When I think back to the days of the Revolutionary War, I am amazed at the legacy that lives today in terms of compelling support to our families, our Soldiers, and to all Army commands worldwide. Esther de Berdt Reed, who was known for heading the first and largest support group, truly had it right. During times of internal strife and personal danger to herself and the other women that supported the new government, Reed called women to action to support our Soldiers in the worthy cause of freedom.

Reed authored "The Sentiments of an American Woman," which was published in local papers with the intent to call women to action. "Our ambition is kindled by the same of those heroines of antiquity, who have rendered their sex illustrious, and have proved to the universe, that, if the weakness of our constitution, if opinion and manners did not forbid us to march to glory by the same paths as the men, we should at least equal, and sometimes surpass them in our love for the public good. I glory in all that which my sex has done great and commendable," she wrote.

The die had been cast as a tremendous legacy that few military institutions in modern time would be able to match. Reed did not live past the age of 34. She died in 1780 before she could realize the fruits of her labor. But what she did accomplish was a legacy of will that continues to endure. The will to support those whom we love and what they fight and serve to protect is neither negotiable nor yielding.

There are many examples of courage and commitment for Army families who support the Soldiers who serve this nation. One of the most striking examples of these modern efforts is in the story of Julie Moore, which is chronicled so well in the book, "We Were Soldiers Once and Young," by Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Harold G. Moore and Joe Galloway.

The depiction is compelling and profound … what happens on the home front matters and counts far beyond what the general public could ever conceive. And furthermore, this example was recreated in a movie for all to see the role that Army spouses often fill to support our Soldiers.

The message is clear … you make a profound difference. Like many others before and those who followed Julie Moore, you have it right.

Today, there are thousands of spouses, loved ones, and families who follow in the footsteps of courageous women like Esther Reed and Julie Moore. They make a tremendous difference and contribution to each other, the Soldiers they support, and the commands in which they belong. Your contribution to this country will become part of a living legacy.

There is not enough room in this column to do justice to the rich history of Army families and their courageous commitment, but there is enough room to simply say thank you.

Many of you are familiar with the Well-Being Liaison Office's Army Families Online Web site — www.ArmyFamiliesOnline.org — and what it has to offer. However, its selection of offerings is continuing to grow at a very rapid pace.

Among Army Families Online's newest offerings is the e-Newsletter, which is produced on a monthly basis and distributed via e-mail to its subscribers. The e-Newsletter is produced on an alternating schedule with FLO Notes; this way the WBLO is able to ensure that our audience receives important news and information updates about every two weeks.

The e-Newsletter contains a series of abstracts taken from stories posted to Army Families Online, and provides subscribers easy access to the full story by incorporating hyperlinks into the newsletter text.

When the e-Newsletter was first developed, its intent was to reach out and appeal to the entire Army Family, and we would like to think, each issue contains something useful for everyone. It is also created in such a manner that makes it very easy to forward to friends and relatives, something that is strongly encouraged. If you know of someone who can use the information it offers, please encourage them to subscribe to the e-Newsletter.

In just the first few months that we have been distributing, the e-Newsletter we have noticed that many are making use of this product. In our initial efforts to inform our audiences that we had produced a new product, and to help establish a subscriber base for this product, we sent the first issue out to all currently registered users, with an option to unsubscribe from the subscription database. We have had very few recipients who chose to unsubscribe, and we have seen a number of recipients request to be added to the subscription database.

The WBLO is constantly seeking new and innovative ways to ensure that Army Families are kept informed, and the Army Families Online e-Newsletter is only one of these initiatives. Another initiative that we are particularly pleased to offer Army Families is the Army Well-Being Forum, found on the Army Well-Being Web site — www.ArmyWell-Being.org.

The Well-Being Forum is a place where everyone may discuss important issues with other members of the Army Family. It is also a place to share ideas and offer advice to others who may be experiencing situations similar to your own. We are beginning to see a rise in user contributions to the Well-Being Forum, and some posts have become healthy points of discussion. Please take some time and participate in the Well-Being Forum.

The Army Families Online Web staff is currently working on other projects that are expected to be available in the near future. It is our sincerest hope that you continue to find Army Families Online relevant and useful in your daily life. As always, please feel free to contact us and let us know how we're doing and what you'd like to see us do differently or better. Your suggestions are always welcome.

Strong Bonds originated in 1997 with a program for couples only, which was referred to as Building Strong and Ready Families. In 2005, with input from Soldiers, the chaplains named the program Strong Bonds. This is a unit-based, chaplain led program that helps Soldiers and their families build strong relationships. The program's mission is to build Soldier readiness by providing skills the Soldier can use to strengthen his or her marriage and other relationships.

