Dear Team 43,
I write to you today to introduce myself as the new Director of the George W. Bush Institute’s Veterans and Military Families team and to update you on our team’s work and on the future of Team 43. I have had the chance to meet some of you in my early months and I look forward to meeting many more of you in the year to come.
My family and I moved to the Dallas area upon my retirement from the U.S. Army in 2020, when my post-Army life started as a Professor of Practice at the SMU Cox School of Business. During my Army career, I had tremendous opportunities to observe our world through a variety of perspectives. As an Armor officer in the Third Armored Cavalry Regiment, I deployed to Iraq – as did my wife – in 2003. I commanded a basic combat training company at Fort Knox and then transitioned to become an Army Strategist for the second half of my career during which I taught economics to West Point cadets, deployed to Afghanistan as a strategic advisor to the NATO Training Mission Commander, served as a Special Assistant to the 18th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and served four years across two different White Houses on the National Security Council and on the Council of Economic Advisers.
Veterans and Military Families
When I assumed the Director role last summer, I immediately felt professionally at home. It has been a great way to continue to serve by bringing together my policy and military background in creative ways. Our small team is charged with the awesome responsibility to bring to life the love, care, and commitment that President and Mrs. Bush have for veterans and military families. We do this by working with leading organizations and institutions that directly support and assist veterans and their families on issues affecting their Health & Well-Being, Education, and Employment.
On the Employment front, this year we will tackle policy issues related to veteran underemployment and military spouses. While the veteran unemployment rate is lower than that of nonveterans – a great sign of progress and employers’ demand for veteran employees – we will dive deeper to examine whether veterans are in the “best jobs” given their experience and talents. The unemployment rate for military spouses, on the contrary, hovers above 20 percent. So, we will consider ways that military spouses can signal their value to the U.S. economy while also assessing the potential need for updates to the military services’ personnel systems (no small task).
On the Education front, we will explore how colleges and universities can better recruit, support, and graduate student veterans.
Our most visible work will continue to be Check-In within our Health & Well-Being pillar. Check-In (www.veterancheckin.org) is a resource that connects veterans, active duty service members, and their families to no-cost mental and brain health care. We aim to significantly increase the use of Check-In as we expand to entities with relatively large veteran populations such as corporations, colleges and universities, first responder units, and nonprofit organizations.
Team 43
Team 43 began with the intention of showing the courage, commitment, and resilience of our nation’s veterans. The group underscores the importance sports can play in the rehabilitation process for visible and invisible wounds. You all have provided, and continue to provide, much inspiration to many.
We have unique opportunities to inspire the next generation toward service to country, to inform our fellow Americans about who veterans are, and to remind all of us about the grit underlying the American spirit. From the Super Bowl to the Masters to local Little League baseball diamonds, all of us can represent Team 43 in ways that enable every American to see the best version of themselves. The question I’d like you to consider as Team 43 continues its evolution is: what can we, as veterans, continue to do for our American communities and for our fellow citizens?
We want to continue to engage America in creative ways, and we will soon convene a small group within Team 43 to thoughtfully develop ways to do so.
I hope to continue meeting you all throughout the year. Please stop by when you are in Dallas.
Cheers,
Jason J. Galui
Director, Veterans and Military Families
George W. Bush Institute
