port of FRGs and maintaining

their continuity and stability

through changes in personnel. While the main task of the FRSA

is to assist command in support

of their FRGs, the FRSA also

supports the SRPs for their

units, are a resource for the

Yellow Ribbon team during

those events and are available to

provide additional training to

the family members. For exam-

ple, OPSEC/social media and My

Life in a Box, just to mention a

couple. Please reach out to a FRSA if

you have any questions regard-

ing the recruitment of an FRG

for your unit, or any additional

training.

With just one percent of Ameri-

cans serving in the military, it’s

more important than ever for the

families to have a place to turn

for support. Military families can

rely on Family Readiness Groups

(FRG’s) for support, information

and camaraderie, as well as being

together with those that have

been through similar experi-

ences. The concept of an FRG can be

traced back to the Revolutionary

War, when Martha Washington

would rally the wives of service

members in her husband’s com-

mand. Today FRG’s provide a

vital connection among military

families, commanders and the

community. They are an exten-

sion of the unit, making sure all

information disseminated through

their networks is trustworthy.

One of the main responsibilities

of the FRG is to act as a central

communication point for its

members. That means the com-

munication coordinator maintains

an up to date list of phone num-

bers, email addresses and other

contact information so members

can be contacted quickly if neces-

sary. The communications coor-

dinator and all members of the

FRG key leadership team follow

the guidelines of the Privacy Act

of 1974 to ensure privacy for the

military members and their fami-

lies.

The FRG is the commander’s

program and that’s where the

FRSA (Family Readiness Support

Assistant) comes into play. The

FRSA is part of the J-9 Director-

ate, State Family Programs Of-

fice. Each FRSA is assigned a

MACOM (Major Command) and

are tasked with working with the

commander’s of their units to

recruit, train and charter FRG’s

for each. While the main task of

the FRG is outreach to the family

members, each commander has a

vision for his/her FRG that they

want to meet. It is the responsi-

bility of the FRSA to maintain

that vision and assist the FRG

key leadership team in attaining

and maintaining that goal. The

FRSA works with the com-

mander and RDNCO, providing

administrative assistance in sup-

JOINT STAFF,

GEORGIA

DEPARTMENT

OF DEFENSE

August 31, 2012 Volume 3, Issue 10

A Newsletter Production of the J-9 Joint and Family Services Directorate Special points of in-

terest:

All in the Family

The Army

Leader: At a Loss

for Words.

The History of La-

bor Day

SAVING THE DAY!

FOUNDING FA-

THERS SERIES

Inside this issue:

All in the Fam-ily by Mrs Julie Mackim, Fam-ily Readiness Support Asst.

1

The Army

Leader: At a

Loss for Words.

2

The History of

Labor Day

3,5

Founding Fathers:

Abraham Baldwin

3

Article from the GSDF: Saving the Day!

4

September 3rd,

1783

4

Mrs Julie Mackim, Family Readiness Support Assistant

"Let us seek for comfort where alone it may be found, let us learn a dutiful acquiescence in whatsoever proceeds from that Great Being from whom we ourselves proceeded and who being the sole Author of all our enjoyments has an undoubted Right to withdraw them in his own good time and whose Goodness so conspicuous in his General Providence may be as eminent for aught we know though not so plainly discerned even when He deals to us the bitter cup of affliction."

~ John Blair, Founding

Father, appointed by

George Washington a

Supreme Court Justice

"To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded."

