Some of you may be wondering what in the world I mean by a "FRO". :) You may be curious if I have decided to go with the wonderful fashion statement of an Afro. Fear not. I could NEVER pull that off and I have no desire to even attempt it. Ben doesn't have enough hair to do it, so what in the world am I talking about?
A FRO is a Family Readiness Officer. Each unit has one and this particular person is typically a civilian that works directly with the...well, I'm going to just provide you with the technical definition to make things easier. :)
"The Family Readiness Officer (FRO) is the face of the Commander's vision for the Unit Personnel and Family Readiness Program. The FRO is the direct link to the Marines and their family members. Headquarters and Service Battalion, HQMC, Henderson Hall Unit Personnel and Family Readiness Program (UPFRP) provides training and referral resources to Marines and communicates through a variety of channels to the spouses, parents, and extended family members. The goal is to equip and assist families in becoming well-informed, self-sufficient, and improve their quality of life thus allowing Marines to feel at ease on the home front which promotes Mission Readiness." (http://www.marines.mil/unit/hqmc/hqbat/Pages/FamilyReadiness.aspx)
I hope that didn't confuse you more, but I think you can grasp the idea of what this person does. They reach out to the family members and spouses and get information and then advise the Command Team (CO, XO, Chaplain, etc.). That leads to events that help inform the family members. Some of those events may include sessions on how to deal with deployments, financial struggles, etc. to service those who are going through those situations.
Why in the world am I telling you all of this? Well, we just got a new FRO after not having one for a few months. Our last one moved back to the States in May or June. We had a Meet & Greet with the new FRO on Tuesday night and that was great! Tashema is awesome and very motivated to help the family members with whatever they need.
Another reason I'm sharing all of this with you is that I've decided to take up the position of FRO Assistant. I still have to be interviewed by the CO, but it should all pan out. According to Tashema, this means that I'll be doing pretty much what she does (just as a volunteer). I'll send emails, call people, brainstorm for ideas for events, etc. This is a volunteer position, so there is no set schedule for when I go in and help, but when there are events I will be more involved for sure. I will also be going to as many of the Command Team meetings as I can to know what is going on in the unit and to be able to help more accurately.
To give you an example of some of the events coming up for CAB (Combat Assault Battalion), we have a "Taste of Home" in November right before Thanksgiving. That will include turkeys and all of the fixings for our single Marines so that they can enjoy a Thanksgiving meal even when they cannot be home with their families. Another event that we will have in the Spring is "Jane Wayne Day". That will be where the spouses can go and experience some of what their husbands get to do every day. I'm sure there will be shooting involved...which makes me very excited! :)
Let me know if you have questions about this, but I wanted you to know about something that I'm getting involved in here on the island. Have a great day, everyone!!
A FRO is a Family Readiness Officer. Each unit has one and this particular person is typically a civilian that works directly with the...well, I'm going to just provide you with the technical definition to make things easier. :)
"The Family Readiness Officer (FRO) is the face of the Commander's vision for the Unit Personnel and Family Readiness Program. The FRO is the direct link to the Marines and their family members. Headquarters and Service Battalion, HQMC, Henderson Hall Unit Personnel and Family Readiness Program (UPFRP) provides training and referral resources to Marines and communicates through a variety of channels to the spouses, parents, and extended family members. The goal is to equip and assist families in becoming well-informed, self-sufficient, and improve their quality of life thus allowing Marines to feel at ease on the home front which promotes Mission Readiness." (http://www.marines.mil/unit/hqmc/hqbat/Pages/FamilyReadiness.aspx)
I hope that didn't confuse you more, but I think you can grasp the idea of what this person does. They reach out to the family members and spouses and get information and then advise the Command Team (CO, XO, Chaplain, etc.). That leads to events that help inform the family members. Some of those events may include sessions on how to deal with deployments, financial struggles, etc. to service those who are going through those situations.
Why in the world am I telling you all of this? Well, we just got a new FRO after not having one for a few months. Our last one moved back to the States in May or June. We had a Meet & Greet with the new FRO on Tuesday night and that was great! Tashema is awesome and very motivated to help the family members with whatever they need.
Another reason I'm sharing all of this with you is that I've decided to take up the position of FRO Assistant. I still have to be interviewed by the CO, but it should all pan out. According to Tashema, this means that I'll be doing pretty much what she does (just as a volunteer). I'll send emails, call people, brainstorm for ideas for events, etc. This is a volunteer position, so there is no set schedule for when I go in and help, but when there are events I will be more involved for sure. I will also be going to as many of the Command Team meetings as I can to know what is going on in the unit and to be able to help more accurately.
To give you an example of some of the events coming up for CAB (Combat Assault Battalion), we have a "Taste of Home" in November right before Thanksgiving. That will include turkeys and all of the fixings for our single Marines so that they can enjoy a Thanksgiving meal even when they cannot be home with their families. Another event that we will have in the Spring is "Jane Wayne Day". That will be where the spouses can go and experience some of what their husbands get to do every day. I'm sure there will be shooting involved...which makes me very excited! :)
Let me know if you have questions about this, but I wanted you to know about something that I'm getting involved in here on the island. Have a great day, everyone!!
Wow!! I can picture you doing something like this. You have such a servants heart, and love to help people. Keep us posted on whether you get the position.
ReplyDeleteSo happy you have an FRO again! :) And thanks for explaining what it means!! (Ethan asked me if Jane Wayne was a famous person. Ha!!)
Hugs, Mom
The "Taste of Home" and Jane Wayne day sound super! I'm planning on going to the Taste of Home cooking school on Thurs. in Richfield. Maybe one of these years we can go together! :)
ReplyDeleteHave fun shooting!!