ARLINGTON, Va. - Texas and Wisconsin National Guard units were
among several from the reserve components recognized Friday at the 2012
Department of Defense Reserve Family Readiness Awards ceremony here at the
Pentagon.
Representing the Army and the Air National Guard were the 1st Battalion,
147th Aviation Regiment, Wisconsin National Guard, and the 136th Airlift
Wing, Texas National Guard.
Edith Pond, Family Readiness Group program manager of the 1/147th, said
representing the Army National Guard was an incredible honor.
"To have the opportunity to receive support from our community, as well as
provide support for our community has been just wonderful overall ... having
an opportunity to come together due to the sacrifices of the Soldiers of the
147th ... and to also serve in our way."
Pond said pre-deployment programs and support from local clubs and
organizations helped set the Soldiers and family members of the 147th up for
success.
"In return, we gave back to those that supported us by hosting blood drives
and a water station for the American Legion at their national convention; we
also did the same for the Madison Mini-Marathon in support of our Soldiers,"
Pond said.
Other programs that set the 147th FRG apart included scheduling guest
speakers to present topics such as post-traumatic stress and hosting meetings
via phone bridges, seamlessly integrating and supporting members from the
Michigan National Guard that were attached to the 147th.
"On behalf of Lieutenant Colonel Marty Pond and the Soldiers of the 147th, we
just want our FRG to know how much they meant to us and how their support,
taking care of our families and the camaraderie they built to help each other
get through the mobilization was appreciated by us," said Army Sgt. 1st Class
Troy Kleinheinz, military point-of-contact for the 147th FRG.
"We would not have gotten through it without their support and what they did
to assure us that when we got home, everything was going to be OK. We had an
amazing FRG."
The hard work and dedication of FRG members to ensure families are taken care
of back home can ensure Soldiers and Airmen stay focused on the mission.
"You can take my best C-130 pilot, with the most years of experience and the
most combat time, and put him in the skies over Afghanistan on a critical
mission," said Air Force Col. David M. McMinn, commander of the 136th AW. "If
he just got a call from his wife that refrigerator isn't working right before
he takes off, that guy is now useless."
He's no longer focused on the mission because he's 4,000-miles away from home
and unable to do his job as a husband, McMinn said.
"We really want our members to keep their head on and we want them [to know]
that we will handle the families and work with the families," said Laura
Wedel, the 136th FRG leader.
Some of the key elements that set the 136th FRG apart were their events held
during deployments, which included back-to-school parties and "powder-puff"
football events and their involvement in a local council of FRG members from
all of the service branches, allowing them to build cross-component
integration.
McMinn said the DoD recognition was "a testimony to the men and women that we
have in our family readiness group and how hard they work.
"A robust family readiness group back home, taking care of our families'
needs, helps us be effective when we deploy - that is the meat of why these
folks are being recognized here today."