First Lady Gets Update on Challenges Facing Military Youth

By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service

Dec. 5, 2007 - First lady Laura Bush attended a special event here today to learn about challenges facing military youth and to let them know they're not forgotten. "We need to get the word out to children of all of our military families, (that) we know you do serve also, and (of) the sacrifices you make with your parents gone for a long part of your childhood. We want military kids to know we are aware of that," Bush said during the special "Helping America's Youth" event at the base youth center.

"We (also) know that if children have caring adults in their lives, they're more likely to make wise decisions for their own lives," the first lady said.

"And when your parents are deployed, it's really important that other caring adults have an opportunity to step in and help young people while their parents are away," she continued, adding that she knows many do have that benefit.

Helping America's Youth is a nationwide effort to raise awareness about the challenges facing the nation's youth and to motivate caring adults to connect with youth in the areas of family, school and community.

Dr. Stephen Cozza, professor of psychiatry at the Uniformed Services University, told the audience that military kids have just as tough and important a job as their parents do. Despite that, they're resilient, he said.

"We need to remember, first and foremost, that they are generally a healthy and capable group of youngsters who possess strengths that are at least equal to their civilian counterparts," said Cozza, who also serves as the associate director for the Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress. He went on to note that certain events and situations can cause increased stress on military children.

Combat deployments tax even the healthiest families, and multiple deployments even more so, he said. The combat experience itself can affect servicemembers, and consequently their children, upon the parent's return to the family.

"During wartime, servicemembers often witness and participate in violent and destructive acts that fall outside the realm of the typical human experience," Cozza said. "Combat can lead to neurobiological and psychological consequences that don't simply disappear when they return home."

These issues can be as benign as the common cold or much more serious, he said. Open discussion can help families and children better understand the changes they may see in their parents.

"Our community programs should be knowledgeable about child and family responses to deployment and reintegration challenges, and should be comfortable referring troubled service or family members to health care facilities when appropriate," he said.

Brooke Borelli, 12, the daughter of Air Force Col. Elizabeth Borelli of the 11th Operations Group at Bolling Air Force Base in Washington, D.C., knows well the challenges of being a military child. When she's switched schools in the middle of the school year, she said, she often finds she may be ahead in one subject but behind in another. Perhaps the biggest challenge came when her mother was deployed to Iraq.

It was tough when her mom didn't come home every day and she couldn't have individual time with her, Brooke said. But the situation came with its own benefits. She reached out to her family and community and filled her mother's deployments with activities.

"I think it's made me a better person for doing it," Brooke said. "I've learned to be more independent and stable on my own."

Shanice Gaddy, 17, also knows what it means to be part of a military family. Her mother, District of Colombia Army National Guard Master Sgt. Jacqueline Whitney, was deployed to Iraq for a little more than a year just as her daughter was starting high school.

Shanice said not having her mom there as she charted that new territory was a struggle, but National Guard programs helped her shake feelings of sadness and loneliness.

"I discovered that they had National Guard youth programs," Gaddy said. "Then I started to feel better, because I felt as though people were there for me."

And using resources like the National Guard youth programs is exactly what the first lady encouraged families to do if they feel they may need help, said Barbara Thompson, director of the Office of Family Policy/Children and Youth, a part of the Office of the Deputy Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness.

"Mrs. Bush gave a very powerful message when she mentioned to military families that if they need help, they should reach out and seek help through programs and support systems," she said. "I think she sets the tone for the nation in telling the nation that military children also serve and they sacrifice and we should take good care of them as a nation."

That's easier, thanks to the many resources available to military children and families; however the programs are good only if they're accessible, Thompson said.

She said Mrs. Bush heard about the importance of addressing needs of military children who are geographically separated from a military installation, and consequently are far way from the resources located there.

"We're a great organization. We have a lot of programs at every one of our installations, but we can't do it alone," Thompson said. "We need the expertise, and we need the ability to reach out to the larger community to ensure all children's needs are met."

The first lady also heard from organizations such as the Armed Services YMCA, the National Military Family Association, and Boys and Girls Clubs of America, which are reaching out to the overall community to ensure all military children have resources available.

Armed Services YMCA and the National Military Family Association are both supporters of America Supports You, a Defense Department program connecting citizens and corporations with military personnel and their families serving at home and abroad.