Each Strong Bonds program is targeted to meet Soldiers where they are in their relationship cycle and is administered through a training process that culminates in an off-site retreat. Over 1,300 training events have been held and over 30,000 couples have been trained. With the satisfaction rate high among attendees (93 percent) and increasing support from commanders, the Army recognized the success of the program and approval was given for expansion of the program throughout the Army for the Army Reserve and the new single Soldier family programs, which are being phased in over the next year. A new Strong Bonds program to address deployment/redeployment needs will be launched this October.

The newly-expanded Strong Bonds includes:

Strong Bonds Single Soldier, which arms Soldiers with decision-making and relationship building skills prior to marriage.

Strong Bonds Couples, with tools for strengthening marital bonds through communication and relationship building.

Strong Bonds Family for single Soldiers, couples, spouses and children, is designed to teach families to work together as they face the challenge of military life. Children ages 8 and up are invited to participate.

Strong Bonds Pre- and Re-deployment works with Army families to help them stay close through deployment, and to reintegrate after long-term separation.

Each program is led by the brigade's Army chaplains who teach Soldiers and their families how to strengthen their relationships and improve their communications overall. The program is conducted in several sessions and culminates in an off-site retreat where Army families can focus on skill building and enjoy time away from daily responsibilities.

Soldiers or family members who want to attend Strong Bonds training should talk to their unit chaplain or go to www.strongbonds.org for information regarding dates and locations of training opportunities.

AUSA Military Family Programs will host three events at the 2006 Association of the U.S. Army Annual Meeting Oct. 9 through 11, at the Washington, DC, Convention Center:

Family Forum I, Oct. 9, 2 to 4:30 p.m., "Answering the Call to Support Our Soldiers and Families" — This forum will focus on how the Army is continuing to prepare families for repeated deployments of their Soldiers and how it is supporting families during those deployments. There will be presentations about improvements in the Army Spouse Employment Program, Active Duty Survivor Benefits, the Soldiers Benefits System and the Traumatic Soldiers Group Life Insurance. Additional presentations will concern the Army Survivors Outreach as well as Sesame Workshop's tool kit for parents, caretakers and educators on how to help young children through the trauma of deployments and how to answer their questions. Presentations will be made by senior Army leaders and others.

Family Forum II, Oct 10, 8:30 to 11 a.m., "Behavioral Health ... From the Battlefront to the Homefront and Back" — Presenters from the office of the Surgeon General will provide an introduction to Psychiatric Healthcare, Combat Stress Control (in-theater care), Battlemind, Post Deployment Health Assessment and Post Deployment Health Reassessment. Other information presented will include: Taking Care of the Caregivers; "Mental Health Self Assessment," a DoD-funded program; and the Army's Handbook for Families of Severely Wounded Soldiers.

Family Forum III, Oct. 11, 9:30 a.m. to noon, "From Grounded Boots ... Everyday Realities Facing Military Families" — In today's world, military deployments are more frequent, longer and more difficult than ever, for both the servicemember and the family. Throughout it all, how do families remain happy and connected, how do Soldiers, spouses and children cope? Several military spouses, who've learned the answers to these questions through their own experiences, some of whom have written books, share their skills on how to survive the crazy lifestyle. These speakers include: Kristin Henderson, author of "While They are at War;" Vicki Cody, author of "Your Soldier, Your Army, A Parents' Guide;" and Meredith Leyva, author of "Married to the Military."

A question and answer session will follow each presentation. All AUSA Annual Meeting attendees and family members are welcome to attend. To ensure seating, please RSVP via e-mail to familyprograms@ausa.org or call 1-800-336-4570, ext. 151 by Oct. 2.

The DoD Military Severely Injured Center is sponsoring Operation Warfighter (OWF), a temporary assignment/internship program for servicemembers in therapy at military treatment facilities in the United States.

Operation Warfighter is designed to provide recuperating servicemembers with meaningful activity outside the hospital environment that assists in their wellness and offers a formal means of transition back to the military or civilian workforce.

The road to recovery for injured servicemembers can be long and arduous. When they are further along in the recuperation process, treatment schedules typically lighten and servicemembers may be cleared for participation in Operation Warfighter.

OWF represents a great opportunity for servicemembers on medical hold to build resumes, explore employment interests, develop job skills, and gain valuable federal government work experience to help prepare them for the future. The program also enables participating federal agencies to avail themselves of the considerable talent and dedication of these recuperating servicemembers.

OWF also assists servicemembers interested in the Continue On Active Duty process of the Medical Evaluation Board, keeping servicemembers in uniform and allowing for rank progression and professional development that can lead to a successful and continued military career.

