Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Elizabeth Pena | From left to right, Master Chief Petty Officer Jason M. Vanderhaden, the master chief...... read more read more
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CHARLOTTE, N.C. – In a gathering representing thousands of years of military service across all branches, over 500 American Legion members convened to hear from the highest-ranking senior enlisted leaders from each military service Aug. 26, 2023. The focus of the event was on enhancing quality of life to improve both operational and personnel readiness.
"It does not matter what uniform you wear. We are all part of this joint fight," said Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force JoAnne S. Bass. "When you look at the challenges we have in the future, our adversaries are not interested in beating the United States Air Force. They are focused on how they can become the world's dominant power. So it will take a whole of government and a whole of nation to make sure we can still defend our
Freedom."
Moderated by retired 13th Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard, Jason M. Vanderhaden, and hosted by the American Legion, the 90-minute panel drew reps from all 50 states, three U.S. territories, Washington, D.C., and five overseas Legions. Topics ranged from healthcare and childcare to mental health and living conditions, with a spotlight on National Guard and Reserve-specific issues.
Addressing childcare, leaders announced that the Army has rolled out a specialized program called "Childcare in Your Neighborhood." The initiative focuses primarily on meeting the unique needs of National Guard and Reserve members, who often encounter additional challenges when called in for drill.
"These challenges are especially acute for dual military families or single parents," said Senior Enlisted Advisor Tony Whitehead, SEA to the chief of the National Guard Bureau. "The program and others like it represent our ongoing commitment to identifying and implementing solutions that improve the quality of life for our service members."
In response to an audience question about mental health, the leaders acknowledged the widespread shortages in mental health resources affecting the U.S. Bass stated one approach to mitigating these gaps is fostering a culture of connection and engaged leadership. Bass emphasized the critical role that strong, supportive leadership can play in enhancing the mental well-being of service members.
"We might be short mental health providers, but we are not short leaders," said Bass. "When I talk to our mental health providers, they share that only two need clinical support out of every ten Airmen who walk into mental health. The other eight simply need to know that somebody cares. We have got to get back to true connection and eyeball-to-eyeball leadership."
For the Navy, Command Master Chief Matt R. Harris, senior enlisted advisor to the U.S. Navy vice chief of Naval Operations, revealed a new program focused on human performance. Adapted from Navy SEALs and elite athletes, the program equips Sailors with real-time tools to manage stress effectively. "Our Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy, James Honea, sent a series of letters out to the mess with his call to action, and
one of those [letters] he talked about the importance of and the responsibility of the chief petty officer to be embedded in mental health. To have that embedded connection with their sailor to know if something is wrong,” Harris said.
Discussing barracks and living conditions, U.S. Army Sgt. Maj. Michael Perry, the senior enlisted advisor to the assistant chief of staff, G9, commented, "As my boss [Lt. Gen. Kevin Vereen, Deputy Chief of Staff, G9] and I tour various bases, it's clear that improving living conditions is a top priority for us. The Secretary of the Army has committed $1 billion annually from the Army budget for the next ten years and allocated both for constructing new barracks and renovating existing, older facilities. This
significant investment displays the attention that our senior leadership is paying to ensure that no service member lives in substandard conditions."
Sgt. Maj. of the Marine Corps Carlos Ruiz underscored the importance of why quality of life matters, “Quality of life — what is that? To you, it is something; to you, it is something different; to everyone, it is something different,” he said. “But what I do know is that it is something constant. The key word is quality — the quality of people — that we must bring in.”
Despite the diverse topics discussed, one consistent theme emerged across all military components: leaders from every service branch take these quality-of-life issues seriously.
“It's discussions like these that make us more united, informed and prepared to take on the challenges that lie ahead for our military and our nation. Thank you to everyone who attended, and a special thanks to the American Legion for making this event possible,” said Whitehead.
| Date Taken: | 09.05.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 09.05.2023 19:02 |
| Story ID: | 452781 |
| Location: | CHARLOTTE, NC, US |
| Web Views: | 176 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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