During a House Appropriations Committee hearing prior to the congressional recess, Rep. Mark Alford (R-MO) spoke about the importance of improving military quality of life.
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00:00All right, let's do it. Thank you. Everyone ready for lunch? All right. Thank you, Mr.
00:08Chairman. Appreciate that and our distinguished witnesses for being here. As representatives of
00:12our military senior enlisted ranks, you have a direct pulse on the everyday experiences of
00:16our service members and their families, the challenges they face, and the sacrifices they
00:20make. We have a duty to ensure that those who defend our great nation have a quality of life
00:25that reflects the values of their service, from housing conditions to child care. We must identify
00:31where we're failing and take action to fix it. We cannot underserve those who have sacrificed and
00:37continue to sacrifice for us. Missouri's 4th Congressional District is home to two great bases,
00:42Whiteman Air Force Base and Fort Leonard Wood, two critical DOD installations that embody the heart
00:48of our military readiness and resilience. I've heard firsthand from service members about the
00:52difficulties they face, and I want to make sure that we try to get to some answers on how to fix things.
00:58As a former member of the Armed Services Committee, I also sit on the Quality of Life panel under the
01:03direction of General Bacon, and we made significant gains in the 2025 NDAA and a big increase in pay
01:11for lower level enlisted, a restoration of basic allowance for housing. We were instrumental in
01:17getting $144 million for new AIT barracks at Fort Leonard Wood, better child care access, and more
01:24mental health support. My first question to Sergeant Major Wymer, you mentioned the Army Future Soldier
01:32Prep Course. It's been a success in channeling in getting more recruits into Fort Leonard Wood in
01:38particular. We're having five new companies. Talk about the level of success in particular for this
01:45program, why it's important. Thank you for that, Congressman. And by the way, Fort Leonard Wood,
01:51they call it Fort Lost in the Woods, but I don't think that gives it, it's not a fair. We're trying to
01:56get away from that. Yeah, it is a gem. Yeah. Every time I go there, I understand why people just keep
02:01retiring there and becoming members of the community, so thank you for that. Future Soldier Prep has been
02:06instrumental. There's currently, I think it's 33,500-ish, sons and daughters that have gone
02:14through Future Soldier Prep. And every time I go down there, if you haven't had an opportunity to go
02:19visit either Fort Jackson or down at Benning, please do. We're meeting these young kids where they're at.
02:30And for many of them, they just want an opportunity to meet the standard. It's a little,
02:37it'll tug on your heartstrings, I'll just tell you that. Well, there's a nasty rumor going around that
02:42this program could end. Have you heard any talk about that at the Pentagon or anywhere else?
02:46No. In the Army, this program, we may throttle the program. Like, we need to use the program more at
02:53times, and then there's times we may not. And so you may see the Army as we continue to meet our
02:58recruiting goals, exceed our recruiting goals. You may see us turn it up or turn it down a little
03:02bit based off that requirement. Thank you. Chief Master Sergeant Ruiz, thank you for coming to my
03:07office. Had a great conversation with you, in particular about mental health issues. Would you
03:12repeat some of the challenges that the Marine Corps is facing now when it comes to mental health?
03:19How do you like that, Jim? Chief Master Sergeant. Congressman, thank you for that.
03:25I have an excellent discussion on the ability for a young service member today who does exactly what
03:33we tell them to do, which is, if you're having an issue, seek help. And because the medical providers
03:40may not be in the volume that we need in at different places around the Corps, around our bases and stations,
03:46they must go out in town. And out in town, we needed to take TRICARE through the previous conversations
03:54about TRICARE, sir. If they're not available, then it just exacerbates the problem. Now I'm waiting,
04:00if I'm that young person, 45 days to 60 days to finally get the one appointment that I need down
04:06the line. And you did exactly what we told you to do, which is go get help, right? And so I can't
04:12solve that problem, sir. I'm looking for you to help us bring up attention to that. And I love that
04:18everyone is tracking and pushing for that. What I can control is what's inside my formations. And
04:24and that's why Marine Corps Total Fitness for us is it's a way to get after the resiliency of our force,
04:32strengthening their soul. So thank you for allowing me to do that. Well, thank you. And with my 25 seconds
04:38left, I would like to thank your wife for being here today. Spouses are so important. Family is so
04:45important to service. And thank you, ma'am, for being here today. God bless you all. Thank you for
04:51being here. And with that, I yield back.