The program is open to active-duty, National Guard, and Army Reserve. Servicemembers receive military salaries and therefore are not compensated by the agencies to which they are assigned.

Federal agencies participating in Operation Warfighter provide short position descriptions that detail both the function of the offices/bureaus interested in hosting a candidate and the duties the servicemember could undertake in that setting. Candidates will have the ability to read through the descriptions and indicate their preferences to OWF staff. When a servicemember is interested in a position description, the employer will then receive the candidate's resume to assist in finding the appropriate placement within the servicemember's area of interest. Agencies are able to interview candidates to better understand their skills.

The program's goal is to match candidates with opportunities that consider their interests and utilize their skills, thereby creating productive assignments that benefit both the servicemember and the agency.

Duty schedules for OWF participants are dependent upon the candidate's particular treatment schedule. The average length of an assignment is 3 months, and the average number of hours per week is 25. When placed, servicemembers do their best to determine approximate work schedules, but these schedules must be flexible and considerate of the candidate's medical appointments. Under no circumstance will any Operation Warfighter assignment interfere with a servicemember's medical treatment or adversely affect the well-being and recuperation of Operation Warfighter participants.

There is no promise of permanent employment with an agency upon the completion of an OWF assignment. Many participants will remain in military service, but some will separate and look for civilian employment. The MSIC has employment specialists available to assist OWF candidates in this transition. Agencies are asked to assist in any way they can.

Operation Warfighter is not just about employment. For many recovering servicemembers, the program represents their first work experience outside of the cocoon-like environment of the hospital. Placing these servicemembers in supportive work settings that positively impact their recuperation is Operation Warfighter's underlying purpose.

For more information, contact the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness at (703) 588-0953 or (703) 692-2049.

TRICARE policy requires active-duty servicemembers with overseas orders to verify command sponsorship for accompanying family members for enrollment in TRICARE Overseas Program Prime, including TRICARE Global Remote Overseas. The policy also requires family members to reside with their sponsor to be eligible for enrollment into TOP Prime.

Beneficiaries may seek command sponsorship through Service personnel channels. If service families without command sponsorship move overseas, they may pay costly out-of-pocket health care expenses, as they are only eligible for TRICARE Standard, TRICARE Plus and space-available care at military treatment facilities.

When TRICARE Standard beneficiaries seek care overseas, they may have to pay the entire bill at the time of service and then file a claim with TRICARE for reimbursement. Under TRICARE Standard, family members must pay an annual deductible and cost shares each time they receive care outside of the military treatment facility.

Sponsors that bring non-command sponsored family members with special medical needs to an overseas location with no specialty support for those needs may put their family member at unnecessary health risk. For more information, beneficiaries may contact their overseas TRICARE Service Center listed at www.tricare.osd.mil/overseas/index.cfm or the TRICARE Area Office serving their overseas region. Beneficiary counseling and assistance coordinators are also available to help at www.tricare.osd.mil/bcac.

With frequent moves preventing them from moving up the career ladder in a single workplace, military spouses face unique career challenges. The good news is the corporate world is beginning to take notice, thanks to the efforts of the Army Spouse Employment Partnership and the dedicated spouse employment advocates on Army installations worldwide.

In a series of virtual meetings conducted in June, Army Employment Readiness Program managers engaged in a candid exchange of information, challenges, and good ideas concerning spouse employment. Participants reported many successes in connecting spouses to jobs with ASEP partners and local small businesses. As of June 30, more than 35,293 jobs were listed on the ASEP jobs and resume database at www.MilitarySpouseJobSearch.org.

Additionally, more than 150 spouses attended the first ever Military Spouse Career Expo at Fort Belvoir, Va. The event was co-sponsored by the USO of Metropolitan Washington, Fort Belvoir ACS and local military employment counselors, and featured seminars led by subject matter experts on the Federal Job Process, Resumes, Small Business Development, Dressing for Success and Virtual Business Owners Network.

For more information about these and other Army Spouse Employment Partnership initiatives, contact Karalee Romaneski via e-mail at karalee.romaneski@cfsc.army.mil.

The Military Child Education Coalition's overarching motivation and purpose is working " ... for the sake of the child." The MCEC — www.militarychild.org — is a non-profit 501 (c)(3) organization that works to "level the playing field" and provide firm support to our military children as they transition from school system to school system during their education experience.

During the first week in July, parents, educators, administrators, school liaison officers, students, volunteers and MCEC members met during the MCEC's 8th Annual Conference in Houston. The conference's purpose is to learn, teach, and explore ways to give military children the support needed to navigate frequent transitions experienced during their education. This year's theme was "Reaching New Heights for Children."

