During my twenty years wearing the uniform as an Air Force judge advocate, I sat across from more young Airmen than I can count, helping them draft wills and powers of attorney before deployment.
Almost without exception, they asked the same question: “Sir, if something happens to me, who takes care of my family?”
In Louisiana we are home to more than 5,000 active-duty spouses who keep the home fires burning while their loved ones are downrange. They are the unheralded force multiplier behind every successful mission. When a knock at the door brings the news no one wants, these spouses should not be handed a folded flag with one hand and a stack of impossible paperwork with the other.
That is why the Gold Star and Surviving Spouse Career Services Act, introduced and championed by Senator Bill Cassidy, is one of the most important pieces of legislation most Americans have never heard of. It is not a multibillion- dollar program or a sweeping new entitlement. It is a focused, commonsense fix that does two straightforward things. First, it guarantees surviving spouses dedicated, oneon- one career counselingthrough the Department of Labor’s American Job Centers. Second, and more importantly, it opens the door to the existing Disabled Veterans’ Outreach Program --a battle-tested resource that already helps wounded warriors and unemployed veterans find meaningful work. Right now, Gold Star spouses are locked out of those programs by statute. This bill simply removes that lock.
The Senate recognized the urgency and passed the bill unanimously. Every Democrat, every Republican, every Independent voted yes. That kind of bipartisan agreement does not happen by accident; it happens when something is undeniably right. Unfortunately, the measure was not included in the final National Defense Authorization Act recently passed by the House. However, the fight should go on to send this important piece of legislation to the President’s desk.
Our troops are asked to write a blank check payable to the United States for an amount up to and including their lives. The least we can do is ensure that if that check is cashed, their spouses receive the tools they need to rebuild. This bill will allow DVOP specialists to provide resume guidance that turns the term “military spouse” into “proven resilience and dedication.” This is simply earned support for families who have already paid the highest price.
In the service of arms, tragedy can strike at any time. This often leaves behind a Gold Star spouse who has never navigated the civilian job market, who moved every two years for the military, who now faces raising children alone in an economy that waits for no one. Giving surviving spouses real, individualized employment support is not charity; it is the fulfillment of a promise we make when we first issue uniforms to our brothers and sisters in arms. Bring this bill across the finish line. Let our military families know that Louisiana still has their six.
Chad Carter is a retired Air Force judge advocate and a partner at the Monroe, Louisiana, law firm of Parker Alexander. He is also the Executive Director of Bayou Veterans Advocacy.
