2008/09/17 00:00:00
MOAA President Vice Adm. Norb Ryan Jr., USN-Ret., with Sen. Carl M. Levin, chairman of the Senate Committee on Armed Services.
After a day-long Defense Forum Washington on Sept. 17 sponsored by the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) and the United States Naval Institute (USNI), MOAA’s President, VAdm Norbert Ryan, Jr, USN-Ret, said that “the day focused about 500 attendees on the magnitude of the issues surrounding wounded warriors and how our nation can improve what we do for them.”
The Forum held in Washington, DC, “Measuring Success: Keeping Faith with Wounded Warriors and their Families", featured several panels addressing wounded warrior subjects, plus keynote speakers Senator Carl Levin, Senate Armed Forces Committee Chairman; Secretary James Peake, Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs; and Lt. Gen. Eric Schoomaker, USA, the Army Surgeon General. The 500 attendees included other key military and civilian leaders and policymakers from all aspects of the wounded warrior issue. CNN, NBC, C-SPAN and USA Today were among news media organizations covering the event.
Panels included “Problem, Progress, and Prescription” which assessed ongoing implementation of service, Defense and VA cooperative efforts; “How Can Leadership Institutionalize the Seamless Transition Process” which concluded that the foundations for progress are in place, and that leadership must continue progress and commitment; and “Challenges and Handling of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder/Traumatic Brain Injury/Depression…..What Comes Next?” which confirmed these as long-term national challenges that will require significant investments to avoid far larger costs in the future if proper near-term action is not taken.
Adm. Ryan said that he appreciated Senator Levin’s opening comments that “The Wounded Warrior Act in last year’s National Defense Authorization Act was a good start….Today’s mission is to figure out how we monitor, measure, and evaluate progress.”
Secretary Peake spoke at lunch and said that the “VA needs to do a better job of communicating—there is a need to be ‘veteran-centric.’ There’s never been a better time to think through an integrated process that brings people and resources together.”
Lt. Gen. Schoomaker concluded the afternoon by stating “We want soldiers who aspire to serve, and we want them to know they will get the very best care when they serve.”
Adm. Ryan said after the event that, “If our efforts today result in helping just one more wounded warrior and his or her family, we will have done well. However, we know that our joining together to discuss the issue will result in progress in helping many others who have served their country so well."
MOAA thanks all those who participated in the MOAA/USNI Defense Forum Washington on September 17, 2008. Special thanks to our corporate sponsors, without whom the conference would not have been possible.
This Legislative Update article discusses the major takeaways from the panel discussions.
View the
On Scene Report on USNI's Web site.
View or purchase photos from the Wounded Warrior Forum.
