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Reserve Component units face unique family readiness challenges in preparing for and executing lengthy deployments, and these types of deployments are increasingly common. This chapter offers some techniques and procedures related directly to RC family readiness.

One key difference between the RC and Active Component (AC) Family Readiness Groups (FRGs) is the hurdle they must overcome to be an effective resource for the families. Mrs. Sue Bambrough presented the following concept during a workshop on family readiness.

Each spouse of a family has what may be called circles of responsibilities. These are the key influences of the spouse. These circles each represent what that person feels are the major aspects of their lives. Typically, the active component family may have only two circles of responsibilities. They are the family and the Army. In the RC, there are at least three circles: the family, the civilian job, and the Army. If both spouses have civilian jobs, there may be a fourth circle. The civilian job brings in the most money and security for the family. However, the civilian job may change. The family is viewed as a circle that will not change. Therefore, the military takes third place in the mind of one spouse and possibly second in the mind of the soldier. This phenomenon is why the spouse of the RC soldier views the Army as the enemy. The Army takes their soldier away from them for many weekends and summer camps. There is also the very real possibility that the Army may take their soldier away for many months due to a deployment and, worst case scenario, may not come back.

The soldier then is sometimes made to feel guilty about their membership and involvement with the Army. If not supported by the spouse, the Army circle will surely be reduced or at least be a constant source of aggravation. This is why education of the spouses and motivating them to support their soldier is very important. If things go badly, the Army circle may disband or cease to function.

Mobilized RC units need to designate and mobilize an FRG officer or non-commissioned officer to facilitate family readiness during a deployment. One mobilized civil affairs detachment received authorization and funding to mobilize an officer (in this case a Major) whose sole responsibility throughout the unit's deployment was to conduct Family Readiness Group operations. This officer and his wife traveled to Fort Bragg, NC, prior to the unit's deployment to Bosnia to receive FRG training, and they, in turn, brought in TRICARE and legal specialists to offer training to the spouses remaining at home station while the soldiers deployed. In the view of the public affairs detachment personnel who had deployed previously with the unit without an FRG officer, this technique greatly improved the family readiness operations of the unit. In a number of instances, the officer was able to handle family problems quickly and efficiently before they detracted from the mission, and the officer served as an effective conduit for information from the field and vice versa. In the view of the unit leadership, the fact that the designated family support officer had himself previously deployed with the unit enhanced both the FRG officer's credibility with the family members as well as the officer's understanding of the problems associated with deployment.

Key Lessons Learned

• Higher headquarters should fund and facilitate the designation of a family readiness officer or non-commissioned officer for RC units preparing for lengthy deployments. Whenever possible, this FRG officer should have prior deployment experience.

• Education of the spouses is vitally important for the support of the soldier. This will impact readiness as it improves the soldier's morale and will also affect retention.

• FRGs should distribute as many newsletters as possible informing spouses of upcoming events and training classes.

• One technique used by successful FRGs during annual training was to mail out a letter to all spouses, by name, informing them of the benefits they would receive if their family member was mobilized.

Task Force Eagle established an RC and temporary change of station (TCS) Assistance Center in the theater of operations, which assisted soldiers with routine problems with pay, orders, and other types of administrative problems. The Assistance Center was staffed with a Sergeant Major tasked to serve as a liaison between the deployed soldiers and the Army Reserve Personnel Command (AR-PERSCOM) and other RC agencies. For those soldiers who used the service, the Assistance Center was a great help in dealing with a variety of issues of separation, including pay problems, healthcare assistance, and employer information. The fact that the task force chose to staff the center with a Sergeant Major well versed in personnel policies added greatly to the effectiveness of the operation.

Key Lesson Learned: Establish an RC/TCS Assistance Center in the theater of operations in future deployments. For many of the soldiers who had been called to active duty on short notice, the Assistance Center provided an invaluable means through which to fix some personnel services problems that the activated personnel could not fix prior to deployment.

The rear detachment commander (RDC) is commonplace for AC units preparing for deployment. RDCs are not so commonplace in the RC. This section will identify duties and responsibilities for an RDC.

Keep in mind, selection of the RDC may depend on how many units are deploying from a particular Regional Support Command (RSC) or State Area Command (STARC). A full-time family readiness representative may handle the RDC duties if one or two units are deployed. Any more than that, an additional person may be required. If there is a strong Family Readiness Group in each deploying unit, then one RDC should be able to support several units. Select an RDC who would be geographically accessible and able to work at the Family Assistance Center (FAC). The overall success of a Family Readiness Program will depend on the relationship between the RDC and the family members.

An RDC should be knowledgeable in the available community services and support agencies that can help the families of deployed soldiers care for themselves. Listed below are suggested responsibilities of the RC RDC.

