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Deployment & Reintegration

  • Emotional Cycle of Deployment

    Emotional Cycle of Deployment

ACS Mobilization, Deployment & Stability Support Operations Program

The Mobilization, Deployment & Support Stability Operations (SSO) Program provides Active Duty, Reserve, and National Guard units with pre and post deployment/mobilization briefings, Soldier and Family Readiness Group assistance, information and referral services, and resource materials. The information and material is designed to support unit commanders in preparing service members, civilian employees, and their Families for military operations.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE MOB/DEP AND AFTB PROGRAM FLYER

 

Resources for the Stages of Deployment

PRE-DEPLOYMENT

ACS Can Help

This can be a stressful time for you and your Family. Having a loved one mobilize or deploy means shifting roles and changing responsibilities while trying to maintain a stable family life. Your ACS Deployment Specialist team will assist units and their Families in preparing for deployment with specialized briefs at Unit Town Halls, SFRG meetings, and with one-on-one support as needed.

Units and SFRGs can request for ACS to provide classes within their unit’s or SFRGs footprint.  Classes include but are not limited to:

  • Family OPSEC
  • Rear Detachment Leaders Training
  • SFRG Foundations
  • vSFRG Administrator Training
  • Personal Growth
  • Pre-Deployment Resilience Trainings

For a complete list of ACS classes available to come to you, check out our ACS Portable Class Schedule.

ACS regularly schedules the following trainings:

On a personal level, ACS offers classes and resources through our other programs that can help in preparing for deployment:

For financial emergency support Army Emergency Relief is always available,  but during deployments Spouses require a Special Power of Attorney in order to use this program.

Finally, keep yourself current by checking out the bi-weekly Fort Carson "Pass It On" newsletter!  

Children's Resources
  • CHILDCARE:

FORT CARSON CYS has free and discounted respite and childcare services.  See what you are eligible for here.

Preparing for any contingency or emergency during deployment should include having your children registered with CYS in case care is needed.  Sometimes our childcare plans fall through when we need them the most -  Get registered today, there is no cost to register and may help tremendously in an emergency.  To begin, stop by Parent Central or call +1(719)526-1101 for an appointment.

Couple's Resources
Single Soldier Resources

DEPLOYMENT

ACS Can Help

Whether this is your first deployment or one of many separations, ACS is here to assist you.

Mobilization & Deployment can assist in trauma or incident briefs at the request of a unit or Chaplain. Contact us to schedule any of these resources.

Staying involved is important for Family members. Ways that ACS can help are:

Children's Resources
Couple's Resources
  • As part of the deployment phase the Spouse will be adjusting to increased responsibilities and the absence of their Soldier. Support at Fort Carson for this adjustment is available through:
  • Coping with Deployments: Psychological First Aid for Military Families was developed out of the Red Cross' continuing commitment to serving military families wherever they reside. This course provides useful information on how to strengthen your ability to respond to the challenges you may encounter throughout the deployment cycle. It was designed specifically for the spouses, parents, older children, siblings and significant others of service members, as well as for military members who may take the course with their family. Veterans and their family members are also eligible. This excellent course offers guidelines for increasing resiliency in ourselves and our children and also provides information on how to provide psychological first aid to others experiencing stressful feelings or events. It can also serve as a useful link to connect 
  • STRONGER FAMILIES: Oxygen For Your Relationships offers a free premium membership to military Families.  These are fundamental principles vital to the life of your relationship – just like OXYGEN is vital to all life. Without OXYGEN most life will die within minutes. OXYGEN is combustion, it heats up the fire, oxygen is the key component to many chemical reactions. At Stronger Families, it is our desire that the OXYGEN you’ll encounter in your membership will ignite, breathe life, and be a catalyst for change in your relationship.
  • To contact your deployed Soldier for medical or emergency situations, reach out to the American Red Cross. 
Single Soldier Resources
  • MilLife Learning is a course catalog of virtual classes to take for free from Military OneSource. 
  • Mango Language Program: Available via DoD MWR Libraries for free to Active Duty Soldiers and their Families.  This digital language online learning program is for learners of all levels and includes multiple language courses.  Program is designed to simulate the way people learn a foreign language when actually immersed in everyday conversation.

  • HEROBOX Register to receive a HeroBox from the people and organizations that support you!

SUSTAINMENT

ACS Can Help

During the sustainment phase you are now halfway through the deployment cycle. Routines have been established and you are finding your footing in the deployment. However, this can also be a time where you are feeling the absence of your Soldier and are struggling to juggle all the roles you have taken on.

