Photo By Anissa Connell | Maj. Gen. Patrick Ellis, commanding general, 4th Infantry Division and Fort Carson,...... read more read more
Fort Carson leadership kicked off the Army Emergency Relief (AER) campaign March 2, 2026, at the Elkhorn Conference Center on post to help Soldiers understand the benefits available to them.
AER promotes financial readiness and oftentimes provides relief to Soldiers and their Families by offering grants, interest free-loans and scholarships.
“Soldiers helping Soldiers is the theme of AER,” said Maj. Gen. Patrick Ellis, commanding general of 4th Infantry Division and Fort Carson. “I find when people understand what it is and where the money is going, it shapes how they think about giving.”
Since its beginning in 1942, AER has assisted over 4 million Soldiers and their Families, culminating in over $2 billion in assistance. In 2025, Fort Carson Soldiers donated over $67,000 during the annual campaign.
AER provided over $3 million in zero percent loans, $500,000 in grants, and over $150,000 in scholarships to Soldiers and their Families at Fort Carson last year.
The top five categories of AER assistance on Fort Carson last year were rental assistance, vehicle repairs, emergency travel, permanent-change-of-station expenses and basic needs.
Capt. Jeremiah Woodby, Ready Company commander, has seen firsthand how AER can help Soldiers become resilient warfighters.
Ready Company, which runs the Mountain Post Reception Center, was the top unit at Fort Carson to request AER services, with over 354 Soldier requests last year.
“Picking up your whole life and moving it across the country is always stressful, and as much planning as you can do, life happens,” said Woodby. “Cars break down, housing plans fall through, a single trip turns into three trips, three days in a hotel turns into three weeks in a hotel.”
This year, AER officials are aiming for a 20% participation rate amongst Fort Carson Soldiers.
The AER campaign runs through June 14. Soldiers can help other Soldiers who may be struggling financially by donating to AER https://usg01.safelinks.protection.office365.us/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgive.armyemergencyrelief.org%2Fsite%2FTR%2FEvents%2FGeneral%3Fcompany_id%3D1075%26pg%3Dcompany%26fr_id%3D1060&data=05%7C02%7Canissa.m.connell.civ%40army.mil%7C8e0e8adb40fd46f066c008de794e5c02%7Cfae6d70f954b481192b60530d6f84c43%7C0%7C0%7C639081574617613869%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=XUQpzeus7JnCx0R%2Bq08kGyPgyqeSkWGBFKe5G9J0lQI%3D&reserved=0, or by contacting their battalion representative or campaign coordinator.
| Date Taken: | 03.04.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 03.04.2026 12:12 |
| Story ID: | 559357 |
| Location: | FORT CARSON, COLORADO, US |
| Web Views: | 10 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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