Family care plan helps bring peace of mind

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Danielle Wolf
  • 442nd Fighter Wing
WHITEMAN AIR FORCE BASE, Mo. --  The Air Force is a mobile force. With only 72-hours notice, Airmen can be headed to a deployment anywhere in the world. These locations often have little access to technology or outside communication.

Having an up-to-date family care plan is one of the most important ways Airmen will contribute to the Air Force mission and ensure their family's well-being. The commander of the 442nd Fighter Wing, Col. Mark Clemons, said taking care of families is the responsibility of Airmen and is highly-encouraged by wing officials.

"If something happens we need to be able to take care of your family to take care of the mission," he said.

The plan is mandatory for all single parents with custody of dependents and those who are married military-to-military with dependents. While many Airmen may still have a plan in order from the wing's recent Air Expeditionary Force deployment, Chief Master Sgt. Allan Sturges, the 442nd's command chief master sergeant, said it still needs to be frequently updated.

"We talk about the importance of the plan, but if we don't keep it current, it does no good," he said. "You need to check your information for correctness; any changes need to be updated and you have to periodically verify the data."

An Air Force auditor recently worked with Senior Master Sgt. Timothy Storms, first sergeant of the 442nd Maintenance Squadron, to verify the data of members' Family Care plans.

"We saw that there are a lot of things that need to be cleaned up," he said. "When you know you had a change, you need to tell us because we're not going to know."

Colonel Clemons and Chief Sturges agreed the life of a reservist is three-tiered. They must balance their civilian career, family life and military life. An important part of this is making sure dependents are cared for at all times.

"If we don't balance all three, we're not effective reservists for (our wing's upcoming operational readiness inspection) or the global war on terrorism," the Chief said.

Family preparedness is not only important for deployments, he said, but also for day-to-day life.

"We don't want to look at the dark side, the 'what-if,' but we have to," he said. "This needs to be looked at like a will and constantly maintained."

Along with the Family Care Plan, members are encouraged to keep their spouses updated on family and financial affairs.

"You don't want to wait to get your affairs in order," Chief Sturges said. "Bank account passwords, combinations to the safe, do they know how to do everything they would need to do, right now?"

The family care plan will not only assist reservists that are being deployed, but also those who are faced with unexpected situations. Anyone wanting more information should speak with their unit first sergeant.