'No Slack' spouses focus on reintegration

By Sgt. Samantha Parks, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) Public AffairsApril 27, 2015

'No Slack' spouses focus on reintegration
1 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Spouses of Soldiers currently deployed with 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), gathered at the Family Resource Center here April 7, 2015, for a reintegration brief. The brief brough... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
'No Slack' spouses focus on reintegration
2 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Tina Hossfeld, family readiness group leader for 2nd "No Slack" Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), reminds spouses that their deployed Soldiers have changed in the last several months a... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
'No Slack' spouses focus on reintegration
3 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Maj. Dan Urquhart, the Task Force Always First chaplain, addresses spouses of 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Soldiers at a reintegration brief in the Family Resource Center her... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. -- "Your Soldier will go through changes; you'll go through changes," said Tina Hossfeld, as she addressed spouses at the unit's reintegration brief at the Family Resource Center April 7. "Each deployment and homecoming is different because you're at a different place in life every time."

Hossfeld is preparing to welcome home her husband, Lt. Col. Christopher Hossfeld, commander of 2nd Battalion "No Slack," 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault). She said there's a wealth of resources out there for families to tap in to -- they just don't always know how to find them. Hossfeld and her husband have been through four deployments together.

With the help of Maj. Dan Urquhart, Task Force Always First chaplain, and several military and family life consultants from the Bastogne Brigade, Hossfeld, who is also the No Slack family readiness group leader, put together a reintegration brief for spouses to give them the information on agencies on Fort Campbell that can help make the transition smoother.

Hossfeld explained that a member of her FRG had asked about a possible reintegration brief for the spouses. Hossfeld knew the "No Slack" Soldiers deployed were doing one in Afghanistan after talking with her husband, so she wanted to do something similar here at Fort Campbell.

Redeployment and reintegration briefs are conducted as part of Joint and Army operations and are Army core competencies, mandated by the Department of Defense. Units ensure service members, and those who support them, have access to the information, resources and assistance they need throughout and beyond the deployment cycle.

"I want the [spouses] to be more prepared," Hossfeld said. "I think if we can give them more tools for their toolbox, they will be set up for success with reintegration, and that's going to be the best asset you can give them."

Both Urquhart and Hossfeld told spouses to remain flexible, have patience, and most importantly, to not feel alone.

"We are here to help the families know what to expect during the deployment, but also during the welcome home ceremony and the transition in their reintegration back home." Urquhart said. "I hope spouses walk away with a positive attitude, knowing that this can be a good experience and not a negative experience."

Urquhart hopes they realize there are resources out there to help them through this process of reintegration.

Hossfeld said that there are more than 500 spouses going through the reintegration process, so no one should feel alone.

"This brief is giving spouses information so that they know they aren't alone and that what they are feeling when the guys come back is something that 90 percent of the people there are feeling too," Hossfeld said.

Spouses walked away from the reintegration brief with information on numerous outlets and agencies across Fort Campbell that can help them with issues ranging from warning signs for underlying problems to what to expect when children are involved.

"You're not going to be able to deal with every crisis that comes along, but at least you know that there are people out there that can help you," Hossfeld said.

Urquhart hopes the families know that the battalion, the brigade, the division and the Army support them. "Doing this sort of training at the Family Resource Center lets spouses know that the command cares about them," Urquhart said. "It's just one way of showing that we do care, we're here to help you; you are not alone."

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