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Page 2

- CW2 Barry Long

Every Army leader is trained to be proficient in counseling, mentoring and evaluating. Every Army leader is drilled on handling Sexual As-saults, deviant behavior, suicide watch, and many other scenarios, to a certain extent. Every Army leader, however, faces those times when training is not enough, where com-passion is required, or where the problem is completely out if his/her experience. The problem the leader faces may be with his or her family, another Sol-dier, a leader (above or below his/her position), or someone outside the fold. The problem can be internal. It can be something in the leader’s personal experience that he or she cannot reconcile. These issues place us in a very peculiar problem that does not exist outside of law enforce-ment, Emergency Response or mili-tary organizations, and the mentality of personnel in those organizations is so vastly different than the organiza-tions and people we call “Civilians” that we cannot relate it to each other, or to outside counselors. This article will focus mainly on military personnel and leaders, but it could be applied, with minor editing, to any of the organizations in our society that we consider “Non-Civilian.” These are organizations with a vaguely military-type struc-ture, such as: Law Enforcement Organization, First Responder Emer-gency Organizations (Fire, EMT, etc), and Civil Defense Organiza-tions. The military has a way of teaching its personnel to be strong, steadfast, zealous, impervious to pain or irrita-tion, self-reliant, loyal, and brave. In this process self-denial and lack of compassion/empathy are also trained into our personnel, because of the competitive nature of the training and the shear strenuous nature of the service. Some of the effect is intentional and some is not, but the effect is there, nevertheless.

Once a Soldier, Marine, Airman, Sailor, etc becomes a leader, the training is supposed to add a more human face to the Serviceman. The training is supposed to make a men-tor, leader, coach, sometime dictator, and occasional supporter, out of the rough and ready, hardcore, man or woman in uniform. This, however, does not easily counter that hardcore frame of mind, and it breeds an internal struggle. The leader asks, “Do they see me as weak?” “Am I portraying softness by showing any compassion?” Does it hurt my image to be the ‘understanding’ leader?” Then the moment arrives we all fear. Trouble pops up, but it is not an enemy, a terrorist, or a trap. The trouble is a Service Member (SM from now on) who has a weakness. The weakness is family trouble, loss of a girlfriend, a death in the family, financial trouble, suicidal tenden-cies, sexual assault or improper sexual behavior, drunkenness, or one of many similar problems. Training kicks in, and the leader usually follows the report channel, recom-mends or orders the specifically required help or counseling, etc. Training kicks in… Training, however, does not always teach empathy. The leader is at a loss for words. This article cannot teach empathy, compassionate behavior, or (most importantly) damage control, but it can bring the emphasis to the front, and make the leader think. Think about what you would want to hap-pen. You may not find it appropriate to show compassion, but at least remain impassive and avoid the appearance of distaste. Many lead-ers show a distasteful attitude, either because they do not know what else to do or say, or because the event/issue is simply a strain on their

resources. Remember to avoid this effect. Stay impassive if you cannot show empathy. Do not act like a robot. If you must, follow the scripted words from the manuals and videos you remember from training. Your best effort at tough and reasonable will do for the first time out. Some leaders are prone to a kind of internal remorse as well. Either the leader was “that stupid” as a young SM or the leader failed to correct the problem or help someone in need before. Get over the remorse and fix it this time. The most important part of all of this is to seek help. Seek help from your mentors, from trustworthy sources, from counselors, or from close friends. Admit your weakness(es) and get better with help. As a leader, do not fear any stigmata of asking for help in dealing with someone else’s problem, nor in dealing with your method of coping with those problems. Leaders can get help, too. Stop the process of denying weak-ness and gain strength from getting support/help from a counselor/mentor. When that moment arises, and it will; that moment will arise when you have no words to say; that mo-ment when you cannot express your emotions, do not simply fall back on training. Fall back on being hu-man. Observe the successes of others and implement change. Lead the way, and be a leader of consequence. Fix the problems that created the problems… Get help. Learn to understand the needs of others, never forget where you came from, but always remem-ber how you would like to be treated. Thank you for your service!

Labor Day: How it Came About; What it Means Labor Day, the first Monday in Sep-tember, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the so-cial and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contribu-

tions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country. Founder of Labor Day More than 100 years after the first Labor Day observance, there is still some doubt as to who first proposed the holiday for workers. Some records show that Peter J.

McGuire, general secretary of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners and a cofounder of the American Fed-eration of Labor, was first in suggest-ing a day to honor those "who from rude nature have delved and carved all the grandeur we behold." But Peter McGuire's place in Labor Day history has not gone unchallenged.

