives I met told me about the challenges young couples face finding
adequate child care and making ends meet on military pay. These challenges only
Increase when a husband - or wife is deployed.
Now, while their loved ones prepare for duty patrolling the frigid terrain In
Bosnia, these veteran spouses are helping other Army "sisters" get ready for the family
disruptions that every military operation inevitably brings.
The more experienced among them are busy teaching young wives - some just
teen-agers how to cope on their own. They help them interpret military jargon about
the operations their spouses are involved in. They get together with other wives in
support networks to talk about mutual concerns and experiences. They even show
some of the younger wives how to balance the family checkbook.
Just knowing that others understand what they are going through can make a
difference. "If you're having a bad day, somebody else has had that day before," one
woman told me. "You know you've got that camaraderie and that sisterhood."
Our Armed Forces are also doing their part to help. As we learned in Desert
Storm and other recent deployments, no operation can fully succeed without the "rear
detachment," the military personnel who stay behind on the base to back up our troops
and their families.
12/13/95 WED 09:14 FAX
CREATORS SYNDICATE
+++ LISA CAPUTO
1
003
HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON 12/16-17/95
Page 2
During a recently completed peacekeeping mission In Macedonia, for example,
the rear detachment held briefings on bases about Macedonia's culture, language and
environment and the soldiers' duties in the field. (The spouses were so pleased with
the support they received, they recommended that the rear detachment commander be
presented with an award for his service.)
For the spouses of the service members going to Bosnia, the Armed Forces will
relay information about everything from the weather In Tuzla and Sarajevo to what the
soldiers are eating for dinner that night (beans 'n' franks, turkey a la king or
dehydrated beef patties, for instance).
Whenever American troops are sent thousands of miles from home, particularly
at this time of year, loneliness is bound to set in. The women I talked with expressed
particular concern about single service members, many of them young, who don't
have wives, husbands or children.
Letters with news and support from the United States can mean a lot to our
troops. A sentence or two about a local sports team, a good book or a new movie will
help keep spirits up during the holiday season.
The Defense Department will be setting up a special address where we can
send letters to service members in Bosnia and their families. As soon as the address is
available, I will pass it on to you in this column.
Please make an effort to support our military men and women deployed in
Bosnia in the coming weeks. Write to them. Encourage them to write back. Most of all,
tell them how proud we are of them and how grateful we are for the sacrifices they are
making on behalf of American values by working to implement the peace agreed to in
Bosnia.
I also want to ask Americans to think about and pray for the brave spouses and
families that are left behind. They need our support as well.
Many of the officers and enlisted men and women the President and I met in
Germany told us that there has never been a better-trained, better-educated, better-
prepared military in the history of the world.
Their spouses have never been more prepared to help each other, either. As
one woman said, "We are ready."
COPYRIGHT 1995 CREATORS SYNDICATE, INC.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
draft #5
FIRST LADY HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON
COLUMN FOR PUBLICATION DECEMBER 17, 1995
TALKING IT OVER/CREATORS SYNDICATE
They call themselves sisters. That's how close they feel,
having gone through their husbands' military service together and
even watched waited together as their husbands went off to war.
They are the wives of Army soldiers and officers now heading
for Bosnia as part of the NATO peacekeeping effort. I met them
at the Smith Barracks in Baumholder, Germany earlier this month
when I accompanied my husband on his visit to the First Armored
Division.
I visited with many soldiers and their families after the
President's speech and during the lunch we shared in the mess
hall. Later I spent nearly two hours over coffee with twenty
women whose husbands who will be leading American forces in
Bosnia.
Often when our troops represent us around the world we
overlook the sacrifices made by their families. Some of these
wives have spent years overseas, far from friends and relatives.
They have raised their children in a foreign land, often on their
own, while supporting their husbands' careers and our country.
1
The wives I met told me about the challenges young couples
face finding adequate child care and making ends meet on military
pay. These challenges only increase when a husband -- or wife --
is deployed.
Now, while their loved ones prepare for duty patrolling
frigid terrain in Bosnia, these veteran spouses are helping other
Army "sisters" get ready for the family disruptions that every
military operation inevitably brings.
The more experienced among them are busy helping teach ing) young
wives -- some just teenagers -- how to cope on their own. They
help them interpret military jargon about the operations their
spouses are involved in. They get together with other wives in
support networks to talk about mutual concerns and experiences.
They even help show/ teach some of the younger wives how to balance the
family checkbook.
Just knowing that others understand what they are going
through can make a difference. "If you're having a bad day,
somebody else has had that day before," one woman told me. "You
know you've got that camaraderie and that sisterhood."
Qur The Armed Forces are also doing their part to help. As we
learned in Desert Storm and other recent deployments, no
operation can fully succeed without the "rear detachment," the
2
military personnel who stay behind on the base to back up our
troops and their families.
During a recently completed peacekeeping mission in
Macedonia, for example, the rear detachment held briefings on the
base about Macedonia's culture, language and environment and the
soldiers duties' in the field. (The spouses were so pleased with
the support they received that they recommended that the rear
detachment commander be presented with an award for his service).
For the spouses of the service members going to Bosnia, the
Armed forces will hold briefings about everything from the
relay information
weather in Tuzla and Sarajevo to what the soldiers are eating for
dinner that night (beans 'n' franks, turkey a la king or
dehydrated beef patties, for instance).
Whenever American troops are sent thousands of miles from
home, particularly at this time of year, loneliness is bound to
set in. The women I talked with expressed particular concern
about single service members, many of them young, who don't have
wives, husbands, or children.
Letters with news and support from the United States can
mean a lot to our troops. A sentence or two about a local sports
team, a good book, or a new movie will help keep spirits up
during the holiday season.
3
The Defense Department will be setting up a special address
where we can send letters to service members in Bosnia and their
families. As soon as the address is available, I will pass it on
to you in this column.
Please make an effort to support the military men and women
deployed in Bosnia in the coming weeks. Write to them. Encourage
them to write back. Most of all, tell them how proud we are of
them and how grateful we are for the sacrifices they are making
on behalf of American values by working to implement the peace
agreed to in Bosnia.
(and pray
I also want to ask Americans to
spouses and families that are left behind. They need our support
as well.
Many of the officers and enlisted men and women the
President and I met in Germany told us that there has never been
a better trained, better educated, better prepared military in
the history of the world.
Their spouses have never been more prepared to help each
other, either. As one woman said, "We are ready."
4
MEMORANDUM
TO: HRC
FROM: Lissa Muscatine
In
RE: Military Spouses
DATE: Dec. 12
Here are two copies of the column: one with all of the edits
(yours and Creators) incorporated, the other with the Creators
edits marked in pen.
You'll see at the end that we changed the phrase encouraging
readers to "writing to" the families of service men and women
because we don't know if there will be a special address for
them. Instead, it now encourages people to "think about" them
because they need our support too.
I know you're swamped with parties, but it would be great if
you could sign off on this tonight. Thanks.
draft #4
FIRST LADY HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON
COLUMN FOR PUBLICATION DECEMBER 17, 1995
TALKING IT OVER/CREATORS SYNDICATE
They call themselves sisters. That's how close they feel,
having gone through their husbands' military service, together and even watched
wars together as Men bands went to war.
logeiner
They are the wives of Army soldiers and officers now heading
for Bosnia as part of the NATO peacekeeping effort. I met them
at the Smith Barracks in Baumholder, Germany earlier this month
when I accompanied my husband on his visit to the First Armored
Division.