The MCEC believes that every military child deserves an informed counselor who is aware of the processes and strategies of changing schools, and understands the impact a deployed parent has on a student.

Thus, school professionals and parents attending the conference had the opportunity to attend Transition Counselor Institute. The TCI puts caring professionals together to learn and share from a solid research-based program to educate educators on the unique challenges faced by military students as they move frequently and cope with their parents deploying.

Conference attendees were also treated to presentations from some of the best and brightest minds in the civilian and military field on topics ranging from "Continued Discussion of the Effects on the Children of the Combat Injured," "Hidden Stresses of Homefront Parents," and "Supporting Children and Families of the National Guard and Reserve." Best-selling author of "Keeping Faith," Frank Schaeffer discussed the gap between the civilian world and military families, and how his son's enlistment changed his attitude in his presentation "Loving Our Marines in Time of War." Aaron Tippin, country music recording star, entertained during one of the conference luncheons.

Two new initiatives were introduced during the conference — "SchoolQuest," and "Talk, Listen, Connect."

"SchoolQuest" is a powerful Web-based tool dedicated to helping military families find the perfect school for their students as they move. You may explore SchoolQuest at https://schoolquest.org.

The second initiative, "Talk, Listen, Connect," features Sesame Street star Elmo taking with his dad talking about his military deployment. "Talk, Listen, Connect" was developed to help the youngest members of the military family cope with their parent's deployment, from pre-deployment to re-integration. Sesame Workshop, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., partnering with MCEC and the New York State Office of Mental Health has produced an incredibly powerful video for military children and parents. This video is free and available to military families at www.sesameworkshop.org/tlc.

The MCEC's 8th Annual Conference was filled with ideas, enthusiasm, and energy all focused toward one common goal, "… for the sake of the child." The Well-Being Liaison Office was proud to be a part of this event. The presentations, initiatives, and, most of all, the dedication of MCEC's volunteers were inspiring. The WBLO encourages you to get involved in this process by joining the Military Child Education Coalition. Next year's conference will take place in Kansas City, Mo.

The education and well-being of a military child affects a Soldier's military readiness. This is particularly true in today's Army because Soldiers and their families must also deal with the tremendous stress related to long and repeated deployments, relocations, and the threat of terrorism. The Army, DoD, and other organizations have long recognized the importance of military children and developed programs to address their needs. Since the advent of the Global War on Terrorism, many additional community and national programs have been established. Read more about what's available for your children at Army Families Online.

The Federal Voting Assistance Program office is pulling out all the stops to ensure servicemembers and families who wish to vote, are able to vote.

Polli Brunelli, the program's chief, said the program has learned from experience and has put in place a system to make it relatively painless for servicemembers and their families to vote in the 2006 mid-term elections.

Servicemembers and their families want to vote, Brunelli said. They generally vote in greater percentage than the general population.

"Election officials count every absentee ballot," she said, stressing that absentee ballots decided a number of elections in 2004.

The program not only supports military personnel, but DoD civilian employees and DoD contractors as well. Each unit has a voting assistance officer, and they are the primary points of contact for servicemembers casting absentee ballots.

A number of changes are being implemented in this election cycle. Some states will now send ballots to requesters via e-mail. Others will fax the ballots. Each state is responsible for voting by its citizens, so the laws and programs offered vary from state to state.

Other changes include a revised Federal Postcard Application form. "It's bigger and better and easier to read," Brunelli said. "We have several blocks on there for [voters] to put alternative addresses if they are on the move. There is also a place to put their e-mail address. This is very important, because local election officials want to be able to communicate to voters."

This is particularly helpful for reserve-component personnel called to active duty. For instance, a Minnesota National Guardsman may go through training in Mississippi before deploying. The Guardsman can put the alternative address on the request for the ballot. Brunelli's office is working with the U.S. Postal Service to ensure expedited mail service for ballots. This started in 2004, and they had great success with it, she said.

Ballots will arrive to servicemembers in September or October. To be sure votes arrive on time, Brunelli is telling servicemembers to mail in their voted ballots the week of Oct. 8 to 14. Brunelli said the biggest problem the program confronts is outdated addresses. Folks who have moved since the 2004 election need to submit an updated federal postcard application.

If all things work perfectly — and they usually do — servicemembers will receive their ballots from local election official and return them without a hitch. But problems can happen: the address is wrong; the mail can't get to an isolated area in a timely manner; and so on. In such cases, servicemembers can use the Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot.

"It doesn't matter what ballot you get ... vote it," Brunelli said. "If the state ballot arrives after (submitting a write-in ballot), they should vote that, too. Local election officials will sort that out at their end."

For more information, visit the FVAP Web site at www.fvap.gov.

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