CHARLESTON AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. –
I hope all of Team Charleston had a wonderful Thanksgiving last week! Thanksgiving usually ushers in the holiday season and being "home for the holidays." I, like many of you, have special memories of a perfect holiday when everything came together with family and friends, which made it a cherished memory. I also know the effort that goes into orchestrating a perfect holiday ... deploying an airlift wing can seem like pretty tame stuff by comparison.
Even with the "perfect holiday," the stresses can be heavy. The added stress of being a single parent, having a spouse deployed for the holidays or financial troubles can make this season a daunting time of year.
Fortunately for us, Team Charleston is one big support group. Looking out for one another, seeing each other through difficult times and being the "family" to those with loved ones far away is what this "Team" is all about.
No one knows what it feels like to be away from family and friends for the holidays better than someone who has experienced it firsthand. I don't think you'll find a Team Charleston leader out there who wasn't at one time a young Airman who was either deployed, on a temporary duty assignment, working a shift or stationed far from home for the holidays. The comfort in that, though, is knowing that while you are gone, your family is in good hands.
Department of Defense and Air Force-wide specifically, there are services available to help deal with the unique and difficult challenges we as military members and our families face. Often one seemingly small problem can trigger more serious concerns. The Airman and Family Readiness Center maintains programs for military members, spouses of members and programs and information for children as well. Family life skills classes are offered on a wide array of subjects. You don't need to be in desperate straits to take advantage of services offered.
Please use these services whenever you want ... don't wait until you have to. These services are here to improve our quality of life and should be used as needed before small issues become larger problems. The A&FRC offers a Military Family Life Consultant whose services are free and confidential. Family pre-deployment briefings are available to assist members deploying and their families and reintegration seminars for members and their families upon their return.
There are online services as well; Courage to Care is an electronic health campaign offering fact sheets on a variety of health topics. Courage to Care is developed by health experts from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. Veterans and Families Coming Home is a non-profit community service organization helping veterans and their families reintegrate after lengthy deployments.
There are many opportunities for assistance and to improve the quality of life, but the first line of defense is always those closest to you: family and friends. Let's all ensure our Wingmen and our Wingmen's families have a memorable Team Charleston holiday season.
Team Charleston - Take the Fight to the Enemy!