(ed)
I had the chance to visit with many soldiers and their
families after the President's speech and during the lunch we
shared in the mess hall. Later I spent nearly two hours over
coffee with twenty women whose husbands who will be leading
American forces in Bosnia.
troops
Often when our service men and women represent us around the
world we overlook the sacrifices made by their families. Some of
these spouses women/ have spent years overseas, far from relatives, They have
friends and
ed ihei)
w a Greign land, after on memour
raising children and supporting their husbands or wives careers
and our country:
1
wives
The spouses I met told me about the challenges young couples
face finding adequate child care and making ends meet on military
pay. These challenges only increase when a husband or wife
is deployed.
Now, while their loved ones prepare for duty patrolling
frigid terrain and delivering food and equipment to our troops in
Bosnia, these veteran spouses are helping other Army "sisters"
get ready for the family disruptions that every military
operation inevitably brings.
The more experienced among them are busy helping the Army
now to cope on their our Shey 1 Then
teach young wives some just teenagers to balance the family help understand How
Karn understand re
1
checkbook, understand military terminology, go back to school and withing
in
participate with other spouses in support networks on their
interpret
bases.
military
jargon
apployet
Just knowing that others understand what they are going
thankere
through can make a difference. "If you're having a bad day,
somebody else has had that day before, " one woman told me. "You
know you've got that camaraderie and that sisterhood."
under
Our Armed Forces are also dai Their part to help Rese familis.
about
The military personnel who will remain on the bases during
The
operations
Operation Joint Endeavor to back up our troops and help their
magr
families are called the "rear detachment." As we learned in
spouses
are
Desert Storm and other recent deployments, no mission can fully
involved
in.
2
They get Logether with oner usues in support networks
talk about nuture problems and experiences They he ever
to hep reach your niver how to family balance
family cheelcbook.
succeed without them.
Naintin
During the recent peacekeeping mission in Macedonia, there
were briefings for spouses about Macedonia's culture, language
and environment and the soldiers duties' in the field.
When that mission ended, the spouses were so pleased with
the support they received that they requested the rear detachment
commander be presented with an award for his service.
For the spouses of the service members going to Bosnia, the
Armed forces will hold briefings about everything from the
weather in Tuzla and Sarajevo to what the soldiers are eating for
dinner that night. (Beans 'n' franks, turkey a la king or
dehydrated beef patties, for instance.)
Whenever American troops are sent thousands of miles from
home, particularly at this time of year, loneliness is bound to
set in. The women I talked with expressed particular concern
about single service members, many of them young, who don't have
Children.
wives husbands, or immediate families.
Letters with news and support from the United States can
mean a lot to our troops. A sentence or two about a local sports
team, a good book, or a new movie will help keep spirits up
during the holiday season.
3
The Defense Department will be setting up a special address
where we can send letters to service members in Bosnia and their
families. As soon as the address is available, I will pass it on
to you in this column.
Please
I hope each of you will make an effort to support the
military men and women deployed in Bosnia the coming weeks. Write
to them. Encourage them to write back. Most of all, tell them how
proud we are of them and how grateful we are for the sacrifices
they are making on behalf of American values by working to
implement the peace agreed to in Bosnia.
I also want to ask Americans to write to the brave spouses
and families that are left behind. They need our support as well.
Many of the officers and enlisted men and women the
President and I met in Germany told us that there has never been
a better trained, better educated, better prepared military in
the history of the world.
Their spouses have never been more prepared to help each ofher either.
through Operation Joint Endeavor, either. As one woman said, "We
are ready."
###
4
8th
w/abvance sear Col. is change / also See.
into
Rose left behind called "rear detachment" Abrace' who
draft #2
- macedonia 84 in chage (rear detachment
go* award
FIRST LADY HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON
COLUMN FOR PUBLICATION DECEMBER 17, 1995 proble any -
TALKING IT OVER/CREATORS SYNDICATE
makes a different
diaflees was
every man for
setf.
They call themselves sisters. That's how close they feel,
having gone through their husbands' military service and even
wars together.
They are the wives of Army soldiers and officers now heading
for Bosnia as part of the NATO peacekeeping effort. I met them
at the Smith Barracks in Baumholder, Germany earlier this month
when I accompanied my husband on his visit to the First Armored
Division. [NOTE: checking on whether it is appropriate to say
that they are part of Task Force Eagle]
I had the chance to visit with many family members after the
President's speech and during the lunch we shared in the mess
hall. Later I spent nearly two hours talking with twenty women
whose husbands are American commanders in NATO [ck] and of our
own forces.
Often when our soldiers are asked to represent our country
around the world we overlook the sacrifices made by their
families. Some of these wives have spent years overseas, far from
relatives, raising children and supporting their husbands'
careers and our country.
1
They told me about the challenges young couples face finding
adequate child care and making ends meet on military pay. These
challenges only increase when a husband -- or wife -- is
deployed.
Then, even getting information about soldiers in training
or on missions can be nerve-racking, with bits of news trickling
in through an unofficial grapevine of friends and acquaintances.
One woman told me about the efforts [NOTE: can we be more
specific?] she and others undertook to support young wives while
their husbands spent six months in Macedonia helping to prevent
the conflict in the former Yugoslavia from spreading.
Now, while their husbands prepare for duty patrolling frigid
terrain and delivering supplies to our troops in Bosnia, these
veteran spouses are helping other Army "sisters" get ready for
the family disruptions that every military operation inevitably
brings.
Just as military operations require preparation to ensure
their readiness, so do the support efforts needed to back up our
troops and help their families.
Many lessons have been learned from Desert Storm and other
recent deployments about how the military and volunteer spouses
can help families.
2
These spouses are already helping the Army teach young wives
-- some just teenagers -- how to balance the family checkbook,
understand military terminology, go back to school and
participate with other wives in support networks on their bases.
Just knowing that others understand what they are going
through can make a difference. "If you're having a bad day,
somebody else has had that day before," one woman said. "You know
you've got that camaraderie and that sisterhood."
During Operation Joint Endeavor in Bosnia, the Army also
will hold frequent briefings for spouses, telling them about
everything from the weather in Tuzla and Sarajevo to what the
soldiers are eating for dinner that night.
Whenever American troops are sent thousands of miles from
home, particularly at this time of year, loneliness is bound to
set in. The women I met in Germany were particularly concerned
about single soldiers, many of them young, who don't have wives,
husbands, or immediate families.
Messages with news and support from the United States can
mean a lot to soldiers in the field. A sentence or two about a
local sports team, a good book, or a new movie will help keep
spirits up during the holiday season.
3
The Defense Department has set up an address [NOTE: we will
have it by noon Tuesday, according to DOD/NSC -- also checking
about whether it will work for wives]
I hope each of you will make an effort to support our
soldiers in the coming weeks. Write to the American men and women
over there. Send them news from home. Encourage them to write
back. Most of all, tell them how proud we are of them and how
grateful we are for the sacrifices they are making on behalf of
American values by working to enforce the peace agreed to in
Bosnia.
I also want to ask Americans to remember and write to the
brave spouses and families that the soldiers are leaving behind.
They need our support as well.
Many of the officers and soldiers the President and I met in
Germany told us that there has never been a better trained, a
better educated, better prepared military in the history of the
world.
Their spouses have never been more prepared to help each
through Operation Joint Endeavor, either. As one woman said, "We
are ready."
###
4
Carolyn Becraft
703 697 7220
fax 703 695 1977
hue Cille Abraves- -
-
life f fenual Abroas
Rear deta
12/11/95
06:10
g 002
draft #1
FIRST LADY HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON
COLUMN FOR PUBLICATION DECEMBER 17, 1995
TALKING IT OVER/CREATORS SYNDICATE
NATURAL
in tomy our
"forces.
They call themselves sisters. That's how close they feel,
having gone through wars together.
Their hustands Military service and even
tacking with
truty Daman
They are the wives of Army soldiers and officers now heading husbands whom
for Bosnia as part of the NATO United Nations peacekeeping effort.
