FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. -- A new facet to Family Readiness has come to
the Fort Leonard Wood website, located at www.wood.army.mil/family.
Created by Patricia Mulhall, Training and Doctrine Command family readiness support assistant, the website is designed to help Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and their Families quickly find useful and pertinent information.
"It was something that I felt was necessary," Mulhall said. "There was a need in the community for this type of a website."
"From a spouse perspective, I couldn't find anything that was easy to navigate or where to get help," Mulhall said. "There was a lot of information out there, but a need to consolidate it all and make it user-friendly. It's been something that is long overdue."
There are several facets to the website, one which has Family Readiness Group-specific
information.
"There is one piece of it that is FRG-specific, so anything a commander or an FRG leader or a volunteer would need is right there on the front page," Mulhall said. "There are FRG tools that have regulations and different types of guides they need to have a successful program."
Included on the front page is a link for newcomers, which has links to everything from on- and off-post housing to school information.
"I believe that sponsorship and family readiness go hand-in-hand," Mulhall said. "If we bring them in well even before they get here, we make a good first impression and that is what I am trying to do. Our website is our calling card. I want us to have a welcoming type of website."
Mulhall thinks the biggest hit on the new website will be the Trainee Families link, because Fort Leonard Wood is a TRADOC installation.
"I compiled all of the good and relevant information in one place, so the Families can start to learn about the Army and become assimilated and understand what is going on and be better prepared," Mulhall said. "Family Readiness starts from the very beginning of their Soldier's career. Whether it is a mom or dad or a spouse, it doesn't matter, and it's a way to keep them from getting information from the wrong places. If I can have them go there and get the right stuff right away, then it will avoid a lot of confusion and frustration and hopefully help with beginning their life in the military."
"Even the ones that are not here at Fort Leonard Wood, who decided to go home during a deployment, can still get all the relevant information right there and contact information, too," Mulhall added.
Mulhall said there is also a support link, which brings everybody to the good support services that are here in the local area and elsewhere, as well as the Get Connected page.
By using the Get Connected page, Families can reach out to other Families of Soldiers-in-training in order to get acquainted with their military family more quickly.
The website has been up-and-running since December and is being put out through Facebook websites, FRG distribution, command groups and Unit Service Coordinators.
Dan Danzo, Fort Leonard Wood outreach coordinator and 14th Military Police Brigade unit service coordinator, has briefed this to 14th MP Brigade and said the command was very impressed with the information available for newcomers' and trainees' Families.
"That was impressive to them, because all their Facebook sites were right there at the touch of a button for all the Family members. It's some place a Family member can go, whether they are a trainee Family member or permanent party … and also for newcomers it's ideal because they can click on it and be updated on Fort Leonard Wood," Danzo said. "It impressed the heck out of me."
Mulhall encourages anyone with ideas for improving the website, or questions and concerns regarding the website, to contact her at patricia.mulhall@conus.army.mil.
"I want us to stand out and show the world what Family Readiness is all about," Mulhall said. "But the most important thing to me is that this website is here to help people."
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