Senator McCain Says Wounded Warriors Need Nation's 'Fidelity to Commitments'

September 10, 2009

MOAA and USNI Sponsor Defense Forum: "Coping With Unseen Injuries: From Battlefield to HomeFront"

Ranking Member of Senate Armed Services Committee, Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Assistant Secretary of Veterans Affairs to speak at Forum.

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Sept. 10 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Honorable John McCain, (R-AZ), Senior Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, will join Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman ADM Mike Mullen, USN and VA Assistant Secretary Tammy Duckworth as featured speakers at the Sept. 16 Defense Forum Washington - "Coping With Unseen Injuries: From Battlefield to HomeFront," hosted by The Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) and the U.S. Naval Institute (USNI) at the Hilton Alexandria Mark Center, 5000 Seminary Road in Alexandria, Va.

More than 500 uniformed service and Administration leaders, legislators, health care providers, and wounded warriors and family members will join fellow concerned citizens and professionals at the forum to discuss the effects of traumatic brain injury (TBI), post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression and other unseen injuries on combat veterans, their families and caregivers, their units, and military readiness.

MOAA organizers say the symposium will address progress to date, highlight successes and problems, and assess additional options to meet short- and long-term needs of the wounded and their families while sustaining military requirements. Questions from the audience will be welcomed.

In addition to the keynote speakers, three discussion panels of military and civilian experts will address topics including:

    --  "Managing the Battlefield & Beyond - A Leadership View"
    --  "Implications of Unseen Injuries: How Do We Respond on the
        Homefront?" and

    --  "Caring for Families & Caregivers: Facing the Truth"

"America's veterans deserve not only the country's gratitude, but also our fidelity to the commitments made to them and their families for years of faithful service," said Senator John McCain. "I believe we can and must do more to ensure our veterans who suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and other combat related health issues receive the best care possible."

The Defense Forum, including lunch, is free to active duty, National Guard and Reserve servicemembers; the registration fee is $40 for other USNI-MOAA members and spouses, $65 for non-members, and $25 for students.

On-site registration opens at 8 a.m. on Sept. 16. The program agenda and registration information are available at www.defenseforumwashington.com. To register by phone, call (800) 233-8764 or (410) 268-6110.

To learn more about "Coping With Unseen Injuries: From Battlefield to HomeFront" or to register, visit www.usni.org. For a preview interview with two program panelists, Lt Col Tim Maxwell, USMC (Ret), and his wife Shannon, visit http://www.youtube.com/TheMOAAChannel.

Parking will be available at the Hilton Alexandria Mark Center. For those using Metro, complimentary shuttles from the Hilton Alexandria Mark Center will run all day to and from the Pentagon City Metrorail Station, and one to and from the King Street Metrorail Station. Driving directions and shuttle information on available at http://www.usni.org/conferences/directions.asp?id=33

MOAA is the United States' largest organization of active duty, National Guard, Reserve, former and retired military officers, their families and surviving spouses. The association promotes a strong national defense by seeking equitable benefits for those who serve and have served their country in military, including health care, pay, allowances, and family issues.

Founded in 1873, the U.S. Naval Institute is a non-profit, professional military association of more than 50,000 members. An independent, nonpartisan forum on global security issues, it creates books, magazines, blogs and conferences - and maintains expansive historical archives. The Institute educates on the need for a strong national defense; on the enduring role of the maritime services in preserving it and on our national obligation to the men and women of the all-volunteer force who provide it.

Thank you to our corporate sponsors.

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3rd ANNUAL CONFERENCE TO FOCUS ON "UNSEEN" INJURIES

From Battlefield to Homefront

When Lt. Col. Tim Maxwell, USMC-Ret., was wounded in Iraq, the Maxwell family knew their lives had changed. What the Maxwells didn't realize was how many obstacles wounded warriors must face on the road to recovery. Lt. Col. Tim Maxwell, a retired Marine with traumatic brain injury, and his wife, Shannon, let MOAA take a peek into their lives as they discuss issues affecting wounded warriors all over the nation. The Maxwells will participate as panelists at the MOAA/USNI 2009 DFW.

Watch the video, then visit www.defenseforumwashington.com to learn more about issues affecting wounded warriors and USNI/MOAA 2009 Defense Forum Washington in Alexandria, Va., Wednesday, Sept. 16.

SOURCE Military Officers Association of America