By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service
Aug. 29, 2007 - An Army reservist praised his civilian employer, Creative Healthcare Solutions, for providing exemplary support when he was deployed to Iraq last year, and the Defense Department is officially recognizing that support. "They really went above and beyond in terms of not only supporting me, but also my family," said Lt. Col. Thomas P. Weikert, 46, a marketing consultant who works out of his home office in Alpharetta, Ga., for the Scottsdale, Ariz.,-based company.
Creative Healthcare Solutions, a provider of marketing services to pharmaceutical and biotech companies, is among 15 businesses and organizations selected to receive this year's Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award. Weikert nominated his company for the annual award, which honors businesses and organizations that provide exemplary support for their employees in the Guard or reserve.
Weikert, a strategic-planning training officer in his military life, said he received differential pay and other benefits during his year-long Iraq deployment. He received care packages collected by his employer. Company representatives also took his two young sons to a National Hockey League game in nearby Atlanta during his absence, he added.
Creative Healthcare Solutions President Norman Stalsberg recalled that Weikert had about a week to prepare before he departed for Iraq. The 18-employee company quickly stepped up to help prepare Weikert and his loved ones for the deployment, the executive said.
"At that stage, pretty much all of our attention was put onto what we could do to help Tom and his family to make this deployment as least-disruptive as possible," Stalsberg said.
Stalsberg was "surprised and humbled" that his small company was selected to receive a Freedom Award.
"From my viewpoint, it's not about what we've done for Tom, but it's really about what Tom and his fellow soldiers are doing for us," Stalsberg pointed out.
Supporting employees in the Guard and reserve is important, because they're "putting life and limb on the line to fight for what this country stands for," Stalsberg said.
During his June 2006 to June 2007 tour of duty in Iraq, Weikert worked with senior U.S. and Iraqi military leaders in devising planning for the surge of forces in and around Baghdad. That important work was made easier, Weikert said, because he knew his family was being well taken care of back home.
"What they did for me really reflects how they feel about supporting the country," Weikert said of his civilian employer.
The Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award recognizes U.S. employers that rise above the requirements of the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act. The National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, a Defense Department agency, manages the award process. ESGR assists Guard and Reserve members and their employers understand employee eligibility and job entitlements, employer obligations, benefits and remedies under the act.
Stalsberg will accept the Freedom Award on behalf of his company during a formal ceremony here Sept. 12.
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Threat-Reduction Program Marks 15-Year Anniversary
By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service
Aug. 29, 2007 - When the Soviet Union lifted its Iron Curtain after the Cold War, Moscow left behind a lethal legacy in former Soviet bloc countries -- arsenals filled with chemical and biological weapons, nuclear warheads, intercontinental ballistic missiles, nuclear bombers and submarines. But 15 years ago today, in the midst of rising fears that rogue regimes or terrorists sought the remaining stockpiles, U.S. Sens. Sam Nunn and Richard Lugar initiated the Cooperative Threat Reduction Program, also called the Nunn-Lugar Program. Since 1992, the program drastically cut the number of leftover weapons, dismantling more than 2,000 intercontinental missiles, eliminating 1,000 missile launchers and deactivating 7,000 nuclear warheads in former Soviet Union states.
"Cooperative threat-reduction programs are a critical tool used to address one of the gravest threats we face: the danger that terrorists and proliferators could gain access to weapons or materials of mass destruction," President Bush said in a statement today.
Dedicated to securing, eliminating and accounting for large-scale deadly weapons, Bush said, cooperative threat-reduction programs represent "the cornerstone for U.S. funding" outlined in multilateral nonproliferation partnership efforts.
At a roundtable discussion yesterday at the Carnegie Center in Moscow, Lugar, who co-sponsored the program, called it "a concept through which we attempt to take control of a global threat of our own making."
