Army makes family support a priority

By David W. Kuhns Sr., Northwest Guardian

The old line used to go “If the Army had wanted you to have a family, it would have issued you one.”

The implication of that statement was that families were about as alien to Army life as you could imagine.

I remember deploying overseas back in the ’80s. There was no effort to accommodate family needs then; no family readiness groups, no effort to provide calls home or contact with loved ones. When we returned, there were no smiling families waiting for us. Reunions were individual, and left up to us to arrange.

My, how things have changed.

Taking care of Soldiers’ families has now become one of the Army’s top priorities.

Last year, installations throughout the Army held ceremonies at which commanders signed the Army-Family Covenant. While it might be easy to dismiss such events as just for show, they were symbolic of a very real commitment to taking care of families.

Just look around Fort Lewis and you can see the results. There are new facilities, new services, new opportunities being announced almost every week.

A few weeks ago, the Northwest Guardian covered the ground breaking for a new toddler care facility at the Madigan Child Care Center. The post is working to expand availability of child care both on post and off. This week we have a story about the opening of the Pet Brigade kennel and pet grooming facility.

A new North Fort Chapel opened last month to provide for the needs of the rapidly expanding population on North Fort Lewis. The Post Exchange has brought in new restaurants and new facilities in response to the requests voiced by the Fort Lewis community.

There are new opportunities for spouses to develop skills that will lead to mobile careers adaptable to the challenges of multiple PCS moves. Even here on the pages of the post newspaper there is a new support service, “Ask an Advocate,” that offers help and advice with personal and family problems.

In every way imaginable, Fort Lewis’ leaders are striving to make family life the best it can be. The same is true around the Army.

Perhaps it is natural that this change has happened now. It is almost 36 years since the Army made the transition from a force made up mostly of young draftees, to one made up entirely of volunteers. Even the most senior leaders, now, have no other experience to draw upon. They know the challenges Army families face because they, and their families, have lived through them.

Of course there are still times when Army life will throw you a curve ball — a long wait time for on-post quarters, an unexpected delay in a return from deployment, whatever it might be — It is easy to voice your frustration. But we should all take comfort from the knowledge that as soon as problems are identified, the full weight of the chain of command is thrown into finding solutions.

The Army still doesn’t issue Soldiers families. But rather than being viewed as a hindrance to military operations, support and care for families is now a part of every leader’s mission essential task list.