Defense Leaders Tackle Family Issues

By Tech. Sgt. Chris Vadnais, USAF
Special to American Forces Press Service

July 19, 2007 – The Defense Department has identified 10 key issues of importance to military members and their families, including education policies and benefits, accessible support for military families, and spouse employment opportunities. Navy Adm. Timothy J. Keating, commander of U.S. Pacific Command, met here with David S.C. Chu, undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, this week to discuss such key issues.

"Family issues are crucial to the willingness of our people to continue to serve," Chu said.

Among the most important of the 10 key issues is the interstate compact for educating children of military members. The mobile military lifestyle creates challenges for children, and the Defense Department wants to provide a policy platform to head those off, Chu said. For example, some school districts will allow children to start kindergarten at age 5, while others require children to be 6 years old to start school. Children who start school in one location might not be able to go back to school at a new location when military families move.

"If the young lad or the young lady has already started school, why can't he or she keep going?" Chu asked. "Many school systems say, 'No, we've got to wait,' and that's a big issue with a military family," he said. "We'd like to get issues like these ironed out at a national level so military families can do the same thing every other American family can do."

Other key issues include policies for members of the reserve components, unemployment compensation for military spouses, and responsive voting programs. "Those issues affect the well-being of our families," Chu said. "We put a lot of burdens on military personnel; the family has to be well supported if they're going to accept those burdens."

Keating said healthy partnerships like the one between the Defense Department and the state of Hawaii are key to providing the best possible quality of life for military families. "It is that communion between the community and the military members that will produce long-lasting effects," he said.

"It is a powerful tool for us here," he added. "The governor and the mayor have both promised me that they would pay close attention to any initiatives that I brought to their attention, and they have followed through on that."

Military Family Students Can Still Apply for Trip

American Forces Press Service

June 18, 2007 – A group that recognizes high school students whose lives are affected by extreme circumstances is offering trips to the nation's capital for teens with a deployed parent. The Student Youth and Travel Association has extended of the deadline for its Silver Lining Program to June 25.

This summer's program will take place here July 25-28. It's open to military students ages 14-19 who have a parent serving abroad and who have been affected by the Iraq war, according to an association news release.

The all-expenses-paid travel to Washington is an opportunity for the students to grow intellectually, academically and culturally. The trip also offers the chance for these students to share their similar experiences and form lasting friendships.

Applicants must submit an essay, video presentation, or other media that details how they've demonstrated through their action, intention, or circumstance, the desire to overcome an extreme circumstance with the intention of creating a dramatic life change.

Completed applications can be mailed to the Student and Youth Travel Association Youth Foundation, 3048 W. Clarkston Rd., Lake Orion, MI 48362. Applications also can be faxed to (248) 814-7150.

More information and a program application can be found on the Silver Lining Program Application Web site.

(From a Student and Youth Travel Association news release.)

President Honors Military Spouses at White House

By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service

May 11, 2007 – President Bush today paid tribute to military spouses across the nation and presented the Presidential Volunteer Service Award to six military spouses who he said "represent the very best of what volunteering means." "You cannot be a nation with a volunteer Army unless you honor the military families, and that's what we're doing today," Bush told an audience in the White House's East Room that included Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and more than 200 service members and their families.

"As one wife in this audience recently noted," Bush told the group, "military spouses do not raise their right hands and take an oath of enlistment. Yet, their service begins as soon as they say two words, 'I do.'"

Today's ceremony marked Military Spouse Day, as proclaimed by the president yesterday to recognize spouses' sacrifices particularly during deployments. Military guests marking the occasion at the White House included Marine General Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and his wife, Lynne; along with Mary Jo Meyers, wife of former chairman, Retired Air Force General Richard Meyers.

Other military leaders and civilian guests included Navy Admiral Michael Mullen, chief of Naval Operations, and his wife, Deborah; Marine General James Conway, U.S. Marine Corps commandant, and his wife, Annette; and Army General George Casey, U.S. Army chief of staff, and his wife, Sheila. Acting Secretary of the Army Peter Geren also attended, as did Veterans Affairs Secretary Jim Nicholson and his wife Suzanne.

