Spouses, family members to be honored Aug. 1

By Barbara L. Sellers, Northwest Guardian

A special day has been set aside to recognize and honor surviving spouses and family members for their contributions to the military and our country.

The second annual Surviving Family Members Appreciation Day will be Aug. 1, 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., at American Lake Community Center.

“We are going to have a free lunch for all the people who show up,” said Alex Silva, retirement services officer.

“The Air Force and Army Exchange Service also donated many great door prizes that we will be giving away.” About 19,500 invitations, along with registration forms, have been sent out to all Army and Air Force surviving family members living within the Fort Lewis area of responsibility —Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana, he said.

Surviving family members from World War II to the present war on terrorism, and all the wars in-between, can expect to receive an invitation.

Colonel Cynthia A. Murphy, garrison commander, got the idea for the SFAD, and the first one held last year was received with a lot of enthusiasm, Silva said.

“We had about 300 people representing the Army, Air Force, Coast Guard and Navy,” he said. “This year we think we will get about 400 to 500, and we expect to grow even more over the years.”

In addition to the free lunch and door prizes, the annual SFAD will serve as a one-stop shop to get information on widows and widowers benefits.

Some of the 20 representatives that will have booths are the Gold Star Wives, the Society of Military Widows, Social Security Administration, Madigan Army Medical Center (behavioral and wellness screening) and Judge Advocate General (wills and powers of attorney on site).

“The Department of Veterans’ Affairs will have a team there to work on the benefits of surviving family members for the State of Washington,” Silva said.

Additionally, the ID Card Section will be there to update old cards or issue new ones.

“Last year they updated about 40 cards and issued two cards to widows who never had one,” he said.

To make it even more convenient for surviving family members to attend, free short-term alternative child care will be provided on site, 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., downstairs in the American Lake Community Center.

“We have learned that many of today’s grandparents are raising their grandchildren, and that’s one reason we are providing this service,” Silva said.

To take advantage of the child care services, however, attendees must complete the child and youth services patron registration form and attach a copy of the children’s updated immunization record.

Silva said he has received several letters from surviving family members who attended last year’s SFAD and they were glad to know that someone finally did something like this specifically for them.

“We mainly want to recognize surviving family members for all the sacrifices they made and to let them know that they are still an important part of the military community,” Silva said.

Surviving family members who do not receive an invitation, should call Silva at 966-5884 to be added to the mailing list.