• Collect information on guardians of minor children.
• Ensure guardian/children receive information on the deployed unit.
• Encourage guardians to use Family Assistance Centers and to join Family Readiness Groups.
• Monitor "at risk" situations.
• Account for family members and rear detachment (stay behind) soldiers.
• Implement a family readiness plan in coordination with the unit Family Readiness Coordinator.
• Provide unit information systems, facilities, and resources to the FRG.
  • Provide information flow between the deployed unit and family members.
    • Conduct information briefing before deployment.
    • Provide regular and accurate command information.
    • Utilize various media (newsletters, briefings, bulletin boards).
    • Ensure family members, guardians of minor children, and relatives of single soldiers know how to contact the RDC.
  • Publish rear detachment phone numbers and contact points.
  • Provide access to unit facilities as meeting places (day rooms, chapels, theaters, etc.).
  • Monitor fund-raising activities.
  • Promote volunteer involvement (letters, invitations, and briefings).
  • Ensure FRG members receive appropriate training. (The Army Reserves conducts a Family Program Academy; the National Guard conducts the training by state. The course catalog for the Family Program Academy is at Appendix A.)
  • Validate authorized support to FRGs.
• Provide assistance requiring official action.
• Monitor family care plans (only after unit deploys).
• Forward mail for deployed soldiers.
• Distribute and forward leave and earnings statements (LES).
• Control storage, security, and accountability of POVs of deployed soldiers. (RC can provide limited security for POVs ONLY if parked on armory property.)
• Secure and account for unit property remaining in the rear.
• Provide FAC with a family member roster.
• Require soldiers to complete information questionnaire on family when processing for deployment. (For National Guard and Army Reserve, this item will be handled during home station activities prior to mobilization.) This questionnaire, which requires a privacy act statement to release to the FRG, should contain the following:
  • Name of soldier.
  • Name of spouse/next of kin (NOK)/guardian of minor children.
  • Address.
  • Phone numbers (work and home).
  • Location of children's schools.
  • Spouse/NOK/guardian's ability to speak English.
  • Any physical, mental, or financial conditions requiring monitoring.
  • Spouse/guardian/NOK address.
  • For single soldiers: A designated family member to receive information.

The RDC is responsible for implementing the family readiness plan. The RDC does not act alone; he works in cooperation and coordination with the unit FRG lead volunteer. The relationship between the RDC and the lead volunteer is crucial to the success of any family support plan. RDCs need to see the unit FRG volunteers as a force multiplier. Unit FRG and the RDC work together to:

• Support family members during all phases of deployment.
• Identify needs (equipment, facilities, etc.) of the FRGs.
• Set up the organizational structure of the FRG with respect to the chain of command.
• Develop and implement a security program to ensure the proper precautions are in place.
• Develop casualty notification procedures.

Key Lessons Learned

• An RDC should be geographically accessible and able to work at the Family Assistance Center.

• An RDC should be knowledgeable in the available community services and support agencies.

• The relationship between the RDC and the lead volunteer is crucial to the success of any family support plan.

Volunteer selection is the single most important decision a commander will make with regard to the success of the unit FRG. The following letter was received from a volunteer in the 70th RSC when the question was asked, "Why participate in FRG?"

"I became a volunteer first in 1990 when both Bill and our elder son, Christopher, were sent to Operation Desert Shield/Storm. Christopher was with an airborne unit, and Bill was with a military intelligence company. The family support at the airborne unit kept me informed via newsletters and one telephone call to let me know when Christopher was returning. Family support for the MI unit was basically non-existent.

One soldier, who had been left behind, manned the family support. He was no help at all. He attended the first meeting, and we never saw him again. I was fortunate; at least I knew where the Reserve Center was located, which was better than 60 percent of the families. We had three meetings at the Reserve Center during the entire time the soldiers were in Saudi. We did not have a telephone tree, and I rarely spoke with other family members. Any problems I encountered I quickly learned to handle myself.

I had pay problems, depression, problems with my two other sons, and plenty of other everyday problems; for instance, a flat tire in the middle of I-95. I quickly found out that I was very independent and perfectly capable of changing a flat tire on my own.

We moved and joined a new unit under the Regional Support Command [RSC]. I discovered the unit did not have an FSG. I remembered how many problems I encountered in 1990 and decided to start a program.

It was great to find out that the RSC had the same idea and that they had a plan. They also had a leader who originated the plan. Nell Andre (Director of Family Readiness) always had ideas that brought out the best in her volunteers. Nell used volunteers to run the main program, and those volunteers from the major subordinate commands would assist the fledgling companies.

The best part about having been a volunteer for the RSC was that the volunteers ran the program. We did not work for Ms. Andre; we worked with her. She always said the greatest thing she would accomplish was to work herself out of a job. She allowed us to basically run the program (with a little guidance from her). The volunteers decided who would perform the duties necessary to keep the program running. This was named the Family Advisory Council.

The volunteers made a yearly calendar and planned their activities around that calendar. They decided on the dates for meetings, what projects the group would accomplish, what classes would be taught at the academy, and who would teach each class. They decided how to raise funds and what projects those funds would support. The volunteers did mobilization briefings and worked with the NCOs and commanders.

I was told by Mardi Bayeur, when she became the Family Readiness Coordinator, that she knew I had been in her shoes and would help her cope. It is OK to have a soldier run a program, but a real volunteer can hug and cry with a young mother whose husband is leaving for 270 days and will not be around to see his child born. A volunteer can laugh and rejoice when the soldiers come back home and truly understand what a spouse is going through. A volunteer spouse who has had a soldier deployed truly knows the problems and is willing to sit up at night and be there, just to listen."

Sincerely,
Shirley Mickle

Key Lessons Learned

• Enthusiasm, trust, and selfless care-giving are key ingredients to a successful volunteer.

• Since the volunteer is very important to the life and production of a Family Readiness Group, there is one basic lesson to be learned by an aspiring FRG leader about selecting a volunteer. When Mrs. Sue Bambrough was asked this question, she responded with, "Sometimes all you have to do is ask!"