188th Fighter Wing to hold Yellow Ribbon Reintegration program, Hometown Heroes event during June UTA

FORT SMITH, Ark. -- Service members who have deployed for 90 or more days in the last eighteen 18 months are required to attend the Department of Defense Yellow Ribbon Reintegration which will be held June 26-27, 2010, at the Fort Smith (Ark.) Convention Center, located at 55 South 7th Street in Fort Smith.

The event is to be held on the Saturday and Sunday of the June drill weekend. This event is mandatory and will be held in accordance with Section 582 of Public Law 110-181, "National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008" and TAG Policy Memorandum No. 2008-04, "Arkansas National Guard Life Guard Mandatory Unit and Family Readiness Group Training".

The Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program is a weekend designed to give service members and their families the needed resources following a deployment. The training is required and accountability will be maintained. Time has been worked in to provide you time to spend with your family. Family attendance is highly encouraged.

This Yellow Ribbon event coincides with the Hometown Heroes award ceremony that many 188th Fighter Wing Airmen will also be attending on the morning of Saturday, June 26. Yellow Ribbon training will start June 26 at 12:30 p.m. and will end June 27 at approximately 3 p.m.

Meals will be provided to attendees, as will lodging for members and families that qualify based upon the commuting distance of 50 or more miles from base. Up to two adult family members have the opportunity to be put on travel orders with the service member.

Child care will be available for those children not attending the presentations. Please contact the Airman and Family Support Office at the numbers listed below concerning child care.

Service members need to inform their section lodging rep that they will be attending Yellow Ribbon so that they can be placed at the Holiday Inn located next to the Fort Smith Civic Center. If more than one room is required for qualifying family members, travel vouchers for reimbursement will be filled out with the finance office at the conclusion of the event.

Please register yourself and guests for this event on the Joint Service Support portal located at http://jointservicessupport.org. Please complete the registration as soon as possible so that all arrangements may be made.

To complete the Yellow Ribbon registration process please visit www.188fw.ang.af.mil and click on "Yellow Ribbon Form" under the Featured Links tab.

All questions concerning the Yellow Ribbon program should be referred to Eva Patton at 479-573-5167 and eva.patton@ang.af.mil, Staff Sgt. Cory Johnson at cory.johnson.1@ang.af.mil, or Mr. Sean Flannery, ANG YRSS at 501-765-6882 and sean.p.flannery@us.army.mil.