WASHINGTON, D.C., Oct. 9, 2007 -- Mrs. Patty Shinseki, the wife of the former chief of staff, opened the second AUSA Family Forum by introducing Living in the New Normal, ™  a multi-partner initiative borne out of the Military Child Education Coalition (MCEC), a family program that also seeks to support the goals of the Army Family Covenant.
 
 “Living in the New Normal focuses on the emotional health of children of deployed parents,” said Shinseki, who outlined key services and resources the group provides, including professional development for educators and community professionals interested in helping military children, a comprehensive bibliography of useful resources for families (found at www.militarychild.org), and partnerships with state and community leaders.  All plans have a local focus to help families build a support network in their communities.
 
Brig. Gen. Belinda Pinckney, commanding general of the Army Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation Command, noted that the Army partners with groups like MCEC, and through various other independent initiatives is bolstering its support of peer support groups, camps, child care, counseling and other services as part of the Army Soldier Family Action Plan (ASFAP). 1.4 billion dollars have been allocated to such programs for fiscal year 2008, said Pinckney, noting the jump in funding from $100 million the previous year.
 
Emphasizing the importance of the 1.4 billion budget allocation,  Pete Geren, secretary of the Army, said  “We are in an era of persistent conflict” and “we have a duty” to the 500,000 Army spouses and 700,000 Army kids, he said. Geren added that these initiatives will be longer-term as much of the current supplemental budget going towards these initiatives will eventually secure a place in the base budget.
 
The theme of cultivating a supportive community reverberated throughout the forum. Mrs. Meredith Leyva spoke about Operation Homefront, a charitable group that helps wounded soldiers by providing a range of support from advice on navigating the health system to help with retrofitting homes for ease of mobility.
 
Operation Homefront was started by an online community of Army spouses called CinCHouse.com. “There remains a disturbing callousness and compassion fatigue,” observes Leyva about the care of veterans who suffer from debilitating psychological traumas. Leyva encourages Army families to take advantage of the “instant support” that is available online 24 hours a day to wounded soldiers and their spouses or significant others at www.CinCHouse.com.
 
 David Callies, chief of Child and Family Services at Fort Lewis, spoke of his work rolling-out programs in schools near several installations, a method he envisions being replicated in other parts of the country. The program comprises several sessions that deal with topics like understanding feelings, identifying emotionally tough times of the day (like bedtime or afternoon recess), and developing a problem solving process. The goal is to equip kids with the tools to cope in the healthiest manner possible.
 
Social worker Mrs. Vicki Johnson, an Army spouse and columnist, conducted an unscientific survey of her readers that revealed children of deployed parents face many of the same issues, such as sleeping difficulties, eating problems, anxiety, and concern for the deployed parent’s safety. Johnson has found that discussion groups, team building exercises, drama classes, conflict resolution skills classes, and arts and crafts activities can help children cope with deployment.
 
On a lighter note, Dr. Jeanette Betancourt of The Sesame Workshop returned to announce that new Elmo DVDs will soon be available online for download (free of charge). This time Elmo and his friends will be dealing with tougher issues, such as multiple deployments, TBI, PTSD, and physical injury. Children and parents use the stories to communicate openly about the challenges of Army life at wartime, said Betancourt. The DVDs will be available in January, said Betancourt. Look for them at www.sesameworkshop.org.
 
 
POC:
John Grady
Director of Communications
Association of the United States Army
(703)-907-2613
jgrady@ausa.org