Committed to caring in CAF: Family resiliency helps everyone to 'thrive'

Published May 6, 2011
By Master Sgt. Scott T. Sturkol
Air Mobility Command Public Affairs

SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. -- Air Force demographics from March 2011 shows 59 percent of all active duty Airmen are married, but officials say these aren't the only people who need to be resilient.

Statistics also show 33,598 active duty members are married to another active duty member, 1,355 Airmen are married to members of other military services, and 156,002 active duty members married to non-military people. The statistics also show that 135,684 of the 330,606 active duty members are not married, and overall, active duty members support 449,646 family members.

Simply put, there are hundreds of thousands of Airmen and families who need to be resilient to the rigors of today's military environment. Whether Airmen are married or not, officials said Airmen either have families or come from families and therefore, "family resiliency" is important.

Enter the CAF culture
To build on family resiliency, Air Mobility Command, Air Combat Command and other units and commands are using the Comprehensive Airman Fitness, or CAF, culture. In July 2010, AMC leaders began building their CAF culture which is based on for levels of fitness - physical, social, mental and spiritual fitness; and five "Cs," -- care, commit, connect, communicate and celebrate.

"Through the lenses of the four pillars and the five 'Cs,' Air Mobility Command is striving to create and strengthen a community of fit and resilient Airmen, civilians and families," a December 2010 talking paper on CAF states. "The four pillars provide the structural element, focusing leadership on a means or methodology for addressing and meeting the needs of Airmen and their families. The five 'Cs' provide the behavioral element -- focusing Airmen on these five simple behaviors which positively create a sense of belonging."

The CAF culture intent, the talking paper states, is to "create and sustain communities on our AMC installations that give Airmen and their families a sense of belonging to the Air Force community in which they live, work, and play."

View of enlisted leaders on family resiliency
In April, officials from the Department of Defense -- to include the top enlisted members of each service - met in Chicago for the 2011 Family Resilience Conference. Members of all the services were sharing ideas on how to further help military members and their families.

Sgt. Maj. of the Army Raymond F. Chandler III was on hand for the conference and is a service leader who also encourages resiliency for families through the U.S. Army's Comprehensive Soldier Fitness culture. In an April 29 DOD news report by Ms. Elaine Sanchez, he said, "If we can instill [resilience] in our Soldiers and in families ... we believe we're going to have a stronger force, and we need a stronger force to get through these challenges."

The biggest of those "challenges," reports show, revolve around the operations tempo and deployments in today's military to include the Air Force. Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James A. Roy said in the same story that leaders have concerns about support programs being cut due to budget constraints.

"I will tell you, on behalf of all of us ... we're out to protect some of those things, too, because we know how important they are," he said in the DOD story. "But the fact of the matter is, we're not going to be able to protect everything. We've got to select the right programs for our people -- military members and the family members. We've got to ... make sure those programs are sustainable throughout time."

Some ways to be resilient
While service leaders are doing everything they can to support family resiliency from the top on down, there are many areas where people can get support. For example, at Military One Source -- located on-line at www.militaryonesource.com, military families have access to a plethora of information that ranges in broad military subjects to service-specific subjects. They also cover family resiliency.

In an article at Military One Source entitled, "Building the resilience of your military family," it provides some ideas for military families. The article uses a reference from a book by resilience specialist, Dr. Froma Walsh, in identifying "nine characteristics that resilient families have in common."

"These characteristics reveal the family belief systems, organizational patterns, and communication and problem-solving skills that foster resilience in adults and children," the article states.

Following are the nine characteristics identified by the article's research.

1. Making meaning of adversity -- "Resilient families view crises as shared challenges that together they can understand, manage and make meaningful in some way."

2. Positive outlook -- "Resilient families have an optimistic rather than pessimistic view of life. Members see each other's strengths and offer encouragement for overcoming difficulties as well as accepting what can't be changed."

3. Transcendence and spirituality -- "Resilient families have beliefs and values that provide meaning, purpose, and connection beyond their personal lives and their troubles."

4. Flexibility -- "Resilient families adapt to change. They're able to adjust their family roles and rules to fit new challenges in their lives while maintaining the rituals and traditions that provide stability in their relationships."

5. Connectedness -- "Resilient families pull together during times of crisis. They are able to function as a team and support each other while respecting individual needs, differences, and boundaries."

6. Social and economic resources -- "Resilient families reach out for help when they can't solve problems on their own by turning to extended family friends, neighbors, community services, and counseling."

7. Open emotional sharing -- "Resilient families accept and encourage a wide range of emotional expression such as joy, sadness, fear, silliness and others in adults and children. Family members take responsibility for their own feelings and accept others who have different feelings. They value positive interactions and appreciate humor, even as they cope with difficult circumstances."

8. Clarity -- "Resilient families practice clear, consistent, and honest communication. Family members say what they mean and mean what they say; thus they avoid vague, confusing, or mixed messages to each other."

9. Collaborative problem solving -- "Resilient families manage their difficulties by working together to understand a problem and to identify ways to solve it. They make decisions together in ways that allow family members to disagree openly, then resolve those disagreements through negotiation, compromise, and give-and take."

In offering advice to families on how to increase their resilience, the article highlighted 10 ways to help which are as follows.

-- "Make relationships connections."

-- "Avoid seeing crises as insurmountable problems."

-- "Accepting that change is part of living."

-- "Move toward your goals."

-- "Take decisive actions -- act on adverse situations as much as you can."

-- "Look for opportunities for self-discovery."

-- "Nurture a positive view of yourself."

-- "Keep things in perspective."

-- "Maintain a hopeful outlook."

-- "Take care of yourself -- pay attention to your own needs and feelings."

Overall, when the CAF culture is working well and family resilience is achieved, families "don't just survive, they thrive," officials said.

"The goal is to strengthen and sustain a culture of balanced, healthy, self-confident Airmen and their families whose resilience and total fitness enables them to thrive in an era of high operational tempo and persistent conflict around the world," the CAF talking paper states. "The end state is a visibly stronger, more cohesive network of Airmen, families and civilians. It's a culture of people who care for each other, offer support when necessary and have the courage to seek help when they need it. It's an Air Force community that works together, struggles together and plays together for the good of all its members."

(Editor's note: This is the eighth in a series of 24 stories for 2011 by Air Mobility Command Public Affairs highlighting the Comprehensive Airman Fitness culture through a "commitment of caring." Elaine Sanchez, American Forces Press Service, contributed to this story.)

Committed to caring in CAF: Family resiliency helps everyone to ‘thrive’