A crowd of Family members, Soldiers, D.A. civilians and students from Marshall Elementary School on Fort Campbell gathered at the Family Resource Center this morning to witness the re-signing of Fort Campbell's Army Family Covenant.
Major Gen. John Campbell, commanding general Fort Campbell and the 101st Airborne Division, opened the ceremony by expressing his commitment to Army Families.
"A total of about 5,000 today are currently deployed in harm's way and their Families and their children bear the brunt of missing their moms and dads," Campbell said. "We really appreciate the great sacrifice that our Families do. We could not do what we love to do as Soldiers to support our country without our great Families. What we're going to do today just reaffirms our oath to our Families."
The guest speaker for the signing was Brig. Gen. Al T. Aycock, deputy commanding general of Installation Management Command, who started his speech with a cheering contest between the Marshall students and the parents.
"Did you know that Family programs actually started here at Fort Campbell'" Aycock asked. "There was a division commander here a long time ago named General Wickham.... He created the Army Family action program. So the genesis of the Army Family Covenant started at Fort Campbell."
Aycock closed his speech by asking the entire room to do the wave to celebrate the signing of the covenant. After Aycock finished, essay winner Brenda Franks took the podium to read her entry on what the Army Family Covenant meant to her.
"Right after my husband deployed, we were informed that there would now be a contractor that would be mowing our lawns for us," Franks read. "I was seven months pregnant when I found this out, and I could not have been happier. It was such a blessing to know that I wouldn't have to worry about it while my husband was gone."
Franks' husband, Spc. Gerald Franks, 159 Cavalry Regiment, 4th Battalion, 101st Aviation Brigade, was home on rest and relaxation and got to see his wife read her essay and sign the covenant.
"She told me she wanted to try to make me proud," Gerald said. "She makes me proud just being able to do what she does with three kids."
The winner of the art contest, Tiandra James, also got to sign the covenant.
"I was very excited, honored to be signing the covenant," James said.
She entered the contest when it was presented to her by youth services because she enjoys art and was inspired by the subject of Army Families and Army life. Several of the more notable accomplishments of the covenant on Fort Campbell are the increase in Family Readiness Support Assistants from nine to 50 since November 2007, the addition of 31 Military Life Consultants and 4,457 new or renovated Family housing units.
Copies of the covenant can be found in the division and garrison headquarters and the Family Resource Center, or online at http://www.myarmyonesource.com/CommunitiesandMarketplace/ArmyFamilyCovenant/default.aspx.
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