A better way: AFAP looks to improve quality of life

By Jay Mann, Fort Rucker Public AffairsOctober 3, 2014

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FORT RUCKER, Ala. (October 3, 2014) -- For those who think, "There has to be a better way to do this," when taking care of business on Fort Rucker, officials advise them to stop dreaming and do something about it.

The Army Family Action Plan is not only looking for people's ideas on how to streamline or improve processes on Fort Rucker, it is looking for people to lead the charge, said Rick Kohl, AFAP program manager.

"If people know a way to make life easier for the Fort Rucker community, they should go online and submit a quality of life issue," he said. "While there, they can sign up to be part of the process by joining the 2014 AFAP Conference."

The website to submit issues or to register for the conference is at www.ftruckermwr.com/acs/army-family-action-plan.

The conference is scheduled for Nov. 5--6, and the deadline to sign up is Oct. 17. The Fort Rucker AFAP Office is currently looking for applications for facilitators, recorders, transcribers, and issue and staff support.

"Anyone involved in the Fort Rucker community is encouraged to sign up to be a part of the conference," Kohl said, adding that these representatives, serving as conference delegates, evaluate, prioritize and make recommendations on issues that affect the quality of life at Fort Rucker and throughout the Army.

People should not see the conference signup deadline as the deadline for submitting ideas, Kohl said. "People should continue to submit ideas online throughout the year."

The Fort Rucker AFAP is a grassroots-level process that identifies issues of concern for not just the Fort Rucker area, but the whole Army, Kohl said.

"Issues resolved on the Fort Rucker level that might help other installations are pushed up to Army-wide levels," Kohl said. "It gives everyone in the Army Family the opportunity to influence their own quality of life and standard of living."

Issues that affect everyone at Fort Rucker or the Global Army are good AFAP issues, said Kohl. "The ideas should be about improving existing facilities," he said, "or changing policy or regulation -- issues that make things better for everyone."

He said issues may be on pay and allowance, retention and training, single Soldier issues, readiness, PCS moves, medical care, dental care, schools, childcare, Army and Air Force Exchange Service facilities, Directorate of Family, Morale, Welfare and Recreation activities, and volunteer efforts.

"Ideas should focus on improving everyone's quality of life and should not be a complaint about a person or organization on post," he said, adding that ideas submitted to AFAP should be constructive, because those ideas might be forwarded up and improve the whole Army.

People having problems with a facility or particular organization should report those issues directly to the commander or manager of that facility. Another option for individual issues is to go online http://ice.disa.mil/ to make a customer comment, good or bad, about any military installation and its services.

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