FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas –
The Army, Department of Defense, Congressional delegates and
foreign dignitaries participated in the AUSA Annual Meeting and Exposition
Professional Development forums held every year in Washington D.C., to see
presentations and participate in panel discussions on military, national
security, health and other subjects.
What most are not aware of is that when the Army
professional is away attending the AUSA conference, the spouses back home are
attending the conference in a different way.
Annette Wiggins, spouse of Lt. Gen. Perry L. Wiggins, U.S.
Army North (Fifth Army) commanding general and senior Army commander of Fort
Sam Houston and Camp Bullis, hosted spouses from around Fort Sam Houston and
San Antonio at the Quadrangle Oct. 13-14 to take part in a live video
teleconference of forums presented at the AUSA professional
development.
“I have had the opportunity to attend the forums in person,
but I think that hosting this teleconference for our spouses really lets them
feel engaged in the military family,” Wiggins said. “The forums are so
informational and really gives all of us an opportunity to learn new things and
stay current on family issues.”
Some of the forums that the spouses were able to watch were
on health and wellness and resilient families and provided a venue for military
and civilian leadership to address family issues, as well as present new
organizations, initiatives and platforms for military family readiness.
“The forum on the healthy base initiative was really
informative,” Wiggins said. “It showed us other tools to use to improve health.
It is nice to learn about these tools and especially the applications that you
can use on your cell phone.”
Besides health, another forum focused on resilient families
and the effective initiatives aimed at building resilience in the military
home.
“It has been my greatest duty to work with Soldiers and
families said Lt. Gen. David Halverson, commander, U.S. Army Installation
Management Command and host of the “Soldier and Family Readiness: A System of Support”
forum at the AUSA Conference.
“Our ability to build resiliency in ourselves and to be
self-reliant and have the skill set to ask for help when we need it allows me
to work with the greatest Soldiers and families in our military,” Halverson
added.
The two-day VTC focusing on health, resiliency, support
systems and building a stronger military family is the key to readiness for
strong Army force. Being able to bring this conference back to Army North for
others to learn from highlights the Army’s support system at Fort Sam Houston.
“We understand that the
forums presented at the AUSA professional development are insightful for our
military spouses,” Wiggins said. “This year, we opened this video
teleconference to our Army civilians, our active duty members and the other
installations commands because it is really important to encompass everyone to
have the opportunity to learn and take in the tools presented. We had a great
turnout and everyone was engaged.”