At Ease - Wisconsin National Guard Department of Military Affairs

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Sydney Kaluzny makes a craft at the Ready Family Seminar in Aug., in Madison. Youths were split into different age groups, with the oldest having a roundtable discussion about being in a military family. Photo by Kelly Bradley success throughout the deployment process. The SMSB will assist all deploying service members, especially those of the reserve components. National Guard and Reserve forces comprise the majority of the 12,000 Wisconsin servicemembers who have deployed since 2001. The overall goal of the SMSB is to provide Wisconsin’s service members and their families “mobile, high quality, effective and efficient assistance” throughout the deployment cycle as well as an avenue to access information and services that contribute to continued health and well-being. “Many of the improvements already existed in Wisconsin, and we were actively using them,” said Lt. Col. Meg Blankschein, SMSB chief. The new defense authorization act, she said, “allows us to expand these programs due to increased funding and staff.” The program places a heavy emphasis on programs to help Soldiers, Airmen, Sailors and Marines make successful transitions back into their families, lifestyles and civilian careers. The three component programs can provide support not only to the servicemembers and their immediate families, but to parents, grandparents, siblings, etc. Employers can also look to the SMSB for information on their obligations to servicemembers during training and deployments. The Badger Yellow Ribbon will host more than 15 Ready Family Events in 2009 throughout Wisconsin. These events cover an array of topics and are open to all service members and their families. They are range from four to eight hours in length, with topics like combat stress and coping skills, time management and financial readiness. Family members can be reimbursed for mileage to the events and child care may even be provided for children under age six. The Joint Family Support Assistance Program includes six primary agencies: • The Military Family Assistance Center refers family members of deployed members to community organizations that offer services and support. • The Transition Assistance Advisor provides information on benefits, education assistance, employment and other services. • The Military One Source Consultant conducts outreach and coordinates partnerships with organizations to continually build a broader support group for military families. • Military Family Life Consultants provide short-term and Maj. Carl Meredith and his wife, Nicole, enjoy some time together during the Prevention and Relationship Enhancement Program (PREP). The class is designed to assist couples with reintegration and reunion by enhancing communication skills. Photo by Carolyn Morgan 38 at ease
solution-focused counseling to individuals, couples and families. They also provide life skills information and education, as well as referral to other community resources. • The Child and Youth Consultant offers child development information and education and help with parenting techniques. • Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve is a committee that provides education and consultation about employment and reemployment rights and responsibilities for Guard and Reserve servicemembers and their employers, and sometimes even mediates between the two. The Family Program Office has been around for years supporting Wisconsin’s military families. The office facilitates communication, involvement, support and recognition between families and service members. It also operates a 24-hour support line, at (800) 292-9464. Brig. Gen. Don Dunbar, Wisconsin’s adjutant general, pledged his full support for the programs and said he expects Wisconsin’s “operations tempo” to keep steady. “Today what you have is an ‘operational’ Reserve,” Gen. Dunbar said. “This program answers the question: ‘How can I help?’” 2009 Service Member Support Branch Events n Prevention and Relationship Enhancement Program (PREP) Apr. 17-19, 2009 Landmark Resort, Door County May 15-17, 2009 Holiday Inn, Stevens Point n Premarital Interpersonal Choices & Knowledge (PICK) Apr. 17-19, 2009 Landmark Resort, Door County n Family Readiness Group Training May 16-17, 2009 Fort McCoy Aug. 15-16, 2009 Camp Douglas n Military Kids Youth Camp July 31-Aug. 2, 2009 Volk Field Military family members register at the Ready Families Seminar, Aug. 19 in Madison. See the sidebar (below) for more Ready Family seminars. Photo by Kelly Bradley Wisconsin stakeholders will soon sign Memorandums of Understanding to outline and solidify every organization’s pledge to support Wisconsin’s military families, said Col. Blankschein. For more information on the many programs and services available to service members and their families, contact the SMSB at (608) 242-3480 or go to www.wingfam.org. n n Ready Family Connections and Ready Family Maintenance Apr. 8, 2009 Oconomowoc Info Session May 1, 2009 Antigo Info Session May 2, 2009 Stevens Point Info & Deployment May 6, 2009 Hayward Info Session May 16, 2009 Milwaukee Info & Deployment May 29, 2009 Eau Claire Info Session May 30, 2009 Tomah Info & Deployment June 10, 2009 Madison Finances June 13, 2009 Appleton Deployment Topics July 15, 2009 Milwaukee Deployment Topics July 18, 2009 Eau Claire Deployment Topics Aug. 19, 2009 Rice Lake Deployment Topics Aug. 22, 2009 Wausau Deployment Topics Sep. 16, 2009 Tomahawk Reunion Topics For more information go to www.wingfam.org or call (608)-242-3480 March 2009 39
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Page 3 and 4: 74 WMA Graduates 50th Class 76 A De
Page 5 and 6: news briefs Your thoughts on At Eas
Page 7 and 8: Volk Field CRTC airfield ops named
Page 9 and 10: Left: Tech. Sgt. Marland Sherman, a
Page 11 and 12: October March 2009 2007 25 11
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Page 17 and 18: a covenant to support you: Wisconsi
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Page 37: Vicki Edgren, Wisconsin State Famil
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Page 43 and 44: And who’s going to pay for all th
Page 45 and 46: neW equipment influx By Robert Gibl
Page 49 and 50: Flood relief a joint effort Larry S
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Page 53 and 54: t d 1 1. Rachel, Julie, and Amanda
Page 55 and 56: Story by Senior Airman Ryan Kuntze
Page 57 and 58: WHO YA GONNA CALL? 54TH CST THREAT
Page 59 and 60: The general idea is to put, for exa
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Page 63 and 64: conduct marksmanship training. Nica
Page 65 and 66: Same mission, different battlefield
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Page 75 and 76: Class Officer Candidates practice l
Page 77 and 78: WHAT school? WOC school! By Officer
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Page 81 and 82: 332nd ROCs Iraq By Lt. Col. Tim Don
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Mission: The mission of the Air Nat
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At Ease - Wisconsin National Guard Department of Military Affairs

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