THE GUARDIAN the Official Newsletter of the RSP Family Assistance Office

August 2019 Issue 7 THE GUARDIAN The Official Newsletter of the RSP Family Assistance Office

Welcome to the Colorado Army National Guard Family! My name is Henry Hernandez Jr., and I am your Family Assistance Specialist. Your commitment to the country and state entitle you to numerous resources. My mission is to ensure that you and your family members can access these resources. I am available to offer assistance in whatever way I can during your time in the Guard. No matter where you go in the Guard, you and your family members will have a Family Assistance Specialist there to provide support, guidance and assistance. I’m happy to be serving you during this transition from civilian to Soldier. Here is a little bit about myself: I am retired Army, and as a retiree of the Colorado Army National Guard, I am very acquainted with what you and your loved ones are going through while you attend BCT and AIT. Few, if any states, do a better job preparing their Soldiers for BCT and AIT than the Colorado Army National Guard. This includes helping you to resolve any concerns that you or your family may have before and during your absence. If there are any concerns, whether they are simple questions or things keeping you up at night, please let me know and we can work together to locate resources or a solution for the concern. Whether it’s TRI- CARE, education benefits, power of attorneys or wills, ID cards/DEERS, financial counseling, crisis manage- ment, even as simple as mailing address or anything else you can think of, please feel free to reach out to me for assistance. If we can’t get you an answer, we’ll do our best to get you in touch with someone who can assist you. As your Family Assistance Specialist, I am available to help you and your family members throughout your time with RSP, Basic Combat Training BCT and AIT. I am located at the Denver Armory 5275 Franklin St. Rm 105, Denver, 80216 and my office hours are 6am – 4pm, Tuesday thru Friday. If you have any questions and/or concerns, please contact me by any method you feel comfortable, whether it’s a phone call, email, text or meeting in person. If you wish to meet in person, please schedule an appointment as I may be out of the office assisting another service member. In addition, visit the RSP Family Assistance Facebook page frequently for upcoming events, job fairs, military discounts, basic training information, and other information that you may find helpful. On behalf of Family Programs, welcome to the CONG Family, and we extend our sincere appreciation to you and your family for your service as being a successful Soldier is truly a team effort!

Click on your BCT Location!

IN THIS ISSUE Civilian to Soldier Event 2 Military Events 5 Colorado Rapids 3 Family Programs Events 6

Army Esports 3 Family Programs Assist 7 1 Red Cross Message 4 USO 8 You’re invited to attend our first Civilian to Soldier event. Program will be an all-day event, if you are not able to commit to the entire day we do understand as your schedule my not permit it. At time of registration please select times you wish to attend. Event is a twofold event. Information for Soldiers support system about the training their Soldier is about to embark on. Also, for those members of the community who are in- terested in being a Soldier in the Colorado Army National Guard

0830-0900 FAS Family Brief and Introduction 1020-1030 Break 0900-0930 CONG Personal Financial Counselor 1030-1050 Judge Advocate General 0930-1000 TRICARE 1050-1110 USAA 1000-1020 Citizen Soldier for Life 1110-1130 Red Cross

1130-1300 Lunch will be proved to all in attendance. (Pizza and Drinks)

1300-1700 Resource fair, giveaways, games, face painting, additional Basic Combat Training information, and Basic Combat Training activities. Confirmed vendors for the Resource fair are USO, TRICARE, USAA, USO, ESGR, Soldier for Life, CONG Chaplain, 1-157 IN BN, 3-157 FA BN, American Red Cross, post info table, Family Programs, CONG Education office, Education Foundation for the CO National Guard.

This is a good opportunity for your family to meet other Guard families, Cadre, and learn about numerous benefits as a Guard member. Additionally, there will be activities for kids, and multiple giveaways provided by the generosity of the community. www.surveymonkey.com/r/civiliantosoldier2019

Thank you Papa John's Pizza and USAA for your generous donation of providing lunch at Civilian to Soldier.

Colorado National Guard JAG will brief at Civilian to Soldier event 1030-1050. Briefing will cover legal pitfalls, legal benefits, and legal readiness. Also, they will be in attendance for resource fair to complete Power of Attorney and answer additional questions.

2 Watch these tournaments live on the Army Entertainment Twitch channel: https://www.twitch.tv/armyentertainment Open to all active duty Army and Army National Guard Soldiers. September 7, 2019 at Colorado Army National Guard Armory Tournament Starts at 1PM Pre-registration Friday from 12-3 p.m. Day of registration from 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. Winners from all locations will advance to the final competition at Twitchcon in San Diego, CA. Finals Competition Sept 27 -29 Twitchcon in San Diego, CA Series of 12 tournaments at National Guard and Army garrisons around the WORLD this spring and summer. The Army Entertainment Esports program enhances Soldiers’ readiness, resiliency, cognitive skills, and showcases the talents of Soldiers participating in an engaging, interactive Army MWR program.

3 American Red Cross Message Process

When a military family experiences a crisis, the American Red Cross is there to help. Wherever their military service takes them, service members can rest assured that the Red Cross will deliver notification of an emergency www.redcross.org/get-help/ such as the death or serious illness of an im- military-families/emergency- mediate family member, as well as the good news of the birth of a service member's child communication or grandchild.

Twenty-four hours a day, 365 days a year, the Red Cross relays urgent messages contain- ing accurate, factual, complete and verified descriptions of the emergency to service members stationed anywhere in the world, including on ships at sea and at embassies and remote locations.

Even if the service member receives an email or phone call from home, Red Cross- verified information assists the member and his/her commanding officers with making a decision regarding emergency leave.

4 5 6 7 Our Center at Denver International Airport welcomes over 125,000 currently serving military members, their families, as well as military retirees and their families each year. We hope you’ll come visit the next time you’re flying through Denver!

Access: To use USO facilities, you need to have a current Active Duty, Guard, Reserve or De- pendent ID card. We also accept military retiree ID cards if space is available. For reference though, VA issued ID cards or drivers licenses with Veteran shown on the card do not fall into the above categories. Hours: Our Center at Denver International Airport is open 365 Days each year, that includes weekends and all holidays. Our hours are 0500-2200 or 5am-10pm each day. Overnight Layovers: We do not have overnight USO accommodations, however, we have com- piled a list of hotels near Denver’s Airport that can be downloaded here. This list includes the addresses, phone numbers, shuttle availability, and military rates. Location: We are located inside the TSA Secured area on Concourse A’s Center Court on Level 4 between the airline clubs.

Free Notary Public Services for Soldiers and Family members Henry Hernandez Jr. Notary Public, State of CO Commission expires May 6, 2020

Henry Hernandez Jr., RSP Family Assistance Specialist SRI Contractor Office: 720-250-2773 5275 Franklin St Cell: 303-905-0009 Denver, CO 80216 Email: [email protected]