"(The Cooperative Threat Reduction Program) became the primary tool through which the United States works with Russia to safely destroy its massive nuclear, chemical and biological warfare capacity," he said. "Both sides recognized the importance of this endeavor to our mutual security."
Together, the United States and Russia convinced Ukraine, Belarus and Kazakhstan to eliminate all nuclear weapons from their territories, and in all, the program has disabled more nuclear weapons than exist in the combined arsenals of the United Kingdom, France and China.
"The significance of this is often underestimated," said Liz Sherwood, former deputy assistant defense secretary for Russia, Ukraine and Eurasia from 1993-96. Sherwood, who helped build the Nunn-Lugar framework on the Defense Department's behalf, noted that Ukraine possessed the world's third-largest nuclear arsenal when it gained independence in 1991.
"We largely don't notice the dogs that didn't bark, but Ukraine with nuclear weapons would have been a very different challenge for us," she said. "Basically, that hasn't been something we had to worry about at all, because we managed to denuclearize them so easily."
Sherwood commended Nunn and Lugar for their efforts, calling their program "important and inspirational."
"In an era in which are very worried about the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction," she said, "it is important to take note of how much we can do to prevent proliferation."
American Forces Press Service
Aug. 29, 2007 - When the Soviet Union lifted its Iron Curtain after the Cold War, Moscow left behind a lethal legacy in former Soviet bloc countries -- arsenals filled with chemical and biological weapons, nuclear warheads, intercontinental ballistic missiles, nuclear bombers and submarines. But 15 years ago today, in the midst of rising fears that rogue regimes or terrorists sought the remaining stockpiles, U.S. Sens. Sam Nunn and Richard Lugar initiated the Cooperative Threat Reduction Program, also called the Nunn-Lugar Program. Since 1992, the program drastically cut the number of leftover weapons, dismantling more than 2,000 intercontinental missiles, eliminating 1,000 missile launchers and deactivating 7,000 nuclear warheads in former Soviet Union states.
"Cooperative threat-reduction programs are a critical tool used to address one of the gravest threats we face: the danger that terrorists and proliferators could gain access to weapons or materials of mass destruction," President Bush said in a statement today.
Dedicated to securing, eliminating and accounting for large-scale deadly weapons, Bush said, cooperative threat-reduction programs represent "the cornerstone for U.S. funding" outlined in multilateral nonproliferation partnership efforts.
At a roundtable discussion yesterday at the Carnegie Center in Moscow, Lugar, who co-sponsored the program, called it "a concept through which we attempt to take control of a global threat of our own making."
"(The Cooperative Threat Reduction Program) became the primary tool through which the United States works with Russia to safely destroy its massive nuclear, chemical and biological warfare capacity," he said. "Both sides recognized the importance of this endeavor to our mutual security."
Together, the United States and Russia convinced Ukraine, Belarus and Kazakhstan to eliminate all nuclear weapons from their territories, and in all, the program has disabled more nuclear weapons than exist in the combined arsenals of the United Kingdom, France and China.
"The significance of this is often underestimated," said Liz Sherwood, former deputy assistant defense secretary for Russia, Ukraine and Eurasia from 1993-96. Sherwood, who helped build the Nunn-Lugar framework on the Defense Department's behalf, noted that Ukraine possessed the world's third-largest nuclear arsenal when it gained independence in 1991.
"We largely don't notice the dogs that didn't bark, but Ukraine with nuclear weapons would have been a very different challenge for us," she said. "Basically, that hasn't been something we had to worry about at all, because we managed to denuclearize them so easily."
Sherwood commended Nunn and Lugar for their efforts, calling their program "important and inspirational."
"In an era in which are very worried about the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction," she said, "it is important to take note of how much we can do to prevent proliferation."
Indiana Guardsman Cites Freight Firm for Excellent Support
By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service
Aug. 28, 2007 - Indiana National Guard Command Sgt. Maj. Michael S. McAllister is so impressed with the support provided by his employer, Con-way Inc., that he recommended that it receive a prestigious Defense Department award. Con-way Inc. is among 15 businesses and organizations selected to receive this year's Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award. McAllister nominated the company for the annual award, which honors businesses and organizations that provide exemplary support for their employees in the Guard or reserves.