Isolation can be a large contributor to feeling overwhelmed. ACS provides many opportunities to connect with others:

For financial emergency support Army Emergency Relief is always available, but during deployments Spouses require a Special Power of Attorney in order to use this program.

Children's Resources
Couple's Resources
Single Soldier Resources
  • Managing Stress:
    • Chill Drills Mobile App: Chill Drills by Military OneSource is presented by Heidi J. Bauer, MSW, LCSW, a therapist who works with service members and their families. She developed these guided drills for the military community to help create calm by slowing the heart rate, lowering blood pressure and reducing the level of stress hormone in the body.
    • Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program has several online classes: 
  • MilLife Learning is a course catalog of virtual classes to take for free from Military OneSource.
  • Mango Language Program.  Available via DoD MWR Libraries for free to Active Duty Soldiers and their Families.  This digital language online learning program is for learners of all levels and includes multiple language courses.  Program is designed to simulate the way people learn a foreign language when actually immersed in everyday conversation.
  • HEROBOX Register to receive a HeroBox from the people and organizations that support you!

PRE-REUNION

ACS Can Help

With the anticipation of reunion being near, this can be a complicated time for you.  Be patient and keep expectations reasonable. Take advantage of the available resources that Army Community Service has to offer:

Pre-Reintegration training may be available in your unit for Family members.  Contact your unit to see what they offer.

 

Children's Resources
Couple's Resources
Single Soldier Resources

POST-DEPLOYMENT

ACS Can Help

This is an exciting time.  Servicemembers return to their home installation and begin to reintegrate back into normal operations and most importantly, back into family.   It’s important to note, that although exciting, it can also be an adjustment.  You are establishing a “new normal”, a lot has changed, and this “new normal” may look different from what life was like prior to deployment.  

REINTEGRATION TRAINING will be conducted with the unit in the days following your Soldier's return.  Family members are encouraged to attend Reintegration Training with their Soldier - please contact the unit to find out your Reintegration Training dates/location.  Rear Detachments may also coordinate for ACS to provide Spouse Reintegration Training prior to the units return.

Children's Resources
Couple's Resources
Single Soldier Resources
RIT Expo Supporting Agencies

Brigades can request to conduct a Reintegration Expo with the purpose of ensuring Soldiers and their Families were familiar with local agencies that support reintegration, as well as agencies that can assist with the next step after redeployment.  Whether it's staying here active duty at Fort Carson or having a transition (ETS, PCS, Retirement), there's an agency to support. 

Please note, no Fort Carson/Army Endorsement implied.

Deployment Resources for Everyone

Adults
Children
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Check out our frequently asked questions in reference to deployment and emergencies. If you cannot find the answer you need, please call or email us.

Care Packages for Deployed Troops

  • Question: I’m a local community member and would like to send care packages to troops down range, how do I go about doing that?
  • Answer: Thanks for supporting our deployed Soldiers. Contact our Gifts & Donations program at +1(719)524-0065 to find a current deployed unit that is accepting care packages. We will do our best to connect you with a current deployed unit's SFRG or deployed Chaplain. 

Spouse Moving Away During Deployment

  • Question: I’m planning to move back to my parents home during my Soldiers deployment, do I need to notify anyone that I’m leaving? 
  • Answer: There will be some challenges for you if you decide to move to away during your deployment. Make sure to update your unit's Spouse Preference Form with your contact information while you are away. Also, ask your Soldier for a copy of the DD93 to ensure that all addresses are updated. You will also need to update your healthcare through Tri-care and there may be additional costs to you depending on your plan. Go online to www.tricareonline.com for more information on impacts to your health insurance if moving to another location.  

Welcome Home Kit Resources

  • Question: I’m a CFRR for my deployed unit and trying to plan our welcome home kits for the Single Soldiers. What kind of resources are available to me? 
  • Answer: Contact the Fort Carson Gifts & Donations Coordinator for support that might be available through local donations at +1(719)524-0065. The local Warriors Warehouse on-post has access to many of the items that are needed for welcome home kits. Warriors Warehouse is located at 5769 Wallace Street on Fort Carson, +1(402)659-8755. 

Powers of Attorney (POA)

  • Question: Will my General Power of Attorney work for everything?
  • Answer: A General Power of Attorney is a powerful document that provides someone the ability to do anything in your name, however, businesses and other entities are not required to accept your Power of Attorney. Typically, Special Power of Attorney's are more effective documents and can provide the ability for someone to complete a specific action such as: register, buy or sell a vehicle; complete taxes or other financial transactions; handle Real Estate or housing needs; delegate parental authority; or, authorize medical care to children, among other needs. Before deployment, Fort Carson Legal Assistance can help you determine the best fit for your needs.

