Released: Feb. 3, 2004
48th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
ROYAL AIR FORCE LAKENHEATH, England (USAFENS)
-- Temporary duty assignments and Aerospace Expeditionary Force deployments are
a fact of life with military servicemembers and their families living worldwide.
U.S. Air Forces in Europe key leaders realizes the stress these instances can
create and has introduced the Combat Care program to provide support to military
families during this time.
Gen. Robert H. “Doc” Foglesong, USAFE commander, introduced the Combat Care
program in 2003 as the 12th combat and special interest program.
Combat Care is designed to improve the care, attention and information flow
spouses and families receive while the military member is deployed. Its focus is
to provide support to families and ensure they are integrated into their
military communities here at RAF Lakenheath and throughout USAFE.
“Although Combat Care is one of the newest combat and special interest
programs, the concept is not new to the Air Force ... emphasizes people first -
taking care of family members while spouses are deployed. As a lead AEF fighter
wing, we do this as well as anyone,” said Lt. Col. Joseph Ward, Combat Care
primary point of contact.
Initiatives put in place for families include pre-deployment briefings
especially designed for spouses, quarterly family care plan workshops and coupon
programs that provide discounts and savings.
The program reinforces the concept that family readiness is synonymous with
mission readiness. In addition to family members, Combat Care benefits active
duty members by enabling them to deploy with the confidence that their families
will receive support at home.
“Our first class team in the family support center do a superb job in ensuring
family members are looked after during all three phases of a deployment –
predeployment, deployment, and return from deployment,” said Colonel Ward.
“Combat Care is an outstanding initiative that is making a qualitative
difference in the lives of those with spouses down range,” said Colonel Ward.
“It is a program that is becoming increasingly more important as the Air Force
continues to expand its expeditionary role.”
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