Family Wellness Support

Group MOB/DEP & MFLC is offering a new re-source to Soldiers, Spouses, and Family mem-bers. The Family Wellness Support Group will be on the last Thursday of the month at ACS… for more information call ACS today

Stop by and meet the

wonderful Exceptional Family Member Program

Staff

Computer Basics for Job Seekers

Employment Readiness has partnered with Jefferson Express from Jefferson Community College to offer Soldiers, Spouses, Family Members and DoD Civil-ians free computer train-

ing. See flyer below for more information.

Training Available Key Caller Training: 14 February,

1400-1500 or 1700-1800, ACS. OPSEC Training: 27 February, 1300

-1430. CARE Team Training: 21 February,

0900-1230, ACS. Stress Management: 7 February,

1330-1530. Anger Management: 21 February,

1330-1530. Scream Free Parenting: 22-23 Feb-

ruary, 0900-1500. Couples Communication: 10 Febru-

ary, 1330-1530 . Informal Funds: 8 Mar., 1400-1500

or 1700-1800

FRG Leader: 8 March, 0900-1300

Topics of discussion are open to anything related to the wellness of the Military Family, to include (but not limited to)

Financial Management Reintegration Challenges Changes in Self and Soldier Combat Stress Children & Deployment

Facilitated by ACS Mobilization & Deployment and the Military Family Life Consultant Program (MFLC)

FAMILY WELLNESS SUPPORT GROUPShare your experiences to help others and let other’s experiences help you!

Meets on the last Thursday of the month10-11am & 6-7pm in ACS

(AER Conference Room) Upcoming dates:

23 February, 29 March, 26 April, 24 May, 28 June

Communication Community Activities Supporting a Special Needs

Family Member Stress Management

Task Force Tigershark FRSA Flash February 10, 2012

Available at ACS

Task Force Tigershark FRSA Flash February 9, 2012

Health Care

CPT Webber, Darcy

Chief, Environmental Health

Fort Drum MEDDAC is currently exploring options for environmentally friendly ways of disposing excess/expired household medications. Building the right program requires some feed-back from the Fort Drum community. Please fill out this VERY SHORT survey via the link be-low (60 seconds or less!) on your current concerns and disposal practices of prescriptions/over-the-counter medications. Your input is anonymous and the data will be utilized towards providing the Fort Drum community with a pharmaceuti-

cal disposal program and facility.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/HPV6VLW

Panetta Announces Fiscal 2013 Budget Priorities

According to Defense Secretary Leon E. Pa-netta, spending priorities in the forthcoming fiscal 2013 defense budget request calls for reductions in the end strength of the Army and Marine Corps, an increase in special op-erations forces and maintaining the number of big-deck carriers. Defense Department (DoD) officials used the new defense strat-egy guidance that President Barack Obama announced earlier this month to shape the budget request. The budget seeks to minimize the impact of cuts on personnel accounts as Service Members will receive their full pay raises in fiscal 2013 and 2014. Additionally, changes to health care will not affect active duty personnel or their families but they are recommending increases in health care fees, co-pays and deductibles for retirees. To read more about these budget priorities, please go to: http://1.usa.gov/w9GW12

2012 Scholarships for Military Children

Applications Available Applications for the 2012 Scholarships for Mili-tary Children program are now available at com-missaries worldwide as well as online through a link on http:// www.commissaries.com and

directly at http:// www.militaryscholar.org. The program awards at least one $1,500 scholar-ship to a student at each commissary. Scholar-ships are funded by donations from commissary vendors, manufacturers, brokers, suppliers and the general public. To be eligible for a scholarship, the student must have a military ID card and be an unmarried child of a Service member on active duty, reservist, guardsman, retiree or survivor of a military member who died while on active duty or survivor of a retiree and no older than 21, or 23 if enrolled as a full-time student at a college or university. Applications must be turned in at a

commissary by close of business 24 February. Valentine Day Fun Facts: Here is the most enjoyable and unbelievable collection of Valentine's Day Fun Facts. Share these fun facts with your friends to amaze them this Valentine Day. * About 1 billion Valentine's Day cards are exchanged in US each year. That's the largest seasonal card-sending occasion of the year, next to Christmas. * Women purchase 85% of all valentines. * Worldwide, over 50 million roses are given for Valentine's Day each year. * Men buy most of the millions of boxes of candy and bouquets of flowers given on Valentine's Day. * In the Middle Ages, young men and women drew names from a bowl to see who their valentines would be. They would wear these names on their sleeves for one week. To wear your heart on your sleeve now means that it is easy for other people to know how you are feeling. * The Italian city of Verona, where Shakespeare's lovers Romeo and Juliet lived, receives about 1,000 letters addressed to Juliet every Valentine's Day.

