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 Family Readiness Groups serve vital role during deployments By Army National Guard Sgt. 1st Class Michael Mann
                34th "Red Bull" Infantry Division
 CAMP BUEHRING, Kuwait - To keep pace with the high tempo of deployments, training exercises and operations, National Guard units prepare extensively to ensure all tasks and duties will be completed successfully. But there is no duty area more important to mission success than that of the Family Readiness Group. The FRG of the 268th Military Police Company is a superb example of how building and maintaining strong relationships among a unit's families and communities enables Soldiers, units, and commanders to accomplish their duties with the confidence that their families are being taken care of properly. The FRG is vital to a unit's ability to accomplish the mission "because it gives Soldiers a sense of comfort that there is a group of people back home to answer questions about military life and to provide information on benefits for families while the Soldier is away," said Army Capt. Paul Gross, commander of the 268th Military Police Company. The importance of the FRG is not just realized during deployments. "The FRG can help younger Soldiers' families get through difficult times," said Army Sgt. Robert Brown, a military police Soldier in the 268th Military Police Company. "It's there to help Soldiers during deployment or even during annual training." "It is a great way to make new friends and socialize with people who have something in common," said Tammy Mann, the 268th MP Company's FRG leader. As with any military operation, coordinating and managing an FRG can be a challenging task. One of the biggest hurdles to overcome is getting the entire membership involved in group events. Nearly half of the Soldiers assigned to the unit live over 50 miles from the armory, and over a quarter of the assigned Soldiers travel more than 100 miles to attend training. "Getting family members to participate when they live far away has been by far the biggest challenge," Mann said. One way the FRG has overcome the problem of families living across the state is with the use of social media. The FRG maintains a Facebook page where family members and Soldiers can share information and the unit leadership can keep the entire FRG updated on the latest news involving the unit. "Facebook has helped greatly, especially showing [people back home] what Kuwait is like," Mann said. "Creation of the Facebook page as a focal point of information and communication has been pivotal to the success of the FRG" Gross said. Despite the many challenges, managing a Family Readiness Group is a rewarding experience. One of the biggest accomplishments for the FRG was preparing Christmas stockings for every Soldier in the company. "The stockings sent by the FRG were a touch of Christmas every Soldier seemed to enjoy," Gross said. Beyond the labor of putting the packages together, the real reward is seeing the family members and volunteers work together for the Soldiers. "Getting the snacks and items for stockings couldn't have been done without help. I have learned that there are great folks in our group," Mann said.
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