Wounded Warriors, Families Get Priority Assistance

By Jorge Gomez, Fort Lee Public AffairsFebruary 29, 2008

Welcoming Warriors in Transition
Col. Gwen Bingham, U.S. Army Garrison, Fort Lee commander, welcomes the community to an open house event for the Soldier and Family Assistance Center Feb. 29. The new center will serve as a one-stop hub for the most frequently used services by the Wa... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

Pfc. Chandra Bracy, Warrior Transition Unit Soldier, won't have to figure out a way to reach the distant legal assistance office from her quarters anymore.

With the official opening of the Soldier and Family Assistance Center Feb. 29, Bracy will have access to legal services only a block away.

"The (SFAC) people here are eager to accommodate the needs of the Soldiers," Bracy said.

Bracy and all other WTU Soldiers can now take advantage of this one-stop center that provides legal assistance, social services, employment assistance, finance, education and a host of other services in a building located midway between lodging and Kenner Army Health Clinic.

The facility is a user-friendly environment where WTU Soldiers and their Families can devote all their energies to the mission of healing and transitioning - either back to their units or to new lives as citizens, said Col. Gwen Bingham, U.S. Army Garrison, Fort Lee commander.

"The bottomline is we are here to care for our Warriors in Transition. They are the number one priority for all our services on Fort Lee. We believe they deserve that," Bingham said.

Bracy is new to the Army. She graduated from advanced individual training at Fort Lee but has yet to report to a permanent unit of assignment. The SFAC is keeping her informed of her Army benefits and how to go about using them.

"They have been instrumental in helping me gain access to services that I would otherwise not known about," Bracy said.

For Capt. David Payne, WTU commander, the opening of the SFAC and activation of the WTU on Feb. 27 is a demonstration that the Army is keeping its promise of caring for its wounded Warriors.

The SFAC works in conjunction with the WTU and provides an avenue for the Families to get the support they need. Soldiers can get access to the SFAC whenever they need it, Payne said.

"The SFAC consolidates a lot of the services that Soldiers use. This will keep them from having to run around the installation," said Sgt. 1st Class Emanuel Jones, WTU cadre.