Nearly two-dozen U.S. Army Reserve ambassadors attended the 99th Readiness Division’s annual Ambassador Workshop June 13-14 at division headquarters here.
The workshop was designed to give the ambassadors the tools they need to support Soldier and unit readiness by developing awareness of, and advocacy for, the Army Reserve while serving as bridges to communities at the state and local level.
Our territory covers Maine to Virginia; just to give you an idea of how we’re spread out across our 13-state region, you can see here a little bit of an array of what we have that comprises the 99th Readiness Division,” said Maj. Gen. Kris A. Belanger, 99th RD commanding general, during her in-brief to the ambassadors. “The 99th Readiness Division provides personnel support, logistics services and real-property management to enhance readiness and sustain the force.”
Highlights of the workshop included briefings on many Army Reserve topics, to include strategic communications, legislative affairs, ethics, recruiting, military retirement, training facilities, the Minuteman Scholarship Program, Private Public Partnership Program, and Family Programs.
The Army Reserve Ambassador Program was established in April 1998. While not all Army Reserve ambassadors have military experience, many are retired officers or senior non-commissioned officers who wish to remain engaged in military affairs without earning salary, wages or other benefits.
Army Reserve ambassadors educate the public, community leaders and congressional staff offices about the capabilities and value of the Army Reserve and its Soldiers, and establish open lines of communication within these communities to help establish mutually supporting relationships with community leaders and community organizations.
They also promote support for Soldiers and their families during deployments, and play an active role in facilitating community support through "welcome home" ceremonies and the Yellow Ribbon Program.
For more information on the Army Reserve Ambassador Program, visit https://www.usar.army.mil/AmbassadorProgram/