Many believe that Matthew Maguire, a machinist, not Peter McGuire, founded the holiday. Recent research seems to support the contention that Matthew Maguire, later the secretary of Local 344 of the International Association of Ma-chinists in Paterson, N.J., proposed the holiday in 1882 while serving as secre-tary of the Central Labor Union in New

York. What is clear is that the Central Labor Union adopted a Labor Day pro-posal and appointed a committee to plan a demonstration and picnic. The First Labor Day The first Labor Day holiday was cele-brated on Tuesday, September 5, 1882, in New York City, in accordance with the plans of the Central Labor Union. The Central Labor Union held its second La-

bor Day holiday just a year later, on September 5, 1883. In 1884 the first Monday in September was selected as the holiday, as originally proposed, and the Central Labor Union urged similar organizations in other cit-ies to follow the example of New York and celebrate a "workingmen's holiday" on that date. The idea spread with the

growth of labor organizations, and in 1885 Labor Day was celebrated in many industrial centers of the coun-try. Labor Day Legislation Through the years the nation gave increasing emphasis to Labor Day. The

first governmental recognition came through municipal ordinances passed during 1885 and 1886. From them developed the movement to secure state legislation. The first state bill was introduced into the New York leg-islature, but the first to become law was passed by Oregon on February 21, 1887. During the year four more states — Colorado, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York — created the Labor Day holiday by legislative

enactment. By the end of the decade Connecticut, Nebraska, and Pennsyl-vania had followed suit. By 1894, 23 other states had adopted the holiday in honor of workers, and on June 28 of that year, Congress passed an act making the first Monday in September of each year a legal holiday in the Dis-trict of Columbia and the territories. ...Continued on Page 4

debts and educate, out of his own pocket, his half-brothers and half-sisters.

That same year, Baldwin attended the Constitutional

Convention, from which he was absent for a few weeks. Although usually inconspicuous, he sat on the Commit-tee on Postponed Matters and helped resolve the large-small state representation crisis. At first, he favored representation in the Senate based upon property hold-ings, but possibly because of his close relationship with the Connecticut delegation he later came to fear alien-ation of the small states and changed his mind to representation by state.

After the convention, Baldwin returned to the

Continental Congress (1787-89). He was then elected to the U.S. Congress, where he served for 18 years (House of Representatives, 1789-99; Senate, 1799-1807). During these years, he became a bitter oppo-nent of Hamiltonian policies and, unlike most other native New Englanders, an ally of Madison and Jeffer-son and the Democratic-Republicans. In the Senate, he presided for a while as president pro tem.

By 1790 Baldwin had taken up residence in Au-

gusta. Beginning in the preceding decade, he had begun efforts to advance the educational system in Georgia. Appointed with six others in 1784 to oversee the founding of a state college, he saw his dream come true in 1798 when Franklin College was founded.

Baldwin was born at Guil-ford, Conn., in 1754, the second son of a blacksmith who fa-thered 12 children by 2 wives. Besides Abraham, several of the family attained distinction. His sister Ruth married the poet and diplomat Joel Barlow, and his half-brother Henry attained the position of justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. Their ambitious father went heavily into debt to educate his chil-dren.

After attending a local village school, Abraham

matriculated at Yale, in nearby New Haven. He graduated in 1772. Three years later, he became a minister and tutor at the college. He held that position until 1779, when he served as a chaplain in the Continental Army. Two years later, he declined an offer from his alma mater of a pro-fessorship of divinity. Instead of resuming his ministerial or educational duties after the war, he turned to the study of law and in 1783 gained admittance to the bar at Fair-field, CT.

Within a year, Baldwin moved to Georgia, won legis-

lative approval to practice his profession, and obtained a grant of land in Wilkes County. In 1785 he sat in the assembly and the Continental Congress. Two years later, his father died and Baldwin undertook to pay off his

Modeled after Yale, it became the nucleus of the Uni-versity of Georgia.

Baldwin, who never married, died after a short

illness during his 53d year in 1807. Still serving in the Senate at the time, he was buried in Washington's Rock Creek Cemetery.

http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/

constitution_founding_fathers_georgia.html#Few

Page 3 Volume 3, Issue 10

Born: November 22,

1754, Guilford

Died: March 4, 1807,

Washington, D.C.

Education: Yale

University

Siblings: Henry

Baldwin "It should therefore be among the first objects of those who wish well to the national prosperity to encourage and support the principles of religion and morality, and early to place the

youth under the forming hand of society, that by instruction they may be molded to the love of virtue and good order."

