California State Resolution HR 29 Passes Thanks to the Military-Brats Registry!

The Military-Brats Registry created an interest in "Military Spouses Day" this year that caught the attention of the California State Legislature. House Resolution 29 was passed unanimously to recognize this significant event that is especially important at this time in history.

In response to this month's "Registry News" that was sent out to all members of the Military-Brats Registry (www.military-brats.com)on April 21, the Assembly of the State of California unanimously passed a Resolution to honor the Military Spouse. Following is an email received on May 14 to thank the Military-Brats Registry for the idea!

Dear Marc,

I'd thought you'd like to know that the California State Assembly has officially recognized "Military Spouses Day," by the passage of House Resolution 29. However, I'd like to thank you and Military-Brats.com for the original idea.

A few weeks ago, you sent an e-letter to members and reminded them to celebrate the Friday before Mother's Day as Military Spouse's Day. As I work for the Speaker of the State Assembly, I'm always looking for ideas: sometimes they're important pieces of legislation, sometimes they're more symbolic and don't carry the weight of law - such as HR 29 - but they are nonetheless significant as they allow elected members, staff, and the public to recognize heroic acts, important work, or singular accomplishments. All of which are embodied within Military Moms or Spouses. After reading your letter, and receiving a few more sites to look at, I was able to package a reso. (as we staffers call them) and took it to the Speaker's senior legislative staffer, Rick Simpson, who suggested I speak to Assembly Member Nicole Parra's Chief of Staff, Bob Pence. Ms. Parra is the Chair of the Assembly's Veterans Affairs' Committee. Bob liked the idea and had me talk to the Committee Consultant, Burt McChesney. Together we designed a short program to honor Military Spouses.

Last Thursday, May 8th, the Assembly passed HR 29 (Parra) by a bi-partisan vote of 77-0. Then Assembly Member Parra introduced 5 wives from Lemoore Naval Air Station located in the 30 Assembly District. 3 wives were accompanied by their husbands recently returned from Iraq. The 2 other wives' husbands are Marines currently participating in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Last, she introduced my mom, Dorothy Hall, who became wife, mother, doctor, teacher, etc. for about 12 years out of the 27 1/2 years my dad, CMS David Hall (Ret.) U.S. Air Force served. It was a very touching ceremony and my mom could not be prouder. All too often we fail to recognize these sacrifices, so it was nice to do something for these women who really give so much. Something Military Brats really understand, but maybe, too, fail to honor.

Anyway, I'd like to thank you again for bringing this to my attention and I hope you can let other Military Brats know that some recognition is being given to Military Moms, and there should be much more.

Thanks again and again,

Dennis W. Hall
Assistant to the Speaker
Democratic Floor Unit
Legislative Office Building
1020 N Street, Room 390
Sacramento, CA 95814

The original message . . .

Mother's Day 2003
The Friday before Mother's day each year has been set aside to honor Military Spouses. The purpose of this special day is to thank military spouses for the support they give to their family and other military families, to honor their contributions to the communities where they live and to acknowledge the sacrifices they make every day in support of their military member and our country. Both mothers and fathers face the daily challenges of military life that often include deployments, family separations, and frequent moves. These spouses are the ones left "holding down the fort" allowing our military members to successfully complete their missions and not worry about their family at home.

We are in a new era where the resiliency of the military spouse is needed more than ever, as concerns about the war on terrorism pose new challenges for the homeland military spouse and increased risk for those overseas. Please take some time on May 9th, 2003 to celebrate the accomplishments of your local military spouses and thank them for accepting the challenges of being a military spouse. The following links and resources will help you learn about the role of the military spouse and how to support them.

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The Military-Brats Registry is the central location on the Internet where people who grew up in the military, commonly known as "Military Brats" can find and contact their friends from years of moving from state to state, and country to country. Creator/Webmaster Marc Curtis, himself a Military Brat of the 50s and 60s designed the web site in April of 1997 in order to locate his 4th grade friends at Ft Bliss, TX in 1960. To date, half of his classmates have been found.