H
the 600 The
Amount
met some of them at the Smith Barracks in Baumholder, Germany
commanders
when l accompand my hustand on his visit to the
earlier this month, and I was moved by their courage and
trap
f had resilience the chance in the to face visit of with such many uncertainty. tanney members after The Pres. rent
we shared in the men hall. later D Smit and Apach have and and during a boyk The Junch
Too Often ^ we Overlank forget the sacrifices made by the families of some region
when our professional soldies his asked to represent m country in
our military personnel. Some of the se wives I met have spent years 5 the will,
raising chicken and
overseas, far from relatives, supporting their husbands careers and
om cruntry.
They told me about the isolation raising families in foreign
face
countries, the challenge of finding adequate child care, and the
making enes ment
financial strains confronting some
young military couples
Pay. m mentary
These Challenges become muches have untill when a husband - arw.te-
Even getting information about soldiers in training or on
is deplayed.
Then
missions can be nerve-racking, with bits of news trickling in
through an unofficial grapevine of friends and acquaintances. One under
toue me about the glorts she and others undatook to support your
Wives while their husbands trent Jin months in Macadonia helping to Merat
Now, while their husbands prepare for duty patrolling frigid
the
terrain and delivering supplies to our troops in Bosnia, these
in conflict B the
1
from
former Yuguslance
PHOTOCOPY
HRC HANDWRITING
12/11/95 06:11
many lessons have been learned from
003
Desert Stam and The recent deplay ments
about how the mentary Un here Fanneris, back
veteran spouses are helping other Army "sisters" get ready for
and
polunteer
the family disruptions that every military operation inevitably
spouses
to ensure then 80 to the support Glarts newed 6Th on
brings. Just as multary operations
the bases to back up am troys and to help Their tambers.
both
Therespouse They are already helping the Army teach young spouses how to
balance the family checkbook, understand military terminology,
wives some just them
gobachtoschr to 1 and participate w.th other Wives in
in
support networks with other families on the base
Just knowing that others understand what they are going
through can make a difference. "If you're having a bad day,
somebody else has had that day before," one woman said. "You know
you've got that camaraderie and that sisterhood."
During Operation Joint Endeavor in Bosnia, the Army also
will hold frequent briefings for spouses, telling them about
everything from the weather in Tuzla and Sarajevo to what the
soldiers are eating for dinner that night.
Whenever American troops are sent to distant regions of the
world, particularly at this time of year, loneliness is bound to
set in. The women I met in Germany were particularly concerned
about single soldiers, many of them young, who don't have wives,
husbands, or immediate families.
other with news condesport
Simple essages from the United States can mean a lot to
soldiers in the field. A sentence or two about a local sports
2
PHOTOCOPY
HRC HANDWRITING
12/11/95 06:11
004
team, a good book, or a new movie will help keep their spirits
up high during the holiday season.
The Defense Department has set up an address [NOTE: we will
have it by noon Tuesday, according to DOD/NSC] [w.11 this also whic forwive
an
I hope each of you will make the little effort required to Support
Om soldiers and their families
wr.te
adopt a single soldier in the coming weeks. Send them news from
home. Encourage them to write back. Most of all, tell them how
proud we are of them and how grateful we are for the sacrifices
Americai
on whally
they are making to keep our world safe, secure and free from
incuean
salues and tyranny. by working to tenforce the peace agreed to in Bosnin.
I also want to ask Americans to remember and write to the
brave spouses and families that the soldiers are leaving behind.
They need our support as well.
Many of the officers and soldiers the President and I met in
Germany told us that "there has never been a better trained, a
better educated, better prepared military in the history of the
world."
Their spouses have never been more prepared to help each
through Operation Joint Endeavor, either. As one woman said, "We
are ready."
# # #
3
PHOTOCOPY
HRC HANDWRITING
DAILY POINTS
AMERICA'S GOAL IN BOSNIA:
BREAT ORIGIN BISL OF OF THE / UNITED
HELP END THE SUFFERING AND SECURE THE PEACE
AMERICAN VALUES: We must secure the peace so the Bosnian people can rebuild.
Before the Dayton Peace Agreement, over 260,000 people were killed. The Bosnian people have
suffered horrible atrocities: mass executions, ethnic cleansing, campaigns of rape and terror.
More than two million people -- half the population of pre-war Bosnia -- have been driven from
their homes.
Hundreds of thousands suffer from acute shortages of food, medicine, and clothing. Families must
be reunited, schools and hospitals must be restored, and roads must be repaired.
All three sides -- Bosnians, Croatians, Serbians -- have made a commitment to work for peace, and
begin rebuilding.
But peace will only succeed if NATO, led by the United States, provides a strong force to
implement the Peace Agreement If the United States is not there, NATO will not be there, and
peace will collapse.
AMERICA'S MISSION: We must help to secure the peace.
A small number of American troops have begun laying the groundwork for the full deployment:
establishing headquarters and communications, opening ports, and setting-up liaisons with the parties
to the Peace Agreement. Ultimately, America will provide about 20,000 troops (one-third) of the
total Bosnia Peace Implementation Force (IFOR).
American troops are not going to Bosnia to fight a war. They will help supervise the separation of
forces and uphold the cease-fire.
All American troops will be under the command of an American general. American troops are
well-prepared, thoroughly trained, and will have the authority to respond with overwhelming force
to any threat. Risks to Americans will be minimized.
The entire mission will last about one year. America's mission is limited to helping to provide a
secure environment for the Bosnians to begin rebuilding their nation. American troops will not be
part of a police force or a nation-building force. European groups and international organizations
will be responsible for economic and political reconstruction.
AMERICAN INTERESTS: Peace and stability in Europe.
Stability in Europe is vital to American security and prosperity. Bosnia is in the heart of Europe. It
borders key allies and fragile new democracies. If the fighting resumes, the war could easily spread.
WWII shows the danger of turning our back on conflict in Europe. We delayed our involvement
until it was too late to prevent war from spreading. By acting now to help secure the Peace
Agreement in Bosnia, we are taking steps to prevent a much more devastating conflict.
AMERICAN LEADERSHIP: Advancing our interests and keeping our commitments.
America brought the parties from the battlefields in Bosnia to the negotiating tables in Dayton.
Now we must help secure the peace American leadership helped to create.
If America abdicates its responsibility to peace in Bosnia, American leadership will be weakened
throughout the world, particularly in places like the Middle East and Northern Ireland.
THE AMERICAN EFFORT IN BOSNIA WILL SAVE LIVES AND IS THE RIGHT THING TO DO.
THE WHITE HOUSE
OFFICE OF COMMUNICATIONS
(202) 456-5642
FAX (202) 456-1213
Talking It Over
Military spouses
They call themselves sisters. Earlier this month I had the
chance to meet a group of them - the wives of the soldiers who
will be taking part in the peacekeeping effort in Bosnia - at a
base in Baumholder, Germany.
I was touched by their warmth and friendship as they talked
about their preparations for their husbands' tours in Bosnia.
Our scheduled half-hour visit turned into a nearly two-hour long
conversation about everything from managing money to teenage
marriages to child care to Christmas at the White House.
The women, some of whom were already veterans of Desert
Storm and the recent peacekeeping effort in Macedonia, described
the support networks they and the services have set up to help
each other through Operation Joint Endeavor.
The more experienced spouses are volunteering to teach
classes that will help the newer or younger "army sisters"
adjust to life on the bases. The classes explain what exactly
the soldiers do and help them decode all the various acronyms
used in the military.
There are also courses that help spouses manage emotional
stress and balance the family checkbook. Informal support groups
give spouses the chance to share their worries and concerns.
The women I met said they are trying to encourage other
spouses not to go home to America while their soldiers are away
because it is much easier to get accurate information to and from
their loved ones if they stay in Germany.
