Ed. note: This week, warriorcare.mil will feature the story of a catastrophically wounded Service member and his saga of recovery to employed Veteran.  In an effort to highlight what our wounded veterans can offer to private and public organizations, we chose to focus on retired Army Master Sergeant, Jeffrey Mittman.  His story is one of conviction and the dogged determination necessary to continue with his recovery and his successful transition to civilian and veteran life. 

In order to bring his story full circle, we have invited his wife, Christy, and his employers from the DoD’s Defense Finance and Accounting Office (Indianapolis) to give their account of what this journey has meant for them as well.  We begin the series with Christy Mittman’s account of her husband’s injuries and how her family’s life was changed forever. Please follow this story at warriorcare.mil.

Before my husband Jeff was injured, I would say that we lived a fairly normal military life. He was in and out of our house a lot, back and forth to schools and various other places that his military duties took him. While he was away, my children and I went about our daily lives and made the best of the situation. It is not to say that we did not miss him, but we dealt with it the best we could. Life does not stop just because your husband is away on duty.

This “normal” life changed on 7 July 2005. Many people may remember this day as the day of the London bombings. Jeff was in Iraq on his fourth combat tour when I received a phone call from the Department of Defense informing me that he had been very seriously injured, had severe facial trauma, and a right-hand injury. The caller could provide no further details and told me that I would be receiving an additional call when they had more information.

When I received this phone call, I was visiting my parents in Indiana with our two daughters who were 8 and 2 years old at the time. I was faced with the task of sitting two small children down and telling them that their father had been injured in a war that they did not understand. So there we sat for the next 12 hours as family gathered around us and awaited further word on Jeff’s condition. Finally, I received a call and was told that my husband was on his way to Germany and I would hear from the doctors after they were able to evaluate him.

Tomorrow, President Obama will head home from South Korea -- after a busy three days of diplomatic meetings and discussions of nuclear security.

At a talk today with students at Hankuk University, the President outlined the reasons why he's made the issue such a major priority:

We’re building an international architecture that can ensure nuclear safety.  But we’re under no illusions. We know that nuclear material, enough for many weapons, is still being stored without adequate protection. And we know that terrorists and criminal gangs are still trying to get their hands on it -- as well as radioactive material for a dirty bomb. We know that just the smallest amount of plutonium -- about the size of an apple -- could kill hundreds of thousands and spark a global crisis. The danger of nuclear terrorism remains one of the greatest threats to global security. And that's why here in Seoul, we need to keep at it.

This is the President's third official visit to South Korea, and as he pointed out today, he's been to Seoul more than any other capital. That fact obviously speaks to the strength of the political relationship between our two nations, but it also highlights our growing economic ties.

That's why President Obama worked so hard to pass the U.S.-Korea Trade Agreement -- which will help to support an estimated 70,000 jobs in the years ahead and increase U.S. GDP by at least $11 billion due to increased exports of goods.

Earlier this month, President Obama called on Congress to repeal the $4 billion annual subsidies we give to oil companies, and they are scheduled to vote on doing so today.

Congress "can either stand up for oil companies, or they can stand up for the American people," the President said in a recent Weekly Address. "They can either place their bets on a fossil fuel from the last century, or they can place their bets on America’s future."

Investing in an all-of-the-above energy strategy—one that relies on domestically produced oil and gas, clean renewable resources like wind and solar power, and new technologies that help us use less energy altogether—requires the putting the right incentives in place.

Instead of subsidizing the fossil fuels of the last century by giving away $4 billion of taxpayer money each year to oil companies that are more profitable than ever, we should be investing in a clean energy future—especially when gas prices are high and drivers, whose budgets are already stretched thin, are feeling the pain at the pump.

President Obama explained earlier this month in New Hampshire:

We want to have successful oil companies that are able to get the oil that we have in our country, but we also understand that our future requires us to make investments in clean, renewable energies.  And that has to start now.  We can’t wait.  We can’t wait until gas has skyrocketed more and people are desperate.  We need to start making those investments now.

Read more about the factors that go into high gas prices and why we need to take control of our energy future.

Just after midnight on Saturday morning, President Obama boarded Air Force One and departed for a trip to South Korea. After crossing the International Date Line, he arrived in Seoul for a nuclear security summit. 

As part of the trip, the President today got a first hand view of North Korea as he toured to the DMZ and met with U.S. troops stationed on the border. He told the servicemen and women, "Everybody back home could not be prouder of what you guys do each and every day -- the dedication, the professionalism that you show." 

President Barack Obama is briefed by Lt. Col. Ed Taylor as he views the DMZ from Observation Post Ouellette at Camp Bonifas, Republic of Korea, March 25, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)

The President also kicked off the three days of diplomacy with a pair of bilateral meetings -- with President Lee Myung-bak of South Korea and Prime Minister Erdogan or Turkey. 

President Barack Obama and President Lee Myung-bak participate in a press conference at the Blue House in Seoul, Republic of Korea, March 25, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)

Ed. Note: This blog post is cross-posted from LetsMove.gov

We're excited to announce the next Let's Move! tweetup at the White House. On Monday April 9th, 2012, the First Family will host the 134th annual White House Easter Egg Roll with the theme “Let's Go, Let's Play, Let's Move." Let's Move! invites its followers on Twitter and Facebook and their children to join the fun on the South Lawn for games, stories, the traditional egg roll, and of course to tweet! The day's activities -- which will include sports and cooking demonstrations -- will help educate families on smart ways to incorporate healthy eating and exercise choices into their daily routines, key pillars of First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! initiative.

