MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT, San Diego -- Family readiness is defined by the Marine Corps as families who are prepared and equipped with the skills and tools to successfully meet the challenges of the military lifestyle.
The Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego hosts classes that offer a wealth of resources to assist with family readiness.
To help achieve this goal, the Marine Corps has hired Family Readiness Officers for each unit and are the face of the commanding officer’s vision for family readiness. The FRO is responsible for promoting classes and providing Marines with the information regarding the resources that are available to them.
The mission of the depot’s family readiness division is to build strong “guardrails” for service members and their families. This helps to guide and strengthen families with the tools needed to succeed in a military environment. They also help prepare families for the unique challenges of a deployment in addition to maintaining a constant state of readiness.
Lifestyle, Insights, Networking, Knowledge and Skills or L.I.N.K.S., is a volunteer, team-mentoring program that offers an orientation to the Marine Corps lifestyle. It’s taught by military spouses to help promote mentorship and help build trust within the community.
“It is important for families to know they are not alone in the challenges they face, and that there are free programs, such as LINKS, that offer the tools and support they need,” said Rebecca M. Roman, FRO for Headquarters and Service Battalion at MCRD San Diego.
These classes assist with preparing for a separation, and also provide the opportunity to meet other spouses going through the same thing to lean and rely on for help.
Family readiness is not only for married Marines. The Marine Corps Community Service Website encourages this idea by stating that every Marine has three families, the one they are born into, sworn into and married into.
“Family readiness is an ongoing process that increases the tools and resources available to deal with challenges families are likely to face,” said Roman.
Although not many Marines deploy from MCRD, the classes do see an influx of participants when there are Marines going on temporary additional duty, said Roman.
The classes also cover the normal cycle of emotions service members and spouses go through when preparing and going through a separation.
These emotions are not exclusive to deployments. Drill instructors go through a similar process when they are separated from their families, which can last for extended periods of time as well.
The next L.I.N.K.S. for spouses class is a two-day course scheduled for May 3 and 4 in the building 6E classroom. For additional information on family readiness or upcoming classes, contact your unit family readiness officer or visit www.MCCSMCRD.com/MarineCorpsFamilyTeamBuilding/FamilyReadiness.