917th Wing aids in family reintegration

  • Published
  • By Staff writer
  • 917th Wing
Barksdale Air Force Base, La. --  The 917th Wing, Barksdale Air Force Base, La., welcomed recently deployed Airmen and their families to the Cypress Bend Resort, Many, La., for a Yellow Ribbon Program event.

The Yellow Ribbon Program, a tasking from the Department of Defense, aids in reintegrating Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines back to their stateside lives after returning from a deployed environment. The program is designed to offer resources for any servicemember in the process, such as Military Family Counseling, Personal Finance Counseling, Veteran Affairs information, educational information and Military One Source. It becomes a one stop informational buffet and it is all free to the attendees.
"Being able to talk to other families about the experiences you encounter throughout your loved one's deployment was extremely beneficial," said a 917th Reservist's wife. "Attending this event allowed me to forge a bond with families who have shared the fears and anticipations of a deployment." Having the time to relax and not worry about normal pressures made the weekend perfect for these opportunities.

Planned activities allowed time for children to have fun and discuss any issues they may have as a result of a parent's deployment.

"From the beginning, the family has taken a front seat to everything in this program," said Master Sgt. Harold Starkey, the 917th Wing's Yellow Ribbon Program coordinator. "It is understood that when someone deploys the entire family is affected."

Col. Keith D. Schultz, commander, 917th Operations Group, kicked the weekend off by welcoming families to the event. He remained involved and enhanced the experience by his continued support the entire weekend.

Colonel Schultz also took the opportunity to field questions and offer suggestions to the Airmen assigned to the Wing who participated in the YRP event.

The YRP hosts events for families who are preparing to deploy or have returned from deployment. Several of the attendees noted that a program like this before their deployment would have been quite beneficial. Any servicemember deployed at least 90 consecutive days in support of contingency operations is eligible to participate in the program. It is highly recommended that deployed Airmen take advantage of the opportunity to discover new ways of supporting family needs while they are in any deployed status.