Interested in joining? Sign up for your chance to join other @LetsMove followers for the White House Easter Egg Roll at WhiteHouse.gov/tweetup 

In order to apply, you must follow @LetsMove on Twitter or Facebook and you must have children ages five to thirteen. After you sign up for your chance to attend, spread the word! Let your followers know that you submitted your entry for the #WHTweetup and tell us @LetsMove. Be sure to sign up soon! Registration closes on Tuesday, March 27th at 11:59 p.m. EST.

Ed. note: The application for the Fall 2012 White House Internship Program is now open. This blog post introduces readers to Nicole Pasteur, a former intern who worked in the Office of Presidential Correspondence in the fall of 2011. When asked about her internship experience, Nicole writes:

As one navigates the White House website, the “Contact Us” button never leaves the upper right-hand corner of the screen. The button encourages and invites Americans to e-mail, write, and call the White House in an effort to create “the most open and accessible administration in American history.” The White House seeks to cultivate a relationship with the American public by maintaining open lines of communication.

Similarly, ten letters addressed to the President are delivered to the Oval Office each day, serving as President Obama’s “lifeline” and providing a snapshot of the issues that matter most to Americans. These ten letters are selected from the thousands of letters, emails and faxes the President receives every week.

My experience as an intern in the Office of Presidential Correspondence was indescribable. Each day, I had the privilege of serving the President alongside a diverse group of dedicated and brilliant individuals.

President Barack Obama reaches for a pen as he signs the health insurance reform bill in the East Room of the White House, March 23, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)

Two years ago today, President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act, giving hardworking, middle-class families the health care security they deserve. Health reform requires that insurance plans cover preventive services to help people stay healthy, prohibits insurance companies from dropping your coverage if you get sick, billing you into bankruptcy because of annual or lifetime limits placed on care, and discriminating against children with pre-existing conditions.

By 2014 when the law is fully implemented, people will be able to purchase private insurance coverage through new state-based markets called exchanges, which will offer a way to get insurance that isn’t provided by—or tied to—an employer. Americans will have the security of knowing they don't have to worry about losing or finding coverage if they're laid off, change jobs, or are self-employed. And further patient protections will take effect: insurers won’t be able to deny care to anyone based on a pre-existing condition, or limit the amount of care they’ll cover over a person’s lifetime. 

Over the last week, we’ve looked at many of the ways the new health care law is making a real difference in many people's lives:

• New tax credits are helping small business owners like Mark with the cost of providing health insurance for employees
• Because young adults can now stay on their parents' insurance until age 26, people like Steven, a  23-year-old, two-time cancer survivor, can continue getting the care they need, even if they are no longer in school
• Parents like Vanessa, whose son was born with birth defects, and Nathan, whose son has hemophilia, won’t have to fight to keep their kids healthy because insurance companies are now prohibited from denying coverage for children with pre-existing conditions or placing lifetime limits on care,
• Seniors like Helen are getting help with the cost of their medications, giving them peace of mind and putting more money in their pockets

Looking at the big picture also helps tell the story of how the Affordable Care Act is benefitting people around the country.

Before the Affordable Care Act was signed into law, insurance companies had free rein to deny coverage or charge higher rates to anyone who had what they considered to be a “pre-existing condition.”  These conditions include everything from asthma to high-blood pressure to cancer—some plans even consider pregnancy to be pre-existing. Today, however, insurers are banned from denying coverage to children with pre-existing conditions, and beginning in 2014, that ban will prevent insurers from discriminating against anyone based on their medical history.

Until that piece of President Obama’s health reform law takes effect, the Affordable Care Act established a temporary Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan, which give people are uninsured because of pre-existing conditions access to coverage. More than 50,000 people have obtained coverage through that plan, like James from Katy, Texas, who found himself with no health insurance after being diagnosed with brain cancer.

For more information:

• See how health reform is helping people in your state
• MarkCare: How health reform is making health insurance more affordable for small businesss
• StevenCare: How health reform enables Steven, a 23-year-old, two-time cancer survivor, to keep the insurance he needs
• HelenCare: How health reform is giving Helen, a senior from Philadephia, peace of mind and more money in her pocket
• VanessaCare: How health reform is helping Vanessa and her family

Each day this week, you’ve heard stories about what the new health care law means for every day people.  Today, March 23, marks the second anniversary of the Affordable Care Act, and three remarkable women share their stories about how the new health care law is affecting their lives and the lives of their families.  They are truly the faces of the Affordable Care Act, representing the millions of Americans already benefiting from health care reform and looking forward to full implementation of the consumer protections in the health care law in 2014.

Alycia Steinberg’s family was stunned when the pediatrician told them last fall that 2-year-old Avey had leukemia. Her first hospital stay at Johns Hopkins cost $100,000 and she has 2 ½ more years of chemotherapy ahead of her. “Being uninsured is not an option for my family,” Alycia says.

The Affordable Care Act protects Avey’s health insurance coverage because it bars insurance companies from denying coverage to children for pre-existing conditions.

“Childhood cancer is cruel. To have to worry about how your child will get treatment and how you will maintain your family’s most basic financial security is also cruel. ...When discussing health reform, we often talk about our goal of protecting the most vulnerable among us. What we forget is that we are all vulnerable,” Alisha says.