The military will hold frequent briefings for the spouses on
base, providing them with such details as the weather in Bosnia,
where the soldiers are stationed and what they're eating.
And it's much more comforting to be around people who know
exactly what you're going through.
"If you get a letter, everyone is happy for you. You know
you've got that camaraderie and that sisterhood, one woman
explained. "And if you're having a bad day, somebody else has had
that bad day before
whereas in the States, you don't have that,
you know, that same understanding."
Many of the spouses will be taking on double duty as single
parents for the first time during Operation Joint Endeavor. They
told me that they were worried about finding help with childcare.
While the army does provide child care on its bases, spaces are
limited, they said. As one woman put it: "Too many children,
not enough child care centers and not enough providers."
Finding English-speaking baby-sitters is also difficult.
Hopefully things will improve in the next year through the
President and the Secretary of Defense's initiatives to increase
quality of life for all military personnel. More funds will be
available so that at least two-thirds of all eligible military
children can be placed in child care.
The women asked me to encourage Americans to remember the
single soldiers who don't have spouses and families to write
letters or send care packages.
Simple, but frequent message about home can mean a lot to
soldiers in the field. So I encourage each of you to adopt a
single soldier, by sending him or her news from home, responding
to their thoughts on their lives in Bosnia, and most of all
telling them that we are proud of them, that we are always
thinking of them and looking forward to their safe return.
The Defense Department has set up an address: XXX
I also want to ask Americans to remember and write to the
brave spouses and families that the soldiers are leaving behind.
They need our support as well.
Many of the soldiers I met in Germany told me that "there
has never been a better trained, a better educated, better
prepared, military in the history of the world."
Their spouses have never been more prepared to help each
through Operation Joint Endeavor, either. As one woman said, "We
are ready."
###
FIRST LADY HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON
TEA WITH SOLDIERS' SPOUSES
BAUMHOLDER, GERMANY
DECEMBER 2, 1995
HRC: [Discussion in progress] Many things in that respect
[laughter]. One of the things I've been thinking about today,
the Head Usher, who runs the White House, came to up me in May
and said, well Mrs. Clinton, it's time to start planning for
Christmas, I thoughtd
and he said, I know but
and so we
started having meetings in May for planning for Christmas in
1992. Now I'm one of those people, I'm lucky if I have the tree
up by Christmas Eve [laughter]. You know, I'm rushing
around
but it's just, it's magic. If any of you have ever been
there for a tour around Christmas time I've never seen anything
like it.
So the first year, we did Angels, because I'm really big on
angels. So we sent invitations to people all over the country to
make ornaments and to all the crafts artists all over. We got
the most astonishing variety. We got [unintelligible]. Then
last year, we picked the theme, "The Twelve Days of Christmas."
We got [unintelligible] antlers, maids a milking and all kinds of
stuff, so we got an incredible array of ornaments. Then this
year, we picked "Twas the Night Before Christmas." We asked
architects from all over the country, all the architect
associations, to participate because when you think about "Twas
the Night Before Christmas and all Through the House,' you think
of a house. And so they made these ornaments, we got these
little houses that light up, and these little Santa Clauses going
up and down the chimney, they're the most astonishing, they're
like little works of art. I just love Christmas, I'm a Christmas
fanatic
So it starts Sunday
that's tomorrow
[laughter]
Then, every single day we have an event. We have about 150,000
guests between tomorrow and Christmas and
The only downside is
because we have SO many guests, and you guys know this too. You
know we have all these people coming to your home, if you're
going to see everybody, you have to do a receiving line.
Otherwise you wade into the crowd and the next day, somebody will
say, oh, did you see Karen? And we'll say, oh, was she here?
You know, because you never move from the spot you're in. So we
do these receiving lines, so I have to wear long skirts because I
have to wear flat shoes. I don't know how anyone can do these
receiving lines in high heels
I'm just so glad we got this chance to visit. I want to
thank all of you for your leadership and what you mean not only
to your husbands and your country. And it's so nice to have a
small taste of that [unintintelligible].
1
XXX: Well, we're very fortunate because Donna and Cecile did this
before and those two I know, and a lot of the rest of them went
through Desert Storm also. And so there were, I mean that was a
horrendous couple of months. It was nowhere near as long as this
is going to be, but there were tremendous things going on during
that period of time. And tremendous lessons were learned, which
are being incorporated into what's happening now. And I think
that's really important for all of us, especially the young men.
HRC: What are some of those lessons? One of the things that
several of the soldiers said to me with great pride, is, you
know, there's never been a better trained, a better educated,
better prepared, military in the history of the world. And the
American military is [unintelligible]. And I think that's
absolutely true. And you could see it in even the international
news that I have. I mean the level of awareness and just great
capacity that exists is so impressive. But I don't know as much
what's happening on the other side, the support and family side.
Because we still have a lot of very, very young wives, and that's
hard
So what are some of the lessons you took out of Desert
Storm?
XXX: I think one of the big lessons was that XXX attachment
matters. Not everyone was on the same sheet of music as they are
now in leaving behind the best person for the position. Everybody
wants to go, because they see that as the only mission, not just
the primary mission, but the only mission. And so many of the
families in the states and installations were left with those
that were non-deployable, were classified as non-deployable.
Those people were not happy about being there, their performance
was not very good and the family support system suffered in many
cases because of that. Some people did make the proper decisions
and the best decisions. Sharon Pratt (?) was in Fort Hope,
Louisiana at the time, and it takes a person whose kind of been
through that to make a decision and say, we're going to select
the best. And we'll make it clear to these people that this is
your mission. They have a mission in the Gulf and then you haver
a mission here. And I think the other was to empower people and
not to keep them dependent. That's the big one. Because
nobody's ever going [unintelligible]. Everybody comes through
resentful
I
think that's probably the biggest.
Donna?: I'd say the two main things is the younger wives, we're
trying to get them in to learn more about the army, what their
husband does, what the army stands for. We're giving them, the
army has team? building classes that are so important, teaching
them about effective leadership or just about acronyms or the
words their husbands use for their job, communications skills,
how to get along with other people, stress management. I mean
it's a whole list of things that young wives can come in, take
these classes and feel more confident in themselves and say hey,
I can do this.
2
XXX: Can I just say one thing? That program that Donna
mentioned, is an all volunteer program. That is totally staffed
by many of the ladies in this room and ladies who are out in all
these communities. So it's not a great draw on the system
financially.
HRC: Is there a curriculum that you all
?
XXX: Yes, there is a set curriculum
XXX: [unintelligible]
Donna:
the problem that we have is that, is basically child
care. We can get this lady to class from 8:30 to 2:30, she's got
kids coming home from school, she's got an 18-month-old child, so
we're trying to find ways to [unintelligible].
XXX: Sandy, what things did you learn?
Sandy?:
I've identified with this so much. The first thing I
was going to say was that XXX attachment is so important. We
just went through a six-month deployment in Macedonia and one of
the key reasons why everything was so successful was because of
the XXX attachment that we had. We had a Major that was
dedicated just solely to XXX attachment and he said that that
was, he'd call us all his wives [laughter]. He was so good, that
the ladies wanted to award him when the men came back.
HRC: You've got to think of some kind of a medal or something
[laughter].
Sandy:
We kind of got Michelle's husband to give him an army
award.
HRC: Good
Sandy:
The ladies wanted that, he was just wonderful.
XXX: Army Family Team Building, we ran that program at the level
one stage. And one of the big benefits of that, that I really
found was the ladies coming in that don't know each other, they
start talking about war stories, and they start knowing each
other and they found a friend, somebody that can
HRC: Break down that ice, barrier.
XXX: That's one of the biggest problems here, because again
people don't, all of our families don't live in military housing,
and a lot of them are out in the, on the country. And a lot of
the, not just the young wives, the old ones as well [laughter].
