MONTGOMERY, Ala. - The Alabama National Guard held its first Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program (YRRP) last weekend here at the Renaissance Hotel and Conference Center.
The YRRP is designed to provide National Guard and Reserve members and their families with information on services, referral, and proactive outreach opportunities that are available throughout the entire deployment cycle.
Soldiers and family members of the 1203rd Engineer Group, Co. C, 1/167th Infantry in Cullman, Ala.; Light Infantry Training Team #4 from Montgomery, and the 20th Special Forces Group from units in Birmingham, Huntsville, Decatur, Auburn and Mobile attended the event.
"This program is a reflection of the reality," explained Maj. Gen. Abner C. Blalock, the state adjutant general. "When soldiers come back from a deployment, they have changed, their families have changed, and their kids have changed - this is the reality they face."
"There are a lot of programs and services available and the YRRP is a way to ensure you and your families are aware of all that are available to you," Blalock told the Soldiers and their family members.
The YRRP focuses on reconnecting soldiers with their families by ensuring they understand the benefits they are entitled to and what resources are available to help them overcome the challenges of reintegration. Soldiers and their families were also provided with a forum to address negative behaviors related to combat stress and transition.
"The Guard has done a good job," said 1st Lt. Jason Kilgore, a platoon leader for Co. C, 1/167th Infantry, who attended the program. Kilgore said that the environment where the YRRP took place was the catalyst for everything going well.
"Taking the soldiers out of their uniforms, involving their spouses and kids and placing them in this beautiful hotel allowed soldiers the opportunity to relax," explained Kilgore.
Soldiers and spouses were able to take full advantage of all the YRRP had to offer while their children took part in youth activities. The children made crafts, played on giant slides, a rock climbing wall, and a moon-bounce tug-of-war. They also received a visit from Deputy Dave, the crime-fighting canine from the Montgomery Sheriff's Department.
The Alabama National Guard will host another YRRP on Sept. 6-7 here at the Renaissance Hotel and Conference Center. Soldiers and family members from the 1103rd Combat Service Support Battalion in Eufaula, Ala.; the 621st Troop Support Command at Fort McClellan, Ala.; the 131st Mobile Public Affairs Detachment and 1146th Personnel Service Battalion in Montgomery, and the 1st Squadron 131st Cavalry in Daleville, Ala., will attend the second program.
Soldiers who were unable to attend in August will have the opportunity to attend the September event.