Beyond the yellow ribbon
Beyond the Yellow Ribbon
Monthly News 
 

 

 

 

 March 2012

Vol. IV, No. 6 

In This Issue
Employers to Kuwait
Rewarding Weekend
4EVER
MN Teen Goes National
MN Wives to Army Wives
Money Help
Dinner with the Family
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Events
Kickoff3

Quad City Yellow

Ribbon Kickoff
March 29, 2012

Anoka

 

new proclamation

Lakeville Community

Proclamation
March 30, 2012

Lakeville

Yellow Ribbon Proclamation ceremony.

Operation Welcome Home
March 30 - April 1, 2012

Stewartville

Retreat for spouses of deployed military personnel.

Soldiers listen at event

NTM-A and

45th BCT Augmentees

30/60 Day and MIRT
May 5, 2012

Metro Area

Reintegration event.

YR_crowd_at_event

C Co. 2-211 FPA
May 6, 2012

Metro Area

Family Preparation Academy.

ESGR_banquet_2

ESGR Banquet
May 21, 2012

Minnetonka

Family Preparation Academy.

NTM-A,

C Co. 1-171 and

Ag. Dev. Team

30/60-Day and FRA
June 2, 2012

Metro Area

Reintegration event and Family Readiness Academy.

Happy Couple2

Strong Bonds

Couples Retreat
June 22-24, 2012
Metro Area

Registration full.

Laketrails Base Camp
June 30 - July 8, 2012

July 10-18, 2012

July 29 - Aug. 6, 2012

Aug. 7-15, 2012

Special offer for military teens.

Camp Gratitude
Week of July 4th, 2012
Camp Tanadoona

Free for military families.

NG_camp_logo

Minnesota National Guard Youth & Teen Camp, Week 1
July 22-28, 2012
Camp Ripley

For children of Minnesota National Guard Servicemembers.

happy couple

Strong Bonds

Couples Retreat
July 27-29, 2012
Metro Area

Registration full.

NG_camp_logo

Minnesota National Guard Youth & Teen Camp, Week 2
July 28 - Aug. 4, 2012
Camp Ripley

For children of Minnesota National Guard Servicemembers.

Campers in Canoe

Camp Voyageur
Aug. 12-16, 2012
Mound

Military youth ages 8-14.

Zandlo Family

Strong Bonds

Couples Retreat
Aug. 24-26, 2012
Brainerd

Registration full.

Military Appreciation

Day at the

Minnesota State Fair
Aug. 28, 2012
St. Paul

 

Strong Bonds

Single Soldier

Retreat

Sep. 7-9, 2012
Brainerd

Register here.

Employment prep in Kuwait

To address unemployment after deployment for the Soldiers deployed with the 34th Infantry Division, 1st Brigade Combat Team, an interagency Employment Resource Team, or ERT, traveled to Kuwait in early March to prepare them for employment.

 

The team, 11 people in all, represented the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, the St. Paul Chamber of Commerce and human resources executives from corporations to include Target, Best Buy and US Bancorp.

 

"This was an eye opener," said Maj. Aaron Krenz, chief of Beyond the Yellow Ribbon and member of the ERT. "The Soldiers were thirsty for what the civilian executives had to say to them - and the executives cut to the chase. They challenged Soldiers by asking, 'would your resume warrant an interview?'"

 

In five, 14-hour days, the ERT saw 1,080 Minnesota National Guard Soldiers with home of records in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Oklahoma, Montana and Tennessee. They also worked with 12 Army Reserve Soldiers. The Soldiers listened to presentations on how to sell themselves and worked one-on-one with civilians, practicing interviews and cleaning up their resumes.

 

More than 80 percent had created a resume and completed a GPS LifePlan, mapping out their professional goals, before the ERT stepped foot on ground.

 

"The Soldiers were prepared for the training," said Krenz.

 

According to a DEED survey completed in January 2012, an estimated 19 percent of the Soldiers from the 1st BCT deployed to Kuwait will be unemployed when they return this spring.
 

For more information on how to get a job, or hire a veteran, visit Postively Minnesota's website.

 

FRAs: A long and rewarding weekend

Beyond the Yellow Ribbon held four Family Reintegration Academies for families of the 34th Infantry Division, 1st Brigade Combat Team currently deployed to Kuwait.

