Photo caption: Brick resident Lt. Col. (Chaplain) Alphonse J. Stephenson (second from right), of the 108th Air Refueling Wing, New Jersey Air National Guard, located at McGuire Air Force Base, received the New Jersey Air National Guard Outstanding Family Readiness and Support Award from Governor James E. McGreevey (second from left), Commander-in-Chief of the New Jersey National Guard, Brig. Gen. Glenn K. Rieth (left), The Adjutant General of New Jersey, and Linda Rieth, Family Programs Advisor to The Adjutant General and the spouse of Brig. Gen. Rieth, at the Annual Military Review held at the National Guard Training Center in Sea Girt, N.J., on Sept. 29.  Photo by Tech. Sgt. Mark Olsen, New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans Affairs Public Affairs.

SEA GIRT, NJ - Background on the 108th Air Refueling Wing Family Readiness Center.  Under the direction of Lt. Col. Stephenson, the Center has had a direct impact on improving the morale of unit personnel and their families.  During the past year, full-time Family Readiness employees have joined forces with unit members, family members, 108th retirees, and other volunteers to provide support to deployed unit members and their families.

 Following Sept. 11, 2001, the 108th was tasked to provide air refueling for the Combat Air Patrol (CAP) missions operating in the Northeast Corridor.  In October 2001, more than 100 members of the 108th Security Forces Squadron were mobilized to provide security for government installations stateside, and to perform other security missions abroad.  In early December 2001, approximately 200 unit members were deployed to Oman in support of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM.  With so many unit members deployed, the 108th Family Readiness Program was restructured to improve service to unit members and their families.  The Chaplain’s Office was given oversight of the program.  Members of the 108th Civil Engineering Squadron converted a vacated work area into the new Family Readiness Center.  Additional telephones were installed to handle the increased number of morale calls made by deployed members to their families back home.  Unit members who were deployed to Oman could not make commercial telephone phone calls to their families at home, and could only make a limited number of morale calls home via the military telephone network.  By the end of December, 108th Family Readiness Center volunteers were manning phones eight hours a day, seven days a week and maintained this same level of telephone coverage throughout the entire six-month period of the unit’s deployment to Oman.  During this period, Readiness Center volunteers processed an average of more than 850 calls per month.

 The 108th Family Readiness Center also became a reception center for the reunion of families with returning unit members.  The waiting area was furnished with tables, chairs, couches and a television/VCR to create a comfortable area for families.  Family members were invited to the Family Readiness Center to ensure that family and friends of returning unit members met every aircraft returning from Oman.

Background on the annual National Guard Outstanding Family Readiness and Support Award: The Award is presented to one Army and one Air National Guard person or unit.  The award acknowledges the outstanding contributions of family members, groups or units who have provided exceptional support to Family Readiness. The criteria for nomination for this award includes significant outstanding contributions, as well as improving the quality of life for the unit or units, and providing exceptional support for Family Readiness.