Week 4: Warriors

Outside of those committees that I am directly assigned, I have the opportunity to participate with the Veteran's Affairs and Military Installations and the Higher Education policy areas. Week Four became a week where I became engrossed in Veterans and Military issues and had some great opportunities to learn and grow.

Monday morning, Jason (the head VAMI policy analyst in our office) and I had the chance to go to Camp Mabry here in Austin. Mabry serves as the National Guard headquarters for the state of Texas. While there, we were briefed on the missions and operational ability of the TX NG by the sitting Adjunct General. I knew some of what the NG did, but didn't fully realize the contributions that they make to handling a wide range of state issues. Tasks can range from defense support of local law enforcement to rapid disaster relief efforts. I learned a lot.

Friday, I got another chance to go off site - this time to travel to Fort Hood. Some legislative members and a handful of staff members loaded buses early Friday morning and drove to Killeen, TX (roughly a ninety minute drive). While there we learned about the educational opportunities for our military personnel offered by Texas A&M - Central Texas and Central Texas College. Once we got to base, the fun began. We were able to try a number of the simulators that soldiers train on every day. Technology has changed the way that our military trains, and we got to see that first hand. Almost like a video game, soldiers can train in mock ups of Humvees and other tracked and wheeled vehicles, practice on virtual weapons ranges, and walkthrough shoot houses to drill room and home clearing. Add to that the helicopter tour we got of the entire base, and Ft. Hood was a fantastic day.

However, the most meaningful experience of last week was on Wednesday during the Senate session. It was Wounded Warriors day at the capitol, and Sen. Van de Putte (Chair - VAMI) invited and recognized a number of wounded service men and women. What was most special was that she surprised Sen. Birdwell by recognizing him on the floor as a wounded warrior himself. As I have mentioned before, Sen. Birdwell was severely injured in the 9/11 attack on the Pentagon. He has had a miraculous recovery since and his story is quite powerful. Check it out: http://www.iamsecond.com/seconds/brian-birdwell/

Until next time…

[N.B. - All the opinions expressed in this blog are mine, and mine alone. I do not represent the opinions of the office of Sen. Birdwell, the Texas Senate, or the State of Texas.]