ORLANDO, FLORIDA --
The Air Force
Reserve Command concluded its final Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program
training weekend of 2016 Sunday doing what it did in 16 prior events this year:
promoting the well-being of reservists and their loved ones by connecting them
with resources before and after deployments.
"I wasn't
aware of the tremendous amount of support there is for military families,"
said Lateka Benson, wife of Tech. Sgt. Fabian Benson of the 94th Airlift Wing at Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Georgia. "I'm more prepared for (his upcoming) deployment, and
I have a sense of ease and comfort.”
Yellow Ribbon began
in 2008 following a congressional mandate for the Department of Defense to
assist reservists and National Guard members in maintaining resiliency as they
transition between their military and civilian roles.
The Bensons,
married for six years, attended the training with their four children to prepare
for the sergeant’s deployment, his second during the couple’s 10 years together
and third overall. The 17-year Air Force veteran is a knowledge operations
management Airman.
"It's going
to be difficult to be the only one making our ship sail smoothly," "Teka"
Benson said. "Making sure our kids get to their appointments and after-school
activities will be a challenge while their father … is deployed."
In addition to
attending group sessions and hearing a keynote speaker together, Yellow Ribbon
attendees choose from a variety of break-out sessions such as “Writing
Effective Resumes,” “Work/Life Balance Workshop” and “4 Lenses: What’s Your
Color?”
Teka Benson, who works
as a nosologist for a health-care software company, said she found 4 Lenses the
most beneficial session as she discovered a more in-depth understanding of
personality traits she and her husband have. With a better understanding of how
each faces challenges and what motivates them the most, she said she’ll be able
to recognize why certain decisions are made and how the thought process is
generated.
Her husband
agreed about the effectiveness of that breakout, describing it as “pretty
cool,” and said the Yellow Ribbon training overall was a “great family
experience.”
"I'm very
glad we took the opportunity to come to this one because of the holiday being
so close,” he said.
Yellow Ribbon has
12 training weekends already firm for 2017 with others to be added. In 2016, the
Air Force Reserve program trained about 7,200 GIs and those closest to them in
education benefits, health care, retirement information and more.
“We’re already busy
preparing for events through next September,” said Mary Hill, a retired Reserve
colonel who is the Yellow Ribbon program manager at Reserve headquarters at Robins
Air Force Base, Georgia. “Everyone involved in the program is really honored
that we get to support deployers and their families. It’s really a privilege
for us to be of service to them.”