Volunteers :: National Military Role Model

SECRETARY OF DEFENSE

GOAL 5: RECONNECT AMERICA WITH ITS MILITARY

Americans should be proud of their soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines; they are the envy of the world.

Issue: Soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines advance vital community links through community service, youth outreach and innovative readiness training programs.

In support of the President’s effort to increase volunteerism and enhance community service participation, the Department of Defense continues to promote volunteerism among its most valued resource – our military and civilian personnel. The goal is to encourage DoD commands to establish community partnerships, empower the local communities to address their needs and develop a commitment to share responsibilities and resources in a partnership with businesses, foundations, colleges and universities, religious organizations, media groups, and community organizations. Volunteering in the community service revitalizes citizenry, increases team spirit, enhances character and leadership development and reinforces our values. As a result, many communities located near a military installation, armory or reserve center have seen an increase in DoD’s participation in supporting the President’s domestic priorities and addressing education, health, environment, homelessness, and hunger. Participating in community service projects has reconnected America with its military.

The President’s Summit was one event that promoted volunteerism and citizen service to all Americans. It challenged the Department of Defense to mobilize its efforts to ensure children and youth across the country have what they need to lead healthy, fulfilling, and productive lives. DoD took on that challenge and committed to enhance several youth outreach programs. The most notable are the National Guard Challenge program, the Young Marines, the Civil Air Patrol, JROTC and the Personal Excellence Partnership Flagship. These programs are directly contributing to increase scholastic achievement, improving social and life skills, providing vocational guidance and decreasing drug use among our nation’s youth. The success of these programs rely heavily on DoD volunteers, who commit long-term time toward tutoring, mentoring. Through these programs, the DoD commits to reach over one million children by the year 2000.

The Department of Defense continues to explore a variety of ways to expand training opportunities to prepare for their wartime mission. One way we have expanded readiness training here at home has been through DoD’s Innovative Readiness Training program. The Innovative Readiness Training program operates within the 50 states, the territories and possessions, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. It’s the same kind of training we’ve been doing for years in other countries, particularly in Central and South America. Local commanders and community leaders coordinate the projects undertaken as civil-military cooperation. This program has been a great success. Military readiness training is accomplished on Native American reservations in the Dakotas, Arizona, and Alaska, rural and urban communities in New Jersey and Oklahoma. These local communities benefit through improvements in infrastructure, healthcare and environment. It is a "double bang for the buck" for taxpayers.