Lt. Gen. Jeffrey S. Buchanan, commander, U.S. Army North (Fifth Army) kicked off the 2018 Army Emergency Relief campaign at the Fort Sam Houston Theater at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston March 2.
AER is dedicated to “Helping the Army Take Care of its Own.” Though this primarily means providing assistance to Soldiers and families during financial emergencies, it also extends to helping Army families cover the cost of education.
Donations are the best way to get involved. Anyone can go to the AER website at http://www.aerhq.org and donate. AER conducts an annual campaign from March 1 to May 15. Soldiers can contact their unit’s AER representative for more information.
Since 1942, AER has provided more than $1.9 billion in financial assistance to Soldiers, and roughly $1 billion was provided since the 9/11 attack on the U.S. The general said that AER has adapted and evolved to meet the needs of Soldiers, and the program strives to be the Soldiers’ first choice when assistance is needed.