New family systems improves link to Marines - Marine Corps News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Marine Corps Times

New family systems improves link to Marines

CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. — The message on Gail Kroger’s cell phone said her son was home from Afghanistan.

A plane carrying her son, Pvt. Mike Spurlin, and about 150 other Marines had landed at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, a 45-minute drive from Camp Lejeune, where spouses, children, families and friends had gathered for the Nov. 17 homecoming.

Kroger’s voicemail was courtesy of the Corps’ fledgling family readiness program, just a simple heads-up that Echo Company, 2nd Battalion, 8th Marines, was back in the U.S. after spending the last six months at war.

Throughout the deployment, 2/8 families relied on the readiness program to serve as a link to their loved ones.

In 2007, Corps officials recognized its family readiness programs lacked personnel and funding and relied too heavily on volunteers. Commandant Gen. James Conway responded by earmarking $30 million. Though it has received mixed reviews, the program aims to give families a full-time, dedicated person to do a job typically left to volunteers.

“It’s my goal to get information directly from the commanding officer and then to get it out to them,” said Misty Weiser, 2/8’s family readiness officer.

Weiser, a former Marine sergeant, is among the more than 250 civilian FROs doing the job previously handled by staff noncommissioned officers and spouses who compose the Key Volunteer Network.

For years, Key Volunteers provided the service, often with spouses calling other spouses to relay information, but the system was criticized for sometimes spreading misinformation and rumors.

The new system aims to eliminate that, with FROs typically contacting families by e-mail, or automated voice mail and text messages. It has helped to ensure that correct information gets distributed, but not everyone is sold.

Trisha Jacober, a Marine spouse of 11 years and former Key Volunteer, said she misses the old way.

“There were things that needed to be fixed with the KVN, especially the rumors,” she said, “but now, I feel like some of that personal touch is missing.”

Weiser said the family readiness program is working to improve that.

“Our commander prefers to have a more personal touch,” she said. “We want to try to start personally calling families.”

The program worked well for families like the Krogers.

“It’s like we were spoiled,” said Tom Kroger, Spurlin’s stepfather. “I think they’ve really made a breakthrough with the parents. You felt like you had a finger on what was happening.”