 

The 1st BCT is comprised of nearly 2,700 Soldiers from approximately 500 communities across the state of Minnesota, so coordinating a central location was impossible. Instead, the FRAs were held in four locations over two weekends in Owatonna, Worthington, Brainerd and Roseville.

 

For the families, the FRAs are invaluable.

 

Tim and Deb Godding, from Alexandria, Minn., have been through two deployments with their son, Staff Sgt. Joe Godding, of A Co., 1-194 Combined Arms Battalion based in Alexandria, Minn.

 

"You need a place to ask questions and get answers," said Tim Godding.

 

These events are extremely important for families and it's easy to understand why they are held. But, how they are planned and carried out is another story.

 

The planning and execution of events like this is up to the Beyond the Yellow Ribbon, Deployment Cycle Support operations team.

 

In order to plan four separate events in four different locations for more than 1,100 family members, the DCS operations team had to travel more than 1,000 miles for an initial visit to each venue. Later, the team put on another 850 miles for the actual events.

 

Two weekends in a row, the team loaded up their 20-foot trailer and moved out. They set up everything for the Saturday event, then broke it all down that evening, packed it up in the trailer, traveled to the second location and did it all over again. During the second weekend of FRAs, each team member logged 40 hours in three days.

 

For the DCS operations team, it's more than just a long weekend.

 

"You're helping the families get the knowledge they need to prepare for their Servicemember's homecoming," said Cpl. Chelsea Peterson. "It's a rewarding job."

Community comes together for employment

Last month, Beyond the Yellow Ribbon of Watonwan County, in partnership with three Minnesota

state-agencies, set out to tackle

local-veteran unemployment by hosting a Community Resources 4EVER event at the National Guard Armory in St. James.

 

Nearly 100 military family members, community members and local employers attended the event and were treated to a pork chop dinner and informative presentations by Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development and Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs.

 

"There are so many resources available," said David Dlugiewicz, a Beyond the Yellow Ribbon of Watonwan County volunteer. "We want to let Servicemembers and military families know what's all there."

 

With more than 20 local businesses in attendance, the goal of the Community Resources 4EVER event was to create employment opportunities and support for members of the 34th Infantry Division, 1st Brigade Combat Team set to return from Kuwait this spring. More than 100 from the 1st BCT live in the St. James area.

 

After the 1st BCT returns, the Community Resources 4EVER partners plan to host a career expo for the returning veterans.

 

"We'll be trying to get Servicemembers to meet somebody" to be able to put a resume in an employer's hand, said Dlugiewicz.

 

Many local organizations pulled together to execute the event, including the St. James Boy Scouts and High School National Honor Society, which served the donated meal and cleared the tables afterwards.

 

See photos of the event here.

 

"What's Your Yellow Ribbon Story?" is a new Beyond the Yellow Ribbon campaign focused on sharing stories about the amazing things Yellow Ribbon Networks across the state are accomplishing. It's an opportunity for Servicemembers, military families and volunteers to tell their stories.

 

Click on the "What's Your Yellow Ribbon Story?" banner above to read the first three stories.

 

If you share your Yellow Ribbon Story with Beyond the Yellow Ribbon, we'll be sure to tell your story on Facebook! You can submit your 200-300 word story and photo by email.

Minnesota teen makes national team

Teen Kiana KeliiThere are many opportunities for military connected youth to get involved in the military community. Kiana Kelii chose to get involved through the Minnesota Military Teen Panel, or MMTP. During her two years with the MMTP, Kiana has been a voice for other military teens throughout Minnesota, participated in community service projects and helped organize, plan and implement the first Teen Summit. In 2011, Kiana also attended the National Guard Teen Symposium in Louisville with over 100 military-connected teens, where she learned about the Guard Teen Panel.

 

The Guard Teen Panel is comprised of 10 teens from each region throughout the United States. There is one teen chosen to represent each region. Kiana applied and was selected to be the Region 5 Teen Representative. On the panel, she will represent Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Illinois and Indiana. Her responsibilities include monthly conference calls and four face-to-face meetings with the other Guard Teen Panel members.

 

To be a part of the Guard Teen Panel, members must excel personally and academically. Once selected, they will positively influence youth programs nationwide. Guard Teen Panel members will also work closely with the state youth coordinator and assist with planning other youth programs, to include the Youth Symposium.

