9/22/2010 –
Imagine the thoughts of a soon-to-be dad, nervously anticipating the future of his growing family. Now imagine this person thousands of miles away in a harsh environment. This is just one scenario of what military members may go through during an overseas deployment.
The Yellow Ribbon Program was created to support military members and families facing difficult deployment situations. In the Air Force Reserves, the YRP encourages airmen to meet with service providers and learn about their military benefits. Some of the benefits include psychological care and employment help.
Master Sgt. Michelle Duchesne, 940th Wing Yellow Ribbon Program representative, attended a YRP conference in September in Orlando, Fla. Duchesne said the conference focused on how to make the YRP a better experience for airmen. Yellow Ribbon representatives are making sure deployed airmen are well taken care of, said Duchesne.
Duchesne explained one of her roles with program is to keep track of those who are eligible to attend YRP events. She also said the conference taught her how much support is out there for the program.
Capt. Jason Bredeson, the 940th Wing Chaplain, also attended the conference. Bredeson said the YRP conference was very positive and offered networking opportunities with other military chaplains. The chaplain said the networking taught him what works and doesn't work for the program.
"I learned about the importance of chaplains being available to the people at Yellow Ribbon events," said Bredeson.
Overall, the conference was a chance for Yellow Ribbon representatives across the services to better serve our military men and woman who bravely put themselves in harms-way to protect our country.
For more information about the Yellow Ribbon Program, you can go to
www.yellowribbon.mil/