- ABRAHAM BALDWIN

"When the minds of the people in general are viciously dis-posed and unprincipled, and their conduct disorderly, a free government, will be attended with greater confusions and evils

more horrid than the wild, uncultivated state of nature. It can only be happy when the public principle and opinions are properly directed and their manners regulated. This is an

influence beyond the reach of laws and punishments and can be claimed only by religion and education"

- ABRAHAM BALDWIN

From The U.S. Department

of Labor Webpage

In the past month, Atlanta traffic has been tied up with three fatal accidents involving wrong-way drivers. The morning traffic reports on the radio and the GDOT website are full of more accident reports. If it is a minor fender-bender, most people know what to do. But, in the case of a seri-

ous accident, would you know how to respond? MYTH: “Someone has probably called 911 already, so I shouldn’t bother.” It actually may benefit rescue efforts if multiple 911 calls are made. You may report observations from a different vantage point, or may have gotten a better look at a license plate, so go ahead and make the call. The opera-tor will ask you a series of questions.

Respond with as much detail as you can. Let them know of any hazards you see, such as fire, downed power lines, or obvious injuries. Tell them how many cars are involved, how

many people, and if the situation is es-calating, such as the involved parties getting into a heated argument. Also, do not hang up until the 911 operator tells you to do so. MYTH: “Injured accident victims who need help always want it.” When you take any first aid or CPR class you are

instructed to ALWAYS ask first if you can help someone. A conscious person can refuse your help. If they do, you have to respect their request and wait for emergency personnel. If the victim is a child, an adult should give the consent. With an unconscious victim, a rescuer has “implied consent.” This means that the person would most likely ask for your help if they were able to respond. In this case, deliver aid to the limit of your training and knowledge. If you are

unsure of what to do, seek advice from the 911 operator. MYTH: “You should always remove vic-tims from a car because of the risk of fire.” This is likely the worst course of action you could take. If there is no immediate danger of fire, turn off the engine and allow the injured victim to

remain in the car. They could have injuries that could be made worse by moving them. If the car does burst into flames, remove the victim as quickly as possible. Even if this ag-gravates an injury, you are still acting in the best interest of the victim and leaving them better than they would have been otherwise. What if the per-

son was ejected from the car during the crash? Render aid wherever they may be, and only move them if there is an obvious threat to their life. MYTH: “You should apply direct pres-sure to any bleeding wound.” When heavy bleeding is present, direct pres-sure should be applied. However, in the case of head trauma, light pres-sure is preferred due to the possibility of skull fractures.

The key to responding to an acci-dent is to leave the victims in as good or better condition as you found them. Your primary duty is to help protect the victims until professional help arrives.

In September 1782, Benjamin Franklin, along

with John Adams and John Jay, began official

peace negotiations with the British. The Continen-

tal Congress had originally named a five-person

committee--including Franklin, Adams and Jay,

along with Thomas Jefferson and Henry Laurens--

to handle the talks. However, both Jefferson and

Laurens missed the sessions--Jefferson had

travel delays and Laurens had been captured by

the British and was being held in the Tower of

London. The U.S. delegation, which was distrust-

ful of the French, opted to negotiate separately

with the British.

During the talks Franklin demanded that

Britain hand over Canada to the United States.

This did not come to pass, but America did gain

enough new territory south of the Canadian bor-

der to double its size. The United States also suc-

cessfully negotiated for important fishing rights

in Canadian waters and agreed, among other

things, not to prevent British creditors from at-

tempting to recover debts owed to them. Two

The American Revolution officially comes

to an end when representatives of the United

States, Great Britain, Spain and France sign the

Treaty of Paris on this day in 1783. The signing

signified America's status as a free nation, as

Britain formally recognized the independence

of its 13 former American colonies, and the

boundaries of the new republic were agreed

upon: Florida north to the Great Lakes and the

Atlantic coast west to the Mississippi River.