There's really a sense of isolation unless you can get to know
the other people in the community and discover you've got
3
somebody just down the street or the block or whatever. And
those kind of relationships are very very important. Especially
here because they are away from their natural families. But, and
that's where the army family steps in. And I think the other
thing is, we didn't go through Desert Storm, we left as they were
getting ready to gear up for this thing. But as I listen to
people talk about it afterward, and one of the other things that,
and they're going to need it this time, is the courage of the
wives not to go home, not to go back to the United States.
XXX: Yes, yes
XXX: Because what happened, if they were here in Europe, and they
went back to the United States, and that sounded great because
they went home to her mother or his mother and the extended
family. But the truth is, they were out of the flow, and there
was no way to find out anything, and telephone calls were very
expensive and there's no no way for communication in either
direction, and so you really encourage them to stay here. Go for
a visit if you want, but do come back, because this is where your
information is and this is where your real support is, it's not
back in the United States.
HRC: Do you find that same thing?
XXX: We probably have about 35% of our wives that are back there,
and that's just a guesstimate. And some went back for extended
periods of time, the deployment was six months. SOme of them
went back for as much as five months. Some of them went back for
a month at a time. It just varied. But they always found when
they came back that they didn't know what was going on back in
the U.S. Over here is where they found out what was going on
with their husbands. And this time I think we've got a majority
of the wives, they do want to stay here, they do want to know
what's going on.
XXX: We also talked enough so a lot of them have changed their
minds. The first reaction was that, oh no. But for the children
[unintelligble] keep them with their friends. Also the schools
here are gearing up for, the counselors and everybody's in touch
with the situation and we have talked to a lot of our guys about
that. And they have changed their minds and decided to stay.
Spouses who were out of here say I'm going to give this another
try. [unintelligible]
HRC: How did you communicate that? I mean did you have one on
one
XXX: Well, in a group setting, but also through sharing
experiences. I had been through the Balfour? situation and we
were at Fort XXX and we did have many families that went home to
family that came back, came back to the military family because
4
their other sisters, their military sisters understood what was
going on, they had some who really knew what they were talking
about and when [unintelligible]. So we did have a number that
came back, and we shared those experiences with other spouses
[unintelligible].
XXX: The news you're getting, you know, from CNN, or the
television and its so slanted, that it's nowhere near what's
truly going on that you hear when your information comes through
the tally? and through the proper channels. And here they can
feel that they truly know what's going on with their husbands and
back in the States, they're so removed from it.
XXX: That's right. And a lot of the ladies we've discussed will
say my husband, contact with my husband, and they' 11 say, well
Chip is going to be calling Carol and she'll be home at this time
and he can call or something else is going on. So and so is all,
Mary's husband, he says hello. So that's the part that everyone
is latching onto, the fact that they know that we're all going to
know who is, how everyone is doing, because we'll be at the same
[unintelligible].
XXX: If you get a letter, everyone is happy for you, you know
you've got that cameragerie and that sisterhood. And if you'
having a bad day, somebody else has had that bad day before, but
their not having a bad day and they can help you up and get you
through that bad day, whereas in the States, you don't have that,
you know, that same understanding. If you're having a bad day,
people are like, well, get over it. [Laughter]
XXX: Something else I wanted to say, you know it's very unique,
I'm very proud of this. It's very unique in the Army, is that
you'd be surprised how close ladies are as a family. When I go
home and visit, I get phone calls and my mom is like, some lady
named Ginny called, and who's she, because my mother's thinking
of all my friends from high school, and I say Mom, that's one of
my Army friends. Because we form friendships that last us for
years and years and something our real sister doesn't understand.
Our Army sisters do understand what we all go through, the time
spent alone, raising children, the schools out of the country,
things like that. And it just, it's a great, you know, the
people you jog with in the morning, or the woman
[unintelligible], things like that, that stay with you for years
and years.
XXX: I think the big difference now from the training, I've been
watching the training, and I've been trying to see as much of
what they're doing for Operation Ready. We just had a two day
training session for this program called Operation Ready. And
then we had XXX attachment, managed training. And the thing that
I am so encouraged about this time is that we don't have to get
ready. We are ready. Whereas before we play a lot of catch up
5
ball. I mean it is just a mad dash. So we are ready this time
instead of in the process, we have gone through the process of
getting ready. And it's solidified and I think we're going to
see a lot of, we're going to reap a lot of benefits from that.
XXX: And one of the things that we did that was really beneficial
was with keeping the gals informed. We started the week before
Macedonia. And we started briefings about where is Macedonia,
what language to they talk? What are the people like down there
What's the environment like, what does the countryside look like?
A month before Macedonia, we started having once a month
briefings. We talked about what our men were actually doing down
there, we would have them send a videotape from Macedonia to us;
we would send one to them. We talked about rumors, we brought
them up, we addressed them, firsthand. Ladies could ask
questions of our XXX attachment people. We found out what going
on, what the latest was and some of that. We also when had a lot
of questions about the same thing, we would have people come in
from those different agencies and brief us, or talk about
whatever the situation was that they didn't know about. And we
found that ladies were coming in, they were meeting each other,
they were getting to know other ladies who wanted to know the
same thing. Those briefings really helped us a lot.
HRC: As I mentioned too, I hope that you'll have, if you haven't
had, a briefing about how successful that mission was, because
not many people in America know how critical it was to containing
what was going on in Bosnia, and preventing the spread of that
conflict You know, for a lot of obvious reasons, including the
the hype and CNN, you know there wasn't a lot of talk about that
because it was one of those missions that the less said the
better, below the radar screen and get the job done. But it was
really successful. And its the kind of thing that a lot of
people who know about it point to as an example of what America
is prepared and able to do now. So I hope that a lot of the the
family members [unintelligible].
OK, I was wondering, what about money problems, and money
management. Because you know, a lot of these particularly young
wives don't really know a lot about how to handle household
expenses. I've heard that not just in a situation like this but
whenever I visit the family support programs like the one I
visited in Hawaii last summer. That's one of the main things
that I heard. How do you all handle that?
XXX: [unintelligible] you asked. We certainly have financial
problems [unintelligible] now, than the last eight years.
HRC: So you think that you've eliminated a lot of the problems?
XXX: [laughter]
XXX: We just need to continue to educate and XXX the spouse what
6
is available, the resources, and the encourage them to seek out
those resources. And know that, and feel comfortable with them.
XXX: Yes. One of the great things I think they bring out in this
operation Ready is that there are always going to be problems and
they're are always going to exist. But within the family
assistance centers, there are people who a) they will, if the
families have done their homework ahead of time, they've got
certain things in place, and there are budgets in place and
you've got the powers of attorney that are in place, and the
joint check books are in place. And the family, the husband and
wife have in fact talked about where the money, how you're going
to manage it. Then if there are problems, there are people in
the family assistance centers, who can in fact step and say, well
Sally, you've got, you didn't add this quite right, or the
funniest one used to be, if I had checks, that meant I had money
[laughter]. People had all these checks
XXX: But one of the statistics after, in the lessons learned, in
the aftermath of Desert Storm was that in many of the cases,
these young women went ahead and they received financial
counselling and they got there families out of debt and their
husbands come home, and the husband goes to the Power Zone, which
is the stereo place. My husband loves those places, but he's not
buying any more equipment because he doesn't know how to hook it
up [laughter] So they go, the husbands came home and they jack
those charge cards right back up again. And so here were the
counsellors that were then dealing with women who were very angry
with their husbands, which is the homecoming, which is another
problem, saying, I worked all that time to whittle this thing
down and he came home and bought this stereo machine and this
[unintelligible] you know [laughter]. But women, I think that
with XXX and the more women we can get through these programs,
we'll have a better base, and I think we already have a good
base. And people will handle the finances. Many times they've
not been given that responsibility and they're aware that there
is a responsiblity and obligation -- until something like this
comes up. But the more they work through programs like that,
we're going to be in a better position as time goes on.
