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Sen. Kaine hears concerns of military families in Hampton Roads

Posted at 10:35 AM, Mar 03, 2017
and last updated 2017-03-03 17:15:58-05

HAMPTON, Va. - Sen. Tim Kaine heard about the concerns of Hampton Roads military families on Friday.

"There's just a set of challenges that are very unique to military families, especially those that move a lot," Kaine said.

Some of those challenges include how it can be tough to find jobs, medical care, and how they wished they had more choices for schools if they live on base.

"When you say 'I do' you say 'I do' to all aspects of the military and sometimes people can hang and deal and sometimes they can't," said Tracy Jennings, the wife of a member of the Air Force. She said she came to be a voice for others who couldn't be there.

One of the topics was PTSD with stories of how it has impacted the families and their lives. One member of the discussion told a story about how a soldier requested an appointment, seeking mental health treatment, but wasn't able to get an appointment for weeks. Before he could get one, he had to be taken to the hospital because he was suicidal.

Kaine said he would take what he heard and try to make things better. "There were some themes in there that we might be able to work on," he said.

He has a son in the military and is the co-chair of the bipartisan Senate Military Families Caucus, according to his office.