Secretary Cohen, and his wife Janet Langhart Cohen, has launched a personal campaign to reconnect America with the military men and women, active and reserve, who are the core of our nation s safety and security. I can t tell you how important it is to remind them how grateful we are. Janet Cohen has focused on the military families. Health care, Cohen noted, is certainly the most emotional issue for service members. Thanks to the efforts of Secretary Cohen, military members received the largest pay increase in nearly two decades and a return to the 50 percent retirement benefit.
Efforts are under way to improve health care and housing.
Many in America today are unfamiliar with the military and its role, Cohen said. They have less of a chance to interact with them and to see how good they are. We ve got remind the American people how good our military is and if we re going to keep it that way, we ve got to do more. The Cohens are asking that the all-volunteer military total force get the recognition, public understanding, and support deserved. Soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen need to know the public, in addition to their military leaders, cares about them and their families.