Visiting Fort Stewart

1. Monthly FAC Newsletter Altoona Region Family Action Center Tricare Questions?www.sierramilitary.com May 2003, Vol. 2 We want you to be able to reach your soldier member. E-mail is one of the best ways to keep in touch. If you do not have a computer or internet service presently, pay a visit to your local library or contact us and we will assist you in locating one. Most libraries have free internet access for those who reside within the county where they’re located. Library cards are usually required for this service but many do not charge fees for initial cards. If an EMERGENCY presents itself and you need to e-mail your loved one, call us. We will make our computers available to you. For security purposes, we simply cannot do this on a regular basis. Altoona FAC Team MSG James Vatter* & SGT Chris Zimmerman 327 Frankstown Road, Altoona, PA 16602 Local: 814-569-1608 Toll free: 800-494-7087 For emergencies: Temporarily 814-386-5972 (cell) 717-821-2028 (cell) james.vatter@pa.ngb.army.mil christopher.raymo.zimmerman@us.army.mil * Acting Supervisor until vacant position is filled. Correction: The phone number for HHC 2 –112th INF listed in the first newsletter should have been (717) 248-5842. We apologize for any inconvenience this typo may have caused. (info for pregnant spouses of deployed soldiers) www.operationspecialdelivery.com Thank you, Mrs. Hawn, for your contribution! There have been some calls recently concerning loved ones hearing they cannot send a care package to their deployed soldier. This is a misunderstanding. Due to the overwhelming response to calls for donations for the soldiers overseas and increased security measures, the past practice of sending care packages to “Any Soldier” has been discontinued. However, if you have a soldier you wish to send to that you know will accept your package, that is totally different. Presently, there are significant lags or delays that you should anticipate when mailing items overseas. As such, it would be wisest to avoid sending perishable items like cookies, etc. A “hot commodity”, of sorts, that has been well received by deployed soldiers has been prepaid phone cards. To aid in this, once the soldiers have changed duty locations, we will be including the APO address to Kosovo in a future newsletter Care Packages The family readiness group leadership for Co D, 2-112th INF has changed: New President: Cheryl Megahan (814) 941-0492 Visiting Fort Stewart Call it “Food for thought”…everyone needs to understand that the soldiers are actively training while they’re at Fort Stewart, GA. As such, traveling down to “surprise them” with hopes of spending time together simply may not be possible. If you do plan to visit, please coordinate any such considerations with your loved one. Also, encourage him/her to speak to their respective chain of command to ensure that they’ll be available, or at least “should be” available, for the dates/times you are seeking. It is very important that everyone understand that training schedules often change. What once appeared as an opportunity to visit may be lost if the training schedule requires modification. Present mailing address: Soldier’s Rank and Name Soldier’s Unit C/O Post Locator 845 Hase Road, Suite 102 Fort Stewart, GA 31314

2. “What if…?” Take this brief moment to ask yourself one simple question, “If you encountered a situation that required an emergency notification of your loved one, would you know what to do?” We certainly hope this is a drill that no one reading this message will have to use, but its always safest to be prepared. As such, we encourage you (if you haven’t already done so) to jot down some important notes and post them in a prominent place in your home, such as on your refrigerator or next to the phone. Should you have the unfortunate event occur that you need to make such a call, you’ll be ready and not endure any additional stress searching for information. At a minimum, consider noting your loved one’s full name, Social Security Number, Rank, Unit of assignment, physical location where he/she is currently deployed, Home Station Unit, Name and phone number of Unit Commander or First Sergeant, Name and number of local Red Cross representative. It’s also important you provide the Red Cross means to quickly verify the emergency in order to expedite the notification process. Be prepared to provide doctor’s name and number, medical facility or funeral home where your loved one is being cared for. If you can’t reach your local chapter, call (800) 272-7337 (24 hour Red Cross number) PAGE 2 MAY 2003, VOL. 2 Red Cross update: As many of you likely know, the American Red Cross had been gathering items to ship to soldiers overseas as part of their “Quality of Life” program. The overwhelming support the program generated prompted them to suspend it at the present time. Meanwhile, there are alternative measures that can still benefit our soldiers. With so many service members deployed, the Red Cross Armed Forces Emergency Services (AFES) system costs have dramatically increased. Area Red Cross chapters will accept donations to offset these costs. Donation of blood is always encouraged. They are also encouraging volunteerism in VA Hospitals and various community programs. Chaplain’s Message “My Spirit abides among you, fear not.” Haggai 2:5b The prophet Haggai spoke these words to the people of Israel as they faced the monumental task of restoring the Temple in Jerusalem. After many years of neglect and deterioration, the job of restoration must have seemed like a project that they could not successfully undertake. Many of the people whom Haggai addressed must have feared that they could not cope with the human and material requirements that a restoration would demand. So, in answer to their fears, the Prophet Haggai tells them that the presence of the Spirit of God in their midst is the ultimate antidote to their fear. Haggai’s direct confrontation of the fear of the people of Israel reminds us that much of the fear in our lives grows out of uncertainty. We can become fearful when we are uncertain about challenges that we see looming before us. So, we can become fearful about where the next paycheck will come from. We can become fearful when we do not know when a loved one will return to us. We can become fearful when we believe that we will not know how to adjust to the changes in our lives. In fact, many of us have experienced these fears, during the past several weeks, as our loved ones have been mobilized for deployment to Ft. Stewart. Yet, in the very face of the fears that sometimes debilitate us, our Lord says to “fear not, I abide among you.” Our Lord is telling us that, because he is with us, we are going to be able to cope with whatever confronts us. Our Lord’s presence among us casts out our fear and replaces it with confidence. Our Lord’s presence enables us to claim and access all of the resources that he has given us to effectively cope with the challenges of living our lives with our loved ones away.In short, our Lord is a tremendous source of strength and guidance for each of us during these days of deployments. Chaplain Rodney Miller, 28th Infantry Division (M) Those of us at the FACs have an unofficial motto that “We’re here to help people help themselves!” To some, that may sound like sort of a “cop out.” Its anything but that. In many ways, its like that old saying about teaching a person to fish versus giving a person a fish…. If you have questions give us a call. We encourage Family Readiness Groups or individuals to call with any questions we might address in future newsletters that could benefit everyone. If you have or know of one of these concerns, please give us a call…its toll free! (800) 494-7087 Who knows? You might provide the means for us to effectively deal with someone else’s dilemma before it becomes just that!