News

Family Forums at AUSA provide information, insight and feedback to leadership
Date Posted: 10/14/2008

By Rob McIlvaine
FMWRC Public Affairs

The 700 seats and the surrounding aisles in room 207 of Washington Convention Center were filled to capacity with Soldiers, wives, husbands and concerned citizens who came to participate in three Family Forums coordinated by the Association of the U.S. Army (AUSA) this past week.

Even though dignitaries such as Secretary of the Army Pete M. Geren were slated to attend, the real reason those seats were filled was the information and knowledge that could be taken back and shared with the participating units.

“This is a combined training event with Family forums conducted here and additional training back at their hotels,” said Sylvia E. J. Kidd, AUSA Director of Family Programs. “The FRG leaders here are mostly from deployed units who want to help military Families gain some semblance of control.”

According to Kidd, Families in these past few years have faced ever increasing turmoil with hundreds of thousands of Soldiers – Active, Reserve and National Guard – deployed and units either preparing to leave or leaving almost on a daily basis.

“It’s really good to hear real examples of how to do our job better,” said Jenn Smith, an FRG leader at Fort Lewis, Wash. “We need to know how to handle rumor control, fund raising and the notification process.”

Jessica McCahan agreed. A former Navy signalman, now married to a Soldier, Jessica is another one of the 44 FRG leaders who made the trip from Fort Lewis, Wash. to Washington, DC for the AUSA Annual Meeting.

“The mission is different now and the Army has to do a bit of catch-up,” McCahan said. “This three-day training will help Families be more pro-active. We are getting so much information and learning about so many resources.”

“For example, Army OneSource is amazing,” said Tommi Deutsch, an FRG leader from Fort Lewis. The website, www.ArmyOneSource.com provides information, programs and services and connectivity.

The three Family Forums brought together Army leaders, physicians, chaplains, corporate directors, civilians, Army wives and husbands to discuss important topics and learn from each other.

On Monday the theme was the “Army Family Covenant: A Year in Review.” Gen. George W. Casey, Jr., Chief of Staff, United States Army, asked the audience how effective the partnership between the Army and Families has been by a show of hands.

Army Chief of Staff George W. Casey, Jr. discusses the Army OneSource website with Soldiers at the IMCOM booth during the AUSA Annual Meeting & Exposition. - Photo by Rob Mcilvaine, FMWRC Public Affairs

“I can see the Army must continue working in all five spheres,” said Casey, after counting hands raised at the mention of five key issues: standardizing resources, accessibility and quality of health care, housing, insuring excellence in schools and child care, and helping with employment and education for family members.

When the Army Family Covenant was signed by senior leaders on October 17, 2007 at Fort Knox, Ky., Secretary of the Army Pete Geren said, “I can assure you that your Army leadership understands the important contribution each and every one of you makes. We need to make sure we step up and provide the support Families need so the Army Family stays healthy and ready.”

Secretary of the Army Pete M. Geren talks with Soldiers at the IMCOM booth during the AUSA Annual Meeting & Exposition. - Photo by Rob Mcilvaine, FMWRC Public Affairs

One year later, the three Family Forums made this clear.

“We are not ever going to be able to totally remove stress,” said Kidd, “but knowing where to go and what to do before a situation arises can not only give the family a sense of security but it also helps the deploying Soldier so he or she can concentrate on the Army mission and come home safely.”

On Tuesday, the theme for the Family Forum was “Strengthening Soldiers and Families through Community Partnerships.”

“Every community should have a Soldier support center,” said Lt. Gen. Jack C. Stultz, chief of the Army Reserve, along with his wife, Laura, as he emphasized the importance of the Army’s covenants with Families and communities.

“The support network for geographically dispersed Soldiers and their families, who do not reside on or around military installations, must be both nationwide and virtual or web-based,” Stulz said.

Currently, the Army is working on ways to connect these Families and engage communities with their resident Soldiers on a more personal level. Pilot support programs for Soldiers and their Families are being tested in eight states: Pa., N.Y., Minn., Miss., N.C., Texas, Ore. and Utah.

“We recruit Soldiers, we retain Families,” Stulz said, and to emphasize this, he said, “the unit isn’t ready until the Family is ready.”

