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171st hosts first Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program Event

  • Published
  • By Capt. Dicie Hritz
  • 171st Public Affairs
FARMINGTON, Pa. --  The 171st Air Refueling Wing hosted its first Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program (YRRP) Post Deployment event at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort in Farmington, Pennsylvania.

To be eligible to attend the event a service member had to deploy for 90 or more cumulative days of Title 10 or Title 32 orders in a fiscal year.

Participating Guardsmen and their family members were put on orders from Nov. 19-21. to attend seminars that provided deployed service members valuable information about the benefits, resources and services they qualify for since returning from deployment.

The emphasis of the program is family involvement.

National Guard and Reserve members have a unique challenge relative to their active duty counterparts, since many will return to full-time civilian employment following their military duties. Without the support of an active duty installation, many encounter difficulty finding or getting access to the care that they need for any injuries, illnesses or conditions incurred as a result of their deployment. Some service members find it challenging locating information or services to assist with their transition back to a peacetime environment, despite the numerous organizations whose stated purpose is to provide this service.

The YRRP was designed to fulfill this need by serving as "integrator" to link service members and their families with the appropriate service based on their individual needs.
Some of the seminars consisted of Employer Support of Guard and Reserve (ESGR), Transition Assistance Advisors, Financial Counselors, TriCare, Military Family Life Consultants (MFLCs), Veteran's Affairs (VA) Medical Center and many other resources on site.

While attending the YRRP event at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort families had the opportunity to take in the relaxing atmosphere of the peaceful resort.

Children were also invited to stay at Nemacolin with their parents. Daycare was provided so children could enjoy the activity filled weekend with their parents. The children had the opportunity to participate in the 'Kids Klub' and work with crafts, visit the Wildside facility which has many arcades, billiard tables, a climbing wall, bowling alley and much more. The children also went to the petting zoo and animal nursery to visit with the resorts animals.

The evenings brought a much relaxed and kindling time for the adults. Many opportunities to share quality time together at several restaurants, stores, golfing, sports entertainment at the Tavern, or an evening relaxing at the spa.

Capt. James Weber, 171 ARW Maintenance Officer and YRRP participant took advantage of the opportunity and took his wife and daughter to the weekend get-away at Nemacolin.
"I think it's great that they thought about how to help out troops returning home from deployments. It really shows that we take care of each other while deployed and at home.", said Weber.

The 171 ARW will host its second event in March 2011, if you are interested contact Ms. Deb Krall at (412) 776-7365 for registration information.