ARLINGTON, Va. - The new head of the Army National Guard's Family Support Service Division has one thing on her mind: the wellbeing of Soldiers and their families.
"Sometimes people will see things they shouldn't have to see," said new division chief Erin Thede, illustrating the plight of some returning service members, "and that can have a lasting effect."
To counter these effects, Thede has a variety of programs in her arsenal including: the Warrior Transition Unit; Post-Deployment Health Reassessment; Potential Traumatic Brain Injury; family assistance centers; family readiness support assistance; Army and Guard Family Action Plans, which is in conjunction with Army One Source; Yellow Ribbon Program; funeral honors; casualty assistance; and survivor outreach.
"There has never been a time in history when we have made so many resources available to care for all aspects of their [the Soldiers] well-being," she said.
Soldiers often come back from their deployments different than when they had left, said Thede, a former Marine from Massachusetts, and family members needed to be educated about those changes.
This education aids in a Soldier's readjustment, as their family now understands the changes in their behavior better.
"We are dedicated to pursuing policy and resources that improve our care and services so that no Soldiers or family is left behind," Thede said.
The compassion and understanding behind that program not only aids Thede in her decisions, but makes her uniquely suited for her job.
"She believes in the mission," said Army Lt. Col. Ashleah Bechtel, the deputy for the division. "Ms. Thede is a very strong leader, and she knows this business inside and out."
Thede worked within soldier support programs for six years before becoming the chief.
"She's very professional and at the same time she's people-friendly.
She's very passionate about what she does," said Master Sgt. Lisa Birkhead, acting sergeant major of the division.
That passion is also coupled with unique leadership qualities. "Ms. Thede is a dynamic leader who thinks way outside the box and lets us do what we need to do to take care of Soldiers," said 1st Lt. Robert AuBuchon.
He added that Thede also doesn't impose limits on her staff, but rather lets them find the best ways to take care of Soldiers.