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 Guard's family support volunteers honored at Pentagon By Tech. Sgt. Mike R. Smith
                National Guard Bureau
 ARLINGTON, Va. - Department of Defense leaders recently recognized six National Guard and Reserve Family Readiness Groups (FRG) as the "best in the nation" at enhancing military readiness through family support for 2007. They spotlighted the FRGs at a DoD Reserve Family Readiness Awards Ceremony Feb 15 in the Pentagon's Hall of Heroes.Â  This year's winners included an Army National Guard unit from Wisconsin and an Air Guard unit from California. Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs Thomas Hall presented awards to Guard FRG representatives from the 1st Battalion, 121st Field Artillery, Wisconsin Army Guard, and the 144th Fighter Wing, California Air Guard. Defense officials said the awards "recognize National Guard and Reserve units, one from each of the seven reserve components, with the best programs to support their families." There are approximately 700 military family service centers across the nation, and 400 of them are based in the National Guard. Hall pointed out the important role these centers play in retention, among other roles. "If [servicemembers] cannot have the ability to continue with their families and also serve, then ... service men and women are not going to stay," said Hall.Â Representatives from each of the units were on hand to receive their awards. Each received an engraved plaque, a signed certificate of appreciation and a $1,000 check from the Military Officers Association of America. They also received loud applause from a crowd of Guard and Reserve servicemembers and fellow FRG volunteers. Among the Guard's awardees were nine volunteers from the Milwaukee-based 121st Field Artillery. The battalion recently returned from a deployment in Kuwait and Iraq. It's Soldiers, from five states and 30 units, escorted convoys throughout Iraq. "We had a very demanding, dangerous mission," said Maj. Brian Wolhaupter, battalion commander. "On a daily basis, our Soldiers were out there in harm's way." Wolhaupter said family readiness was critical to the mission's success. The battalion's family readiness groups formed quickly from volunteers of the deployed Soldiers' families. Before deployment, they explained the resources available. Throughout deployment, they maintained contact with the families using newsletters, meetings, events and telephone calls. "We had some Soldiers injured," said Wolhaupter. "Family readiness helped them deal with that and kept them connected." Kerry Mork, family readiness group leader for C Company and whose husband deployed with the battalion, was among the battalion's nine volunteers honored. "It's an honor for me to be that bridge to the families," said Mork who accepted the award from Hall on behalf of all the battalion's volunteers. "We had a number of volunteers who stepped up to help." Mork said their family readiness challenge was to understand the different needs of each family and company. "We had a lot of single Soldiers in our company, which meant working with parents. But other companies had more spouses and kids, so they would do things toward that." Now that the battalion is home, Mork said family readiness is just as important, and the groups continue to hold meetings and talk to families during their reintegration. "Being a military family is just like having another family, and you want to stay connected to it," she said. During his opening remarks, Hall pointed out some "exciting new provisions" in the recent National Defense Authorization Act that, he said, would address servicemember and family reintegration in a nationwide effort through a Center of Excellence. "The National Guard has volunteered to be part of the group that helps us [establish] that," said Hall. He also stressed a goal to make all family service centers accessible to all servicemembers, regardless of their branch of service. "Families are so appreciative when they know there is somebody they can turn to," said Barbra Draughon, family programs coordinator at Californiaâ€TMs 144th FW. Draughon and her family readiness volunteers accepted the family readiness award for the Air Guard. The wing's Airmen carry out a 24/7 homeland defense mission for the western Untied States, which includes scrambling alert F-16 Falcons for intercept missions in support of Operation Noble Eagle. Its Airmen also deploy for overseas missions including recent Operation Iraqi Freedom deployments of their civil engineer and security forces Airmen. Draughon said her team of volunteers ensures that all 1,000 Airmen and their families are prepared for deployments, whatever the mission calls for. She also serves on a national FRG advisory council for the Air Guard's 88 flying units. The importance of serving as a communication bridge between the military and families, she said, holds much importance. "When people come into the unit, we want to make sure that their families know what resources are available to them," she said. She added that bridging the communication gap eases the stress from schools, temporary duty and deployments that separate families. "Members realize [our] importance when their families are connected to a support group that communicates information to them," she said. She agreed that such efforts provide a piece of mind. "Our members are able to go out and do their mission because their families are connected and they know where to go," said Draughon.
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