Retired GEN Gordon Sullivan, chairman of the board of the Army Historical Foundation and former president of the Association of the U.S. Army, recently gave the keynote address at the Army Scholarship Foundation’s annual Help Our Heroes benefit luncheon in Dallas. The Army Scholarship Foundation was founded in 2001 by members of the USMA Class of 1992 to provide scholarships to deserving sons and daughters of U.S. Army soldiers and Army veterans, and to spouses of enlisted active duty soldiers. Members of the Class of 1992, as well as Classes of 1970 and 1969 remain active in the leadership of the Foundation.
Sullivan spoke to a group of over 200 local civic, government, military and business leaders to include: Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas; former Congressman Alan West; Ambassador Robert Jordan, a former ambassador to Saudi Arabia; Hon. Alan Clark, former VA director of the National Cemetery Administration; Lt. Gen. Stan Green, USA, Ret.; and a number of active duty and retired officers and senior enlisted soldiers.
Sullivan, the 32nd Army chief of staff, spoke passionately about the many challenges faced by our Army, our soldiers, and their families. The Army has been at war since 2001, and the burden of this long-term fight has weighed heavily on our Army families. Also, the size of our Army is being reduced, yet the long term deployments and combat missions continue unabated, placing an inordinate burden on both our soldiers and our Army families, Sullivan said.
He noted, “As we face these challenges in supporting soldiers, programs to assist our Army family members are particularly important to the force, as is assisting Army families and helping them deal with the stresses and difficulties of being Army family members in time of war and downsizing.” In providing educational assistance to Army family members, the Army Scholarship Foundation serves as a major help to our Army family members seeking to achieve their educational dreams, Sullivan said. He concluded his remarks by thanking the individual and corporate supporters of the Army Scholarship Foundation and noting that their support both helps the morale of our soldiers and families and contributes to the future of our nation.