Recently I received a copy of a letter from a local Reserve Unit Family Support Group that was addressed to my American Legion Post. It seems this Reserve unit has endeavored to enlist the support of the local veteran’s groups for Family support activities.
I have never had contact with this particular unit before, but I thought their approach to enlist help and assistance by introducing their Family Support group to veteran’s organizations was a good idea. It so happens that our American Legion post like many others has a number of programs and events that can be useful to raising public awareness for a mobilized unit, support Family Support group needs, and provide a host of other support to include use of facilities at the Legion post as needed. In my Legion we have contractors to help the families in case of emergency, we have accountants to assist in Tax preparation, we have former soldiers and their spouses that have been through mobilizations as well. The Legion and VFW are local to where the families reside and are very oriented to support family needs. Many of our members are former Military members and understand the significant sacrifice and service the soldiers and their families provide to our country.
I don’t know if this is a Reserve Component initiative or the masterful concept by this one unit, but it is a good idea that may warrant more focus. Imagine the synergy of Reserve and National Guard units being tied with Veteran Organizations. The Veteran’s organization gains in the supporting relationship with potential membership contacts, a direct portal to focus soldier and veteran’s support activities, and community involvement and exposure.
In our case we accepted the opportunity offered to contribute support to this Reserve unit. It was an easy decision for us as we have members in Guard and Reserve units that are in various stages of mobilization and active service. I think there is potential in this concept for the support of Family Support Groups to be encouraged to a greater degree.
Showing posts with label Soldier Families. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Soldier Families. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 01, 2008
Thursday, January 17, 2008
My Baby is a soldier - update
My daughter graduated High School last year completed OSUT which is Basic Training then advanced individual Military skill training (AIT) immediately following. She arrived at her Reserve Unit for December’s Drill assembly.
She has since been deployed with the unit and is stationed at a stateside training base for a couple months training prior to deployment. She receive her alert, and orders for Mobilization on a Friday and was on the bus to the training site on the following Tuesday. As you can imagine, the weekend in between was fast paced with packing gear and getting all the requisite actions complete before shipping off.
I wrote about my daughter’s progress through the training process before and I remain in marvel of the system that transformed my little Girl into a soldier.
I visited her unit the 744th MP Battalion, and immediately discovered soldiers and Officers I knew in various previous assignments – as they say the Army is a small place at times. Even as an old salt, I was impressed with the efficiency, team atmosphere, competence and determination of the unit’s leaders and members. They were getting things accomplished to move out on their mission.
I also met many other families at the 744th Reserve Center and know it is a tough thing for them to say farewell for a while as their sons, daughters, spouses and partners depart. I don’t know to what extent that many families know of the task that is ahead of the unit – the hurry up and waits, training, movement and deployment.
I know from my own experience, just as it is for my daughter, that the activities for the deploying unit are charged with apprehension, trepidation but also a sense of pride. For unit members are now called forward as soldiers to serve their country. The basis for this service goes back to the very foundation of the country when then as now, citizen soldiers answered the call.
I will write again about this unit – one and all embody the term – soldier strong.
She has since been deployed with the unit and is stationed at a stateside training base for a couple months training prior to deployment. She receive her alert, and orders for Mobilization on a Friday and was on the bus to the training site on the following Tuesday. As you can imagine, the weekend in between was fast paced with packing gear and getting all the requisite actions complete before shipping off.
I wrote about my daughter’s progress through the training process before and I remain in marvel of the system that transformed my little Girl into a soldier.
I visited her unit the 744th MP Battalion, and immediately discovered soldiers and Officers I knew in various previous assignments – as they say the Army is a small place at times. Even as an old salt, I was impressed with the efficiency, team atmosphere, competence and determination of the unit’s leaders and members. They were getting things accomplished to move out on their mission.
I also met many other families at the 744th Reserve Center and know it is a tough thing for them to say farewell for a while as their sons, daughters, spouses and partners depart. I don’t know to what extent that many families know of the task that is ahead of the unit – the hurry up and waits, training, movement and deployment.
I know from my own experience, just as it is for my daughter, that the activities for the deploying unit are charged with apprehension, trepidation but also a sense of pride. For unit members are now called forward as soldiers to serve their country. The basis for this service goes back to the very foundation of the country when then as now, citizen soldiers answered the call.
I will write again about this unit – one and all embody the term – soldier strong.
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
The heroes left behind
I had the opportunity recently to talk with the spouse of a soldier that died in Iraq about a year ago. The talk centered on how the life shattered by the news of the loss was slowly coming back to acknowledging the realities of living. The chores and trials of work and home life, the acceptance of a new life without the partner and moving on with a reverence for what was and a realistic and evolving optimistic assessment for what the future holds.
It struck me that the strength this person had was really inspirational… they suffered the grievance of a traumatic loss of a loved one in a war zone many miles away. The circumstances of the loss cloudy and never of any solace… friends and family can never really completely understand…just bear witness to the slow healing process.
I never stop being amazed at the true unsung patriot heros that give so much of themselves – the spouses, partners, parents and relatives of those deployed. They must stand back and hope for the best… sometimes to be devastated by bad news of injury or death. They are braver than the soldier in many ways…playing a kind of wait and see game with emotions as they wait for each e-mail, phone call from their deployed soldier. They are always anxious for news of events and a glimpse of what their loved ones are enduring.
As a country we have largely lived our lives with but a blip of the War effort news expressed occasionally on the nightly news and in the papers. We make valiant attempts to acknowledge soldiers – but many of us don’t stop to acknowledge that a soldier’s contribution is soundly backed by many silent members and loved ones.
I admire the strength and contribution of soldier family member support teams those left behind they are patriot and I label them heros as well. I have to admire those that don’t seek a self gratification turning on the ideals of their loved one’s service, respecting the sacrifice that they bear without using it as a platform to espouse hateful and destructive rhetoric against our nation’s leadership. Not that they don’t have every right to be angered at the cause of the loss, but they possess the continued spark of service to country formally shared and don’t seek to gain their solace at the expense of the cause served by their loved one.
It struck me that the strength this person had was really inspirational… they suffered the grievance of a traumatic loss of a loved one in a war zone many miles away. The circumstances of the loss cloudy and never of any solace… friends and family can never really completely understand…just bear witness to the slow healing process.
I never stop being amazed at the true unsung patriot heros that give so much of themselves – the spouses, partners, parents and relatives of those deployed. They must stand back and hope for the best… sometimes to be devastated by bad news of injury or death. They are braver than the soldier in many ways…playing a kind of wait and see game with emotions as they wait for each e-mail, phone call from their deployed soldier. They are always anxious for news of events and a glimpse of what their loved ones are enduring.
As a country we have largely lived our lives with but a blip of the War effort news expressed occasionally on the nightly news and in the papers. We make valiant attempts to acknowledge soldiers – but many of us don’t stop to acknowledge that a soldier’s contribution is soundly backed by many silent members and loved ones.
I admire the strength and contribution of soldier family member support teams those left behind they are patriot and I label them heros as well. I have to admire those that don’t seek a self gratification turning on the ideals of their loved one’s service, respecting the sacrifice that they bear without using it as a platform to espouse hateful and destructive rhetoric against our nation’s leadership. Not that they don’t have every right to be angered at the cause of the loss, but they possess the continued spark of service to country formally shared and don’t seek to gain their solace at the expense of the cause served by their loved one.
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