{"id":77238,"date":"2023-09-01T15:00:05","date_gmt":"2023-09-01T15:00:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/uncategorized\/2023\/09\/01\/vets-hope-to-broker-fixes-for-military-base-quality-of-life-issues\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T15:50:23","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T15:50:23","slug":"vets-hope-to-broker-fixes-for-military-base-quality-of-life-issues","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/veterans\/2023\/09\/01\/vets-hope-to-broker-fixes-for-military-base-quality-of-life-issues\/","title":{"rendered":"Vets hope to broker fixes for military base quality-of-life issues"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

CHARLOTTE, N.C. \u2013 American Legion members<\/a> are headed back to military bases next month, but not to don their old service uniforms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead, organization leaders are hoping to serve as military family advocates in a new way, discussing and amplifying concerns about quality-of-life shortfalls<\/a> that could be hurting morale and creating distractions that could hurt readiness<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The organization earlier this year launched a new Base Assessment and Servicemember Experience (BASE) initiative<\/a> designed to better understand problems such as housing shortfalls<\/a>, medical service gaps<\/a> and insufficient family support programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMilitary quality-of-life issues have been in the news a lot, but it\u2019s always in a negative or derogatory way,\u201d said Mario Marquez, director of the Legion\u2019s National Security Division. \u201cAnd that can have a negative impact on recruitment. We don\u2019t want it to be that way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is designed to be similar to a commanding general going to a base and having a town hall. But we come in as a third-party that both sides know and trust.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t