Former President George W. Bush said Wednesday that his institute will be "relentless" in helping military veterans return to civilian life.
He appeared at a summit at the George W. Bush Institute at the Bush Center. Jill Biden, the wife of Vice President Joe Biden, also spoke at the event, which focused on ways to help military veterans and their families.
“Over the next five years, more than a million Americans will complete their military experience,” Bush said at the event, called Empowering Our Nations' Warriors. “And like those before them, they’ll face challenges as they readjust to civilian life. At the Bush Center, we believe after everything they’ve done for us we have a duty to help make their transition as successful as possible.”
The institute, which is the center’s policy arm, brought together leaders from private, public and non-profit sectors to examine how Americans can better support veterans and their families. It's on the campus of Southern Methodist University.
In the past, Bush has honored veterans through sporting events, including an annual 36-hole golf tournament in the fall and a three-day, 100-kilometer bike ride in the spring. But Bush says those efforts aren’t enough.
“They’re not transformative enough,” he said. “And so a goal is to help Americans understand how they can support our veterans and empower them to succeed.”
Bush said one issue to address is a stigma associated with post-traumatic stress, which he said has been mislabeled as a disorder. He says it's treatable.
More than 40,000 groups have a mission of helping veterans. That’s great, Bush says, but it can be overwhelming. That’s why the Bush Institute plans to measure which programs are most effective, and release case studies highlighting work in both the private and non-profit sectors that help veterans make a smooth transition to civilian life.
Jill Biden is the co-founder of Joining Forces, an effort to help military families. (Scroll down to watch videos of remarks by Bush and Biden.)
KERA's Lauren Silverman covered the event. Follow her coverage on Twitter. Here are some Twitter highlights of the event:
"They are the 1% of America who have kept the 99% safe. We owe them, & their families, a deep debt of gratitude" -GWB #knowourvets
— George W. Bush Presidential Center (@TheBushCenter) February 19, 2014
"With @IVMFsyracuseU, the #BushInstitute completed 1 of the most comprehensive studies ever conducted of post-9/11 vets" #knowourvets
— George W. Bush Presidential Center (@TheBushCenter) February 19, 2014
"They are not mentally shattered. They are people who got hurt defending our country & are now overcoming their wounds" -GWB #KnowOurVets
— George W. Bush Presidential Center (@TheBushCenter) February 19, 2014
"On average, military children attend 6-9 school systems in their life" -@DrBiden #KnowOurVets
— George W. Bush Presidential Center (@TheBushCenter) February 19, 2014
What are veterans supposed to put down on job applications, George W Bush asks: "My last office was a Humvee”? @keranews
— Lauren Silverman (@lsilverwoman) February 19, 2014
@GeorgeWBush on "PTSD" 'The problem isn't the disorder, it’s the stigma.
— Lauren Silverman (@lsilverwoman) February 19, 2014
Here are remarks by President George W. Bush:
Here are remarks by Jill Biden:
Learn more about the event here:
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
