The Search for an FRSA

Sad little plant at the FRSA's desk

Several years ago, the Army authorized a civilian job position to assist Army units with their Family Readiness programs. Titled a "Family Readiness Support Assistant," the FRSA's job is to act as an administrative assistant to the unit command in family readiness issues. The program has had many successes as well as its share of failures ... I personally have encountered both extremes in the FRSA world: the most professional, efficient, helpful assistant possible to a downright disruptive employee that the unit might well be better off without.

Having seen the highs and lows that this program can produce, I am still optimistic about the value and potential of the individuals placed in these positions. When we moved to a new battalion last April, we were introduced to a wonderful FRSA who worked hard, enjoyed her job, and had the Soldiers' best interests at heart. Unfortunately, her Soldier husband received orders to move and, sadly, she had to move with him.

We have been without an FRSA since July. A combination of field time, training, interview schedules, and issues with the Civilian Personnel system have thwarted our plans to hire a new person for this position. My husband has interviewed quite a few candidates and has attempted to hire two of them. The first was deemed "not eligible" (by the very same organization that presented us with the list of eligible candidates -- where she was clearly listed ... *sigh*) and the second ... well, we're waiting to hear. Hopefully, the unit will have an FRSA in place in February, after a JRTC rotation but before deployment.

So ... several ladies recently decided to help clean out the "FRSA Closet" in hopes that the adage "If you build it, she will come" might come true. When we arrived, we were greeted by the sad little plant pictured above. It had previously been cared for by the former FRSA ... and is now representative of our unit's FRSA life. =) We joke that when the plant revives, we'll have our new employee! Stay tuned for more!

TORCH and ADVON

Photo: ADVON returning from a year-long deployment. Okay, I have to admit that after 15+ years as an Army wife, I don’t know what ‘TORCH’ and ‘ADVON’ stand for. Something about advanced party … but there’s no ‘p’ for ‘party’ … so I just don’t know. I do, however, know what it means. It means your Soldier comes home FIRST!! We’ve never had the honor of either of those designations. My husband somehow manages to get himself into the ‘stay-behind-and-make-sure-all is-well-out-here’ job and comes home late or last. Not that I’m complaining, though, as I am happy these TORCH and ADVON folks get here and get the place ready for everyone else to come home. In a way, it’s reassuring to me. The wheels are turning, the process has begun … our unit actually is coming home and coming home soon! Homecoming becomes reality, not just a long-sought-after dream. It’s good to see our unit patch and our unit Soldiers back at home, on U.S. soil and on our Army installation. It’s heartening to w...

The Change of Command Ceremony

Last Friday, my Family and I participated in the 2nd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division change of command on Fort Hood, Texas. Hubby became the battalion commander of the 3rd Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment and joined a wonderful group of "Red Dragon" Soldiers and Families. It's a dream come true for us ... one of those things you hope in the back of your mind you'll get to do one day, but know realistically that the chances are slim you'll get to do it. When I first saw his name on 'the list' that the Army publishes, I was elated for him. No one knows more than I do his passion for the Army and for the Soldiers in it. He is a wonderful leader and cares so much. We both knew that this would be the adventure of a lifetime. We explained this new job to our two boys (ages ten and six) as best we could and they kept saying, "We'll have 500 new friends on Friday!" as their summary of the discussion. =) The ceremony was amazing,...

A Letter to My Cousin and Friend

As I was cleaning out our home office today, I came across an old college notebook from a writing course I had taken at Baylor. Our assignment was to write a letter to someone filled with memories of time spent together. I had chosen to write to my cousin Lori and, although it was a rough draft, I just had to post it. I finished out the last part and laughed out loud at some of the superfun memories with Lori, my cousin and friend. Dear Lori, As I reflect on the time we have spent together, I remember so many wonderful memories with you. Laughter always comes first to mind because we have shared so much of it. We start out giggling over some trivial nothing and soon are rolling in teary-eyed, side-splitting, I-can’t-catch-my-breath laughter. Days later, we will laugh again when one thought triggers another and we think of the same funny thing. After all, we are ‘more funny repeated.’ Our memories together are vast and varied for they have been collecting since, well, basically fr...

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