Family support takes limelight in ‘Year of the Air Force Family’ Published Sept. 12, 2009 By Senior Airman Melissa Copeland Air University Public Affairs MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. -- The secretary of the Air Force and the Air Force chief of staff recently designated July 2009 to July 2010 as the "Year of the Air Force Family." For Air Force families and single Airmen around the world, this means enhancements to the family and personnel support spectrum is underway. "You can rest assured that taking care of families is a solemn promise we make to each Airman and family--and one that Chief Roy, General Schwartz, and I each take very seriously," said Secretary of the Air Force Michael B. Donley in a speech given to the Air Force First Sergeants Association Aug. 19. "And we make this commitment not only because it's the right thing to do for our Airmen, but because it is the smart thing to do for our Air Force." The year kicked off in April with the Caring for People forum in Arlington, Va., where Air Force family support program representatives defined the top initiatives in six focus groups - family support, special-needs children and spouses, the affairs of Air National Guard and Reserve Airmen, deployment support, school support and single Airman support. The findings yielded a need in the family support area for the integration and separation of family support funds. In addition, the group suggested a social networking campaign to incorporate all major military family networking sites such as Facebook and Air Force Crossroads and provide the funding to support an installation Web master to manage the site. "The needs and care of our families touch every aspect of an Air Force member's career from accession to separation," said Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James A. Roy in a family support programs presentation July 22 to the Armed Services subcommittee on Military Personnel. "We owe it to these families to ensure they are safe, healthy and have good educational and developmental opportunities." In regards to special-needs children and spouses, the need for resources for a special-needs program and an outline to define the requirements of this program were highlighted. "We are actively engaged in creating a comprehensive program that offers these families consistent support and reassurance through their moves, extended or repeated deployments and throughout the military career," Chief Roy said. ANG and Reserve Airman pinpointed the need to eliminate active-duty orders to obtain certain benefits such as Tricare and to expand Airman and family services to ease the burden on those geographically separated from a base. The representatives also highlighted the need for a financial aid program. The deployment support initiatives include: employing an installation deployment cycle support coordinator to be the focal point to Airmen for deployment resources and to assist in lifting mental health counseling restrictions and employ base agencies to provide access to additional resources using the technology available. The Maxwell Airman and Family Readiness Center offers deployment classes such as "Before you Deploy" and "Preparing for your Loved Ones' Return" in addition to "Car Care Because We Care" and "Give Parents a Break" support services. A personal and family life consultant is also available to assist any family or Airman seeking assistance. Secretary Donley said, "While we have made great progress in enhancing our support to families for this expeditionary paradigm, we must continue to refine our efforts and continue to recognize that an Airman's deployment is really a family's deployment." With regards to the school support focus group, experts found the need for a school liaison position, aligned under the mission support group, to assist servicemembers in evaluating educational opportunities for their children in the local area. "The very fabric of our society depends on our efforts in the area of child education," said the Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton A. Schwartz in this month's Key Talking Points. "Considering that children between the ages of six and 18 comprise more than 145,000 of our Air Force family members, I see family support in general, and child education in particular, as important issues we must address urgently." Aligning under the family support and child development initiatives, the 42nd Air Base Wing was approved in June 2009 to receive $196,500 in Air Education and Training Command's FOCUS funds. Maxwell officials plan to execute the funds to create a "parent-child" room at the fitness center, kitchen additions to the dormitories, bathroom renovations to the Maxwell youth center and the upgrade of the Airmen Ministry Center. Single Airman support initiatives include the modification and adaptation of an Air Force version of the Army's Better Opportunities for Single Soldiers program and also to include a single Airman as a core member of the Community Action Information Board and the Integrated Delivery System. The focus group also recommended holding an Air Force-level forum to generate and recommend additional single-Airmen specific initiatives. "While Air Force families face several hardships, we must also remember that over 40-percent of our force is single and face their own special challenges," the secretary of the Air Force shared. With more than 660,000 total force Air Force civilians, officers and enlisted members and 40-percent of the total force representing single Airmen, nearly 40,000 currently deployed servicemembers, 145,000 school-aged children and more than 14,000 families enrolled in the EFMP, the Air Force's top leaders stand ready to assist Air Force families. "During these 12 months, we will focus our attention on Air Force families - their hardships and needs, what we might do to make Air Force life more compatible with family life and how we can build a greater sense of community across our force," Secretary Donley said.