Minnesota wives get on set

Three Army wives have become fast friends over a three-day adventure, dozens of stories and love for the same TV show.

 

In late February, after a month of dreaming about the trip they won, Andrea Curley, Samantha Koktan and Tammy Estes pulled into a strip mall in Charleston, S.C., and onto the set of Lifetime's "Army Wives."

 

They watched scenes between characters Roxy and Trevor, then Joan and Roland, slowly unfold. Each line was gone over again and again, then the cameras switched angles and the lines were performed a few more times.

 

While the stars of "Army Wives" came and went from their trailers to the set without much fanfare, it was the Minnesota wives who were drawing a crowd.

 

Erin Krakow, who plays Tanya, Jeremy Sherwood's fianc�e from season five, told the Minnesota wives that she was impressed with what they do as real Army wives.

 

They told Sterling K. Brown, who plays Dr. Roland Burton, the story of the contest that brought them to the set. The Minnesota wives told Brown that they each made a 60-second video describing what it's like to be an Army wife and uploaded the video to Beyond the Yellow Ribbon's Facebook page. Then, as the three wives with the best story and most "Likes," they each received a paid trip, sponsored by the General John Vessey Jr. Minnesota Chapter of AUSA, to the set of "Army Wives."

 

They had met and made friends with the stars they had watched on Sunday night for years. Now it was just them, three Minnesota Army wives with their stories and new friendships. Conversation over dinner soon switched from Roxy, Roland and Frank, to Nick, Joe and Tom - their deployed husbands.

Money help

Guest columnist Mark Cussen introduces himself and shares a financial tip as Tax Day approaches:

 

My name is Mark Cussen and I work as the Personal Financial Counselor for all of the Servicemembers in the state of Minnesota. I will be here on rotation until May or early June, and am excited to help you manage your money and military benefits effectively. I am qualified to assist Servicemembers with any type of financial issue, such as creating and maintaining a budget, dealing with debt and creditors, investing in the Thrift Savings Plan and all other facets of personal finance, including income taxes, investments, insurance, retirement and estate planning.

 

One of the key issues I see many Servicemembers deal with is excessive income tax withholding. I have had several people come to me who were having trouble paying bills and dealing with creditors while getting substantial tax refunds of $3,000 to 9,000. Although there can be many reasons why someone might get a large refund - such as having been deployed to a combat zone - it often means that that person is having too much withheld out of their paychecks. Therefore, Servicemembers who are getting refunds of thousands of dollars need to speak to their tax advisors and see whether their withholding needs to be adjusted.

 

Find Mark's contact information here (listed as Military Personal Financial Counselor).

 

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Make A Difference

Dinner with the family

Soldiers currently deployed with the 34th Infantry Division, 1st Brigade Combat Team come from more than 500 Minnesota communities, but they all have one thing in common. Each Soldier has a family they left behind to serve their country. One Minnesota-based volunteer group has made it their goal to bring Soldiers together with their family for a meal, even though they're more than 6,000 miles away.

 

Serving Our Troops served more than 3,000 steaks to family members of deployed Minnesota National Guard Soldiers and Airmen at the RiverCentre in St. Paul, Minn., Feb. 25, 2012. The group also simultaneously served approximately 13,000 steak dinners to Servicemembers at five military bases in and around Kuwait City.

 

This event was "a tremendous opportunity for us to eat a great steak, to connect with our families, to listen to good music and to thank those back in our communities in Minnesota who take time out of their busy schedules to bring a touch of home to us here in Kuwait," said Chaplain (Maj.) Buddy Winn.

 

Throughout the meal, the families were connected with their Servicemember via live video feeds and chats.

 

"This means a lot to me, it is a taste of home," said deployed Sgt. 1st Class Donald Klick. "Knowing that my family is going to have a steak dinner as well makes me feel good. It re-energizes me."

 

Seeing the smiles and tears of family members as they exited the chat booths proved that this day was more than just a meal with the family. It was a sign of support, encouragement and a way to say thanks for the sacrifices Servicemembers make.

 

Feb. 25 marked the ninth project for Serving Our Troops, with more than 70,000 steak dinners served around the world.

 

Read the entire article and view all the photos here.

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