"Supporting Our Troops Through Family Readiness "

Check here for activities, notices and information from our Family Readiness Group.

Email Y-Vonna
Email Jodi
Email Terri
Email Evelyn

Please advise me (MJ) of any other email address links we need to provide here.

Email All Troop F Leaders
Use the above link to Email all F Troop Leaders

Click the links below to view pictures from SSG. John Jones. Thank you John!!
We appreciate the pictures so very much!

http://img78.photobucket.com/albums/v316/cavcom/

http://www.msnusers.com/03aug2003/_tools.msnw

  • November 20, 2004 - Plans are in the works for all FRG's to set up at their local WalMart Stores to receive donations for our soldiers. More plans will be forthcoming as they are made available. We will need help with this, so please check your calendars and let you FRG Leaders know what hrs you can help with the booth. In conjunction with this event - we would like to include a "Yellow Ribbon Campaign". We want to see yellow ribbons all over East Tennessee in Support of Our Troops. If you have any ideas or suggestions, please pass them to us.

  • Thanks to ALL who contributed to our Yard Sale. It was a huge success!!

  • October 9, 2004 - Hello to everyone! I just wanted to update you on our next big event - the Yard Sale on Saturday, October 9th at the Bristol Armory. WE ARE IN NEED OF MANY VOLUNTEERS TO HELP US SET UP AND WORK THIS EVENT. EVERYTHING we make on this event is profit, since we have received so many donations of goods. Please give us an hour or two and help us raise some much needed funds for our families. This money will go towards a Christmas party for the families and if we make enough - to send some goodies to our guys. PLEASE all telephone tree captains call your lists and let people know we need volunteers for Saturday, October 9th from 6:30 am to 4:00 pm. Read the article below.

  • July 13, 2004 - FRG Meeting at the armory. Hope to see everyone there!

  • June 19, 2004 Community-wide send off. Viking Hall-- Family memebers may begin to arrive at 1:00. The program begins at 2:00 and should end around 3:30-4:00. Please show your support and wear red,white and blue!

  • June 20, 2004 Bristol Armory The troops will leave at 7:30, and the bus will depart at 9:30.

  • I just wanted to give a big thank you to all the family members who have pulled together and helped with all the going away partys and dinners. The drill hall looks great. The kids of F troop have really done a super job and are a strong group. Thanks for all the support from the family memebers! Good luck to our Guys and to the familys left behind.

    I'm sure if we communicate our feelings and ideas to each other we will do fine! I'm Looking forword to the Reginal Meeting. We have allot of changes in the FRG with the Youth and lots planned for our future!! Be strong and hold your heads up high. We are proud of our Soldiers and we should be proud of our FRG's!

    -Shaylene

  • June 19, 2004 - Community-wide send-off at Viking Hall Civic Center

  • June 5th and 6th, 2004 - drill dates.

  • June 1, 2004 FRG Meeting - Our next FRG meeting will be at the Armory on Tuesday, June 1 at 6:30 pm. We will be discussing the upcoming special send off planned for Saturday, June 19th at Viking Hall. We will also discuss our funds, and plans for the upcoming summer months. Shaylene is planning a special activity for all of the kids and we invite each child to come and get to know one another. This is a very stressful time for all of us, however we as adults can understand a little better. The children are the ones who don't always know how or what to say about their feelings. Getting to know others may help your child to come out and talk about these feelings. I know that had it not been for this group and some of the kids that my daughter has met, she would still be closed up and frustrated. Now she realizes that there are kids out there going through the same emotions that she is. So I ENCOURAGE each of you to get involved and stay involved. Not just for yourself - but for your kids. Please everyone bring in a little snack to share. We will supply the drinks and paper products. Thanks guys and I hope, no I EXPECT, to see each soldier and familythere!

    Camille

  • Hey Army Family-
    Just wanted to let you know about the Sailors/Soldiers Relief Act. You must contact all of your debitors, asking where to address the information you need to send, including a copy of the orders and a power of attorney. If you don't have one, your husband must do this before he leaves. This will bring your % rate to 6 %! This will help alot of familys.. I would contact each company, ask for the procedures and REQUEST confirmation through the mail! You also need to include your account number on the orders and Power of Attorney. I hope all is well with everyone. I can say for our family things are very emotional right now. Just trying to deal with it the best way we can. Looking forword to seeing everyone at Tuesday's meeting. For thoes who arn't part of F troop and need a family readiness group, becasue yours is hours away we are here for you and would love to have you with us. We are all family! In the Kids Corner we are making Cards for Daddy. The posters were a blast, very emotional to see but well worth it. You will all be suprised when you see the drill hall.. Thank Melonie Cartwright. She's really been busy!

    ~ Shaylene

  • May 23, 2004 (Sunday)Windsor Avenue Presbyterian Church in Bristol - "A special day to honor and pray for our local Reserve Military" from 11:00 AM - 11:25 AM.

  • May 22, 2004 (Saturday night) soldier and date dance.

  • May 22, 2004 (Saturday)- TROOP F FAMILY PICNIC - an all day event.

  • May 14th,15th, & 16th, 2004 - drill dates.

  • May 8th, 2004 (Saturday)- The FRG will meet at 11:00 am. Hope to see each family represented there. It's very important that we remain in touch and that each family is up to date on any information that might be available.

    • Letter from Shaylene and Troop F's Kid's Corner - May 5th, 2004

    Hi Troop F- Just wanted to give you a recap of our last meeting. MJ Stokley came and helped us create our Kid's Corner. She brought lots of good advice and a strong amount of support. During our meeting we had the Children introduce themselves and tell who their Daddy was and what his job was at the Armory. Than we discussed how they were feeling about upcoming events! It didn't take long to see the hands going up in the air! These kids really opened up. And it was heart wrenching to listen to them talk about how they were feeling. They feel just like us. They are scared, angry, lost, fear death, they see everything they know changing right in front of them! We as parents and care takers need to talk with them about these feelings. They only hear the "bad stuff" on the news. We need to open their eyes to all the good things the Military does! You can get so much information on line, good photos of Iraq Children. With these photos you can show what the area looks like, how the families live. This will get the children involved and help them feel better about this scary place that you're going to. They don't need to hear all the bad stuff, the news is not a good source of information for any of us.

    I will do everything I can to make every meeting a fun time for them, a learning time and hopefully something they will look forword to coming to!

    If each Dad wants to give me a letter for their children to give out on their Birthday Meeting that would be great! I just want to make it easier on them because this is such a hard thing to accept and it's becoming reality really quick! So any ideas you may have or if any one wants to join me in this just let me know. I could use a few extra hands!

    This next meeting Saturday, May 8th at 11:00, we will be making Treasure Memory Boxes. These will be something between the child and Daddy. He can fill it with Special things. When the child wants to be close to Daddy they can go to that "Special Box" and look inside and become closer to you!

    Hey- In the big room (Adult Mtg) they have lots of things going on, with so many upcoming events. You really should come to this meeting and pass the word to others.

    Thanks Army Family
    Shaylene

    Click Here to read the FRG Meeting notes for July 13, 2004.

    Click Here to visit our Kids Corner.

    Click Here to read "Families Bracing for Departure of 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment"
    from tricities.com - May 19, 2004.

    Click Here to read "Yard sale planned in support of 278th"
    from tricities.com - Oct. 7, 2004.

    Click Here to return to 278th ACR FRG Home Page

    Graphics and contents copyright Tennessee Army National Guard 2/278th ACR Family Readiness Group unless noted otherwise.
    Unit crest, insignia, etc. copyright to Tennessee Army National Guard. Please do not remove. April 2004.