The United States Army Community Covenant - supporting those who serve.

Community Covenant is an Army program designed to foster and sustain effective state and community partnerships with the Army to improve the quality of life for Soldiers and their Families, both at their current duty stations and as they transfer to other states. It is a formal commitment of support by state and local communities to Soldiers and Families of the Army – Active, Guard and Reserve.

Army leadership recognized that our Soldiers and their Families are asked to do a lot in service to our Nation. Their quality of life should be commensurate with the quality of their service. Multiple deployments have put a strain on Army Families. The Community Covenant allows communities (states, cities, and towns) across America to demonstrate their support for Service Members and their Families in this time of war – the longest in our Nation’s history with an all-volunteer force. The Covenant highlights and shares initiatives which support Soldiers and their Families. Support from communities helps build resilience in our military Families who provide the strength of our Soldiers.

Best practices are programs, initiatives or services provided by state or local governments, non-profit organizations, or private companies and citizens supporting our military and their Families. Sharing these practices provides opportunities for all Americans to get involved where and how they want, including potentially initiating new programs. These best practices help fill gaps in services provided to Families, especially those who do not live near a military installation.

A Covenant signing ceremony is a public display of support by community leaders to the military and Family Members living in that community. From April to December 2008, 85 communities held ceremonies attended by thousands of supportive Americans. In 2009, Community Covenants are being signed in every state, city and town in America thereby demonstrating support for Service Members and their Families. Often, these events also became an opportunity for communities to demonstrate their support by announcing a new initiative or program of support for Service Members and their Families.

Click here to view samples of covenant documents. The document is intended to be poster size at approximately 16” X 24.” Local community organizations may elect to display the covenant document in a public place such as a town hall or a state capitol building indicating their support for Service Members and their Families. When several towns and cities co-host a ceremony, multiple copies of the document are often produced and signed so each community has their own copy to display.

Each community determines the wording on the document and the number of signers. Signatories have often included Governors and Mayors, Members of Congress, civic leaders, community and business leaders, representatives from private organizations, a senior military representative, and a Service Member and his/her spouse and child. A Covenant document is typically signed by 10-20 people but can be as few or as many as the community desires.

A community’s organizational planning team, including representatives of local and/or state civic leader(s), is responsible for planning their community covenant signing ceremony. Local military leaders in the community or their designated representatives have often been a part of the planning team and can assist with development of the covenant signing ceremony in accordance with military protocol. Representatives from the U.S. Army are also available to assist local planners – see the Contact tab. Once a date and location has been identified, it is posted on the Community Covenant web site.

It is up to each individual community to determine the date and specific location for conducting a ceremony. Some communities have chosen recognized holidays (Memorial Day, Independence Day, Veterans Day), while others have tied ceremonies to the departure or return of a deploying unit. Still others have selected a day that is most convenient to the particular community – county fair, rodeo, military appreciation games. Friday ceremonies have been popular because Members of Congress are often in their home districts for the weekend and are available to attend. Other suggestions include Army Birthday/Flag Day (June 14), Military Family Appreciation Month (November), Month of the Military Child (April).

Ceremonies have always been tailored to the personality of the community in which it is hosted. They have been conducted in state houses, town halls, civic centers, high school and college auditoriums, and even on ball fields. Most ceremonies are hosted by a Mayor or a Governor and often mayors from surrounding towns have been in attendance. Attendance has generally been anywhere from several hundred to in the thousands. Samples of ceremony sequence of events and scripts are provided at the Army Community Covenant web page, Resources tab.

For general questions about Community Covenant program, please go to the contact link on the Web site.

If you need more information regarding local Community Covenant initiatives or ceremonies, please go to the Events page and find the point of contact for a scheduled event.

Major General Craig B. Whelden, U.S. Army, Retired
321-939-2354 or cell 407-617-2515
Email: craig.whelden@celebration.fl.us