At the end of the forum, Secretary of the Army Pete M. Geren presented the 2008 Army Family Covenant Quality of Life Awards to eight award winners. “We can’t forget that our Soldiers are volunteers, and our Families are volunteers, too,” Geren said.

He also conferred the 2008 Army Meritorious Civilian Award to Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Craig B. Whelden, for his successful implementation of the Army Community Covenant.

On Wednesday, the final Family Forum’s theme was “Dealing with the Effects of Persistent Conflict.”

“What happens when a parent or child comes home with PTSD, depression, or worse, doesn’t come home?” asked Dr. Stephen J. Cozza. (Associate Director of the Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress)

Cozza told the audience that literature on this subject is very limited, with most of the studies written up after Operation Desert Storm.

“Our military children are robust and resilient,” said Cozza, “but they can become distressed during deployments, and we don’t know what happens over time.” Cozza noted what has been observed during these past seven years of persistent conflict.

“Deployments are changing,” he said. “We have both moms and dads deploying and this can be a corrosive impact of stress, can lead to distraction. This disruption in relationships means parents are less available.”

He notes that elevated rates of child maltreatment occur during deployments, “typically in our younger Soldiers’ families.”

“But it’s not just about separation,” Cozza said. “It’s also about what Soldiers bring home with them and most of these studies we have today were done with Vietnam vets. There’s an emotional numbing and avoidance. As a result, we don’t know how to talk with our children and children have a hard time communicating with each other.”

To help, Sesame Street has produced a program called, “Talk, Listen, Connect.” Lynn Chwatsky, Senior Director, Outreach Initiatives and Partners, Sesame Workshop, introduced the show.

“The entire Family is affected,” said Chwatsky, “so we set out to help reduce the level of anxiety children experience, and who better than Elmo to help?”

This bilingual multimedia outreach program is designed to support military Families with children between the ages of 2 and 5 as they cope with the feelings, challenges, and concerns experienced during different phases of deployment.

The DVD kit includes a copy of the first video, Talk, Listen, Connect: Helping Families During Military Deployment, a new additional video, and parent/caregiver materials designed to help children of injured veterans and other returning service members adjust to the changes in their parents.

The video with the Muppets representing a Soldier’s family, along with footage of actual military Families was shown to the audience.

In the show, the father has come home from the war in a wheelchair. But it was the faces of the sons, daughters and moms that brought tears to the eyes in the audience, many members who have experienced three, four and five deployments.

Sesame has produced 500,000 bilingual kits, and with Department of Defense funding has just produced an additional 300,000 kits which Maj. Gen. John A. McDonald, Commanding General of FMWRC, promised would go out to every one of the CDC (Child Development Centers) schools.

Secretary of the Army Pete M. Geren logs on to www.armyonesource.com while Maj. Gen. John A. McDonald, Commanding General of FMWRC, looks on at the IMCOM booth during the AUSA Annual Meeting & Exposition. - Photo by Rob Mcilvaine, FMWRC Public Affairs

“I called my mom and told her how exciting this week has been,” said McDonald. “My mom who is an Army brat, an Army spouse and an Army mom said to me, ‘John, don’t they know you’ve been thrown out of three CDC schools?’ ” The laughter in the room gave everyone a chance to appreciate that even though times have gotten tough, with the help of senior leaders and involved FRG leaders, times can only get better.

Kidd summed up the purpose of the forums for all who attended this annual meeting.

“I cannot encourage you strongly enough to gather that information, make those contacts and inform yourselves. Prepare yourselves and your children before anything happens so when a situation arises you don’t have to waste valuable time and energy searching for assistance.”

Since 1950, AUSA has worked to support all aspects of national security while advancing the interests of America's Army and the men and women who serve. A private, non-profit educational organization that supports America's Army - Active, National Guard, Reserve, civilians, retirees and Family members, AUSA has 125 chapters located worldwide. Made up entirely of volunteers, they provide recreational and educational opportunities to Soldiers and their Families, while supporting our deployed Soldiers and Families left behind.

NOTE FOR EDITORS:
If you would like to add as a sidebar, the Quality of Life award winners are listed in an Army press release at http://www.army.mil/-newsreleases/2008/10/06/13096-army-to-recognize-quality-of-life-achievement/.

Link for more info: www.ArmyOneSource.com