Local News - March 2003

Local support group formed to help for military families

By JEREMY ASHTON, LTN Staff Writer

March 5, 2003 - When military personnel are shipped out, the families left behind in base housing have the benefit of a built-in support group.

The family of active duty personnel, reservists and National Guardsman who don’t live in military communities don’t necessarily have that luxury.

So as a possible war with Iraq looms, the Lincoln County Chapter of the American Red Cross is sponsoring a military support group that will meet every Monday night at 7 p.m. at the Red Cross office, 527 N. Aspen St.

“A lot of issues happen when husbands and wives are leaving,” said Louann Freshour, executive director of the Lincoln Red Cross. “(Family members) just need to know that there are other people out there that are going through the same things they are going through.”

Granville Angell, a professional counselor with Transitions Counseling Services in Vale who will be the group facilitator, said the meetings will be a “safe forum” for people to get feedback from one another and talk about any fears they might have. Angell stressed that the support group will be completely confidential, with anything said in the meeting room remaining private.

The goal of the meetings is to create a sense of “community” that families of active military personnel already have.

“The group support is a very important thing, feeling like you’re not alone in this,” Angell said.

With the deployment of troops to the Middle East progressing rapidly, Angell can relate to what military personnel and their families are going through.

He has been in combat before, having served a tour of duty as a helicopter pilot in Vietnam in 1968 and 1969. The experience, he said, will help him of identify with the group.

Angell has also offered counseling to people in similar situations in the past.

In December 2001, he went to Ground Zero in New York to talk to people affected by the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Ten years before that during the Persian Gulf War, Angell was part of a support group in Lincoln County just like the one being organized now.

That conflict happened relatively quickly in a time when Americans felt secure at home. The current situation has a very different feel with the threat of terrorism, according to Angell.

“This time, it feels to me like we’re all right here on the front line … ,” he said. “I think what we realize is we’re not as safe we thought we were.”

The group meetings have the dual purpose of informing family members about the services the Red Cross offers, which Freshour will be discussing Saturday morning with family members of National Guardsman.

In case of family emergencies, spouses can always get a message to military personnel through the Red Cross. The organization offers emergency financial assistance for family crises and has a referral service for any other needs.

“We want to make sure the families know that Red Cross is there, and that we do have services available for them,” Freshour said.

Angell said volunteering for the Red Cross is also a good way for people to be involved if an armed conflict occurs.

 Freshour noted that the Lincoln chapter can use people to answer phone calls, work at bloodmobiles and volunteer for disaster action teams.

—————

For more information about the support group, contact the Red Cross at 704-735-3500..

© 2001 Lincoln Times-News  

Terms and Conditions