Blue Star Families can have a stressful life with loved ones actively serving in the military, and possibly overseas. On Friday, Patriots players made a group of Blue Star Families feel right at home with a front row seat to training camp, and a special two-wheeled gift delivered by the team.

First Lt. Daniel Weiss was a 25-year-old Army Ranger preparing for his fourth combat deployment to Afghanistan when he died by suicide at his Tacoma, Wash., apartment in 2012. There were difficult days after that, recalled his father, Andy. But what proved both surprising and hurtful, he said, were efforts to ensure his son’s death was viewed differently than those of fellow service members who had been killed in action.

The family learned, for instance, that Daniel’s name would be excluded from a monument at Joint Base Lewis-McChord memorializing casualties of war. A few years later, at a brunch for military survivors back home in Illinois, the Weisses were told their invitation had been an accident. Though they were allowed to stay, he said, it was made clear the event was for Gold Star families.

For military families stationed in the Pacific Northwest, an assigned base doesn’t often double as home. Most service members — roughly three in four at Joint-Base Lewis-McChord, the region’s largest installation — bring their families to live in surrounding communities. They face the same sticker shock as anyone living here — but Congress has failed to appropriately cover housing costs in Western Washington, as it has elsewhere for men and women in uniform.

Last night, at the urging of Moms First and nearly 15,000 moms and allies, the presidential debate moderators asked the candidates about child care at the first debate of the 2024 election. In a victory for American families, CNN’s Jake Tapper asked President Biden and former President Trump how they would lower child care costs for American families, citing a new report that found that the average cost of child care for two children is now higher than the average cost of rent in all 50 states.

The child care crisis in the United States—which affects families’ ability to find affordable, accessible, quality options—now has growing national security implications, too.

A nationwide shortage of qualified workers has affected the U.S. Department of Defense, which is the largest child care provider in the country, and that has meant that an estimated 9,000 children in military families have been placed on wait lists for classroom spots.

Disney has donated thousands of books to help make magic for military kids on a recent visit to a Marine Corps Base Camp.

In honor of National Military Spouse Appreciation Day last month, COACH and nonprofit partner, Blue Star Families – a national nonprofit dedicated to supporting military families and strengthening their communities, teamed up to host events in Jacksonville, FL and at our New York City Hudson Yards HQ to recognize military spouses and the vital role they play in supporting our military.

At Comcast NBCUniversal, we recognize that military service is a commitment made by entire families, not just those in uniform. This past Military Spouse Appreciation Day, we were proud to honor the incredible sacrifices of military spouses and celebrate our teammates who are driving meaningful change for the military community.

A lack of affordable child care is pushing many U.S. military families to the brink, creating hardships that threaten troops’ ability to remain in service, according to a nonprofit military family advocacy group.
In a survey by Blue Star Families, active-duty military parents cited child care availability as one of their top quality-of-life concerns. With an estimated 9,000 children on waitlists for military-run child care centers, many military spouses are unable to pursue careers due to child care challenges.