It's not an easy life being in the military, particularly when we're at war, and I understand that. For many of you it means packing up your belongings and moving on short notice. I suspect a lot of you have been on the move much more than you thought you'd be on the move. (Laughter.) For others it means living in a foreign land, which can be exciting, but it also means you're far away from your extended family, and that's hard. And for many of you, it means missing a spouse as he or she serves on the front lines in this battle to secure our country and to spread freedom for the sake of peace.
　　Being left behind when a loved one goes to war has got to be one of the hardest jobs in the United States military. Talked to a lot of folks who have been in the theater, as well as spouses, and it is clear to me the harder job in many ways is to be the person at home taking care of the kids and having sleepless nights as you pray for safe return.
　　You're carrying out the burdens -- you're serving our country. And it's noble service. And it's necessary service. And the United States [of] America owes you a huge debt of gratitude. And so, on behalf of our people, thank you for what you're doing. (Applause.)
　　One of the things I have learned in seven and a half years as the President is, as you've served our country, you also serve each other. I've spent a lot of time visiting our military bases here in America and across the world. And it's been a great experience. What I've found is that there's always a close-knit community, people who are sharing a special bond, and people who take time to look out after people. It's a -- it's been an amazing experience to see the fabric of our military communities firsthand, and today we're going to honor six military spouses who have done a little extra to serve your communities and serve the nation.
　　First we honor an Army wife named Colleen Saffron. In May 2004, Colleen's husband, Terry, who is with us, was severely injured while serving in Iraq. And Colleen learned firsthand the challenges facing the families of wounded warriors. So last year she helped found Operation Life Transformed, which is a non-profit that helps family members and caregivers of our wounded troops get the training they need so they can work from home while caring for their loved ones. To date, Operation Life Transformed has helped more than 30 spouses and caregivers get the funding and support they need for new and flexible careers. One of those she helps is Maria Baez, and she was the mom whose Marine son was paralyzed by a sniper bullet in Fallujah. Here's what Maria said about Operation Life Transformed: "I can't thank you enough for helping me and trusting me, and also for not giving up."

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