McAllister is a coordinator at Con-way Freight's trucking hub in Plainfield, Ind., located near Indianapolis. The Ann Arbor, Mich.-based firm is a division of Con-way Inc., a freight transportation and global logistics company based in San Mateo, Calif.
McAllister, 41, cited the company's demonstrated concern and support for its employees in the Guard or reserves.
"It wasn't so much all of the benefits. I mean, those are nice, because they're above and beyond what the law requires," McAllister explained.
Rather, he cited his employer's practice of welcoming home employees returning from military duty.
"We're obviously elated that the company was recognized, but as I've made it a point to share with people, we didn't do it for any 'brownie points' if you will, or awards for us," said David L. Miller, Con-way Freight's chief operating officer.
"We're doing it because we have the means to support our citizen-soldiers, and it is the right thing to do at the end of the day," Miller said. "We only enjoy our freedoms because we have fine young men and women that are willing to put it on the line."
Con-way Inc. and its subsidiaries provide differential pay to their employees in the Guard or reserves who are called up for active duty. The company also provides health benefits for spouses and children who remain at home and collects and delivers care packages of books, snacks and other items to overseas troops.
"We do a wage differential, so that when the guys or gals are deployed on active duty, whatever they would have earned here working for us, we make up the differential between what they make in the military vs. what they would have made here," Miller explained.
Supporting employees in the Guard or reserves who've been activated for duty assists them to "have their heads in the mission," so they can come home safely, Miller pointed out.
"We don't want them having to look over their shoulders, wondering if their families are being taken care of when they are over there taking care of all of our families," he said.
McAllister recalled being activated to participate in Operation Noble Eagle to guard airports and other vital U.S. infrastructure for two years after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. He recently was activated again to help establish a new state training organization that will prepare Guard and reserve troops who've been mobilized for overseas duty.
Miller reiterated that his civilian employer excels at supporting its employees in the Guard or reserves. "I don't have to worry about the way the company's going to view me when I get back," the senior noncommissioned officer said, noting his company is proud of its employees in the Guard or reserves.
The Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award recognizes U.S. employers that rise above the requirements of the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act. The National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, a Defense Department agency, manages the award process. ESGR assists Guard and reserve members and their employers understand employee eligibility and job entitlements, employer obligations, benefits and remedies under the act.
Miller will accept the Freedom Award on behalf of Con-way Inc. during a formal ceremony here Sept 12.
American Forces Press Service
Aug. 28, 2007 - Indiana National Guard Command Sgt. Maj. Michael S. McAllister is so impressed with the support provided by his employer, Con-way Inc., that he recommended that it receive a prestigious Defense Department award. Con-way Inc. is among 15 businesses and organizations selected to receive this year's Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award. McAllister nominated the company for the annual award, which honors businesses and organizations that provide exemplary support for their employees in the Guard or reserves.
McAllister is a coordinator at Con-way Freight's trucking hub in Plainfield, Ind., located near Indianapolis. The Ann Arbor, Mich.-based firm is a division of Con-way Inc., a freight transportation and global logistics company based in San Mateo, Calif.
McAllister, 41, cited the company's demonstrated concern and support for its employees in the Guard or reserves.
"It wasn't so much all of the benefits. I mean, those are nice, because they're above and beyond what the law requires," McAllister explained.
Rather, he cited his employer's practice of welcoming home employees returning from military duty.
"We're obviously elated that the company was recognized, but as I've made it a point to share with people, we didn't do it for any 'brownie points' if you will, or awards for us," said David L. Miller, Con-way Freight's chief operating officer.
