Carl Levin: We have to take better care of our National Guard, Reserve

Carl Levin, The senior U.S. senator from Michigan
and the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

In an opinion piece posted today on The Times Herald website, Michigan Senator Carl Levin expresses the importance of caring for members of the US National Guard and Reserve forces and their families.

Levin explains the value of these civilian soldiers to the US military and raises concerns about several problems facing them today.

He notes that members of the National Guard and Reserve units often live far away from military bases and therefore struggle to get much-needed mental and physical heath services which are offered by the Defense Department.  He underscores this important point by referrencing recent testimony about the growing number of suicides in the National Guard and Reserves.

Importantly for our campaign, Levin also pointed to the high level of unemployment that plagues the civilian warrior community.

While in Michigan, Levin spoke to a National Research Summit on Reserve Component Families.  In his piece, he expressed gratitude for their efforts and the efforts of others to improve the lives of members of the National Guard and Reserve forces. 

Today, we are also grateful for their work and for the work of Senator Levin whose excellent op-ed is bringing awareness to a crucial issue.

Look for ways to get involved in finding jobs for heroes on the Center for America website.