The events leading up to the treaty

stretched back to April 1775, on a common

green in Lexington, Massachusetts, when

American colonists answered King George III's

refusal to grant them political and economic

reform with armed revolution. On July 4, 1776,

more than a year after the first volleys of the

war were fired, the Second Continental Con-

gress officially adopted the Declaration of Inde-

pendence. Five difficult years later, in October

1781, British General Charles Lord Cornwallis

surrendered to American and French forces at

Yorktown, Virginia, bringing to an end the last

major battle of the Revolution.

months later, the key details had been ham-

mered out and on November 30, 1882, the United

States and Britain signed the preliminary arti-

cles of the treaty. France signed its own pre-

liminary peace agreement with Britain on Janu-

ary 20, 1783, and then in September of that

year, the final treaty was signed by all three

nations and Spain. The Treaty of Paris was

ratified by the Continental Congress on Janu-

ary 14, 1884.

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/

treaty-of-paris-signed

Page 4 Volume 3, Issue 10

Article by

CW2 Jennifer Long Commander, A Co., 4th BN, 1st BDE,

Georgia State Defense Force

NATIONAL GUARD BUREAU Family Programs (NGB-FP) Mission: To establish and facilitate

ongoing communication, involvement,

support, and recognition between Na-tional Guard families and the National

Guard in a partnership that promotes

the best in both.

Family Programs Web Sites

GuardFamily.org - The National Guard

Family Program

GuardFamilyYouth.org - The National

Guard Family Youth Program

Newsletters

Air National Guard Family Guide [PDF]

Contact Information

Phone: (888)777-7731 Fax: 703-607-0762

Email: ngb.J1.fp@ng.army.mil

The character of the Labor Day

celebration has undergone a change

in recent years, especially in large

industrial centers where mass dis-

plays and huge parades have proved a

problem. This change, however, is

more a shift in emphasis and medium

of expression. Labor Day addresses

by leading union officials, industrial-

ists, educators, clerics and govern-

ment officials are given wide coverage

in newspapers, radio, and television.

The vital force of labor added materi-

ally to the highest standard of living

and the greatest production the

world has ever known and has

brought us closer to the realization

of our traditional ideals of economic

and political democracy. It is appro-

priate, therefore, that the nation pay

tribute on Labor Day to the creator

of so much of the nation's strength,

freedom, and leadership — the

American worker.

A Nationwide Holiday

The form that the observance and

celebration of Labor Day should

take was outlined in the first pro-

posal of the holiday — a street pa-

rade to exhibit to the public "the

strength and esprit de corps of the

trade and labor organizations" of the

community, followed by a festival for

the recreation and amusement of

the workers and their families. This

became the pattern for the celebra-

tions of Labor Day. Speeches by

prominent men and women were

introduced later, as more emphasis

was placed upon the economic and

civic significance of the holiday. Still

later, by a resolution of the Ameri-

can Federation of Labor convention

of 1909, the Sunday preceding Labor

Day was adopted as Labor Sunday

and dedicated to the spiritual and

educational aspects of the labor

movement.

The Triangle Shirtwaist Fac-

tory Fire

The events on the Saturday after-

noon of March 25, 1911 at the

Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in New

York City stirred America to move

to protect workers. In less than 20

minutes, 146 people were dead –

some burned to death; others

leaped to their deaths from 100

feet up – victims of one of the

worst factory fires in America's

history.

Serving the Georgia DoD, The U.S. Military, and our Veterans, One Family at a Time.

We are on the web:

www.georgiaguardfamilyprogram.org

J-9 JOINT AND

FAMILY SERVICES

DIRECTORATE

Georgia Department of Defense

1388 First Street, Bldg 840 (Finch Bldg)

1000 Halsey Avenue, Bldg 447,

Mailroom

Marietta, GA 30060

Point of Contact:

CW2 Barry D. Long

Human Resources/Systems/ATSO/

Safety Officer

barry.long@us.army.mil

“Military Personnel, Families, and Veterans First!”

Our directorate services the military community of Georgia, providing those

services, support and information that are vital to their care. Our staff is com-

mitted to providing the best care, in a timely manner, and followed-thru to a

successful conclusion so that Military Personnel, their families, and Veterans in

Georgia will have the resources, help, and information they need to thrive.

The J-9 Joint and Family Services Directorate and The Georgia Guard Family

Program:

...Continued from Page 3