HRC: I had woman on the road once said something to me that I
didn't understand. She said, can we be sure to be able to go to
college, or take college courses while our husbands are gone?
XXX: Oh, they could. Sometimes getting an education
[unintelligible].
XXX: Usually you have to have so many members for the course, but
this is something certainly each community can work on because
you can work as a group, with leadership and units and then all
band together, we should be able to have enough to take a course.
7
XXX: Usually, the instructors, though, are military personnel and
that might be a problem.
XXX: The University of Maryland cannot necessarily send
professional staff here to teach some of the courses if, so some
of that is probably going to [unintelligible]
XXX: Some of it also depends on child care needs.
XXX: Yes.
HRC: What can we do about child care?
XXX: Too many children, not enough child care centers and not
enough providers. We have one in the basement at home. But they
have to qualify and they have to want to do it. And then they
have to qualify [unintelligible].
XXX: It is a serious problem.
XXX: There just aren't enough of them. Some try to get a
babysitter, but here in Germany, if you try to get a German
babysitter, there's a language barrier, or the schools are all in
German, if you try to find a nursery school, and there aren't
that many. So child care, year to year is one of our biggest
problems.
HRC: Another thing, that cafeteria for the spouses,
[unintelligible].
XXX: The dining facilities?
HRC: The dining facilities. And one of the women, they've
really, they have lots of ideas, and I promised to pass them all
on. One of the women said, maybe if we can keep them open at
night, then one of the rooms or some of the rooms could be a
place where we bring our children and we could take turns, we
could sign up to do that. You know, if do it every Thursday
night we come to play Bingo, but only if three of us volunteer to
work in the children's center.
XXX: But we do have a facility in our [unintelligible]. The only
thing missing in that facility is a big kitchen and obviously it
would be great if we could have [unintelligible] and all those
extra things, but I've been assured that we can work on that and
we can have a kitchen. We're very blessed here in Baumholder
with the things that we have -- and excellent xxx, a marvelous
kitchen, and certainly as you said, the dining facilities today
is only one of many and we are blessed in that respect. Mrs.
Clinton, these are your dear friends and they have told
HRC: They're my keepers
[laughter]
8
XXX: They are your keepers, and they have told me
[unintelligible].
[Laughter, many voices]
HRC: They do that, they're terrible. The other one who was with
me. She's not in the room right now, so I'll tell this story on
her. The blonde who's traveled with me for years now. One of
your husbands, I'm not sure which one now, she didn't tell me,
she said, [unintelligible] master sergeant [laughter].
Are there other things that I should know about, or that I
could in someway try to help help or talk about? You know, I
write this column now, and actually, one of the soldiers said,
you know, my mother sends me your column from Colorado. I wish I
could get it over here. I was so flattered. I had no idea that
anybody had read it. But you know I want to write a column about
this, and talk about the non-military side of it, you know,
because that's where all the attention will be focused. But
instead to talk about the wives and the children and Operation
Ready for families as well. So any other things that you would
want people at home to know that, I think for many people who are
manybe older, this will come as a surprise, that so much
attention is being paid to making sure that families are
informed, and given opportunities. In fact, sometimes, I've
actually gotten into discussions with people, you know when the
President recommended increasing support facilities for families
and providing more funding for some of these programs that are so
important. You know, some people really question that because
they don't understand what an all-volunteer military is today and
they don't really appreciate some of the significant challenges
that you face because of that. Are there other things?
XXX: Well, actually, I would like to take a moment to talk about
child care. It is really a serious problem. We really need more
money for child care. And when you think of those soldiers on
the front lines or whatever [unintelligible] If their wives are
home with their three little kids and she can't afford to find
somebody to babysit or whatever and she starts hitting those
children, or she's starts abusing herself, drinking. I mean, you
know the really exasperating things that you can go through when
you're up against the wall and your children are screaming. My
feeling is that it's [unintelligible].
HRC: I think there's more money in this defense appropriations
the President just signed. I think that was one of the big fights
that he had with some of the members of Congress who didn't want
to fund any of this. I believe, I'll double check on that, I'll
let you know on that, but I don't think we got everything that we
had been asking for, you know what the military leadership had
been asking for, but I think we got some more. I don't think
it's nearly enough. But I'll check on that and I'll see whether
maybe some of it in defense appropriations bill, I'll see whether
9
Defense Dert
some of it couldn't be directed towards this.
XXX: We have so many volunteers, so many wives, in FSG. And in
the support group in AFTV who are dedicating their time to make
all of us spouses much more adaptable. I think the old Army, in
the new Army, we've become so much more adaptable going, being
able to go to other countries, and to making the best of the
environment we're in. And I think it's really important that this
funding does go toward child care then it will help these women
help others.
HRC: And that would be your number one
Let me ask you something that was really controversial that
was raised two years ago by General XXX in the Marines. You know
what I'm going to say -- about the very young soldiers getting
married and he told me, actually I didn't have, I mean, everybody
had this negative reaction that you know, that young enlistees
should not be able to get married for
XXX: A first termer
HRC: I wasn't as upset about it because I learned, you know that
there are some barracks where I was told, places like XXX, where
the average age was like 16. See that is just astonishing to me.
Maybe that's more of a Marines problem.
XXX: No. It's not.
XXX: XXX was what, 15? Exactly, and what happens, young
soldiers, air force, marines, or sailors, who marry even younger
women, and they have babies, almost -- it's truly babies having
babies -- but they're also wives. And then, the husband's
deployed and it is a serious problem, I think it is a serious
problem and I think
HRC: Well I told XXX that I agreed with him at the time, you
know, then I felt bad, because somebody leaked it
[Unintelligible] Nobody had a chance to really consider it
carefully, figure out how it could be presented in a reasonable
way. You know there would obviously be exceptions, but in general
you've got a 18,19,20 year old soldier married to a 15, 16 year
old wife, with a one year old baby.
XXX: Because that's the other side of it. It's also, you know, a
postscript from Korea, you had Korean wives come to the United
States who don't speak English. We had it in Panama. We had a
lot of it in Desert Storm, we had a lot of wives, Panamanians,
come back to Panama only to discover that they had no access to
any of the military facilities, none of them because down there
it's just like Korea you must be from that XXX. So we had all of
these young Panamanian wives come back and they couldn't get the
mail because they couldn't get on the installation.
10
XXX: I think what drives that is the fear of loneliness.
XXX, XXX: loneliness
XXX: This young man, I had a brother-in-law, who said the same
thing. He received orders for Germany. He was about to graduate
from West Point. He said this is it, I'm getting married. I
said, why? He said, I am not going to Germany -- and he's an
Army brat. He grew up in the Army -- he said I'm not going to
Germany alone. I won't go over there by myself. I want someone
to come home to at night and I'm not interested in going downtown
and carousing, and so I want someone there. So that marriage
lasted six years until Desert Storm. And Desert Storm brought
the end of the marriage. The marriage was dysfunctional, but I
think it's the loneliness and sometimes these first termers, when
they are first termers, they are somewhat isolated from, they are
not adapting. They are not assimilated well. And it's going to
take an effort on everyone's part, and the part of that
fraternity, and the sergeant who's dealing with first termers to
find psychological methods to include him. To pull him in, to
identify the dysfunctional, that attitude, before that happens,
before they do something drastic.
XXX: We were talking about the column. I would ask that you help
educate all of those in the United States, and not just in the
States, but whether it be Jersey or XXX, or wherever we have
bases, but talk a little bit more about servicemen and the family
and the fact that they too are serving. As I sit here, looking
at all these dear ladies, they care very much, not only for that
soldier they're married to, but also for making things happen.
