By William Kenny
Times Staff Writer
National guardsmen and women aren’t the only ones confronted by do-or-die consequences when they’re deployed to a combat zone.
In the meantime, the wives, husbands, children, parents, siblings, extended family and friends that they leave behind face a different kind of war at home. The challenges on the home front range from the technical to the logistical to the emotional, but in truth are no less important to any military effort.
Fortunately for many local folks affiliated with the U.S. Army National Guard at the Southampton Road armory in the Far Northeast, the support for their Family Resource Groups (FRGs) continues to grow.
Last week, the American Heritage Federal Credit Union became the latest organization to show its generosity for area FRGs by distributing six $1,000 checks to them during a luncheon at the credit union’s Bustleton headquarters.
The money, collected from credit union members through its Adopt-A-Soldier wristband campaign, will help the FRGs carry out a variety of relief initiatives.
“There’s a lot more to it than being deployed,” said Nicole Milsop, a Rhawnhurst resident whose husband, Richard, served in Iraq with the 104th Calvary Squadron, B Troop, of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard in 2005 and 2006.
“Being home, there are a lot of issues and you need a family support group,” she said.
Though her husband has returned home, Milsop remains very involved in his unit’s FRG to support others.
FRGs are a great funding source for projects like care packages. Assembling and shipping items overseas can cost hundreds of dollars that many military families don’t have.
Also, the groups can help pay for social gatherings where families can meet one another, trade stories, offer one another emotional support and get out of the house for a while.
Being left at home can lead to a wide range of intense emotions for military spouses, such as pride, fear and anger.
“I didn’t think I’d ever feel all of the emotions that go along with it,” Milsop said. “You need support to get through it.”
FRGs fill many roles that otherwise might fall upon the deployed soldier. According to Staff Sgt. Eric Berrios of Morrell Park, a member of the 104th Calvary, B Troop, sometimes families need help with little things like fixing a leaking faucet.
“Emergency issues come up and the spouse is not around,” Berrios said. “(Soldiers) know that while they’re out there, their families are being taken care of.”
Jeannean Suarez and other wives of the 104th Calvary Headquarters Troop, based in Olney, recently restarted their FRG following the unit’s deployment to Egypt.
They’ve even started an Internet newsletter, “just so we can try to keep up with what’s going on with the families and if there are any needs,” said Suarez, whose husband Joseph is a sergeant first class.
Christine Tolbert and other spouses in the 128th Chemical Company use monthly meetings to have some fun in difficult times. Her husband, First Lt. Stephen Andrew Tolbert Jr., has been away since July and in Iraq since September.
“At our meetings, people come and talk and laugh and plan things,” Tolbert said. “The activities are fun for the kids.”
According to American Heritage president and CEO Bruce K. Foulke, the credit union began helping families with soldiers based out of Sellersville in Bucks County before expanding to the Northeast this year.
“We have military guys all over the world all the time and they don’t make a great salary,” Foulke said. “The National Guard also helps out at home when catastrophes happen, like Hurricane Katrina. These guys do a lot of stuff, then they go fight wars.”
Lori Hahn, an administrative assistant in the human resources department, and her husband Brian, vice president of branch operations, served as chairwoman and vice chairman of the Adopt-A-Soldier committee.
According to Lori, it all started out three years ago with her family’s attempt to assemble care packages for her cousin’s Army platoon in Iraq.
“We were overwhelmed by the response,” she said. “Our entire living room was filled with donations.”
“It really grew from there,” Brian Hahn said. “We do fund-raising in all of the branches.” ••
For information about American Heritage’s Adopt-A-Soldier program, visit www.amhfcu.org or call 1-800-342-0008.
Reporter William Kenny can be reached at 215-354-3031 or bkenny@phillynews.com