奥巴马每周电视讲话:总统独立日向军人及家属致敬

Hi everybody, and Happy Fourth of July weekend. On Monday, Michelle, Malia, Sasha, and I will celebrate the Fourth like most of you – in the backyard. We'll hang out with family and friends, throw some burgers and dogs on the grill 1, and watch the fireworks show.

嗨，大家好，祝大家独立日周末愉快。下周一，米歇尔、玛丽亚、萨沙和我向你们一样， 将在自家后院庆祝独立日。 我们将邀请亲友聚会，在烤炉上烤汉堡肉饼和热狗，观赏焰火。

Of course, we're fortunate enough to have the South Lawn as our backyard. So we're also going to fill it with hundreds of our troops, our veterans, and their families. Over the past seven and a half years, it's become one of my favorite traditions. We get to celebrate our freedoms while doing what we can to honor all those who serve and sacrifice to make that freedom possible.

当然，我们很幸运，能将白宫南草坪作为我们的后院。因此，我们将邀请数百名现役和退伍军人及其家属来到这个后院。七年半以来，这已成为一项我最喜欢的传统活动。我们庆祝自由之时，要尽我们所能对所有为争取自由在军中服役和牺牲的人表示敬意。

And I know that honoring our service members, our veterans, and their families is something that so many Americans try to do every day, without fanfare 2, or expectation of anything in return.

我知道，无数美国人每天都在努力向我们的现役军人、退伍军人及其家人表示敬意，毫不张扬，也不期望任何回报。

For the past five years, Michelle and Dr. Jill Biden have tried to follow the example of so many of those Americans with their Joining Forces initiative. They've rallied businesses to hire more than 1.2 million veterans and military spouses 4, and helped reduce veteran homelessness. And just this week, Michelle and Jill announced a breakthrough on a concern they've heard again and again from the military spouses they spend so much time with – and that's the issue of professional licensing 5.

五年以来，米歇尔和拜登博士以这些美国人为榜样，积极参加“联合行动倡议”。他们争取到企业界的支持，为 120 多万退伍军人及其家属提供就业，并帮助减少了退伍军人无家可归的现象。米歇尔和拜登经常和军人家属在一起， 多次听到他们反映的难以获得行业执照的问题。就在本星期，米歇尔和拜登宣布在这个问题上取得突破性进展。

This is something that most Americans aren't familiar with. But for military families, it's a big challenge. Here's why. Our troops are often transferred from base to base. It's part of the job. And because their families serve with them, that means their spouses move ten times more often than the rest of us. Ten times more often. That's tough on a career. And more than one in three of these spouses works in a profession that requires a professional license 6 or certification. Nurses. Childcare providers. Accountants. Social workers. And lots of other jobs.

大多数美国人都熟悉这个问题，而对军人家庭来说，这是一大挑战， 原因在于，军人在很多基地之间轮换驻防，这是军人的职业特性。 因此，随军家属搬家的频繁程度比我们一般人要高十倍。 十倍的搬家频度，对职业发展有负面影响。 军属中三分之一以上的人所从事的工作需要执照或认证。比如护士、幼儿教育、会计、社会工作、 以及很多其它工作。

And until recently, when these spouses were asked to move across state lines, they often needed to re-certify for a job they're already qualified 7 for. A nurse with years of experience might have to take entry-level classes, or pay a fee, or wait months for paperwork to be processed before he or she could get back to work on the job they love and that lets them support their families.

直到最近，这些军属从一个州搬到另一个州的时候，往往需要对他们完全有资格从事的工作进行重新认证。 有多年工作经验的护士可能还得上最基础的课、或者缴费、或者等待数月的重新认证程序完成后，才能开始从事他们热爱并能够养家的工作。

It didn't make any sense. So we changed it. When Michelle and Jill took up this cause five years ago, only three states had taken action on military spouse 3 licensing. But they rallied governors and state legislatures to action. And this week, we reached a milestone 8. Today, all fifty states have acted to streamline 9 many of these licensing issues. This is a big step forward, but we're not done yet. We're going to keep working with states to make licensing simpler for more jobs and reach more qualified workers. But we can finally say to so many of our military families – when you move, you'll no longer be forced to put the career you love on hold just because you and your families have chosen to serve this country.

这毫无道理。所以我们改变了它。当米歇尔和拜登五年前做这项工作时，只有三个州对军属行业执照实施了简化措施。他们敦促各州的州长和州议会采取行动。而这一周，我们实现了新的跨越。现在，所有美国五十个州都简化了职业执照的认证程序。这是一项巨大的进步，尽管我们还没有完胜。我们将继续与各州合作，简化更多符合条件的工人的职业认证。但我们终于可以对这么多的军人家庭说，军人选择为国家服务，军人家属搬迁后本不应被迫暂停他们的工作。

That's what this is about – serving our men and women in uniform as well as they have served us. But you don't have to be a governor or a First Lady to make a difference. So this holiday weekend, take a look at JoiningForces.gov to find out how you can serve the troops, veterans, and military families in your community.

这就是我们要做的工作——要向为国家服务的男女将士那样做好对他们的服务。不过，你不一定非得是州长或第一夫人才能有所作为。这个独立日周末，登录 JoiningForces.gov 网站，看看你能在你的社区为军队、退伍军人以及军人家庭做些什么。

And to all our brave men and women in uniform – you represent the best of who we are as a nation. On this day and every day, we thank you.

我们英勇的男女将士， 你们代表我们国家的精髓。 在今天以及每一天，我们感谢你们。

Have a great Fourth of July，everybody.

祝大家独立日愉快。