According to media reports, U. S. Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, made a surprise appearance at a meeting of military spouses in Norfolk, Va.

The Norfolk Virginian-Pilot has reported that Mullen, the highest ranking officer in the U. S. military and President Obama's top military adviser, stopped in briefly at the conference Monday where his wife, Deborah Mullen, was the keynote speaker.

It was further reported that Mullen thanked the spouses at the conference organized by the Continuum of Resource Education, which informs and supports military spouses, and told them that their contribution to national security is more important now than it has ever been.

Mullen also said, "We have a stronger military now than ever before. We know that has a lot to do with you. I came to say thank you."

Families who are supporting wounded veterans should "be ferocious" in working with the bureaucracy of the military and the Department of Veterans Affairs to make sure soldiers are getting appropriate treatment and benefits, Mullen further added.

Mullen said, "We are all big, slumbering organizations. Sometimes we need a mother, a wife or a father to jolt us. … You can't do enough." (With Inputs from Agencies)