planning, information on community resources, and parenting tips also can be included. Another
main responsi- bility of an FRG is to act as a central commu- nication point for its mem- bers. That means the coordinator maintains an up-to-date list of phone numbers, email addresses, and other contact information so members can be con- tacted quickly if neces- sary. Deployed servicemembers are under enough stress as it is, without having to worry about family mem- bers’ safety in case of an earthquake, a fire, or another disaster. FRGs can put their worries to rest quickly by keeping them informed of a develop- ing situation and its aftermath. “We work in conjunction with the
Wisconsin Emergency Management System to offer training that’s out- side the norm,” says Kluetz. “We col- lect information on all our soldiers’ contacts for disaster preparedness and emergency accounting, but we also gather information from their families. That way, if a tornado hits a community, we can contact all the family members to make sure they’re OK and report through the rear de- tachment command and over to our deployed soldiers to let them know [whether] their families are safe.”
Different kind of challenge Active duty Army FRGs tend to be located on bases, where getting families together and communicat- ing with them is relatively easy, but Guard and Reserve coordinators have no such luxury. Guardmembers and reservists often drill several hours away from the city they live in and sometimes deploy with a
You needn’t be on your own — Other Family Support Resources
Army: Family readiness groups (FRGs) act as a central com- munication point where Army families can join together — in person or virtually — to exchange information, com- municate, and more during de- ployment cycles. Visit www
.armyfrg.org to learn more.
Marine Corps: The Marine Forces Reserve family readi- ness program focuses on family team building through its fam- ily readiness officers. Visit
www.marines .mil/unit/marforres/ family/
default.aspx to learn more.
group from a different state. They’re geographically dispersed across the country and even U.S. territories. “FRGs on big bases are able to host
more events and reach more people,” says Kluetz. “Many of their families live on base or in close proximity. But the Guard and Reserve must operate differently, because not everyone in that unit is going to be in [the same] community. The coordinators have to work harder to get people to come to events, because they’re not right there on a post. People may have to travel a great distance.” Another way Guard and Reserve
FRGs are different from the regular Army variety is in how family readi- ness support assistants (FRSAs) are trained. FRSAs work directly with the commander and the rear detach- ment commander during deploy- ments, providing administrative assistance in support of FRGs and maintaining their continuity and stability through changes in person- nel. “In the Army, family programs
Navy: The Fleet and Family Readiness program offers many of the same support options as FRGs. More information is available at
www.cnic.navy.mil/ cnic_hq_site/whatwedo/fleet andfamilyreadiness/
index.htm.
Air Force: The Airman and Family Readiness program is a clearinghouse for active duty and reserve families. It includes wounded warrior support infor- mation and employ- ment help. Learn more at
www.afrc
.af.mil/library/air manfamilyreadi ness/
index.asp.
can be found at the installation Army Community Service [ACS] center, while in the [Army National Guard], they’re located at the state family programs office,” Boykin says. “[The Army National Guard] uses FRSAs to train FRG volunteers and leadership, while the Army utilizes training pro- vided at the ACS center.”
Inventing solutions With a unit’s servicemembers spread over a wide area, communi- cation can be a problem. Kleinheinz met the challenge head-on by estab- lishing a virtual FRG. “We used a se- cure site through the department of military affairs to create our own FRG website,” she says. “The site had a request/acceptance feature to become a member, and civilian fami- ly members could access it as well. It was an interactive link that commu- nicated from both sides during both deployment and non-deployment times. It worked well in getting in- formation out [CONTINUES ON PAGE 77]
AUGUST 2012 MILITARY OFFICER 57
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