ACC officials discuss Year of the Air Force Family

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  • By Air Combat Command
LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. (ACCNS) --  Air Combat Command has always made the needs of Airmen and their families a priority, and with the Year of the Air Force Family underway, the command is looking at ways to improve on its programs.

Earlier this year, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz and Secretary of the Air Force Michael Donley designated July 2009 to July 2010 as the "Year of the Air Force Family," a year-long focus on Air Force programs highlighting the importance of, and commitment to, the entire Air Force family: all Airmen, married and single; spouses; children; Air Force civilians; extended families; and retirees.

"We will devote this year to identifying what we are doing right and what we need to do better to support the entire Air Force family, and to rekindle the sense of community that has been our tradition for so many generations," General Schwartz said.

Jean Michel, ACC Airmen and Family Services Branch chief, said the Year of the Family's focus is two-fold.

"First of all, we're going to focus on highlighting and celebrating the many contributions of our families," he said. "And secondly, we're going to look at our programs that we have in place to support our Airmen and families to tweak and add and delete as necessary to more specifically meet their needs."

Findings from the April "Caring for People" forum provided direction for the yearlong focus that highlights improvements to existing programs.

It also introduces new initiatives built on four pillars that meet the unique needs of Air Force families to include health and wellness, Airman and family support, education, development and employment, and Airman and family housing.

Mr. Michel said ACC, with nearly 20 years of continuous deployments, has made Airmen families a focus, particularly when it comes to supporting deployers.

"In the case of our folks who are deploying, all areas of deployment really touch one of those four pillars," Mr. Michel explained. "Those four pillars really touch every aspect of the deployment cycle, whether we're talking about predeployment programs, sustainment programs, sustaining the Airmen and their family during the deployment, or returning or reintegration programs, the pillars will address all those aspects to ensure we're providing the very best support to our deployed Airmen and, just as importantly, to their families."

Airmen and their families can expect programs and events tailored to the needs of their individual communities. It may include reintroducing family support programs already available to them today, as well as announcing new initiatives that will serve as model Airman and family support programs long into the future. Mr. Michel said it will also include individual bases finding ways to tailor ACC programs to best work with their own populations.

"The beauty of the Year of the Air Force Family is that as we look at those programs, some of the things that we do, some of the changes that we bring about, will apply to Air Combat Command and some of the things the bases will have the ability to adjust their programs and services to meet the specific needs of their base and the specific needs of their population," he said. "We want to make sure that we have standard programs, but more importantly, we want to make sure that we have programs which are responsive to the needs of each individual installation."

Gen. William Fraser III, ACC commander, said the programs to help Airmen and their families are out there, but the Air Force needs to make sure the Airmen know it, and the Airmen need to make use of them.

"We have many, many programs out there that I want to make sure they are aware of," he said. "We are here for them, but they have to be willing to come forward and let us know if they need help. And then, once they reach out for help, I want to make sure they get it, that we are good wingmen, that we take care of them and that we take care of their families, too."

Airmen and their families can log on to http://www.af.mil/yoaff/index.asp to learn about AF-wide initiatives, monthly themes and programs, as well as contact local installation Airman Family and Readiness Centers to find out about local events and activities.