And they do it. And it's brilliant. And I would like you to
help educate all the Americans who sleep very well at night, not
remembering that we have have a military service of air force,
marines, army, all of it and that has been an unconditional
service from the time they grew up, and they sleep very well
every night. And maybe that is why we've chosen to go to Bosnia,
to give those people. It may take one or two years or greater,
but they too deserve to sleep, and you can help educate
HRC: That's a wonderful way to put it because I always feel,
every time I come home after going on trips, so blessed. You
know, we have so many blessings that we frankly take for granted.
And you know, I remember feeling that most strongly when I came
home from South Asia, when Chelsea and I went to India, Pakistan,
Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka. Every one of those countries has
had political problems, has had violence. Most of the leaders
have lost mothers and fathers and husbands and brothers and sons
to assasination and they were struggling against odds that are
just overwhelming. And then you know you come home and we have so
much to be grateful for. Mostly because we've had solid, stable,
democratic government for all these years. And, you know I think
it's understandable that we go through like a roller coaster from
11
time to time in our own history, particularly at time like this,
when there is so much change happening, that it's difficult to
grasp. The Cold War, as terrible and dangerous as it was imposed
a certain order on the world, it was us against them, you knew
where you stood, you knew kind of what was expected and now it's
much different. And we have to understand our responsibilities
don't end, they change. And that's what all of you are going
through in this very new military, you're taking on the
challenges of leadership, in your behalf, as well as for your
husbands. That is what I hope I can try to explain. Because its
I wish every one of you could have been with us in Northern
Ireland. A country that for twenty-five years, not to the extent
of Bosnia, but nevertheless in the same way has been terrorized.
I sat around a table talking with nine women, all of whom lost
someone, both Catholic and Protestant, you know, just the most
outrageous, terrible violence. I mean, you open your door when a
knock comes and they shoot your son, for no reason at all, he'd
never done anything and there he was dead in his living room.
You know, the kind of experience they lived through. And then to
see the children I saw, who wrote these thousands of letters to
the President talking about what it meant for the first time ever
to be able to go Christmas shopping without being afraid that the
store might be bombed. To meet policemen who were hated by both
sides, who now for the first time could bring their families back
into the city. They used to never be able to shop, they had to
travel thirty, forty miles because they chose to be police
officers to try to stop the violence. You know, just on and on.
And then, you know, you sat there and you thought. You know,
person after person said, none of this could have happened
without American leadership. And if the leadership isn't there
and backed up, it doesn't exist. And Helmut Kohl said to me,
because we were sitting there waiting for the President to come
to make his speech, I don't understand what's happening with some
Americans, they don't understand what's happening in the world.
It's not 1919, it's 1995. The United States left Europe in 1919,
and look what we did to ourselves, and he's a very practical,
down-to-earth man, and he said, you know, we have to have America
and that's what I hope we can convey.
[
XXX: You can also to remind them not to forget us over here.
It's SO easy to become detached when something is happening so
far away and just to keep that XXX in the forefront over this
next year. To remember the families, the soldiers
HRC: What would be a good thing for people to -- what would make
a difference in the lives of the soldiers?
XXX: Adopting a single soldier
HRC: Adopt a single soldier? How about adopting of these
families that are left behind.
12
XXX: That would be an interesting idea
XXX: My mom's already done that -- some churches have started
that.
XXX: Just reach out
HRC: I could ask that in the column, we could set up a system of
some kind
XXX: My mom has already started that. She plays bridge on Monday
and Friday, and she brought slips of paper that had any soldier,
and it started with XXX town, and she didn't know who else to
write to, so it started with ours, and people in the Bridge area
heard about it and my mom had so many slips of paper that she had
to go to the copy machine, make up more and then she when went
Friday with some more slips, she was mobbed at the door because
people were so excited that they wanted to write the soldiers.
HRC: So you just write any soldier, or can you get specific names
for people to write to, how will you do that?
XXX: I think if people
[people talking simultaneously]
HRC: Can you help me to, you know I, I think it should be the
next column. I won't write it for a couple of days, but, you
know if I can get some information about where people could
write, and
XXX: Where does it come out?
HRC: Well, it comes out in a lot of papers in the United States
and it actually comes out in the Frankfurt paper here in Germany
and it comes out in about, I guess 30 or 40 papers around the
world, but not every one of them. It's kind of hit or miss, like
it's in the Chicago Sun Times and the New York Daily News, the
San Francisco Examiner, papers around the country
XXX: Unintelligible
XXX:
to any soldier, and I think they ran the XXX numbers, and
literally people simply wrote to any soldier, care of XXX And I
think they're in the process of setting up the XXX numbers. I
don't know, do we have them already?
XXX: No. They're working on it.
XXX: So an easy way, that is a really good way to do it, but also
you can do things, you know, with churches or communities and you
know what might be interesting, does Baumholder have a sister
city in the US?
13
XXX: Yes.
XXX: The German city of Baumholder. Because sometimes there are
relationships between cities in the United States and cities
here, so, if Baumholder has one in the United States, you know,
there's a tie there between that American city and the American
community here kind of thing and even some of your small towns
that you all come from, just for support and good will and
information kind of thing. That sort of tie.
XXX: I'd like to talk about, I haven't had a chance to talk about
sending care packages to our husbands in Bosnia to be forwarded
to local orphanages or Red Cross offices and I talked to my
husband about it and they are going to have a restriction on the
size of the package that you can mail to your husbands -- but my
husband said that they can find a way around that so that we can
send boxes to our husbands and my husband said that they would
have a point of contact there that would then put them
[unintelligible]. But that they would be able to get some of the
stuff because one of the things [unintelligible] was how sad it
was to see the children with no clothes and no food and yet all
of our children always had every toy, every stuffed animal, and
things that we don't even think about.
XXX: XXX comes down to the Frankfurt, the Heidelberg gift shop,
I'm not sure how often she comes down, but that's what she
does
XXX: To Bosnia or Latvia?
XXX: No no no, I believe it's to Bosnia, and the donations go to
her and then she makes sure that they, and I don't, I have no
idea how she's getting them in. But I'll get her name and then
get her name to you
XXX: OK
XXX: She's getting stuff in there somehow, so
XXX: I have one other other suggestion. There are so many soldier
programs, what about a spouse program?
HRC: I like that idea
XXX: There are many organizations that do have these soldier
programs, what about letter writing to spouses?
XXX: [people talking simultaneously]
[End of tape]
[Side B]
14
XXX: There's a lot of publicity throughout the military, you
know, what a military spouse is and what she can do, but I don't
think the American public has a whole lot of idea sometimes just
what kind of woman a military spouse really is.
XXX: I think XXX, was it last year, published a column on what is
a military spouse [people talking simultaneously]
XXX: Well, we get the bad press, we get the paperback novels that
talk about
[people talking simultaneously] and I keep wondering,
I just want to know where the
is
I want
and I want pina
coladas.
XXX: I really think that a lot of women's groups could learn a
lot from our groups because we've done a lot to help ourselves. I
don't think any other, there just isn't any other group that you
can belong to that your husband, the profession that your husband
choose
so many opportunities are open to you and the chance for
personal growth and that's encourage family members as they
face
but this is a good time for personal growth, too. There's
going to be some problems, we know that. Knew that, we are kind
of overshadowed by the romanticism that
the army wife
has
been the silent partner for 200-plus years in our history and
she's more than silent
[laughter]
Walking around with a
glazed look.
