New Yellow Ribbon representative strives to help others, promotes program

Published Jan. 11, 2016
By Staff Sgt. Jami Lancette
434th ARW Public Affairs

GRISSOM AIR RESERVE BASE, Ind. -- A yellow ribbon has often been associated to a safe return of a loved one, and serves as a symbol of support and hope, and now a new representative strives to uphold its purpose through a program designed to support returning Airmen.

Master Sgt. James Hoagland recently stepped into his new role as 434th Air Refueling Wing Yellow Rippon Program manager, with the goal of helping others and bringing awareness to the program and the benefits it provides to Airman and their families.

"As a school teacher on the civilian side, I have a passion for helping others achieve their goals and foster good morale," said Hoagland. "That's what drew me to the position as the Yellow Ribbon representative, because it's a program that helps the troops and their families as well
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"They provide a wealth of resources; It helped me and my family, so in turn I want to help our troops at Grissom," Hoagland added.

Hoagland brings with him the aptitude and experience to help the program continue to succeed and grow throughout the wing.

"I'm very excited to have Master Sgt. Hoagland as our new yellow ribbon program representative," said Col. Doug Schwartz, 434th Air Refueling Wing commander. "He brings a tremendous amount of experience when it comes to taking care of Airmen.

"He has successfully managed a number of programs across the wing and is the absolute perfect selection, and a great fit for the program," added Schwartz.

The YRRP promotes the well-being of reservists and their families by connecting them with resources before and after deployments. It began in 2008 following a congressional mandate for the Department of Defense to assist reservists and National Guard members in maintaining resiliency as they transition between their military and civilian roles.

"Our Airman are deploying all the time, and sometimes they don't always get the chance to take advantage of a yellow ribbon event, but I encourage them to try," said Hoagland "It not only benefits the member, but it also benefits the non-member; it makes them more aware of what our troops do and the resources that are available to them as well."

The events are for service members who have deployed for more than 90 days but exclude deployments for training. Each member can take up to two adult guests. All Defense Eligibility Enrollment System children count as one guest, and the other guest can be spouse, significant other, parents, siblings, roommates or even friends.

"I definitely recommend it," said Staff Sgt. Brent Cannon, 434th Aerospace Medicine Squadron medical technician. "I think being in the military for five or six years gives us a basic knowledge of everything, however having a chance to actually come down here for one of these events puts everything into a more detailed perspective.

"They have more time to answer questions one on one, and just to be able to interact with other members from the other reserve bases is very beneficial," added Cannon.

To show his support for the new representative and Grissom Airmen, Schwartz was present during the weekend event and received some great feedback.

"Overwhelmingly, I hear from our Airmen that they truly love the experience of the yellow ribbon," said Schwartz. "I think it makes them more resilient and better prepared and ultimately more readied Airmen for our United States Air Force."

Each year the Air Force Reserve YRRP trains 7,000 reservists and family members in education benefits, health care, retirement information and more.

Eligible members can attend up to three events. The first event can be attended prior to a scheduled deployment followed by two additional events after returning from an eligible deployment.

For more information on event dates click here or contact Hoagland at 765-688-2476.

The 434th ARW is the largest KC-135R Stratotanker unit in the Air Force Reserve Command. Airmen and aircraft from the 434th ARW routinely deploy around the world in support of the Air Force mission and U.S. strategic objectives.

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New Yellow Ribbon representative strives to help others, promotes program

Public Affairs Staff