Childcare during my Soldiers Deployment

  • Question: Do I get free childcare during my Soldier's deployment?
  • Answer: Fort Carson CYS offers some free respite and discounted childcare. To see all services provided and eligibility information click here. (click on Deployment Benefits)

Social Media Posts

  • Question: How do I explain to my extended Family about being careful what they post on social media?
  • Answer: Some great Operations Security (OPSEC) tips can be found here.

On-Post Living Assistance

  • Question: I live on-post, what assistance is provided during deployment?
  • Answer: Fort Carson Family Homes offers assistance through their Deployed Spouse Program.  Among other services, they can provide pre-deployment preventive maintenance inspection and services, backyard mowing and snow removal and maintenance support and assistance with standard household tasks. For info, visit www.fortcarsonfamilyhomes.com or go to the Leasing and Community Management Office in the Joel Hefley Community Center; 6800 Prussman Boulevard, Fort Carson, CO 80913, +1(719)579-1606.

Emergency Preparedness Planning

ACS Can Help

The Mobilization & Deployment Program (MDSSO) at ACS is your go-to resource for military Families during large scale emergencies or natural disasters impacting Fort Carson and the Pikes Peak region.   The MDSSO Program provides Emergency Family Assistance when disaster strikes an Army community and accessed through multiple methods:

  • Through an ADPAAS electronic assessment, Soldiers and Families can identify needs, which will be assigned to the closest ACS ADPAAS case manager
  • Through the Emergency Family Assistance Center (EFAC), a garrison-level, one-stop location for Soldiers, Civilians, and Family members to access needed recovery services
  • During noncombatant evacuation and repatriation operations for personnel in OCONUS locations

ACS MDSSO works with several agencies to provide Emergency Family assistance.  Some examples include:

Emergency Preparedness & Communication Resources

During an emergency the Emergency Family Assistance Center (EFAC) may be established on Fort Carson at the ACS Center, bldg. 1526. The center serves as the POC throughout the emergency for military Families seeking assistance.

The center will be open regularly scheduled hours. If the need is determined, the EFAC could be open to 24 hours a day, seven days a week.  As needs change, so will the operating hours.

In the event of extended deployment/mobilization of units from this installation or mass casualty evacuation or natural disaster operations please refer to the Fort Carson website.

  • Disaster assistance information for Fort Carson surrounding areas:
  • Soldiers have access to Army Disaster Personnel Accountability and Assessment System (ADPAAS). ADPAAS is a way for Army personnel to report their status and how they were affected by the event in a disaster-affected area.  If you have access to the Internet you are to report your status online through ADPAAS.
  • To contact your deployed Soldier for medical or emergency situations, reach out to the American Red Cross. You can download the American Red Cross Hero Care App which helps military Families identify and access both emergency and non-emergency Red Cross services from anywhere in the world.  It is available to download for free in app stores, by texting ‘GETHEROCARE’ to 90999 or by clicking on the following link from a mobile device http://3cu.be/sharehc.
  • Soldiers can update the Fort Carson Alert! Update File to include their Family member contact information.  This allows Family members to also choose to receive alerts via phone, text or email.  
  • The ALERT! Mass Warning Notification System notifies service members, civilians, and their families during a crisis.  MWNS operators can issue alerts in the event of active shooter, inclement weather or any other event requiring immediate notification.  Soldiers can update the Fort Carson Alert! to include their Family member contact information.  This allows Family members to also choose to receive alerts via phone, text or email.  
  • PEAKALERTS (Serving El Paso & Teller County) Peak Alerts is used to notify you of emergency situations that are a threat to life or property and are sent to specific affected areas.  It is recommended that you frequently update your information and register as an individual rather than a household to ensure you are reached during an emergency. 
  • The READY Army program helps you and your Family prepare for all seasons of emergencies. For information visit their website.
Coping with Crisis

Each year, the lives of millions of people are touched by disasters and emergencies. As stressful as it may feel to imagine a crisis happening, it’s important to learn how we can better prepare ourselves to react and cope if it does.  While disasters and emergencies can affect each one of us differently, any significant loss from a crisis can result in an expected grieving process. Caring for our mental health and emotional wellbeing begins, in part, with knowing ourselves, understanding our needs, and anticipating how we may react when met with an emergency. 

There are lots of resources available.  Below are just a few.