XXX: I'd like to just share a little experience with the Gulf War
situation. We had a wonderful young gal who was from Puerto Rico
and her husband went off to the Gulf War and she
[unintelligible]. And he came back after six months to a very
independent, very strong woman. And they had to renegotiate,
because she wanted power [laughter] He ended up having to buy XXX
for her. you know, she developed tremendously
and ended up
having classes for her. And she was a very Catholic girl, about
ninety pounds, and her husband left this very cute little, cuddly
little person and he came back he was really shocked. And it was
a real adjustment for him
you know, those who have been through
a deployment before, if they re gone a year, it's going to take
at least half that time for things to get back to their
normal
so if you have to
negotiations of roles and all that
sort of thing, and the fact that
problems and adjustments and
negotiations
XXX: UNINTELLIGIBLE
XXX: We did that training also, we started it before the
men
also did it
here, we also did it after our men came
back
we found that so beneficial. It's amazing how many women
will come together
what the adjustments we
go through
and
when the man comes back
[people talking simultaneously].
And they really really
[people talking simultaneously]
15
XXX: set up so it's a little easier for them to do it, so when
the ships are coming back
they set the
out,
or
it's a
little harder for us to
aircraft, but they do realize that just
as the wives need to understand the changes in their husbands,
the wives need to understand the changes in their wives. They
may have left, young women
and they've come back
to
[laughter]
XXX: I'm listening to her and I'm thinking, you mean I don't have
to use that cattle prod? Sometimes, you know John would go into
the field for about two weeks or so and he would come home and he
has this voice, you know, and I'm like, excuse me, is it Mister
Commando Man? [laughter]
They get into this mentality
XXX: All that testosterone
XXX: Yes! Testosterone. Excuse me
sleep with one eye open
tonight
XXX: That was one thing that really amazed me, was how many
I'm
going to try this, or let me see if I can do this
and
they've
got some confidence in themselves and they really want
to go
back over
HRC: This has been so great for me. I really, I feel like I've
learned a lot. I'll try to convey that. If there are any issues
that come up that I can talk about, or that I can talk about in
the column, let me know. That's the reason I started writing the
column. I got so tired of people saying, here's what
she
[laughter] So it's hard to get a straight but at least
there's a way to circumvent all the media
creates
an
image
of
everything that's a little off kilter from what we personally
know and experience.
XXX: Could you or someone
the Stars and Stripes?
HRC: Well, maybe if you all asked for it
[laughter] there she
goes again, trying to take over the military with a coup of
wives
[laughter, applause]
One general's wife was heard in
this
cattle prod [laughter, applause].
[Simultaneous voices]
HRC: Well, thank you so much. This has been wonderful. And I
really am so gratful for the sacrifices you
it's not
and more
responsibility and greater burden
greatly appreciative. As a
metter of fact, Ithink that's one of the things at a conference
to talking about how, the next step is for women to make, not
only on our own behalf, but on behalf of all of us
is to create
an atmosphere that respects the choices of all women. You know,
like you were talking about
stereotype
well, we end up
stereotyping all different kinds of women
partly because roles
16
have expanded, and people have all these opportunities, so folks
haven
pigeon-holed
or
so I think part of what I hope we
can do
is to create an atmosphere of mutual respect of all
women's choices
generations
we have so many more
opportunities and responsibilities
but we have to quit pointing
fingers at each other instead of creating an atmosphere where
everybody and go on from there and create an independent woman
and she can make decisions for herself, whatever those decisions
might be. And give her the support that she needs. Responsible
and careful thought. So, that's one of my hopes
XXX:
HRC: Oh, it's been quite an experience. I mean, you know if
somebody had said four or five years ago, President
and then
here's what you will go through for five years, I would have
said, oh Raoul, where are you? [Laughter, applause]
[End of discussion]
17
June Shih
703-370-2196
12/10/95
8:08 PM
2/3
Talking It Over
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Operation Joint Endeavor
Since returning from Europe earlier this month, my thoughts and
prayers have been with our troops who will soon be arriving in Bosnia to
help bring peace to its people. We are all concerned for the safety of these
men and women, the success of their mission and their speedy return home.
My thoughts have also been with the military spouses and families
who are as much a part of Operation Joint Endeavor as the soldiers.
While in Baumholder, Germany with the President a few weeks ago, I
had the chance to meet with a group of Army spouses wives of both officers
and enlisted men - to talk about their feelings and preparations for the
upcoming separation from their husbands. Our scheduled half-hour visit
turned into a nearly two hour-long conversation about everything from
managing money to teenage marriages to child care to Christmas at the White
House.
The women, some of whom were already veterans of Desert Storm and
the recent peacekeeping operation in Macedonia, described the support
networks, both informal and formal, they have set up to help each other
through the separation. "We are ready. Whereas before we played a lot of
catch up ball. ...So we are ready this time instead of in the process of getting
ready. I think we're going to reap a lot of benefits from that."
Many experienced military spouses are volunteering to teach classes
that will help the younger wives adjust to life alone on the bases and in
Germany. The classes help the wives understand better what their husbands
do, what all the acronyms mean. There are also classes that help spouses
manage emotional stress and balance the family checkbook.
I was impressed with the genuine warmth and the strong friendships
between the military wives.
Throughout our conversation, they often called each other "army
sisters." The women I met said they are encouraging other wives not to go
home to America while their husbands are away because it is much easier to
get information about their husbands if they stay in Germany. Postage to
Bosnia from the German military bases will be free, for instance.
And it's very helpful to be around women who know exactly what
you're going through, they said. "If you get a letter, everyone is happy for
you. You know you've got that camaraderie and that sisterhood," one
7033702196
June Shih
703-370-2196
12/10/95
08:07 PM
1/3
DATE: Sunday, December 10, 1995
MEMO
FAX
TO:
Lissa Muscatine
It's a litte goofy. Hopefully the NSC
FAX: 202-337-0589
people will get us more details
tommorrow. I'll be home all evening
FROM: June Shih
PAGES: 3
June Shih
703-370-2196
12/10/95
08:08 PM
3/3
woman explained." And if you're having a bad day, somebody else has had
that bad day before, but they're not having a bad day, whereas in the States,
you don't have that, you know, that same understanding,"
Like most American women, one of the primary concerns facing
military wives is access to child care. The issue came up more than once
during our conversation. Now that they were all going to become single
parents for a while during the peacekeeping mission, many said they were
worried about finding adequate care for their children. They described the
difficulty they already had finding good care centers and baby-sitters in a
foreign country.
Hopefully things will improve in the next year through the President
and the Secretary of Defense's initiatives to increase quality of life for all
military personnel. More funds will be available so that two thirds of all
military children can be placed in child care. (Still that number should be 100
percent!]
The women also agreed that the separation would make them stronger
and in many cases change the terms of their relationships with their
husbands. (DO we want to pursue this?
The women also asked me to remind Americans about the soldiers
who are going to Bosnia alone, those without spouses and families to write
them letters or send care packages.
They suggested that we in America begin "adopting" single soldiers by
becoming penpals with them, sending them news from home, responding to
their thoughts on their lives in Bosnia, and most of all, telling them that we
are proud of them, that we are always thinking of them and looking forward
to their safe return..
To help in this effort
"You can also remind them not to forget us over here. It's so easy to become
detached when something is so far away."
The Defense Department has set up an address [NOTE: we will
have it by noon Tuesday, according to DOD/NSC -- also checking
about whether it will work for wives]
I hope each of you will make an effort to support our
soldiers in the coming weeks. Write to the American men and women
over there. Send them news from home. Encourage them to write
back. Most of all, tell them how proud we are of them and how
grateful we are for the sacrifices they are making on behalf of
American values by working to enforce the peace agreed to in
Bosnia.
I also want to ask Americans to remember and write to the
brave spouses and families that the soldiers are leaving behind.
They need our support as well.
Many of the officers and soldiers the President and I met in
Germany told us that there has never been a better trained, a
better educated, better prepared military in the history of the
world.
Their spouses have never been more prepared to help each
through Operation Joint Endeavor, either. As one woman said, "We
are ready."
###
4