FORT EUSTIS, Va. –
New and not-so-new military spouses gained a plethora of information and resources about the Army and Fort Eustis at the first-ever "Married to the Army" seminar Tuesday at the Fort Eustis Club.
Presented by Army Community Service, the orientation provided an opportunity for spouses and family members to learn about the programs and resources available to them and their Soldiers at Fort Eustis.
Representatives from ACS, MilitaryOneSource, CPAC, Child, Youth and School Services, the Fort Eustis Spouses' Club, and other activities offered information to make settling in at Eustis or the military smoother.
Subject matter experts covered a wide range of topics including a Military 101 course covering Army rank structure, customs and courtesies, and unit Family Readiness Group functions. Once the basics were taught, the session then turned to more in-depth, family-directed information. Addressing programs such as TRICARE, child care and family readiness, spouses of less than one month through 23 years, in and out of uniform, learned more than they expected.
Newlywed Giselda Rodriguez, spouse of Capt. Hector Rodriguez, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 5-159th Aviation Regiment, began her life as an Army wife March 13 and arrived at Fort Eustis Saturday. Starting out with a new life at a new location, Rodriguez said the information and tips she received at the seminar provided her with a good start in her new life.
"I didn't know anything about the military at all before this. All this information, it's overwhelming at first. It's given me a great foundation to help me be familiar with my surroundings," Rodriguez said.
Armed with information, resources, names and schedules, the 17-day bride feels she's off to a good start as a military spouse.
"I'll probably take a (Army Family Team Building) class, but now I'm learning as I go," she added.
The session was not only beneficial for newlyweds and newcomers, but veteran spouses as well.
Covering such subjects as installation child care programs, online resources and deployments, Miranda Troyer, a former Soldier and Army spouse said she learned new information at the session, even though she has been a wife for a while.
"I did learn a lot of things I didn't know, especially about the stuff that's available at MilitaryOneSource and things for children," Troyer said. "I thought I knew all they had, but I learned more."
Fort Eustis Army Community Services is located in Bldg. 601 on Hines Circle. Offering a myriad of programs including the Financial Readiness Program, Exceptional Family Member Program and Army Emergency Relief, the center is open Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
For more information, call 878-3638 or visit ACS online at www.eustis.army.mil/acs.