In his remarks, the president praised both the troops who volunteer to protect the country in the face of grave danger and emphasized the important roles family members play in service members' lives.

"Through many conflicts, America's war fighters have counted on their spouses for love and support," he told the military families. "Our communities have depended on your energy and your leadership. Our nation has benefited from the sacrifices of our military families."

The president said that during his term in office he and his wife Laura have met with many military families at bases around the world. They've visited the wounded and hugged the loved ones of troops lost in combat.

"In these meetings I have found that what motivates our service members most is their love for their families," Bush said. "Oh, they love our country, but they really love their families. You're in their prayers every morning, their thoughts every day, and their dreams every night."

He noted that the Bush family has also experienced what it's like to have a loved one go off to war.

"Some time ago," he said, "a Naval aviator about to deploy to war wrote a letter to his fiance. ... His words back then were these: 'For a long time I had anxiously looked forward to the day when we would go abroad ... but you have changed all that. I do want to go because it is my part, but now leaving presents itself not as an adventure but as a job.'

"That letter was mailed more than 60 years ago, addressed to my mother from my father," Bush said. "Millions of similar letters have been written since that war. And most of you likely have one that is special to you that you keep close to your heart.

"I know that nothing can compensate for the sacrifices you endure while your spouse is away. And so do a lot of people in Washington understand that," Bush said. "But you also got to know that our entire country stands with you -- we love you and we respect you.

"America has seen and survived many wars over many generations," Bush said. "What has remained constant is the love we have for each other, the nobility of duty, and the strength that our men and women in uniform find in their heroes who serve at home."

In 2003, Bush created the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation to find ways to recognize the valuable contributions volunteers are making to our nation.

The council created the President's Volunteer Service Award program as a way to thank and honor Americans who inspire others to engage in volunteer service through their demonstrated commitment.

Today's recipients were:

-- Cindy Beerky, co-chairwoman of the Patriot Family Readiness Group, which provides information and resources to about 500 military families of soldiers stationed on Fort Lewis, Wash.

-- Michele Langford, president of the Coast Guard East Bay Spouse Association. Langford plans fundraising events for the annual scholarship which benefits dependent children of military members from all services and branches.

-- Shannon Maxwell, co-founder of Hope for the Warriors, a non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing servicemembers' and their families' quality of life after her husband, Tim, a Marine, suffered a severe head injury in Iraq.

-- Linda Port, a Navy wife for nearly 21 years who mentors servicemember spouses through enlisted spouse support groups. During one of her husband's deployments, she served as ombudsman for nearly 1,200 sailors and their spouses.

-- Denise Rampolla, who works for the 153rd Airlift Wing, Wyoming National Guard. Rampolla serves as a volunteer with the National Military Family Association, which strives to increase servicemembers' and their families' quality of life.

-- Michael Winton, the primary care-giver for his daughter while his wife serves in the Air Force, who also coaches sports teams, works with Habitat for Humanity and Fisher Nightingale Houses, visits veteran centers and volunteers to improve reading levels of at-risk children.

Article sponsored by police officers who have written books on law enforcement jobs; as well as those involved in writing on leadership.

President Honors Military Spouses at White House

By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service

May 11, 2007 – President Bush today paid tribute to military spouses across the nation and presented the Presidential Volunteer Service Award to six military spouses who he said "represent the very best of what volunteering means." "You cannot be a nation with a volunteer Army unless you honor the military families, and that's what we're doing today," Bush told an audience in the White House's East Room that included Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and more than 200 service members and their families.

"As one wife in this audience recently noted," Bush told the group, "military spouses do not raise their right hands and take an oath of enlistment. Yet, their service begins as soon as they say two words, 'I do.'"

Today's ceremony marked Military Spouse Day, as proclaimed by the president yesterday to recognize spouses' sacrifices particularly during deployments. Military guests marking the occasion at the White House included Marine General Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and his wife, Lynne; along with Mary Jo Meyers, wife of former chairman, Retired Air Force General Richard Meyers.

Other military leaders and civilian guests included Navy Admiral Michael Mullen, chief of Naval Operations, and his wife, Deborah; Marine General James Conway, U.S. Marine Corps commandant, and his wife, Annette; and Army General George Casey, U.S. Army chief of staff, and his wife, Sheila. Acting Secretary of the Army Peter Geren also attended, as did Veterans Affairs Secretary Jim Nicholson and his wife Suzanne.

