During times of war and conflict that involve members of our country’s armed service, few fail to understand the toil and stress that deployment brings upon the families involved.
At a moment’s notice, service members may be called for deployment in far away lands with only a week to a few days to spare before leaving.
As troops are in combat in Afghanistan and Iraq, support is being provided for families so that they may combat stress and other factors that hinder them.
One form of support was The Loved Ones Appreciation Day held by the U.S. Army Reserve 1190th Deployment Support Brigade at the Marvin J. Roberts U.S. Army Reserve Center in Baton Rouge.
On April 13, the 1190th held the event to support families of troops who are serving with detachments based in the metropolitan Baton Rouge area.
“This is to show appreciation for the families left behind,” said Lieutenant Colonel Gina Rossi, the center’s public affairs officer. “Every unit has a unit support designee and with the help of Lt. Col. Campbell, the family support officer, we are able to do that and be there for them.”
Various community organizations were on hand to exhibit services provided to families of deployed service members. Among the organizations was the Boys and Girls Club of Baton Rouge, Inc. They were present to register kids of deployed soldiers into a special camp organized just for them.
The American Red Cross provided a booth for families to visit. While oversees, the Red Cross is the organization which acts as a liaison between service members and their families in time of emergency. They also provide financial support for families when they are confronted with an unavoidable crisis during peacetime and wartime situations.
Students from the Southern University Recruit Officer Training Corps were in attendance to show their support of the event.
“It’s nice to be here,” said Cadet Brittany Haynes, a junior from Baton Rouge. “The families and soldiers need to be in touch with the community to know they care.”
Haynes’s mother, SGT Linda Haynes is currently deployed with the 1190th to the Middle East and has been gone since January. Haynes said that her mother could be gone at least a year.
Another member of the SU ROTC is Battalion Commander Cadet Stacie Maiden. Maiden’s brother, Lance Corporal Aaron Sanford, is currently in Kuwait. It was her brother’s unit that found the chemical suits that led the U.S. to believe that there were more weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.
“The unit has been very supportive,” said Maiden. “We need support like this from everywhere, including our university.”