  • ACS Family Advocacy Program: The Soldier and Family Readiness Program/Family Advocacy Program promotes individual, couple, and family wellness by offering a comprehensive prevention program that includes awareness, education and support.  Our services include workshops to help strengthen relationships of Army Families.  Classes and workshops are offered to commanders, military units/troops, professionals and families.  Prevention and support services include New Parent Support Program (home visitation), Nurturing Parenting Programs, and the Victim Advocacy Program. 
  • Army Community Service (ACS) Soldier & Family Assistance Center (SFAC):  The ACS SFAC staff and partner agencies offer customized, one-on-one support for Wounded, Ill and Injured Soldiers and their Families to promote resilience, wellness and peace of mind while transitioning from the Army or recuperating to return to duty: all under one roof.
  • ACS Victim Advocacy Program:  Victims of domestic violence and sexual abuse have round-the-clock access to services, including emergency assistance, information, referrals, and ongoing support in accessing medical, behavioral health, legal, and law enforcement services on and off garrisons. Victim Advocates will discuss the option of restricted and unrestricted reports.
  • American Red Cross Mind-Body Workshops: The American Red Cross is dedicated to supporting service members, veterans and their families to manage the stresses of military life. Through the creation of Mind-Body Workshops, the Red Cross teaches easy-to-use skills that connect the body with the mind to help participants cope with stress and trauma. Workshops are free and offered in small groups by licensed mental health professionals.
  • Army Substance Abuse Program (ASAP):  The Army Substance Abuse Prevention program provides a healthy installation environment, free of substance abuse and substance abuse related problems for Soldiers, civilians, retirees and their family members.   Army Resilience ASAP | Fort Carson ASAP
  • Army Wellness Center (AWC):  AWCs provide standardized primary prevention programs designed to promote and sustain healthy lifestyles and improve the overall wellbeing of Active Duty Services Members, adult Family Members, Retirees, and Department of the Army Civilians by leveraging state of the art techniques and equipment.  The offer assistance in Sleep Education, Weight Management and Metabolic Testing; Exercise Testing and Exercise Prescription, Nutrition Education, Wellness Coaching, Body Composition Analysis and Health Assessments.  They even provide Stress Management Education and Biofeedback, a program that provides education in stress relief techniques and coping skills along with biofeedback, a relaxation technique used to teach clients to control functions like heart rate to reduce stress and build resilience.
  • Evans Army Community Hospital (EACH) Child, Family, & School Based Behavioral Health: CAFBHS and SBH provides easily accessible behavioral health counseling services to children and adolescents of Active Duty Service Members and their Families. Services include Individual Therapy, Family Therapy and School-Age Consultation. CAFBHS also provides Marital Therapy/Couples Counseling. 
  • EACH Family Advocacy Program: Family Advocacy Program (FAP) operates under the auspices of AR608-18 and conducts biopsychosocial assessments of families who have been identified for being at risk for intimate partner abuse, child abuse and neglect. Services provided include treatment for both victims and offenders, individual and group counseling, therapeutic parenting, case management, safety planning, risk management, resource coordination, referral services as well as coordination of Victim Advocacy Services.
  • Fort Carson Family Life Chaplain:  Located in the Chaplain Family Life Center, areas of special focus include: Preparation for marriage; Marriage and family; Divorce and separation; Conflict resolution in families; Blended family support; Sexuality and gender issues; Coping with grief and loss; Deployment cycle adjustment; Extended family relationships; Recovery from infidelity; Parent-child relationships; Spiritual, mental, and behavioral concerns; Addiction recovery; Life transitions; and Coping with injury and illness.
  • Health.mil is the official Website of the Military Health System and Defense Health Agency.  They provide resources about agencies as well as articles on a number of topics .  Sample articles include: 
  • National Institute of Mental Health.  The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) is the lead federal agency for research on mental disorders. NIMH is one of the 27 Institutes and Centers that make up the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the largest biomedical research agency in the world. NIH is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).   NIMS Mental Health Information.  Sample topics:
  • Military & Family Life Counselors (MFLCs):  The MFLC program supports service members, their families and survivors with confidential non-medical counseling where they are stationed. Non-medical counseling can help individuals address issues such as improving relationships at home and work, stress management, adjustment difficulties, parenting, and grief or loss.
  • Military OneSource Non-Medical Counseling:  Military OneSource counselors are available for free, short-term, confidential non-medical counseling services for a wide range of issues, including relationship conflicts, stress management, coping with loss and managing deployments. Sessions can take place in person, over the phone or via secure video or online chat.
  • Military OneSource Mental Health Matters in the Military:  Recognizing the signs and addressing challenges early. 
  • Traumatic Brain Injury Center of Excellence (TBICoE): TBICoE is a congressionally mandated collaboration of the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs to promote state-of-the-science care from point-of-injury to reintegration for service members, veterans, and their families to prevent and mitigate consequences of mild to severe traumatic brain injury.  TBI Patient and Family Resources.
Crisis Phone Numbers

