Photo By Staff Sgt. Shawn Morris | Ambassador George H. Duell Jr., U.S. Army Reserve ambassador for Pennsylvania,...... read more read more
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JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. – The Army Reserve’s 99th Regional Support Command hosted a U.S. Army Reserve Ambassador Training Seminar Aug. 22 near the command’s headquarters here.
“We’re addressing the issues we have as ambassador representatives of the chief of the Army Reserve to carry out his missions, his guidance and his directives,” explained Ambassador George H. Duell Jr., U.S. Army Reserve ambassador for Pennsylvania and lead ambassador for the training seminar. “We need to do our part to keep the Army Reserve an operational force.”
Two-dozen Army Reserve ambassadors received briefings on topics such as facilities and security, Soldier recruiting/retention and crisis communication from the 99th RSC leadership team of Maj. Gen. Margaret W. Boor and Command Sgt. Maj. James P. Wills, as well as subject-matter experts from the command’s various directorates.
“What we do in this mid-year ARA training is not to replace or duplicate any of the training you get in December of each year when the CAR (Chief, Army Reserve) brings you in for the training and the perspectives you get from OCAR (Office of the Chief, Army Reserve) and from USARC (U.S. Army Reserve Command),” Boor explained. “This is to supplement that training, to give you a view of our regional focus and get closer to the issues, the questions, the concerns and the challenges that we see and you see across our area of responsibility.”
The 99th RSC’s mission is to provide facilities, programs and services to Soldiers, Civilians and their Families in the 13-state Northeast Region, to support Army readiness, to sustain the All-Volunteer Force, and to ensure infrastructure for current and future mission requirements.
The Army Reserve Ambassador Program was established in April 1998 for private citizens to promote awareness of the Army Reserve and the identified goals and objectives of the CAR.
ARAs develop awareness and advocacy with community leaders and are vitally important bridges to communities across the Nation. They function at the state and local level and voluntarily represent the CAR without salary, wages or other benefits. Most beneficial is that they provide “continuity” over the long term; while local Army Reserve team leaders come and go, Ambassadors are vested in the community.
Their function is similar to that of Civilian Aides to the Secretary of the Army, and they carry a protocol status equivalent to a major general.
ARAs educate the public, community leaders and congressional staff offices about the capabilities and value of the AR and its Soldiers. They establish open lines of communication within these communities to help establish mutually supporting relationships with community leaders and community organizations. ARAs promote support for Soldiers and their Families during deployments and play an active role in facilitating community support through “welcome home” ceremonies and the Yellow Ribbon Program.
Not only do they build relationships that improve understanding and awareness of the AR within the business and civilian sectors, they also work with ESGR contacts, Military and Veteran Service Organizations, Employer Partnership Program Support Managers, and Family Readiness Groups on key Soldier and Family issues, including those that may have strategic implications and benefit across the Army Reserve.
While not all ARAs have military experience, many are retired officers or senior non-commissioned officers who wish to remain engaged in military affairs. Each state and territory has at least one ARA.
For more information on the ARA Program, visit http://www.usar.army.mil/community/ambassadors/Pages/default.aspx.
To learn more about the 99th RSC, visit www.army.mil/99thrsc.
| Date Taken: | 08.22.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 09.02.2015 09:16 |
| Story ID: | 174984 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, NJ, US |
| Web Views: | 165 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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