"We're doing it because we have the means to support our citizen-soldiers, and it is the right thing to do at the end of the day," Miller said. "We only enjoy our freedoms because we have fine young men and women that are willing to put it on the line."
Con-way Inc. and its subsidiaries provide differential pay to their employees in the Guard or reserves who are called up for active duty. The company also provides health benefits for spouses and children who remain at home and collects and delivers care packages of books, snacks and other items to overseas troops.
"We do a wage differential, so that when the guys or gals are deployed on active duty, whatever they would have earned here working for us, we make up the differential between what they make in the military vs. what they would have made here," Miller explained.
Supporting employees in the Guard or reserves who've been activated for duty assists them to "have their heads in the mission," so they can come home safely, Miller pointed out.
"We don't want them having to look over their shoulders, wondering if their families are being taken care of when they are over there taking care of all of our families," he said.
McAllister recalled being activated to participate in Operation Noble Eagle to guard airports and other vital U.S. infrastructure for two years after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. He recently was activated again to help establish a new state training organization that will prepare Guard and reserve troops who've been mobilized for overseas duty.
Miller reiterated that his civilian employer excels at supporting its employees in the Guard or reserves. "I don't have to worry about the way the company's going to view me when I get back," the senior noncommissioned officer said, noting his company is proud of its employees in the Guard or reserves.
The Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award recognizes U.S. employers that rise above the requirements of the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act. The National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, a Defense Department agency, manages the award process. ESGR assists Guard and reserve members and their employers understand employee eligibility and job entitlements, employer obligations, benefits and remedies under the act.
Miller will accept the Freedom Award on behalf of Con-way Inc. during a formal ceremony here Sept 12.
Dinners Give Troops New Support Network
By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service
Aug. 28, 2007 - For injured servicemembers, the transition between hospital and hometown can be a rough one. Kathy Pearce is working to make that transition a little smoother in Arizona's Sun Valley with monthly "Hometown Heroes Dinners." The dinners give still-recovering servicemembers a chance to get together with others in the area who have shared similar experiences.
"What I was finding is that once they get back home ... there is such a loss of that camaraderie once they're not with their unit or they're not in a rehab center," said Kathy Pearce, a Military Severely Injured Center advocate for support in Arizona.
It wasn't Pearce's role as an advocate that opened her eyes to this issue. It was her role as a military mom.
Her son, Army Staff Sgt. Brent Bretz, suffered severe injuries in December 2004 while serving in Iraq. Pearce spent months with him as he recovered. During this time, she observed the bond Bretz formed with his fellow patients over shared experiences. "I thought we needed to do something to bring them all together (again)," she said. "That's when I started looking for somebody that would do dinners."
Patrons of a new restaurant in the area who knew of Pearce's plan suggested she talk to Ron Youngberg, a managing partner in one of three R.T. O'Sullivan's Sports Grill restaurants in the Sun Valley area.
He stepped up to the plate and hosted the inaugural dinner for about 11 servicemembers and their guests Aug. 6.
"(If) you get a chance to give back to somebody, then we want to do that. Ray O'Sullivan (the restaurant owner) ... was all for it," Youngberg said. "He's an ex-Irish cop, an ex-Irish soccer player, and he's had the benefits of living over here for many years now. It was a small token of appreciation he could extend to them, because they've done so much for us.
"It wasn't just the idea of giving the guys a free meal," Youngberg said. "It was just a matter of having them come out to have a spot to mainly network amongst themselves."
Both Youngberg and Pearce saw just that beginning to happen.
"You could kind of see that they were making new friends, new bonds," Pearce said of the veterans who attended the dinner. "It may take a few times to get it where they really feel comfortable, but you could see it happening."
In addition to the veterans, Veterans Affairs case workers and the Arizona director of VA services attended that first dinner. The VA representatives were on hand to introduce themselves and offer their assistance when the servicemembers are ready to enter that system, Pearce said.
R.T. O'Sullivan's Glendale, Ariz., location hosted the first of the monthly dinners, based on similar events in Washington and Texas.
