Photo By Patrick Ciccarone | The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – Japan Engineer District (USACE JED) Headquarters...... read more read more
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – Japan Engineer District (USACE JED) Headquarters stood up their first ever Soldier and Family Readiness Group (SFRG) recently at Camp Zama after having established officers and receiving approval for its standard operating procedure (SOP), making it official.
The SFRG, established earlier this June, was created to assist the employees and families of JED via fund raising activities, events that encourage team building, and morale boosting among The District’s engineers. Historically, SFRGs are command-sponsored programs utilized to bridge any gaps between active-duty units and their families by ensuring an accurate flow of command information reaches everyone in a chain of command and assists in strengthening the work-life balance that many Soldiers and Department of Defense civilians endure.
“I’m excited about the JED SFRG which will replace our Civilian Welfare Council (CWC) as the main employee and family members organization to support morale and welfare events for the District,” said U.S. Army Col. Gary Bonham, USACE JED’s Commander. “The great thing about SFRG’s is that they focus not just on our employees, but on our family members as well, so I see this as being more inclusive than the CWC and can’t wait to see what great events and opportunities that they will provide in the future for JED’s Army Family!”
Previously JED’s Zama Office operated a CWC comprised of local employees who, after being elected to office via popular vote, volunteered their time and efforts to provide JED with various events and fund-raisers. After the global pandemic, JED’s CWC was impacted much like the rest of the world.
“COVID dramatically changed the work culture here. That had a tremendous impact on the CWC. When the work culture evolved, it became apparent that the CWC would need to as well,” said Charlie Maib, JED’s Public Affairs Officer, and then-CWC president. “We evolved by dissolving and being reborn as an SFRG. The same tenants are there, the same spirit of helping others and giving back to your fellow Engineer, but in a much more streamlined, modern organization. The SFRG is the CWC for 2023 and beyond.”
With JED and their new SFRG reinvigorated exiting the pandemic, a new set of individuals stepped-up to begin mending some of what was lost in the near 3-year timeframe that COVID-19’s devastation wrought, bringing with them a sense of hope and energy.
“I believe our SFRG will bring a great amount of involvement within JED, and for any families who are [already present] or [joining us in the future,]” said Arjeta Boshti, JED’s SFRG lead, an architect for the District. “The goal is to provide our team here with an organization that can help them settle into life in Japan and get them involved with the amazing community we have with our Japanese co-workers and DoD civilians.”
No stranger to being a part of a large team, Boshti is bringing experience from the Contingency Engineering Response Team and military-led exercises like Citadel Gale to JED’s SFRG.
“Being part of teams and organizations that give to others is something that I truly enjoy and do with a lot of passion,” said Boshti. “It’s also why I believe the SFRG at JED will be successful, by working together and aiding our team members and their families.”
Among some of the upcoming events that JED’s SFRG has tentatively planned are an Oktoberfest celebration in Fall and help with the District’s annual organization day, where team members come together to have fun, bring food and drinks, and play games, among others.
But while hosting events like those listed above are a labor of love, the SFRG never forgets meaning behind its existence.
“Benevolent organizations like the CWC or the SFRG are important because they create a sense of family and togetherness. Traditionally in the Army, the SFRG created a sense of unity and caring for the families of deployed Soldiers – thus the Soldier and Family in the title,” added Maib. “Although our Engineers and other teammates might not be in combat, we’re still serving our country away from our loved ones back home in the States, and that can be tough at times. SFRGs in general, and our SFRG in particular, exists to ease that pain and be there for people whenever they need it, whatever they need. It’s Engineers having each other’s backs, in the greatest tradition of the Army spirit.”
| Date Taken: | 08.08.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 08.09.2023 01:55 |
| Story ID: | 450989 |
| Location: | ZAMA, KANAGAWA, JP |
| Web Views: | 60 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Japan Engineer District Stands Up Inaugural SFRG, by Patrick Ciccarone, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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