Need Help Quick Reference

Emergency:

  • Fire/Police/Medical Emergency: 911

Abuse (Family):

Assault (Sexual):

Chaplain:

Suicide (Prevention):

Additional:

Commander's Toolkit & Unit Leadership Resources

CARE Teams

The CARE Team is a group of volunteers, usually from the same unit of the Soldier, that offer temporary, short-term care to the Families of deceased or wounded Soldiers, until the survivor’s own support structure is in place.

Communication Resources
Deployment Tools
Helping Families
  • Family members will be adjusting to increased responsibilities and the absence of their Soldier when first deployed, and during redeployment the transition home and role reintegration/renegotiation. Ensure Family members know that support at Fort Carson for this adjustment is available through:
  •  Fort Carson CYS offers free respite and discounted rate care for Families of deployed Soldiers.  Benefits are listed here. (click on "deployment benefits" Deployment Support Services Summary of Benefits Matrix. Commanders can use the memorandum template to certify deployment eligibility to qualify for Deployment Support Services benefits. 
  • Fort Carson's Parent to Parent program (a Military Child Education Coalition initiative), provides free workshops to groups.  Contact them via email at ptop.cosprings@militarychild.org to request.  The complete list is here.
  • United Through Reading. Coordinate a reading site or ensure Service members and their families are familiar with the program and app that is available.
  • Coping with Deployments and Reconnection Workshop classes from the Red Cross: Psychological First Aid for Military Families was developed out of the Red Cross' continuing commitment to serving military families wherever they reside. This course provides useful information on how to strengthen your ability to respond to the challenges you may encounter throughout the deployment cycle. It was designed specifically for the spouses, parents, older children, siblings and significant others of service members, as well as for military members who may take the course with their family. Veterans and their family members are also eligible. This excellent course offers guidelines for increasing resiliency in ourselves and our children and also provides information on how to provide psychological first aid to others experiencing stressful feelings or events. It can also serve as a useful link to connect you with other military families in your community. Reconnection Workshops aim to help alleviate the stress that comes with reintegration.  This free, confidential Red Cross program offers effective ways to work through challenges, improve wellbeing and build skills through small-group discussion and hands-on activities. Workshops help improve connections at home, at work and within communities. We invite active duty service members, members of the Reserves and National Guard, veterans and military families to participate.  Multiple adult and child/teen workshops are available.
  • Units can request STRONGER FAMILIES: Oxygen For Your Relationships offers a free premium membership to military Families.  These are fundamental principles vital to the life of your relationship – just like OXYGEN is vital to all life. Without OXYGEN most life will die within minutes. OXYGEN is combustion, it heats up the fire, oxygen is the key component to many chemical reactions. At Stronger Families, it is our desire that the OXYGEN you’ll encounter in your membership will ignite, breathe life, and be a catalyst for change in your relationship. 
Redeployment / Reintegration

Reintegration Training & Online Reintegration Training for Early Redeployers

  • The Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization, and Security (DPTMS) acts as a single point of contact for all Fort Carson units and agencies involved in the deployment/redeployment process.  See DPTMS for the latest Redeployment Packet and assistance in completing essential garrison tasks through the redeployment timeline.  
  • One required task is the attendance of Reintegration Training. To schedule Reintegration Training with ACS, contact the Deployment & Stability Support Operations Specialist via email Update Link or by calling +1(719)526-4590.
  • Individual early redeployers: Commanders may authorize individual early redeployers to complete online Reintegration training in lieu of the traditional class. Early redeployers completing online reintegraton training should review all online modules linked in the gold box at the top of this page. Once reviewed, call ACS +1(719)526-4590 and ask for Mobilization/Deployment to schedule a time to come into the Main ACS Center, Bldg. 1526 to take the test.  
    • Soldiers should bring to their appointment:
    • Any notes they took during the slide review that they wish to use for the test
    • Copy of command memo (Sample) authorizing online reintegration participation
SFRG Meetings, Activities and Tools
  • SAMPLE Parent Welcome Letter and you can include Your Soldier Your Army (Vicki Cody) Family Guide - great tool to send parents with their welcome letter