Second Lady Pence visits with Fort Bragg soldiers, families

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (WTVD) -- The Second Lady of the United States made a special visit to Fort Bragg on Friday afternoon.

Karen Pence was the keynote speaker at the OneSource Resource Fair and Workshop where she spoke about the important role military families play in our nation.

"Military families hold a special place in my heart, I'm a proud mom of a marine," said Pence.

Pence has done her research, enough to launch a platform supporting military families

"I can say without a doubt that the strength of our nation does not just come for the people in uniform. But the spouses and the families and the children, the moms and dads who serve alongside and make tremendous sacrifices as well to the greater benefit of the community," added Pence.

While part of Pence's visit was dedicated to celebrating the backbone of our nation's forces, the other half was about appreciating those who did the heavy lifting.

The Second Lady was emotional as she tearfully thanked Fort Bragg soldiers for their rescue and relief work during Hurricane Florence.

"We're just very proud of you and grateful for what you do," said Pence.

Hearing those words meant everything to Specialist J. Washington who jumped in waist deep waters during the storm.

'We really had to get in there and get our hands wet and unfortunately to help out some of our civilians and save some of our own personnel," said Washington.

Pence's visit in the Sandhills ended in Moore County where she met with local business owners who are also military spouses.