In his remarks, the president praised both the troops who volunteer to protect the country in the face of grave danger and emphasized the important roles family members play in service members' lives.

"Through many conflicts, America's war fighters have counted on their spouses for love and support," he told the military families. "Our communities have depended on your energy and your leadership. Our nation has benefited from the sacrifices of our military families."

The president said that during his term in office he and his wife Laura have met with many military families at bases around the world. They've visited the wounded and hugged the loved ones of troops lost in combat.

"In these meetings I have found that what motivates our service members most is their love for their families," Bush said. "Oh, they love our country, but they really love their families. You're in their prayers every morning, their thoughts every day, and their dreams every night."

He noted that the Bush family has also experienced what it's like to have a loved one go off to war.

"Some time ago," he said, "a Naval aviator about to deploy to war wrote a letter to his fiance. ... His words back then were these: 'For a long time I had anxiously looked forward to the day when we would go abroad ... but you have changed all that. I do want to go because it is my part, but now leaving presents itself not as an adventure but as a job.'

"That letter was mailed more than 60 years ago, addressed to my mother from my father," Bush said. "Millions of similar letters have been written since that war. And most of you likely have one that is special to you that you keep close to your heart.

"I know that nothing can compensate for the sacrifices you endure while your spouse is away. And so do a lot of people in Washington understand that," Bush said. "But you also got to know that our entire country stands with you -- we love you and we respect you.

"America has seen and survived many wars over many generations," Bush said. "What has remained constant is the love we have for each other, the nobility of duty, and the strength that our men and women in uniform find in their heroes who serve at home."

In 2003, Bush created the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation to find ways to recognize the valuable contributions volunteers are making to our nation.

The council created the President's Volunteer Service Award program as a way to thank and honor Americans who inspire others to engage in volunteer service through their demonstrated commitment.

Today's recipients were:

-- Cindy Beerky, co-chairwoman of the Patriot Family Readiness Group, which provides information and resources to about 500 military families of soldiers stationed on Fort Lewis, Wash.

-- Michele Langford, president of the Coast Guard East Bay Spouse Association. Langford plans fundraising events for the annual scholarship which benefits dependent children of military members from all services and branches.

-- Shannon Maxwell, co-founder of Hope for the Warriors, a non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing servicemembers' and their families' quality of life after her husband, Tim, a Marine, suffered a severe head injury in Iraq.

-- Linda Port, a Navy wife for nearly 21 years who mentors servicemember spouses through enlisted spouse support groups. During one of her husband's deployments, she served as ombudsman for nearly 1,200 sailors and their spouses.

-- Denise Rampolla, who works for the 153rd Airlift Wing, Wyoming National Guard. Rampolla serves as a volunteer with the National Military Family Association, which strives to increase servicemembers' and their families' quality of life.

-- Michael Winton, the primary care-giver for his daughter while his wife serves in the Air Force, who also coaches sports teams, works with Habitat for Humanity and Fisher Nightingale Houses, visits veteran centers and volunteers to improve reading levels of at-risk children.

Article sponsored by police officers who have written books on law enforcement jobs; as well as those involved in writing on leadership.

Franchise Helps Group Support Injured Troops

American Forces Press Service

April 3, 2007 – Members of Daniel Acosta's family already had a lot on their minds when he arrived at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio from serving in Iraq with injuries that ultimately cost him an arm. And shortly thereafter, his wife, Sandy, delivered their third child.

To ease part of their burden, Maid Brigade is lending a hand with weekly household cleaning as part of a national partnership with Operation Homefront to serve military families in need.

Operation Homefront is a member of America Supports You, a Defense Department program that highlights the ways Americans are supporting the nation's servicemembers.

"This is the best baby gift ever!" Sandy said. "Maid Brigade and Operation Homefront have relieved so much stress from our lives, and the weekly cleaning allows me to spend precious minutes with my children and help my husband recuperate."

After America Supports You officials introduced Operation Homefront and Maid Brigade, the organizations announced in January their partnership to support military families in crisis by offering free cleaning service.