The R.T. O'Sullivan's in Mesa Springs has agreed to host the next dinner Sept. 5, Youngberg said. The reason for the shift in stores is simply to reach as many veterans as possible, since travel can be difficult for the recovering servicemembers.
Youngberg has contacted friends who own restaurants and asked them to come on board, as well. Pearce confirmed that one of those restaurants has agreed to host a future dinner.
The restaurants donate the meals, meaning there's no cost to those attending the dinners, Pearce said. If it ever becomes more than the restaurants feel they can handle financially, she has two nonprofit groups lined up to help defray the cost. One of those is a Washington-based organization.
The other is Salute A Soldier Foundation, the nonprofit group her son and his siblings formed to raise awareness and promote the assistance of injured servicemembers and their families as they return to their communities. The organization already serves as a co-host of the "Hometown Heroes Dinners."
"It's just kind of their way to say, 'Thank you' back to others as they are now trying to return home," she said of Salute A Soldier.
Editor's Note: To find out about more individuals, groups and organizations that are helping support the troops, visit www.AmericaSupportsYou.mil. America Supports You directly connects military members to the support of the America people and offers a tool to the general public in their quest to find meaningful ways to support the military community.
American Forces Press Service
Aug. 28, 2007 - For injured servicemembers, the transition between hospital and hometown can be a rough one. Kathy Pearce is working to make that transition a little smoother in Arizona's Sun Valley with monthly "Hometown Heroes Dinners." The dinners give still-recovering servicemembers a chance to get together with others in the area who have shared similar experiences.
"What I was finding is that once they get back home ... there is such a loss of that camaraderie once they're not with their unit or they're not in a rehab center," said Kathy Pearce, a Military Severely Injured Center advocate for support in Arizona.
It wasn't Pearce's role as an advocate that opened her eyes to this issue. It was her role as a military mom.
Her son, Army Staff Sgt. Brent Bretz, suffered severe injuries in December 2004 while serving in Iraq. Pearce spent months with him as he recovered. During this time, she observed the bond Bretz formed with his fellow patients over shared experiences. "I thought we needed to do something to bring them all together (again)," she said. "That's when I started looking for somebody that would do dinners."
Patrons of a new restaurant in the area who knew of Pearce's plan suggested she talk to Ron Youngberg, a managing partner in one of three R.T. O'Sullivan's Sports Grill restaurants in the Sun Valley area.
He stepped up to the plate and hosted the inaugural dinner for about 11 servicemembers and their guests Aug. 6.
"(If) you get a chance to give back to somebody, then we want to do that. Ray O'Sullivan (the restaurant owner) ... was all for it," Youngberg said. "He's an ex-Irish cop, an ex-Irish soccer player, and he's had the benefits of living over here for many years now. It was a small token of appreciation he could extend to them, because they've done so much for us.
"It wasn't just the idea of giving the guys a free meal," Youngberg said. "It was just a matter of having them come out to have a spot to mainly network amongst themselves."
Both Youngberg and Pearce saw just that beginning to happen.
"You could kind of see that they were making new friends, new bonds," Pearce said of the veterans who attended the dinner. "It may take a few times to get it where they really feel comfortable, but you could see it happening."
In addition to the veterans, Veterans Affairs case workers and the Arizona director of VA services attended that first dinner. The VA representatives were on hand to introduce themselves and offer their assistance when the servicemembers are ready to enter that system, Pearce said.
R.T. O'Sullivan's Glendale, Ariz., location hosted the first of the monthly dinners, based on similar events in Washington and Texas.
The R.T. O'Sullivan's in Mesa Springs has agreed to host the next dinner Sept. 5, Youngberg said. The reason for the shift in stores is simply to reach as many veterans as possible, since travel can be difficult for the recovering servicemembers.
