Top AFAP Issues Focus On Wounded Warrior Care

Filed under 2009 Symposium, Symposium by on January 15, 2010 at 6:18 pm {7 comments}

AW2 delegates gather with the Honorable John McHugh, Secretary of the Army, holding Starsky, an AW2 Veteran’s service dog after the AFAP closing ceremony.

AW2 delegates gather with the Honorable John McHugh, Secretary of the Army, holding Starsky, an AW2 Veteran’s service dog after the AFAP closing ceremony.

By Sarah Greer, WTC Stratcom

Today, is a great day for AW2 Soldiers, Veterans, and Families. Delegates to the Army Family Action Plan (AFAP) Worldwide Conference voted on the five most pressing issues facing the Army community, and the top three of these issues directly affect wounded warriors.

“Today’s results go to show that there is a consensus behind taking care of wounded warriors,” said AW2 Veteran Jared Hatch. “This is absolutely fantastic, because it shows that things will get better for wounded warriors.”

“This is exactly what we wanted to do this week,” said AW2 Veteran Melissa Cramblett. “We stood for our brothers and sisters in AW2, and we’ve come through for them.”

The top five 2010 AFAP issues included:

  1. Monthly Stipend to Ill/Injured Soldiers for Non-Medical Caregivers
  2. Funding Service Dogs for Wounded Warriors
  3. Behavioral Health Service Shortages
  4. Family Readiness Group External Fundraising Restrictions
  5. Exceptional Family Member Program Enrollment Eligibility for Reserve Component Soldiers

AW2 Veteran Vivica Stokes attended the conference with Starsky, her service dog. “Starsky is ideal with my PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder),” she said. “He’s able to sense when I’m about to have an anxiety attack, and he’ll start licking my hand so I focus on him. Seeing service dog funding as a top AFAP issue is a great feeling because I know how much it will help other Veterans.”

AW2 Soldier SGT DeKeither Stamps addressed the delegates and Army leadership on both the caregiver stipend and service dogs issues. “The average caregiver gives up $28,000 a year to take care of a Soldier so he or she is not institutionalized,” Stamps explained. “Parents and spouses love their Soldiers, and it’s important that the Army help them take care of Soldiers who are wounded.”

Senior leaders attending the report-out included:

  • Secretary of the U.S. Army John McHugh
  • Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army General George W. Casey
  • Vice Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army General Peter W. Chiarelli
  • Sergeant Major of the U.S. Army Kenneth O. Preston

Each of the issues will be assigned to an action officer, and the General Officer Steering Committee will track progress on a regular basis in the months and years ahead.

AW2 Delegates Reflect on AFAP Worldwide Conference

Filed under 2009 Symposium, Soldier Story by on January 15, 2010 at 10:22 am {no comments}
AW2 Delegate David Proctor and LTC Deb Cisney represent AW2 at the 2010 AFAP Worldwide Conference.

AW2 Delegate David Proctor and LTC Deb Cisney represent AW2 at the 2010 AFAP Worldwide Conference.

By Sarah Greer, WTC Stratcom

This week, ten AW2 Soldiers, Veterans, and Family members are attending the Army Family Action Plan (AFAP) Worldwide Conference in Arlington, Virginia. These ten delegates also attended the 2009 AW2 Symposium, and are spending the week speaking on issues affecting wounded warriors.

“AFAP is a continuation of what we did at Symposium on a larger scale,” said AW2 Veteran Jared Hatch. ” After Symposium, it’s another once in a lifetime opportunity to make a difference for other Soldiers, Veterans, and Families.”

AW2 Delegate David Proctor is excited to be the voice of AW2 Soldiers, Veterans, and their Families. “This makes me feel good, like I’m a part of history,” he said.  “The issues we’re working on will affect Soldiers that came before and after me, and I’ve helped make a difference for them.”

The delegates are grateful that Army leadership sees AFAP issues as a priority. On Tuesday, senior leaders gathered for the General Officers Steering Committee to hear updates on the progress of previous AFAP issues, including issues raised at previous AW2 Symposiums.

“AFAP provides a real follow-through for the important issues we examined at the AW2 Symposium,” said AW2 Soldier DeKeither Stamps.

Attending AFAP is also a healing experience for AW2 Veteran Jared Hatch. “He wanted to push himself to the next level,” said his spouse Jennifer Hatch, who also serves as an AW2 Advocate. ” Jared knew he’d have to get on a plane and fly, which is a challenge for him, and he really wanted to see how far he could go.”

