Text Box: Why Me? We're Supposed to be on Shore Duty! Individual Augmentee. It is a new term for Air Force and Navy service members and their families. An Individual Augmentee is an Airman or Sailor, both officer and enlisted, who has been chosen to 'augment' the Army or Marine Corps efforts in fighting the Global War on Terror (GWOT). These individuals, usually chosen from non-deploying commands, are sent to specialized Combat Training through the Army then deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan, GITMO (Cuba), Djibouti or other locations. This program was developed by the Department of Defense. In assessing resources and needs it became apparent that realigning of manning from the Air Force and Navy could bolster the Marine Corp and Army efforts. And this program is not going away any time soon. A recent report indicated that the Navy currently has 7,000 deployed as IA's and that number is expect to be 13,000 by the end of the year. These deployments range from six months to eighteen months. As the loved one of an Individual Augmentee this is probably little comfort to you. You are faced with a unique deployment that Air Force and Naval service members have not experienced before. We are not boots on the ground. As one IA wife told me, "If he wanted to be a soldier he would have enlisted in the ARMY, not the Navy." Others feel it is a back-door draft. The good news is you are NOT ALONE! There are many, many IA spouses throughout the Air Force and Navy. There is support and assistance for you. Contact your service member's 'sending command' or the command they were attached to prior to being sent as an IA. Many commands have a process in place to care for you and your service members. Many installations host an IA Spouse Group where you can connect with other spouses, gain knowledge and insight on your service member's experience even take in a special event or two. Please contact your local Family Service Center and your command for information on these groups. If you do not have a group available, please contact Homefront in Focus as we host an IA Connection site where you can connect with other IA spouses. We are here to support you so please do not hesitate to contact us directly if we can be of assistance to you. Beth  

Text Box: Equipping Military Families for Success Text Box: Homefront in Focus