DUKE FIELD, Fla. -- After nearly a decade, the Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program continues to build resiliency across the Air Force. At the 919th Special Operations Wing, members see the benefits of this opportunity to prepare for and recoup from their deployments. The Air Force Reserve encourages members to seek balance between family, civilian work and military duty. Through YRRP, members are able to gain tools to make sure that balance is maintained even through the deployment experience.
Master Sgt. Michael Adamson agrees the program is meeting a key need.
“Overall this is a favorable program to help with resiliency and retention,” said Adamson.
Adamson, a 919th SOW chaplain assistant, attended a post-deployment event in Baltimore last year with his spouse and two teenage children.
“This was a great opportunity to spend time with the family and attend great sessions with my wife,” said Adamson. “We learned a lot about each other and I learned to understand her better.”
The Yellow Ribbon program was established in 2008 and to aid reservists and their families throughout the deployment process. The program trains 7,000 Airmen and their family members each year through weekend-long events in various locations across the country.
Master Sgt. Michael Lonon, 919th Maintenance Group, has a great deal of experience with the Yellow Ribbon program as a result of many deployments throughout the past nine years.
“I attended my first Yellow Ribbon event in 2008 and I have since attended seven more,” said Lonon. “They are all great. During the last event, I had the opportunity to learn about organizing my records which has given me peace of mind that things are in order.”
By having pre-deployment opportunities to prepare for separation and post-deployment events to help ease the transition home, the program built a great legacy of support that reaches directly into the homes of Reserve members.
“Kids can get out of touch while we are away,” said Lonon, father of a 14-year-old daughter. “This program helps all of us get back in the groove of civilian life.”
Each Yellow Ribbon event provides a wide range of breakout sessions with topics that focus on both the personal and military aspects of attendees’ needs. These sessions include such topics as relationship building, personal organization, Military 101, and a deployment preparation forum.
“I always learn something new and sometimes I learn details about a program like TriCare or the G.I. Bill that I did not even know,” said Lonon. “The program helps prepare us to be on active duty for a long term and provides important information about resources and contacts that are available for us and our families while we are separated.”
Adamson echoed this thought.
“There are great resources available and agencies are well-represented at the events to ensure members and their families have what they need for a successful transition into and out of deployed life.”
Now in its 10th year, the Yellow Ribbon program has grown and continues to have profound effects on members of the Reserve.
For more information on the Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program, call the 919th SOW representative, Master Sgt. April Medeiros at 850-883-6474.