459 ARW Airmen and their families attend Yellow Ribbon event

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Steve Lewis
  • 459th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. --  The 459th Air Refueling Wing hosted a Yellow Ribbon event at the Gaylord National Hotel and Convention Center for Airmen and their family members, Nov. 19-21.

The event was part of the overall Yellow Ribbon program, which is a congressionally-legislated directive that provides Reserve and National Guard Airmen and their family with deployment support and reintegration programs. Outreach services are available to servicemembers during every step of the mobilization process, including the pre-deployment, deployment and post-deployment phases.

The Airmen who attended the Yellow Ribbon event at the Gaylord recently returned from deployments to Afghanistan, Iraq and Guam. They were previously involved with reintegration sessions where they met with officials from several areas including the chaplain's office, the legal office and the medical group. The three-day event held here further augmented those reintegration sessions and provided a more relaxed atmosphere for Airmen to enjoy time with their loved ones.

Throughout the weekend, several briefings were held, which included Veterans benefits, Employer Support for the Guard and Reserve, personal finance and healthy living. In between activities and break-out sessions, 459 ARW Airmen and their families were also treated to performances by the U.S. Air Force Honor Guard drill team and the U.S. Air Force premier rock band, Max Impact.

Col. James M. Allman, 459 ARW commander, presided over the Yellow Ribbon event and spoke to Airmen and their families in between the briefings. He said the event provided everyone with an atmosphere that enabled them to interact with others who sacrificed for their deployment.

"Yellow Ribbon is a critical benefit to our Reserve members and their family. It helps with retention, developing resilience and creating the support that's needed by everyone involved in the deployment process," Colonel Allman said. "Overall, I thought the weekend was outstanding," he said.

In order to attend all the briefings and take part in the camaraderie of the weekend, Airmen and their families were provided a two-night stay at the Gaylord. Child care was also offered free of charge to families who brought their children.

Senior Master Sgt. Jennifer Hutcherson, 69th Aerial Port Squadron first sergeant and Yellow Ribbon event planner, helped to ensure the success of the weekend by working with multiple wing offices.

"This was the wing's third Yellow Ribbon event. I think the program really helps our Airmen who normally get a little too much information before and after deployments while going through those processing lines. This weekend provided them with a different a setting and got them the information they needed all at once," Sergeant Hutcherson said.

Staff Sgt. John Arsenault, 69 APS transportation specialist, joined fellow Airmen in attending the Yellow Ribbon event. He returned from a deployment to Afghanistan and had been to a similar event before he went overseas earlier this year.

"I thought the event was great. It gave us all a good opportunity to learn about our benefits as Veterans," Sergeant Arsenault said. "The education and healthy living sessions were especially informative to me."

Sergeant Hutcherson said the wing's Yellow Ribbon program will continue to grow past the events like the one held here. As different wing offices like services, Airmen readiness and family support help to keep the information flowing, 459 ARW servicemembers and their families will continue to receive the aid they need during every phase of the deployment process.