The town hall brought installation support agencies together to share information on financial planning, deployment benefits, family support programs and other pre-deployment resources.
U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Candice White, the noncommissioned officer in charge of the Military & Family Readiness Center, leads the initiative. The M&FRC aims to host town halls quarterly to make important information more accessible.
“The concept is to make sure that we are ready as an installation,” said Betzaida Santana, a personal and work-life representative with the M&FRC. “That means making sure our service members and their families know what resources are available to them before a deployment.”
The event welcomed service members at various stages of the deployment cycle, giving them a direct line to installation support agencies.
“I’ve deployed before, but I didn’t have access to resources like these,” said Staff Sgt. Russell Byrd, NCOIC of executive services with the 11th Wing. “Having everything in one place and learning about the support available to me and my family is extremely helpful as I prepare for another deployment.”
The initiative also emphasizes support for military families throughout the deployment process. Organizers have scheduled upcoming family activities including a bowling and crafts event and a farm outing. These events are designed to help families bond and build peer support networks before their service members depart.
By bringing service members, families and base agencies together, the initiative strengthens deployment readiness, bolsters family resilience and ensures service members have a reliable support system from pre-deployment to reintegration.
