The Joint Force Headquarters Soldier & Family Support Office (SFSS) consists of a Joint Force element in Montgomery, a satellite SFSS office in Birmingham and Wing Family Program Coordinators at the Air Guard's 187th Fighter Wing and 117th Air Refueling Wing.
During FY10, the Soldier and Family Support Office supported Soldier Readiness Processing events for more than 4,000 Soldiers preparing for deployment in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (Iraq-Kuwait).
The Soldier and Family Support office hosts five events for Soldiers and families from every deploying unit before, during and after the deployment prepare the Soldier and Family members to cope with the deployment, then to focus on issues that commonly surface during the time Soldiers are away from home and help the family prepare for the homecomiing and reunion with their Soldier.
In FY10, more than 9,300 Soldiers and adult family members and more than 1,100 children and youth attended these events. During FY10, the Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program conducted events during 28 of the 52 weekends in 2010. During 2010 SFSS also conducted Marriage Enrichment Seminars for more than 175 Soldiers and their Spouses. These events are offered in an effort to increase resilience of Guard members' families.
The SFSS office has a staff of 32 professionals dedicated to the well-being of Soldiers and their families. Family Assistance Centers are located in Montgomery, Tallassee, Athens, Anniston, Linden, Birmingham and Ozark. These centers are staffed by contractors who are available to assist all service members and their families regardless of their military component.