* The oldest surviving love poem till date is written in a clay tablet from the times of the Sumerians, inventors of writing, around 3500 B.C * Amongst the earliest Valentine's Day gifts were candies. The most common were chocolates in heart shaped boxes. * In some countries, a young woman may receive a gift of clothing from a prospec-tive suitor. If the gift is kept, then it means she has accepted his proposal of marriage * If an individual thinks of five or six names considered to be suitable marriage partners and twists the stem of an apple while the names are being recited, then it is believed the eventual spouse will be the one whose name was recited at the moment the stem broke. * In Medieval times, girls ate unusual foods on St Valentine's Day to make them dream of their future husband.

Contents of this newsletter are com-piled from multiple Military Family news sources. Material presented does not represent the views or en-dorsement of Task Force Tigershark or the Army. This material is for per-sonal use of the readers. All readers are encouraged to do further re-search for all applicable restrictions and guidelines.

Task Force Tigershark FRSA Flash February 9, 2012

Health Care

CPT Webber, Darcy

Fort Drum MEDDAC is currently exploring options for environmentally friendly ways of disposing excess/expired household medications. Building the right program requires some feed-back from the Fort Drum community. Please fill out this VERY SHORT survey via the link be-low (60 seconds or less!) on your current concerns and disposal practices of prescriptions/over-the-counter medications. Your input is anonymous and the data will be utilized towards providing the Fort Drum community with a pharmaceuti-cal disposal program and facility. http://

www.surveymonkey.com/s/HPV6VLW

Panetta Announces Fiscal 2013 Budget Priorities

According to Defense Secretary Leon E. Pa-netta, spending priorities in the forthcoming fiscal 2013 defense budget request calls for reductions in the end strength of the Army and Marine Corps, an increase in special op-erations forces and maintaining the number of big-deck carriers. Defense Department (DoD) officials used the new defense strat-egy guidance that President Barack Obama announced earlier this month to shape the budget request. The budget seeks to minimize the impact of cuts on personnel accounts as Service Members will receive their full pay raises in fiscal 2013 and 2014. Additionally, changes to health care will not affect active duty personnel or their families but they are recommending increases in health care fees, co-pays and deductibles for retirees. To read more about these budget priorities, please go to: http://1.usa.gov/w9GW12

2012 Scholarships for Military Children

Applications Available Applications for the 2012 Scholarships for Mili-

tary Children program are now available at com-missaries worldwide as well as online through a link on http:// www.commissaries.com and

directly at http:// www.militaryscholar.org. The program awards at least one $1,500 scholar-ship to a student at each commissary. Scholar-ships are funded by donations from commissary vendors, manufacturers, brokers, suppliers and the general public. To be eligible for a scholarship, the student must have a military ID card and be an unmarried child of a Service member on active duty, reservist, guardsman, retiree or survivor of a military member who died while on active duty or survivor of a retiree and no older than 21, or 23 if enrolled as a full-time student at a college or university. Applications must be turned in at a

commissary by close of business 24 February.

Black Women in American Culture & History

Anybody who thinks her dreams are impossible or that society can’t be changed by one person’s efforts need only look to these women as role models. Their bravery and determination acted as catalysts for profound change in the world, and each had only one thing in common—the belief that she could make it happen. Yes they could, and yes we can too.

Sojourner Truth Sojourner was born into slavery with the name Isabella Baumfree. She changed her name after escaping from her owner and became a Christian preacher while living with a family in New York. After the state’s Emancipation Act was passed, she became a vehement and vocal supporter of abolition and women’s rights. She traveled the country giving speeches, including a famous one entitled Ain’t I a Woman? that emphasized the strength and power of women and the need for equality between the sexes.

Harriet Tubman Like Sojourner, Harriet was born into slavery and found a means of escape with the help of her abolitionist neighbors. In 1849, she fled her slave life in Maryland and found respite in Philadel-phia. There she formulated a plan to liberate the rest of her family by way of the Underground Railroad, a system that involved moving slaves from one safe house to another under rigid secrecy.

She was able to free her family and numerous other slaves throughout the years, taking them as far as Canada and helping them find safe jobs. Later, she worked as a nurse during the Civil War and was a proponent of both women’s suffrage and the abolitionist movement.

Mae Jemison A physician who volunteered with the Peace Corps and the first female African American astronaut, Mae was also the first black woman to go into space. After her 1992 expedition on the Endeavor shuttle, she left NASA and founded the Dorothy Jemison Foundation for Excellence (which sponsors science camps for kids), as well as companies involved in scientific and technological research. Currently, she is a professor at Cornell University and strongly involved in the science community.

