ATLANTA, Ga. (March 24, 2010) - Human Resources officials of the Army's largest command welcomed 56 delegates from Army installations nationwide to Atlanta Tuesday for the first day of the 2010 U.S. Army Forces Command Army Family Action Plan Conference.

Planned and facilitated by Well-Being Division personnel from FORSCOM G-1, the annual week-long conference is being conducted at the Crown Plaza Hotel-Atlanta Airport, which is near Fort McPherson.

The delegates represent the voices of installation-level Army communities as they prioritize FORSCOM's top 10 quality-of-life issues that will be forwarded for resolution through the ongoing Department of the Army national AFAP process.

Conference delegate Erica Johnson, an Army spouse from Fort Hood, Texas, said the AFAP conference is a clear sign Army senior leaders want to know how to enhance the Army community's quality of life. Hosting conferences to support programs such as the Army Family Action Plan depicts that "someone at the upper echelons (of the Army) is concerned about what is going on with Army Families and their Soldiers," Johnson said.

The delegates represent the diverse demographics of the Army community - Active and Reserve Component Soldiers of various ranks and marital status, various races, ethnic background and both genders, military and civilian leaders, Family members, retirees, DA civilians and surviving spouses and Family members of deceased Soldiers.

Tuesday evening, the FORSCOM G-1 Well-Being Division sponsored a reception with refreshments and live music, encouraging the delegates to network with each other and the FORSCOM senior leaders who attended.

During the reception, FORSCOM's "First Lady" thanked the delegates for their attendance and for sharing her passion for being a part of the process that evaluates and helps resolve problems, pertaining to the quality-of-life issues that affect all members of the FORSCOM and total Army Family.

"Those of you who know me, know that (the Army Family Action Plan) is my passion," said Diane Campbell, spouse of Gen. Charles C. Campbell, FORSCOM commander. "I feel very strongly about AFAP ... I feel very strongly about Family readiness..."

Gen. Campbell then spoke to the delegates to stress their importance of the role during the conference. He challenged them to expand their thought processes, during issue evaluations to see how suggested resolutions could impact the total Army.

"I suggest ... you take this opportunity to broaden your aperture," he said. "You not only have to do what's right for an installation, but also advocate what's right for the greater Army."

Gen. Campbell said the observations and recommendations, presented at the culmination of conference, will help to inform his thinking about the prioritized issues; which will in turn help him to inform the thinking of senior Department of the Army leaders in an effort to resolve prioritized AFAP issues.

The FORSCOM AFAP conference will continue through March 26. Any of the top 10 quality-of-life issues prioritized for resolution during the conference that need a higher level of approval or attention than that of FORSCOM, will be submitted to Department of the Army-level AFAP officials.