Yellow Ribbon event welcomes home 459th reservists

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Sasha S. Skrine
  • 459th ARW Public Affairs Office
NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. --  Assisting service members and their families with the post-deployment process was the goal of the 459th Air Refueling Wing's first Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program event.

"We are here to equip returning reservists with the tools and resources they need to assist them as they transition back into their civilian lives," said Colonel Mike Allman, 459th Air Refueling Wing vice commander.

The 459th event, which took place April 24-25, kicked off with an ice breaker reception where reservists and their families mixed and mingled with local personalities to rock tunes performed by the Air Force band, Max Impact. The Air Force Drill Team also performed.

Next, reservists attended a day long workshop which brought representatives from both on and off base organizations including the Employer Support for the Guard and Reserve, Military One Source, Tricare, the Veteran's Administration, and the 459th Airman and Family Readiness Center.

"I learned a lot about the resources that are available to me as a recently deployed member," said Captain Eugenia Ramirez, who recently returned from a five month deployment to southwest Asia. Capt Ramirez attended the event with her fiancé and said that she would highly recommend fellow reservists take the time out to attend the next event.

Yellow Ribbon is a congressionally legislated directive that provides deployment support and reintegration programs for National Guard and Reserve members and their families to help minimize the stresses of deployments and family separation.

In October 2008, the Secretary of Defense approved the program for implementation at all Reserve and National Guard units. The program provides information, services, referral, and community and employer outreach programs to all Reserve and Guard members and their families through all phases of the deployment cycle.

To find out more information regarding the Yellow Ribbon program, please contact the 459th ARW Yellow Ribbon Program coordinator, Senior Master Sgt. Jennifer Hutcherson at 240-857-7023.