Army National Guard Family Readiness Group

If you are National Guard, I'd love to hear about your Family Readiness Group.

While my husband was active duty, I ran one FRG long-distance (during his OCS--and we were spread out throughout the country) and was the co-leader for another (while his unit was deployed).

During the last year he has been in the National Guard. No one has contacted me about any sort of family group, although I received some general information about the National Guard family programs when DH first joined his unit. They seemed interested in volunteers, but only mentioned something about me going to a training program and that was the last I heard of it.

Now DH is about to take command. His unit is not slated to deploy as a unit during his command. I'm not sure what, if any, contact from me would be desirable for the families. A simple letter just so you know my name and contact information should you ever want to reach me? An invitation to a family day? Monthly e-mail updates about the unit's training?

So, any insight from y'all would be much appreciated. Feel free to answer whichever questions you like and add your own thoughts:

Have you been contacted by an FRG representative?

If so, was that representative military personnel, a civilian employee, or a family volunteer?

Is your spouse deployed/deploying?

Is your spouse's NG unit deploying as a unit?

Are there events (Holiday Parties, Picnics, etc.) hosted for families in your spouse's unit and, if so, have you attended? Why or why not?

Would you attend family events if you were available on that date? Why or why not?

What would you like to see from an NG FRG while your spouse is stateside?

What about while your spouse is deployed?

What information would you like to receive in a letter from your spouse's commander and/or the FRG leader?

Military Not Poor, Dumb, and Lazy Says Heritage Foundation

So, in a study that will shock (sarcasm) anyone actually involved with the military...the Heritage Foundation has pointed out that our service members are actually more or less representative of the population in terms of education and family wealth (via Freakonomics Blog on the NYT). This is not news, as it supports prior studies that revealed the same information.

The Northeast is underrepresented, but most enlisted service members hail from middle class neighborhoods and are more likely to have achieved a higher level of education than their civilian counterparts.

So, while statistics can be manipulated, this certainly argues against the idea that the military is an employer of last resort.

As always, the comment are as illuminating as the article. Definitely worth reading through them...

Thoughts?

Junior is HERE!

For those who have not made the switch to following my personal life over at Mama Saga, I wanted to let you know that GIANT BABY has made his appearance (click for pics).

I've been quiet because I've been recovering and working...

More military thoughts, information and ideas to follow on An Army Wife's Life.