Rosa Parks This list wouldn’t be complete without including Rosa Parks, the woman who refused to give up her bus seat in 1955 and sparked a movement that led to the end of segregation. Her courageous act fueled the Civil Rights Movement and inspired Martin Luther King, Jr. to get involved. Along with MLK, Jr., she continues to inspire those who still fight for equality. Anybody who thinks her dreams are impossible or that society can’t be changed by one person’s efforts need only look to these women as role models. Their bravery and determination acted as catalysts for profound change in the world, and each had only one thing in common—the belief that she could make it happen. Yes they could, and yes we can too.

Task Force Tigershark FRSA Flash February 9, 2012

Resources: Military Kids Connect is a website designed to help military kids support one another and learn coping skills in dealing with the challenges of handling deployments.

Myarmyonesource: this website provides

24/7 assistance. Military Family Life Consultants (MFLC) provide solution-oriented consultations to indi-viduals, couples, families, and groups. The Military and Family Life Consultant (MFLC) Program is designed to provide support and assistance to active duty Soldiers, National Guard & Reserves, military Family Members and civilian personnel. Military and Family Life Consultants can help people who are having trouble coping with concerns and issues of daily life. Some Examples of Issues Include: Adjustment/Transition Stress Marital/couples Anxiety/Sadness Deployment Cycle Issues Communication Aggression Work, parenting

Grief/loss MFLC Solutions: Flexible appointment times Flexible meeting locations *Confidential No Records Kept FREE Locations are : 10th CAB Headquarters : 315-405-7449 ACS: 315-212-6919 Child & Youth Behavioral Military & Family Life Consultant: 315-523-3141

Militarymentalhealth.org: Military Mental Health Screening Program Military life, especially deployments or mobiliza-tions, can present challenges to service members and their families that are both unique and diffi-cult. Some are manageable, some are not. Many times we can successfully deal with them on our own. In some instances matters get worse and one problem can trigger other more serious issues. At such times it is wise to check things out and see what is really happening. That’s the purpose of these totally anonymous and voluntary self-assessments. These questions are designed so you can review your situation with regard to some of the more common mental health issues including, posttrau-matic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety, alcohol problems and more. The screening will not provide a diagnosis – for that you need to see a professional. But, it will tell you whether or not you have symptoms that are consistent with a condition or concern that would benefit from further evaluation or treatment. It will also give you guidance as to where you might seek assis-tance.

Chaplain Installation Chaplain: 315-772-5591 Chaplain's Hotline Confidential Counseling (315) 772-5591 Spiritual Life Center : 315-772-5540 Unit Chaplain: MAJ Johnson 315-405-6810 Veteran Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255) press 1 to be routed to the Veterans assistant.

Fort Drum/USA MEDDAC Behavioral Health Department (315)-772-2778 for walk-in appointments. During non-duty hours, The Acute Care Clinic at Guthrie (has mental health personnel available for urgent mental health concerns from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. After 9 p.m., persons with urgent mental health con-cerns should contact Samaritan Medical Center at (315) 785-4516 or Mobile Crisis Services of North Country Transitional Liv-ing Services at (315) 782-2327.

Watertown Vet Center DVA Readjustment Counseling Services 1-315-782-5479

American Red Cross (315) 772-6561 Monday - Friday, 7:30am - 4:00pm, after hours call toll free (877) 272-7337

Social Services Assistance 315-772-0035 Assistance Finding Solutions to Life Problems Stress Management and Marriage Counseling Substance Abuse and Re-Adjustment Counseling Assists with Issues Related to Social Welfare Soldier and Family Assistance Center drum.mwr.sfac@conus.army.mil 315-772-7781/7720 The Fort Drum Soldier and Family Assistance Center strives to provide a supportive environ-ment for Soldiers and Family Members as they deal with the stress and uncertainty of injury and the effects of war.

Task Force Tigershark FRSA Flash February 9, 2012

2/10 Military Free Lift Tickets Snow Ridge Ski Resort 1000-2030 2/14 Valentine’s Day Dinner The Commons 1700-2100 2/15 Volunteer of the Month Cere mony The Commons 1030-1130 2/16 Mrs. Merritt’s Welcome Lunch eon The Commons 1045-1300 2/16 Division Mountain Salute, Magrath Gym 1600-1700 2/17 Military Free Ski &Tubing Day Dry Hill 1200-1700 2/18-21 DIVISION DONSA/President’s Day Weekend 2/20-24 Local Schools Winter Break

2/21 Mardi Gras Buffet The Commons 1100-1330 2/23 African American/Black History Month The Commons 1100- 1300 2/23 Mountain Remembrance Cere mony Main Post Chapel 1630-1700 2/24 Chili Cook-off The Commissary 1700-1900 2/24 Retirement Ceremony @ MPA 1600-1700 2/24 Right Arm Night The Commons 1700 2/29 AER Campaign Kick-Off Bldg. 990 starts @ 1400

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February 2012

Happy Valentine's Day