Tomorrow, delegates will vote on the top issues facing the Army community, and several AW2 issues are expected to be brought forward as final contenders.

AW2 to Participate in 2010 AFAP Worldwide Conference

Filed under 2009 Symposium, Symposium by on January 11, 2010 at 5:28 pm {one comment}

The Army Family Action Plan (AFAP) Worldwide Conference will be held this week in Arlington, VA. AFAP was founded 25 years ago by a group of spouses who felt Army leadership should hear from Family members on bases around the world. Throughout the year AFAP conducts various different conferences, including the AW2 Symposium, to prioritize and highlight issues submitted by Army Soldiers and Families to Army leadership.

At the AFAP Worldwide Conference, delegates will vote on issues presented at previous conferences to be selected for presentation to Army leadership. Once the issues are selected, they are then sent to the Army Chief of Staff, Vice Chief of Staff, and Sergeant Major of the Army, who then assign them to relevant officers for actions.

AW2 will be participating in the 2010 AFAP Conference and will be presenting the Top 10 2009 AW2 Symposium Issues:

  • Community Support Coordinators in Geographically Dispersed Area
  • Comprehensive Psycoeducation for PTSD & TBI for Soldiers, Families, and Caregivers
  • Concurrent Receipt of Retired and VA Disability Pay
  • Process to Address Patient Feedback System in All VA Treatment Facilities
  • PTSD & TBI Education for DoD Healthcare Personnel
  • Stipend for Primary Caregivers of Ill/Injured Servicemembers
  • Service Dogs for Wounded Warriors
  • Understaffing of Behavioral Health Providers on All Army Installations
  • Enforcement of Medical Profile Compliance
  • Soldiers with PTSD/TBI Separated under Psychological / Behavioral Disorder Chapters

These issues were voted on by the AW2 Soldiers, Families, and Caregivers that attended the summer 2009 AW2 Symposium in San Antonio, TX.

Several AW2 Soldiers, Veterans, and Families from the 2009 AW2 Symposium will be attending the 2010 AFAP Worldwide Conference and the AW2 Blog will feature stories from them about their experiences at AFAP later in the week.

AW2 Symposium Closing Ceremony

Filed under 2009 Symposium, Symposium by on July 14, 2009 at 3:49 pm {no comments}

–By Sarah Greer, AW2 Stratcom–

This morning, AW2 Symposium delegates gathered one last time and reported their issues directly to senior Army leadership.

“You’ve worked hard this week,” Army Family Action Plan representative Ronnie Thomas told the delegates. “You took raw emotion written on a piece of paper and turned it into substantive recommendations that can help yourselves and other Army Families.”

The top five issues, as voted on by the Symposium delegates, are:

  1. Concurrent receipt of retired and Veterans Affairs (VA) disability pay
  2. Comprehensive psychoeducation for post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)/traumatic brain injury (TBI) servicemembers, family members, and caregivers
  3. Veterans Affairs (VA) education for Army Wounded Warrior Program Advocates
  4. Stipend for primary caregivers of ill/injured servicemembers
  5. Community support coordinators in geographically dispersed areas

Each of the five focus groups was represented by a spokesperson, who described the group’s top issue(s) to leadership and other delegates, and told some of the stories they had heard during the course of the week.

The VA focus group considered VA education for AW2 Advocates their top issue. “We want to advocate for our AW2 Advocates,” said focus group spokesperson and AW2 Soldier Jared Hatch. “We want to help them help us understand the programs and benefits available to wounded Soldiers. This shouldn’t be a difficult thing to implement.”

Jared also emphasized the difference concurrent receipt of payments would make for AW2 Families. “We know people are already working on this issue,” he said, “but if we don’t push it forward, it might wither away. Medically retired Soldiers have different needs than other retirees, such as childcare costs for medical appointments and often exceeding more than our TRICARE allowance for combat-related injuries.”

AW2 spouse Kimmie Davis represented the family focus group. “PTSD and TBI have touched all of us in a great way,” she said. Family members and caregivers need face-to-face education for how to care for their Soldiers with PTSD/TBI.”

Kimmie also discussed the need for a stipend for caregivers of AW2 Soldiers. “As a Family member myself, I quit my job to care for my injured husband,” she said. “Losing a job causes emotional and financial stress on the entire Family, and this shouldn’t be an additional burden for the Soldier and Family.”