Youngberg has contacted friends who own restaurants and asked them to come on board, as well. Pearce confirmed that one of those restaurants has agreed to host a future dinner.
The restaurants donate the meals, meaning there's no cost to those attending the dinners, Pearce said. If it ever becomes more than the restaurants feel they can handle financially, she has two nonprofit groups lined up to help defray the cost. One of those is a Washington-based organization.
The other is Salute A Soldier Foundation, the nonprofit group her son and his siblings formed to raise awareness and promote the assistance of injured servicemembers and their families as they return to their communities. The organization already serves as a co-host of the "Hometown Heroes Dinners."
"It's just kind of their way to say, 'Thank you' back to others as they are now trying to return home," she said of Salute A Soldier.
Editor's Note: To find out about more individuals, groups and organizations that are helping support the troops, visit www.AmericaSupportsYou.mil. America Supports You directly connects military members to the support of the America people and offers a tool to the general public in their quest to find meaningful ways to support the military community.
Justice, Defense Agencies Examine Contracting Problems
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
Aug. 28, 2007 - The Justice Department and defense agencies are examining contracting problems in Southwest Asia in light of improprieties uncovered in internal reviews, a Defense Department spokesman said today. While not commenting on specific investigations, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said the department is concerned about "ensuring the integrity of our accounting systems, as well as the integrity of our contracting procedures."
The Army Audit Agency, Army Criminal Investigation Command, Defense Contract Auditing Agency, Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction, FBI, Defense Criminal Investigative Service, and Justice Department are cooperating to address problems that have come to light due to internal investigations, Whitman told reporters.
The entities are "looking at aspects of our operations to ensure that people are doing the right thing as they go about their business of contracting for goods and services, accounting for property and things like that," he said.
Department officials are concerned with the number of contracting improprieties that have been uncovered, Whitman said.
The Army is the lead agency in the fraud investigations. The investigations are into contracts for goods and services issued in Iraq, Kuwait and Afghanistan. As of Aug. 23, 73 criminal investigations relating to contract fraud in the region had been started. A total of 20 civilians and military personnel have been charged, Army spokesman Col. Dan Baggio said. He said these individuals are accused of taking some $15 million in bribes.
A total of $5 billion in contracts are affected by the criminal investigations, he added.
Problems with the contracts run the gamut from bid-rigging, kickbacks, product substitution, and double billing, Baggio said. Those being investigated include government employees, contractors, military personnel and local nationals.
When defense officials identify people who have done things that are inappropriate or criminal, "we prosecute them and hold them accountable," Whitman said.
Defense Department Inspector General Claude M. Kicklighter is bringing a team to Iraq soon to take a look at overall contracting procedures. "(Inspectors general) have broad charters when they go in," Whitman said. The team will look across the broad landscape of the department and take what actions are warranted.
American Forces Press Service
Aug. 28, 2007 - The Justice Department and defense agencies are examining contracting problems in Southwest Asia in light of improprieties uncovered in internal reviews, a Defense Department spokesman said today. While not commenting on specific investigations, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said the department is concerned about "ensuring the integrity of our accounting systems, as well as the integrity of our contracting procedures."
The Army Audit Agency, Army Criminal Investigation Command, Defense Contract Auditing Agency, Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction, FBI, Defense Criminal Investigative Service, and Justice Department are cooperating to address problems that have come to light due to internal investigations, Whitman told reporters.
The entities are "looking at aspects of our operations to ensure that people are doing the right thing as they go about their business of contracting for goods and services, accounting for property and things like that," he said.
Department officials are concerned with the number of contracting improprieties that have been uncovered, Whitman said.
The Army is the lead agency in the fraud investigations. The investigations are into contracts for goods and services issued in Iraq, Kuwait and Afghanistan. As of Aug. 23, 73 criminal investigations relating to contract fraud in the region had been started. A total of 20 civilians and military personnel have been charged, Army spokesman Col. Dan Baggio said. He said these individuals are accused of taking some $15 million in bribes.
