Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Family Support Network

The American Legion has a program specifically designed to assist military families during deployment - especially made to address the needs of Guard and Reserve Troops. You do NOT need to be a member of The American Legion to benefit from this program.

If you have any problem, from major financial issues, to minor household jobs, please call 1-800-504-4098 or email familysupport@legion.org.

It's a simple concept. A soldier calls home from overseas, to hear from his family a problem, such as how his pay is not being deposited, and they are facing eviction. The soldier can work with the military side, but is helpless to do anything else. This causes a distraction for the soldier, which puts him in greater danger. Problems from money, to household and automobile repairs, to childcare, can be addressed just by calling this number.

Here's a real example. A soldier called home, and his wife was in tears. There was a problem with the car. They had two young kids, and the car was the only way for her to get the kids to the babysitter and her to work. She had called a repair shop, and the estimate was $2,000. The soldier said he would work on the problem, and hung up the phone.

Sitting there, he had no clue what to do. On the phone was a sticker for the Family Support Network, so he called and told them the problem. The information was passed down to the local Post. The Post called a couple of members who worked on cars, and they went over.

Turns out the problem was just a belt. The Legionnaires bought a new belt, installed it, and stuck around to help with some lawn work that needed to be done.

So please. Use this toll free number if you need it, and give it to any military family having problems. The American Legion has a lot of resources to help in all sorts of situations.

2 comments:

hy said...

thats really good to know beacuse i had no idea...
thanks for posting that.
mj

Jeanene said...

It's my pleasure. As a former Army wife, and former Army Medic, and a current Officer in The American Legion, I try to let everyone know of the programs that can assist military families any way that i can.