AW2 Soldier and medical II focus group spokesperson David Booth discussed the passion his group members felt for placing community support coordinators in geographically dispersed areas. “We started discussing just the American islands,” he said, “and then realized that servicemembers throughout the country need focused support. It’s our goal for every single Soldier to be touched and represented, and to have access to the treatment facilities that can meet their needs.”

AW2 Soldier DeKeither Stamps represented the careers focus group. Their issues weren’t voted in the top five, but he emphasized the importance of taking care of wounded Soldiers for as long as it takes. “These Soldiers will never be the warfighters they once were,” he said. “We owe it to them and to the American people to return them to their communities with the tools to be successful.”

Army leadership was very receptive to all 11 issues presented this morning, including the six not voted in the final list. Leadership asked questions and pledged to work diligently to address these issues.

“AW2 will work inside the Army, inside the Defense Department and with other agencies to resolve these issues to the best of our ability,” said AW2 Director COL Jim Rice. “The 63 delegates this week have been the voice of all AW2 Soldiers, and AW2 takes their recommendations very seriously.”

AW2 Symposium: Wrapping Up

Filed under 2009 Symposium, Symposium by on July 13, 2009 at 3:48 pm {no comments}

Focus Groups Finish Issue Statements

The focus group sessions finished this afternoon, and delegates are anxious to vote on the top Symposium issues tomorrow morning. They spent most of today finalizing the scope of their issue statements and writing them in Army Family Action Plan (AFAP) format.

AW2 spouse Kimmie Davis was selected spokesperson for the Family group, and she is excited to present to leadership tomorrow. “All the statistics don’t matter at this point,” she said. “What matters is fixing the problems.”

“My group made a good partnership,” said AW2 Soldier Jay Wilkerson. “I wanted to be a delegate because I wanted to help level the playing field so all Soldiers have access to the same opportunities.”

AW2 spouse Julie Jones said the Medical II group has narrowed their issues. “We’re just working hard to coordinate it right so the Army takes appropriate action,” she said. “We think it’s such an important issue that affects Soldiers all over the country, and we’re very passionate about it.”

AW2 Advocate Clay Rankin is also an AW2 Soldier who attended Symposium as a delegate last year. “This year was so different, because I spent my time taking care of Soldiers,” he said. “I love taking care of Soldiers whether they’re sick, upset, or just need a few minutes of down time.” Clay and his service dog Archie were among the most popular Symposium participants. “We even joined the Medical I group for a while to talk about the financial issues facing Veterans with service dogs. And everyone loves Archie!” he added.

Operation Purple Camp Presentation

Tonight, AW2 kids and the National Military Family Association (NMFA) treated delegates to a presentation on their Ultimate Urban Adventure. AW2 Sergeant Major SGM Brent Jurgersen told the crowd that “this is the best show in San Antonio tonight! There’s nothing more precious than our kids.”

The kids immediately paraded into the Texas Ballroom with military precision. Their eyes twinkled in a mix of excitement and exhaustion. Several made eye contact with their parents across the room, as AW2 Soldiers, Veterans, and spouses focused digital cameras with pride.

“We’ve focused on fun this week,” said Liz Larsen, NMFA Field Coordinator, “but we’ve also tried to instill the idea that kids serve too. Your children are great examples of a military child.”

Many of the Operation Purple Camp activities took place at the YMCA of Greater San Antonio. Camp Director Jason McColl introduced his staff and mentioned that most of them had never worked with military children before. “We fell in love with your kids,” Jason told AW2 delegates. “We had a blast working with them, and serving your children was an honor and privilege.”

Operation Purple Camp incorporated the idea of Army Strong, Family Strong into the week’s activities. Each child gave their parents a written note about what it means to be Family Strong. “Reading these notes makes me proud to be an Army wife,” said Liz, before she anonymously read some of the messages aloud:

  • My Family is strong because my dad is strong, and we will never give up.
  • My dad is my hero. Even though you got injured fighting for my freedom, you’re still strong.
  • I love you because you fought for my independence.

Each age group of campers then presented a cadence they’d written specifically for the week, including a stomp performance by the teenagers. Here’s the breakdown of the group names:

  • Screaming Eagles (ages 5-7)
  • Army Brats (ages 8-9)
  • Delta Force (ages 10-12)
  • Nine Strong (ages 13-17)

Liz presented AW2 Director COL Jim Rice and SGM Jurgersen with a purple quilt showcasing pictures of the children and their wounded service member. Then, the crowd laughed and shed a few tears while watching a slide show of the kids engaging in activities at the YMCA, Sea World, and the Alamo.

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