With a mission to provide emergency assistance to troops, military families and wounded warriors, Operation Homefront anticipates many scenarios like this, where Maid Brigade will make a genuine difference to military families.

Working with Operation Homefront is a way of saying "thank you" to the nation's troops and families who have sacrificed so much, Josie Rangel, the San Antonio Maid Brigade franchisee who is assisting the Acostas, said. "It's nice that Operation Homefront gives regular businesses an opportunity to show their support."

"The work these two America Supports You groups are doing is truly outstanding," Allison Barber, deputy assistant secretary of defense for public affairs and architect of the America Supports You program, said. "Something as simple as cleaning a house or an apartment can make a huge difference in the lives of our wounded veterans and their families.

"Operation Homefront and Maid Brigade are a perfect match, and we're so happy we were able to connect them," she added.

In Arlington, Texas, Maid Brigade and Operation Homefront are helping another family as it relocates to San Antonio.

Marvin Williams was an Army National Guard soldier activated to an Austin-based unit when he was injured in a training accident. Operation Homefront is relocating his wife and 11-month-old daughter.

"Our daughter was born one month after I was activated, and she won't even come to me," Williams said. "Because I am being treated for injuries here at (Brooke Army Medical Center), I could not help my wife with the burdens of packing our entire household to prepare for the move.

"Operation Homefront and Maid Brigade helped my wife in ways I could not," he added. "I can't say thank you enough!"

Keith Clem, of the Fort Worth franchise of Maid Brigade, has agreed to clean the apartment once the household items have been moved out.

"Maid Brigade is bringing genuine peace of mind to families who have sacrificed so much," Meredith Leyva, founder of Operation Homefront, said.

"Our many offices throughout the country have eagerly volunteered to help our wounded warriors in many different ways, and we are proud of the way our people have stepped up to assist our ... wounded military who have sacrificed so much," Don Hay, chairman of Maid Brigade, said.

Article sponsored by police and military personnel who have authored books as well as criminal justice online leadership.

Hall Presents Top Family Readiness Awards

American Forces Press Service

Feb. 16, 2007 – The Defense Department's top reserve official today recognized the nation's top family readiness programs. Thomas F. Hall, assistant defense secretary for reserve affairs, presented the 2006 Reserve Family Readiness Awards in a ceremony at the conclusion of the 2007 Family Readiness Summit. Retired Navy Vice Adm. Norb Ryan, president of the Military Officers Association of America, accompanied Hall.

Hall said today's operational tempo is placing more demands on servicemembers and family members. It is important that programs and services are in place so that servicemembers don't have to worry about family members while away, he said.

"Families always play a very key role in the careers and lives of our young men and women who serve," Hall said. "Without a family that is satisfied, ... more than likely service is not possible. The family has to be on board."

"When a servicemember is deployed, the last thing they need to be worrying about is problems at home," Hall said.

Award winners are:

-- Army National Guard: 2nd Battalion, 128th Infantry, Wisconsin Army National Guard Headquarters, Madison, Wis. According to the award citation, the battalion readiness group received point-of-contact information for 570 of its 573 soldiers. In addition to the four successful phone-tree evolutions during the year, the family readiness group also sent out more than 900 newsletters each month. Ninety-five percent of the unit members received welcome packages of family readiness information, and a survey indicated that 75 percent of the soldiers, spouses and families indicated they coped extremely well to deployment.

-- Army Reserve: 108th Division, Institutional Training, Foreign Army Training Command, Charlotte, N.C. The division provided 100 percent of the 931 mobilized reservists and their families a detailed mobilization book and compact disc containing an online, Web-based program that presented supporting Web sites and mission information. In addition to shipping at least one care package to every mobilized soldier in theater, the family support group collected and distributed more than $23,000 in international calling cards and provided them to the mobilized reservists, the citation stated.

-- Navy Reserve: Detachment 0225, Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 25, Rock Island, Ill. In advance of official notification, leadership called together the crew, spouses and other family members to discuss the likelihood of a mobilization and the need for family readiness. Building a coalition of information assets, a weekend drill was set aside specifically for readiness training that included Army Community Services, American Red Cross, Tricare, Army legal presentations and Navy family service representation. Within a month of the training, unit members began to be mobilized. The families congealed into a self-sustaining support group that proved its value when two unit members were killed in action within five weeks of each other. The performance of the unit in theater was bolstered by the success of the family programs put in place before deployment, according to the award citation.

