L EADERSHIP E DUCATION A ND D EVELOPMENT Troop & Family Support

LEADERSHIP EDUCATION AND DEVELOPMENT

Troop & Family Support


OPERATION COMFORT WARRIORS


Our Mission Provide comfort items/recreation events to

wounded, injured, or ill service men and women in our Military & Veterans Hospitals, Wounded

Warrior Battalions, and Warrior Transition Units. Support individual transitions to communities.



Where and When did OCW begin?

Lansdsthul Regional Medical Center, Germany 2007originally Operation Lansdshtul created by

then-National Commander Paul Morin



Next Step Toward OCW

In 2008 then-National Commander David K. Rehbein

Expanded the program outreach and in December 2008

Renamed Operation Comfort Warriors



The American Legion National Executive Committee meeting held on October 17th &18th 2012 consolidated

Heroes2Hometowns and Operation Comfort Warriors together with Resolution 12

1. Many of the same Veterans we served under several different programs

2. Multiple programs serving the same population can cause confusion and redundancies

3. Eliminate some administrative costs and tasks for separate programs



How do we know what to get?

What are the servicemembers

wants or “wish list” ?



Outreach• Department• Hospital Staff• Cadre• Post or Installation

Ask them • What do you need?• What can we do to help?




Individual gifts or grants



Individual gifts or grants

http://www.legion.org/operationcomfortwarriors/228342/ocw-helps-connect-service-dog-and-wounded-warrior






Unit gifts and grants



















• Storage

• Shipping

• Flexible

• Based on need

• Cash

• Expedient


Application For Assistance








Typical questions from Military Leadership

What's in it for you?

Is it allowable under military regulations?


Ethics Letter



• Direct the staff to the OCW Facebook page

• Legion home page

• Videos of other events



Regulations restricting gifts to individual servicemembers

“Gifts offered by non-prohibited sources to a group of personnel that does not distinguish on the basis of official responsibility or favor higher rank or rate of pay. Examples would include all members in a particular unit; all personnel who responded to a particular disaster; and all personnel injured in a particular disaster or event (such as the bombing of the Cole, the Pentagon disaster, the Iraq or Afghanistan theatre of operations). (5 C.F.R. 2635.204(c)(2)(iii))”

www.defenselink.mil/dodgc/defense_ethics/dod_oge/gifts_to_servicemembers.doc. (Researched 05Nov2012)




Donations:

OCW is funded 100% by donations from American Legion Posts and individuals.

100% In – 100% Out.



Donations: Can be done by individuals, units and

organizations.



E-mail for OCW

Facebook Page

[email protected]

www.facebook.com/operationcomfortwarriors


Family Support Network

• Local posts provides direct support to service personnel and their families

• First Gulf War showed the need for helping families of deployed service members

• Activation of military units/personnel intensifies the need

- Don’t forget that extended training situations can leave a family in need of assistance too



• Provide assistance with household chores

• Repairs & Maintenance

• Child Care

• Expenses



• Service members and their families in need can make contact via:- Their local Legion post- Their Legion department- Call NHQ nationwide toll-free number: (800) 504-4098,

- Online application (NHQ website): www.legion.org/familysupport/assistance

• NHQ phone calls and website applications are relayed to appropriate Legion department

• Department then relays to local Legion post

• Local post makes contact with the family to assess specific need(s)

• Local post coordinates resources necessary to provide direct, local assistance

http://www.legion.org/familysupport/assistance



FSN only works if local posts respond to the needs of our comrades and their families

• home or car repairs• mowing grass• grocery shopping• child care• local financial assistance/potential TFA


How you can help

Promote FSN at all levels of the organization.

Actively seek out military families in your local communities.

Be involved with Family Readiness and

other support groups.

Know your local resources.

Blue Star Banners.

No job is too small!



Help ensure that military families do not shoulder the burden of service

alone.


Questions ?


Documents

L EADERSHIP E DUCATION A ND D EVELOPMENT Troop & Family Support