There is help! Deployment briefings important for Peterson spouses Published March 23, 2010 By Maj. Belinda Petersen Air Force Personnel Center Public Affairs RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- When a spouse is deployed, it is inevitable that the car will break down, the house will spring a leak and everyone in the household will come down with a rare illness. The good news is there is help, no matter what the situation. The best place to start is the Airman and Family Readiness Center. The A&FRC offers deployment briefings, a mandatory briefing for all Airmen deploying. While the briefing is useful for deploying Airmen, it is also geared toward spouses. At Peterson Air Force Base, the briefings are from 1 to 2 p.m. every Monday at the Airman and Family Readiness Center, Building 350, room 1016. Air Force members assigned to Peterson and Cheyenne Mountain must attend the briefing prior to deploying, extended temporary duty assignments or permanent change of station to a short-tour location. "The briefing focuses on expectations during the three phases of the deployment cycle: pre-deployment, sustainment and reintegration," said Bev Price, Peterson A&FRC community readiness consultant."Spouses are highly encouraged to attend the briefing so they can learn firsthand about the programs and services offered, such as Car Care, Operation Sweet dreams, morale calls, Sunshine calls and much more." Tech. Sgt. Susan Flores, noncommissioned officer in charge of readiness at Randolph's A&FRC said the deployment briefings are beneficial because they give spouses the opportunity to meet other spouses who are in the same boat. During the deployment briefing, spouses are introduced to a Military and Family Life Consultant who is a masters or Ph.D. level licensed clinical counselor. Consultants provide short-term counseling services to military members and families. The consultants give their personal telephone number to the attendees at the briefing and encourage spouses to call anytime during an Airman's deployment. Consultants can meet on or off base, meetings are confidential and there are no records kept. Additionally, consultants rotate among bases every six weeks. Taking care of families is a team effort for the A&FRC, sponsors, key spouses, the chaplain, legal, the health and wellness center, family advocacy, education office, base leadership, and other organizations. "When the deploying Airman fills out the required paperwork at the deployment briefing, they need to provide an e-mail for their spouse and give us permission to contact them," Sergeant Flores said. "E-mail is our primary way of contacting the spouses on all the programs available for them." Last year, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz and Secretary of the Air Force Michael Donley designated July 2009 to July 2010 as the Year of the Air Force Family, a year-long focus on Air Force programs highlighting the importance of and commitment to the entire Air Force family. "Taking care of families is a solemn promise we make to each Airman and family member," said Secretary Donley during his remarks to the Air Force Sergeants Association in August. All Airmen should have the confidence that they can rely on their fellow wingmen and the Air Force to help care for their families when they are deployed. For more information on deployment briefings and the programs and assistance offered to spouses, visit the Peterson A&FRC or call 556-6141.