-- Marine Forces Reserve: 1st Battalion, 24th Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division, Selfridge, Mich. Nearly 1,100 of the unit's families received monthly newsletters and Internet contact trees, constantly reminding them of services available. More than 300 public relations events built strong relationships with community partners that proved to be beneficial to the families. All the resources are called to bear on casualty reporting and the return of wounded Marines, providing a benchmark level of support to the member and family, according to the award citation.

-- Air National Guard: 153rd Airlift Wing, Wyoming Air National Guard. The wing set the standard for total force family readiness program management, embracing active-duty airmen and their families as part of a program where active-duty Air Force members work side by side with Air National Guard airmen. New families were provided with informative welcome packets designed to make their move to the Air National Guard seamless. Strong partnerships were forged between the 153rd Airlift Wing Family Readiness Office and the F.E. Warren Airmen and Family Readiness providing an extension of resources to Guard members and their families, according to the award citation.

-- Air Force Reserve: 913th Airlift Wing, Willow Grove, Pa. With 310 of its 1,100 reservists deployed, the family support program instituted a Hearts Apart support group with monthly meetings that included spouses, children, parents, grandparents and others to provide mutual support. When quality of life programs were scheduled, 100 percent of all family members were contacted. Newcomers to the wing were given an orientation package to quickly integrate them into the family program. Reserve families were seamlessly integrated into active duty programs after spouse deployment. The command provided newly remodeled spaces and individual offices for the readiness staff. Building on the basics with service and unit specific initiatives, the family readiness program offered a broad range of services in a very personal way, according to the award citation.

-- Coast Guard Reserve: Port Security Unit 312, San Francisco. The new unit was created from personnel drawn from a wide geographic area, certified ready for operations and more than half of the unit was deployed outside of the U.S. by the end of the year. Few Coast Guard units deploy outside of the United States, and internal expertise is limited in readiness programs. Undaunted, the ombudsman coordinator aggressively coordinated an endless supply of information to 100 percent of the families, coordinated morale and training events with other services, and personally helped families in crisis, according to the award citation.

Editor's Note: Military families can also avail themselves of the Defense Department's America Supports You program, which highlights homefront groups across the nation that are providing a variety of services and support to troops and their families. A listing of these groups and information about their efforts is available at www.AmericaSupportsYou.mil

Article sponsored by police and military personnel who have become authors by writing books; and the criminal justice online leadership location.

Family Program Leaders Define Top Concerns
By Fred W. Baker III
American Forces Press Service

Feb. 16, 2007 – Top military family program leaders from across the services gathered here yesterday intent on answering tough questions on how to better work together. Instead, after a day of discussions, leaders at the 2007 Family Readiness Summit came up with nine issues they will present to senior military leadership.

"Part of our goal was to identify best practices, lessons learned, challenges and requirements, and what we found was that regardless of which group and which questions they were working on, everyone came up with essentially the same list," said James L. Scott III, the director of individual and family policy for the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs.

Each of the issues will be defined and will include recommendations by the group. The findings will be attached to a letter from Assistant Defense Secretary Thomas F. Hall to the service secretaries and reserve-component chiefs asking for their support in implementation.

Topping the list as a challenge was defining, and possibly renaming, family assistance centers across the services. The group noted that family programs have many different names across the services, and all have different meanings and provide different services.

"It's so confusing to our families -- even the military members," Scott said. "How do we get to one label?"

Army Col. Anthony E. Baker, chief of family programs for the National Guard Bureau, said the family assistance center is clearly defined in DoD regulations, but that it applies to an installation-level organization and does not mean the same thing for the reserve component, which has centers in geographically dispersed areas.

Members of the group expressed concerns that some family members do not go to the centers because of a possible negative connotation of the word "assistance."

"Nobody wants a handout," Scott said.

Funding also topped the list as a challenge. The group said more money is needed for more full-time personnel. More funds would help avoid burnout for the full-time staff and volunteers. Scott said there needs to be a balance. "We can't buy everything. We can't expect people to donate everything," he said.