A total of $5 billion in contracts are affected by the criminal investigations, he added.
Problems with the contracts run the gamut from bid-rigging, kickbacks, product substitution, and double billing, Baggio said. Those being investigated include government employees, contractors, military personnel and local nationals.
When defense officials identify people who have done things that are inappropriate or criminal, "we prosecute them and hold them accountable," Whitman said.
Defense Department Inspector General Claude M. Kicklighter is bringing a team to Iraq soon to take a look at overall contracting procedures. "(Inspectors general) have broad charters when they go in," Whitman said. The team will look across the broad landscape of the department and take what actions are warranted.
Army Extends Level of Support to Fallen Soldiers' Families
By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service
Aug. 28, 2007 - Families of deceased active-duty soldiers can receive an extended level of support from a long-term care program the Army launched 18 months ago, the program's chief said today. The Army Long Term Family Case Management program provides long-term support to families of fallen soldiers by helping them through the often painful and sometimes arduous steps toward receiving benefits and various other types of support, Army Lt. Col. Nora Linderman, program chief of Army Long Term Family Case Management, told online journalists and "bloggers" in a conference call today.
"My team and I are constantly listening to families, learning what they need (and) enhancing and expanding our program accordingly so that we can do whatever is required," she said.
Casualty assistance officers generally avail themselves to families at the early stages of the mourning process, at least through a fallen soldier's interment, Linderman said. But in the months and years following the loss of a loved one, unresolved issues and questions often surface regarding benefits and support services, she said.
To address such issues, a support coordinator with Army Long Term Family Case Management contacts the family about six months following the loss of a loved one. The coordinator maintains an "open dialogue" with family members for as long as they find it helpful, Linderman said.
The program also follows congressional legislation that pertains to benefits programs offered to families of deceased soldiers and posts the information on its Web site, http://www.altfcm.army.mil.
Launched in February 2006, Army Long Term Family Case Management already has helped more than 5,000 families identify benefits to which they're entitled, Linderman noted.
"Being able to be there with a support structure for the families through the months and the years after the loss is a wonderful step in the right direction," she said. "I encourage anyone who has suffered a loss to lean on us."
Information about Army Long Term Family Case Management is available on the program's Web site or by calling a support coordinator at 1-866-272-5841.
American Forces Press Service
Aug. 28, 2007 - Families of deceased active-duty soldiers can receive an extended level of support from a long-term care program the Army launched 18 months ago, the program's chief said today. The Army Long Term Family Case Management program provides long-term support to families of fallen soldiers by helping them through the often painful and sometimes arduous steps toward receiving benefits and various other types of support, Army Lt. Col. Nora Linderman, program chief of Army Long Term Family Case Management, told online journalists and "bloggers" in a conference call today.
"My team and I are constantly listening to families, learning what they need (and) enhancing and expanding our program accordingly so that we can do whatever is required," she said.
Casualty assistance officers generally avail themselves to families at the early stages of the mourning process, at least through a fallen soldier's interment, Linderman said. But in the months and years following the loss of a loved one, unresolved issues and questions often surface regarding benefits and support services, she said.
To address such issues, a support coordinator with Army Long Term Family Case Management contacts the family about six months following the loss of a loved one. The coordinator maintains an "open dialogue" with family members for as long as they find it helpful, Linderman said.
The program also follows congressional legislation that pertains to benefits programs offered to families of deceased soldiers and posts the information on its Web site, http://www.altfcm.army.mil.
Launched in February 2006, Army Long Term Family Case Management already has helped more than 5,000 families identify benefits to which they're entitled, Linderman noted.
"Being able to be there with a support structure for the families through the months and the years after the loss is a wonderful step in the right direction," she said. "I encourage anyone who has suffered a loss to lean on us."
Information about Army Long Term Family Case Management is available on the program's Web site or by calling a support coordinator at 1-866-272-5841.
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