President Barack Obama has declared November as National Military Family Month, saying that it will be a month where the “service, strength, and sacrifice” of military families will be celebrated. The Presidential Proclamation was released on Tuesday, November 1st.

The First Lady and Jill Biden, wife of vice president Joe Biden, launched the “Joining Forces” initiative earlier this year, and have since been making an effort to encourage everyone to do what they could in support of military families. They have traveled to a number of bases and communities as part of the initiative, and the program has received the support of communities, organizations, companies, and individuals.

The president wrote the following in the proclamation statement: “Just as our troops embody the courage and character that make America’s military the finest in the world, their family members embody the resilience and generosity that make our communities strong… Day after day, week after week, spouses resolutely accomplish the work of two parents, sons and daughters diligently keep up with homework and activities, and parents and grandparents patiently wait for news of their child and grandchild’s safe return. To these families, and to those whose service members never come home, we bear a debt that can never be fully repaid.”