Great Ideas for Adopt-A-Unit Success
What Civilian Partners can do with their adopted Military Unit.
1. Contact your military unit. Introduce yourself.
2. Be available. Soldiers – especially junior and newly arrived soldiers & their families – may not know much about Central Texas. Help them get settled.
3. Stay in touch. Get your unit’s web site address and stay informed about “your” unit.
4. Call or write your unit. Not every week, but once or twice a month - often enough so that you’re aware of your soldiers & their current situation, & they’re aware of your availability as a Central Texas resource.
5. When your unit deploys, plan be there to wish them well. When they return, be there to welcome them back home. Even when deployed, all units have a “Rear Detachment” representative at Fort Hood as your local point of contact.
6. If your unit is deployed, send an e-mail, card or note – say hello & that you’re thinking of them. Kids make wonderful, hand-drawn cards that units will put up on their walls or unit bulletin boards to show that folks back home support them.
7. Invite few soldiers to a community event, or to your place of business. Introduce them around – just be neighborly.
8. When invited to a Fort Hood event, attend. It will take an hour or two, but it will open doors and build friendships.
9. Be alert to a soldier’s or family’s needs; let AUSA know so, that AUSA might help.
10. MOST IMPORTANT - TODAY - remember with this war now moving into its fifth year, the greater stresses are on families. Do what you can to support Soldier families - spouses and children - as they support their deployed family members.
Adopt A Unit does not involve a commitment of dollars; it only asks for a commitment of the heart, and a willingness to build and maintain bridges. Still we are asked, if someone wanted to send something to our Soldiers, what would you suggest? Here are some ideas.
· Homemade baked goods, cookies or brownies. But not if they can melt – like chocolate. Your cookies may arrive broken into crumbs but, believe us, the Soldiers will love them anyway !!!!!
· Write a note. Send a card or picture. If you have kids, have them write a note or draw a picture; if you have a group of kids, make a long card out of shelf paper, and have them all write notes or draw pictures.
· Handy wipes. Soldiers frequently find themselves deployed at checkpoints in Iraqi neighborhoods for 3-7 days before they can rotate back to a larger and more adequately resourced Forward Operating Base (FOB).
· Newspapers & Paperback books.
· Magazines (for guys and gals).
· Batteries - AAA, AA, and D sizes.
· Puzzles and puzzle books.
· Boot socks - Soldiers never have enough socks.
· Eye drops – non-prescription, moisturizing.
· Powdered drink mixes like Gatorade, snacks, and some microwaveable items.
· Calling cards / gift cards.
· Board games and playing cards.
· Audio cassettes, CDs, VCR/DVD movies (American standard) – even if slightly used.
· PSP2, XBox360, MP3 Players & electronic games. If you send one, Soldiers will share it with lots of others.
· Sports items like baseball caps, baseballs, footballs, volley balls, soccer balls, etc. These would be used by Soldiers - or given as gifts from America to Iraqi kids in Baghdad’s neighborhoods. And yes, it DOES make a difference!
You may have noticed our Soldiers are as often carrying candy (or a toy) as they are carrying a weapon. That is simply because kids love toys - and Soldiers love kids. With that in mind, we would add these items to a list of things you might send - assuming you were so inclined. It does matter !!
- Small stuffed animals.
- School supplies - pencils, pens, notebooks and paper, watercolors, construction paper, scissors, chalk, note pads, erasers, pencil bags, metric rulers and similar items. But no crayons - they melt.
A Closing Thought: Adopt A Unit exists to promote civic-military understandings and build communities of mutual support. It should not be used to promote any other cause or marketing strategy.
What Military Units can do with their Adopt A Unit partner.
1. Contact your civilian Adopt A Unit partner immediately. Introduce yourself.
2. Communicate. Exchange emailed notes and photos of Soldiers Doing What Soldiers Do. Your Adopt A Unit partner wants to help - and wants to know about today’s military. Be available, and proudly tell your story.
3. Provide your website address (Co/Bn/Bde or Div), so that your partner can stay current on things affecting you, your soldiers and your families.
4. Understand that many Adopt A Unit partners are veterans; listen to their stories. Some may be coming back to “their old unit;” ask them about their service.
5. When your unit deploys, exchange e-mails and photos. When it comes to telling a soldier story, a picture is worth a thousand words.
6. If at Fort Hood, invite representatives of your Adopt A Unit partner to attend unit events – a change of command, a social event or visit to a barracks or Motor Pool. Show them a tank, artillery, engineer piece or a lunch with young soldiers in your dining facility. This shouldn’t be fancy or formal – just a visit.
7. When possible, invite Adopt A Unit representatives to observe unit training.
8. Help your Adopt A Unit partners learn about “family readiness groups” (FRGs) by inviting some to attend a meeting. FRGs have great ideas; share them with your civilian neighbors.
9. Understand that Adopt A Unit does not involve a commitment of dollars from its partners; it only asks for a commitment of the heart, and a willingness to build and maintain bridges.
