An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Home : News : Article View
NEWS | Feb. 13, 2009

Reserve Component Units Recognized for Superb Family Support

By Gerry J. Gilmore American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Seven National Guard and reserve units received recognition for their support of families of deployed troops at a Pentagon ceremony today.

Thomas F. Hall, assistant secretary of defense for reserve affairs, hosted the annual Department of Defense Reserve Family Readiness Awards presentation, which highlighted the best National Guard and reserve unit family readiness support programs in 2008.

The awardees constitute "a mirror image of all of those units throughout our country" that labor to assist the families of deployed National Guard members and reservists, Hall said.

Each recognized unit received an engraved wood Defense Department plaque and a certificate signed by Hall. Award recipients also received a certificate and $1,000 from the Military Officers Association of America.

The military's aircraft, ships, tanks and other equipment have little value without the servicemembers who operate and maintain them, Hall pointed out.

"People are the key, and always have been the key, and that's what this ceremony today is about," Hall said. That's why, he added, it's important to support the families of deployed soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and Coast Guard members who perform vital wartime missions.

Having deployed to Iraq in 2003, Army Reserve Staff Sgt. Keough Cofield knows what it's like to serve in a war zone. Today, Cofield is a family program liaison with the 3rd Brigade, 98th Division, 108th Training Command, based at Lexington, Ky. The 108th was among the awardees at today's Pentagon ceremony.

"It's definitely an honor to win this [award]," Cofield said, noting that his unit established an informational Web site for families of deployed servicemembers.

"Families can go online and click on a link and find all of the resources that are available to them," Cofield said, such as the USO and the Red Cross.

When he was in Iraq, Cofield recalled being comforted by the thought that there were family support personnel ready to assist his family.

"Knowing that there were individuals back home taking care of my family put my mind at ease and let me focus on the mission at hand," he said.

Cofield's family support assistant, Chevonne Baxter, echoed his comments. "Helping families is very important, because they are the soldier's support system," she said. "If family isn't taken care of, the soldier will worry.

"We're going to make sure that the families are taken care of in support of that soldier," she said.

The 108th's family support program operates a monthly family newsletter, Baxter said, and families of deployed servicemembers are frequently contacted via e-mail "to see if everything is running smoothly."

Other units recognized at the ceremony include:

  • Army National Guard: 263d Army Air and Missile Defense Command, Anderson, S.C.;
  • Navy Reserve: Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 24, Huntsville, Ala.;
  • Marine Corps Reserve: 6th Engineer Support Battalion, Portland, Ore.;
  • Air National Guard: 153d Airlift Wing, Cheyenne, Wyo.;
  • Air Force Reserve: 439th Airlift Wing, Springfield, Mass.;
  • Coast Guard Reserve: Port Security Unit 309, Port Clinton, Ohio.

The department's Reserve Family Readiness Awards program was established in 2000. Robust family support programs are important and vital to mission success, officials said, as significant numbers of servicemembers have deployed overseas in support of the global war on terrorism.

 

 

Related Articles
Chief Warrant Officer 5 Brian Searcy, the Command Chief Warrant Officer of the Army National Guard, addresses attendees of a warrant officer caucus session during the National Guard Association of the United States (NGAUS) conference in Milwaukee, August 24, 2025. The 147th NGAUS General Conference and Exhibition – which is held annually to connect delegates from all 54 states and territories to discuss the future of the National Guard – took place August 21-25 and featured various events and social gatherings throughout Milwaukee to showcase Wisconsin’s rich history and heritage.
Searcy Leaves Legacy of Advocacy for Warrant Officers in Army Guard
By Lt. Col. Carla Raisler, | Aug. 28, 2025
MILWAUKEE, Wis. — Chief Warrant Officer 5 Brian Searcy, the eighth command chief warrant officer of the Army National Guard, will retire later this year after more than three decades of service.Searcy marked the occasion this...

The 111th Electromagnetic Warfare Company conducts training exercise, Operation Golden Corridor in Dahlonega, Georgia, August 15, 2025. Throughout the duration of the exercise, Soldiers simulated peer and near-peer electromagnetic warfare scenarios and enhance unit proficiency in spectrum mapping, RF detection, and alternative radar awareness capabilities under austere conditions.
Georgia Guard Company Leads in Electromagnetic Warfare Modernization
By | Aug. 27, 2025
DAHLONEGA, Ga. - The Georgia Army National Guard’s 111th Electromagnetic Warfare Company, based in Forest Park, Georgia, is rapidly establishing itself as a leader in the Army’s modernization efforts within the...

Soldiers from the 1st Battalion 182nd Infantry Regiment, Massachusetts Army National Guard, and the 1st Battalion 69th Infantry Regiment, New York Army National Guard, participated in the annual Logan-Duffy Shooting Match, August 21, 2025, at Fort Devens, Massachusetts. The history of the Logan Duffy Rifle Match goes back nearly 90 years to the first match, which was held in 1936.
Massachusetts, New York Guard Members Compete in Historic Logan-Duffy Rifle Competition
By Sgt. 1st Class Steven Eaton,   | Aug. 27, 2025
DEVENS, Mass. – Soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 182nd Infantry Regiment, Massachusetts Army National Guard, and the 1st Battalion, 69th Infantry Regiment, New York Army National Guard, participated in the annual Logan-Duffy...