DALLAS, Texas – Soldiers of the 191st Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, along with their friends and family, attended the Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Experience event held at the Hilton on February 24 - 26.
To date, over 800,000 Guard and Reserve members have been activated since 2001, and more than 72,000 are currently activated in support of military operations all around the world. The overall impact of years of war has leaders at all levels concerned about it's effects it has had on service members and their families. In 2008, in answer to these growing concerns, Congress approved a program for service members and their families to help deal with a number of issues that comes with deployments. The Yellow Ribbon was created.
“Families of Soldiers need to be just as informed as the Soldiers themselves,” said Sgt. First Class Alicia Stakely, First Sergeant of the 191st CSSB and native of Salt Lake City. “This program is great for providing that information for them before, during and after a deployment.”
The resources and opportunities for the deployment cycle and reintegration support includes: Managing family finances during deployment, access to veterans' and G.I. Bill benefits, coping with combat stress, taking care of legal concerns, addressing substance abuse, finding employment, education counseling, anger management services, and identifying other support services.
“There was a lot of useful information,” said Pfc. Janessa Keeling, a supply specialist for the 191st CSSB and native of West Valley City. “I now understand more about Tricare than I ever did.”
There are two types of people at the event: those who serve and those who support the ones who serve. Many of the representatives from the Red Cross, Veterans Administration, Military One Source, universities, and other community organizations boast a long history of support to the U.S. Armed Forces, some even have either served or came from military families themselves. Trust and mutual respect between them and the people seeking their services develops ... and both enjoy swapping their stories.
For more information about the Yellow Ribbon Program or to check for upcoming events, log on to www.yellowribbon.mil.
| Date Taken: |
02.24.2012 |
| Date Posted: |
05.10.2012 21:54 |
| Story ID: |
88258 |
| Location: |
DALLAS, TEXAS, US |
| Web Views: |
89 |
| Downloads: |
0 |
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This work, Soldiers of the 191st Attend Yellow Ribbon Event, by SPC Michael Gault, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
