Texas ANG unit recognized for top family readiness program

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WASHINGTON (AFNS) --  Texas and Wisconsin National Guard units were among several from the reserve components recognized Friday at the 2012 Department of Defense Reserve Family Readiness Awards ceremony here at the Pentagon.

The 136th Airlift Wing, a part of the Texas National Guard, represented the Air National Guard. For the Army, the 1st Battalion, 147th Aviation Regiment, Wisconsin National Guard, represented the Army National Guard.

"You can take my best C-130 pilot, with the most years of experience and the most combat time, and put him in the skies over Afghanistan on a critical mission," said Air Force Col. David M. McMinn, commander of the 136th AW. "If he just got a call from his wife that refrigerator isn't working ... right before he takes off, that guy is now useless."

He's no longer focused on the mission because he's 4,000-miles away from home and unable to do his job as a husband, McMinn said.

"We really want our members to keep their head on and we want them [to know] that we will handle the families and work with the families," said Laura Wedel, the 136th Family Readiness Group leader.

Some of the key elements that set the 136th FRG apart were their events held during deployments, which included back-to-school parties and "powder-puff" football events and their involvement in a local council that consisted of FRG members from all of the other service branches, allowing them to build cross-component integration.

McMinn said the recognition by the DoD was "a testimony to the men and women that we have in our family readiness group and how hard they work."

"A robust family readiness group back home, taking care of our families' needs, helps us be effective when we deploy - that is the meat of why these folks are being recognized here today."

(Taken from release by Army National Guard Sgt. Darron Salzer)