Army Gen. Carter Ham, commander of U.S. Army Europe and 7th Army, speaks at the Defense Department’s Joint Family Readiness Conference in Chicago, Sept. 1, 2009. DoD photo by Elaine Wilson

By Elaine Wilson, AFPS
Sept. 1, 2009

I’m in Chicago attending the Defense Department’s first Joint Family Readiness Conference in nearly 10 years. The hotel is huge and sprawling, but the conference has a small-town feel. Many of the attendees – all helping professionals – know each other or have crossed paths before.

The conference’s opening session took place early this morning. The highlights were a letter from first lady Michelle Obama, a well-known supporter of military families, as well as remarks from a long-time military family.
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