First lady wants support network for military families

FORT JACKSON, S.C. — First lady Michelle Obama, aiming to use her platform to "lift up" the voices of military families and ease their burdens, is about to ask all Americans to do more than simply thank our troops for their service.

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  By Virginia Postic, AP
  First lady Michelle Obama is briefed by Lt. Gen Mark Herling on Thursday at Fort Jackson in Columbia, S.C.

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By Virginia Postic, AP

First lady Michelle Obama is briefed by Lt. Gen Mark Herling on Thursday at Fort Jackson in Columbia, S.C.

She wants businesses to hire military spouses, even if they know their new employees might have to move in a couple of years. She wants parishioners to find military families in their churches and offer to run errands or babysit for them. She wants accountants to offer pro bono help with their taxes. She wants schools to figure out which kids have parents deployed overseas and give them a little extra support.

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"We should be rallying around these families," the first lady told USA TODAY during a visit to this Army post to highlight a military program that encourages healthier eating. "This is something that everyone needs to be a part of."

Obama says she will launch a major military-focused program in March, a little more than a year after she unveiled her "Let's Move" initiative to end childhood obesity in a generation. Businesses, non-profit groups and government agencies all will play a role, she says.

In a wide-ranging interview, the first lady:

•Responded to former GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin, who has criticized her anti-obesity program as a "nanny state run amok."

Obama said Let's Move "has never been about the government telling people what to do." It's "about parents getting the information they need to do what they think is best for their kids." And she's a fan of dessert: "You can't live in a world without delicious naughty foods. It's no fun."

•Urged consumers to coerce businesses into selling healthier food by buying more of it. "That's on us," she said. Asked about the lawsuit against Taco Bell over the quality of its meat, she said consumers should use the power of the purse to hold companies accountable. "Our job is to change demand," she said. "Companies make what we buy."

•Said she has reassured her daughters after the Tucson shooting: "We live in a great nation where most of the time folks are safe. ... We do a lot of glass-half-full kind of conversations."