Some participants expressed concern that current funding is tied to current operations and that those funds will not always be available. Funding should be consistent and not tied to specific operations, some said.

Also, the group said there should be one policy across the services on whether funds can be used for family member travel for training. Not all services will pay for family member travel for support-related training.

Use of emerging technologies was listed as a best practice and a challenge. Technology makes it easier to push some services down to the individual who is computer savvy, but the range of capabilities is so diverse among family members that new technology cannot be solely relied upon as a delivery system.

Partnering made the list of best practices. Partnering with the National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve to help make contacts with local businesses was cited as a good example of partnering.

Also the development of the Web site MilitaryOneSource.com was seen as a best practice. The group members said they would like to see it further developed to include more tailoring to the individual services.

The group listed volunteers as a best practice, citing volunteerism as an integral part of a successful program.

The group also said there needs to be a focus on single soldiers' family needs, as well as the reintegration process after returning from deployment.

The summit's purpose was for group members to brainstorm ways to break down interservice bureaucratic barriers that sometimes prevent military family members from getting the help they need. This is the third such summit since 2001.

"I was very, very pleased. The response was much better than I expected it to be," Scott said. "It was a wonderful and powerful networking opportunity. I had a number of people come up to me and say 'We need to continue this.'"

Editor's Note: Military families can also avail themselves of the Defense Department's America Supports You program, which highlights home front groups across the nation that are providing a variety of services and support to troops and their families. A listing of these groups and information about their efforts is available at www.AmericaSupportsYou.mil.

Article sponsored by police and military personnel who have become authors by writing books; and the criminal justice online leadership location.

Leaders Meet to Improve Family Support Programs

By Fred W. Baker III
American Forces Press Service

Feb. 15, 2007 – When a military family member needs help, the sponsor's branch of service shouldn't matter, a top Defense Department officials said here today. Thomas F. Hall, assistant secretary of defense for reserve affairs, addressed a group of about 100 top military family program leaders from across the services who gathered for the 2007 Family Readiness Summit here. The group hopes to brainstorm ways to break down interservice bureaucratic barriers that sometimes prevent military family members from getting the help they need.

Any family member who walks into one of the 700 family readiness centers nationwide should be helped, regardless of branch of service, Hall said.

They (the center) should say, "You are an American trooper or the family member of an American trooper -- come in and you're welcome. Sit down and we'll help you," Hall said.

Each of the services, active and reserve component, sent key decision-makers for family programs to the summit. Some community service organizations such as the Red Cross and veterans services also sent representation.

Hall will send the results of the summit to the service secretaries and reserve component chiefs asking for their support in implementation.

This is the third such summit since 2001, said James L. Scott III, director of individual and family policy on Hall's staff. He said that this is the best way to collaborate on behalf of servicemembers and their families.

"It's extremely powerful," he said. "Any time we get more than two or three people who are passionate about families and supporting them, they come up with the most creative answers on identifying resources."

Scott said this summit's goal is to figure out how to best provide services and support to all military families, with special emphasis on those who are geographically separated from an installation.

"They are entitled to these services, but it is hard for them to access them," Scott said. "Does that make those military members ... less deserving of services and support? No. Perhaps it makes them more deserving. We just have to figure out ways to do it better."

Scott said providing interservice and interagency support to troops and family members just makes sense.

"That's the way we fight. That's the way we need to support. It's just the right answer," he said.

Army Col. Anthony E. Baker, chief of family programs for the National Guard Bureau, said family members really don't care where they get their needs met, so long as there are met. He said studies have shown that the services need to improve their systems for meeting family members' needs.

"All they care about is convenience," Baker said. "They don't care who delivers it, as long as it's delivered. That's what we're trying to do, is figure out how we can deliver the services to them in such a way that it is not inconvenient to them."

He also said a better-prepared family is a stronger family during deployment. But the key is getting the service to the family, especially for those who do not live on or near a military installation.

"We have to deliver those services closer to them. We're not looking for them to come to us. We're looking to go to them," he said.

The group will present its findings tomorrow, followed by the 2006 Reserve Family Readiness Awards ceremony. Hall will recognize the units in each reserve component that demonstrated outstanding family readiness.

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