Healing tops menu at Army Reserve Survivor Luncheon

Courtesy Photo | The Army Reserve’s 99th Regional Support Command hosted a Survivor Outreach Services Luncheon July 10 at Famous Dave’s restaurant in Mays Landing, N.J. For more information on the 99th RSC SOS program, call 609-562-7892 or e-mail [e-mail].  

MAYS LANDING, NJ, UNITED STATES

07.10.2014

Story by Sgt. Salvatore Ottaviano 

99th Readiness Division

MAYS LANDING, N.J. - Family, fellowship and a few tears were shared during the Survivor Outreach Services Luncheon held July 10 at Famous Dave’s restaurant in Mays Landing, New Jersey.

The Army Reserve’s 99th Regional Support Command hosted the event, which was sponsored by NJ Run for the Fallen.

“The goal of the luncheons is so that survivors don’t feel isolated, and it’s something they can count on as a get-together with people of like circumstances,” explained Julie Kennedy, a contractor with Strategy and Management Services who serves as the Army Reserve SOS support coordinator for the 99th RSC.

SOS is an Army-wide program designed to provide dedicated and comprehensive support to survivors of deceased Soldiers. SOS ensures the Army fulfills its covenant with Survivors through a comprehensive program that improves Soldier and family preparedness in the event of a catastrophic loss.

“Everybody grieves in different ways – we tell stories, we laugh, we cry – but I think we get stronger,” said Judy Tapper, president of the Department of New Jersey American Gold Star Mothers, during the luncheon. “You try to talk to a survivor, and some say, ‘Well, I don’t want to talk about it,’ and I’d say, ‘You need to talk about it and you’ve got to understand that you’re not in this alone.’”

SOS provides extended financial-counseling assistance and long-term support to surviving Family members, ensuring that surviving families’ concerns are addressed to the fullest extent available.

“It’s nice to go and sit somewhere and know the hearts of the people around you without having to say a word,” said Susan Harvey, a resident of Toms River, New Jersey, who lost her son James in 2011. “All you have to do is make eye contact with one of us and you just know…whether you want to cry or whatever you want, we all understand.”

SOS ensures survivors receive all benefits to which they are entitled and encourages survivors to remain an integral part of the Army Family for as long as they desire.

“You never forget. The pain never goes away, but it gets easier and easier when you know you’re not the only one who’s suffering with this terrible loss,” said Tapper.

For more information on the 99th RSC SOS program, call 609-562-7892 or e-mail [e-mail].

For more information on NJ Gold Star Mothers, visit www.goldstarmoms.com/depts/NJ/NJ.htm.

For more information on NJ Run for the Fallen, visit www.njrunforthefallen.org.

• Date Taken: 07.10.2014
• Date Posted: 07.20.2014 11:03
• Story ID: 136636
• Location: MAYS LANDING, NJ, US