European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - April 24, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page Xii the stars and stripes april 1985 fecs a helping hand Pitburg Germany the master sergeants problem was spinning out of his 16yearold son was staying out late at carousing with and getting into minor brushes with the in the senior no took his family to the family support he didst want to but i had run out of things to i had done everything i could As a i guess he was really he wanted us to feel some of the the senior no Csc officials requested that he not be named Learned a lot More than How to manage his he Learned about 1 knew the problem want with he my wife knew it want with her and my son knew it want with we never would have solved it on our it Csc was really a Blessing for after nearly three months of individual and family counselling sessions wit Dick Csc his sons behaviour began to but so had the it seemed for the first time in our life we were really opening up and he it was a 1 said we would do it one i Learned to 1 Learned a lot from it his now is past problems and working in the but if there had been no i think it would have been quite if the senior no had needed help a few years ear he might not have gotten fecs Are Only four years the idea was born Dur ing a 1980 air Force family conference when families asked for Many kinds of help and the next the air Force opened the first five fecs including the one at there Are 34 fecs at bases around the officials Hope to have 123 centers operating by most air Force programs for families fall under the Csc no two fecs Are exactly the same be cause each is free to create its own depending on the needs of the but in fecs Are supposed to focus on eight areas information and spouse employment fam ily development services for families with special financial management relocation Asis outside Aid for families in counselling and family support during duty that Means fecs Are responsible for just about every thing affecting except Lon term counselling and abuse at the Csc has several comprehensive programs to help spouses plan careers and get jobs and to help couples communicate and become better staff members also do Many other ranging from giving out information about the base to helping families get emergency in the few years since its the Pitburg Csc has developed a Good reputation with Many people on including first sergeants who often Are the first to notice that an airman is having problems at i dont think there Are too Many first sergeants in the air Force who Are qualified to Deal with family said chief master Stephen senior enlisted adviser for the 36th tac fighter theres nothing More frustrating than trying to Deal with family the Csc is a tool every first sergeant on base uses when a family Issue crops up that they cant the Center fills a he although families could go to Many and the mental health clinic is not a popular you mention mental health clinic and it turns people off right Powers they feel it Marks them for the rest of their fecs dont carry the same families with problems May but most Are willing to go if a first sergeant recommends said first Samuel Stude vant of the 36th equipment Maint there have been Good airmen careers ruined be cause of domestics he we have to take if a Guy has to worry about his family he is not going to do a Job for the Pitburg Csc has plenty of supporters but it went through growing Brown started it with Only sketchy information from air Force officials on what they expected from him and the Csc he consulted outside he polled Pitburg a bit burgs family support Center offers Many services under one photo by Gus Schuettner members to find out what they wanted and and he put together but As he he had to make sure the Csc was not duplicating or usurping the work of other base it took us a Good year and a half at least to work out our own he Browns problems were shared by other Csc and As the new centers began air Force officials at the Pentagon we rent sure they liked one of the people asking Tough questions was Patricia now we Bruecken a base com she served in the Pentagon As the air forces chief of the human resources and development division from 1981 through some air Force officials didst Jike the unstructured nature of the they also worried that fecs were a waste of she when we first looked at they had incredible Case she they were functioning As mini mental that was not the Way to i visited three or four of them and they were going absolutely off the it looked Good on but what i was concerned about was Lack of there was a definite concern and a very valid such concerns prompted fecs were examined by the air Force family matters office and the inspector air Force officials will not release the in but they said its conclusions Are nearly identical to the staff which said fecs Are doing what they were in tended to do and Worth the air Force families at bases with fecs were More satisfied with the their Quality of and were More willing to stay in the the report the staff report urged the air Force to Start new fecs and to fund them it also recommended Center directors should be civilians with at least gs12 Brown most directors Are gs1 the relatively Low pay for the High Levels of education and experience needed for the Job has caused he getting qualified directors is Only one getting fecs at All is the construction of new ones stopped last following Sharp budget cutting and concern about How fecs air Force budgets dont contain Money to build again until officials now Are trying to change that sox new centers can be built in the they Hope that new fecs can Start in renovated base facilities and that base commanders will pick up the Tab to operate the stamp of approval from two and changes in the Way some fecs have helped Calm con for now wants to see More of pick Brown if youre interested in obtaining More copies of this please Contact Don Sams at civilian 06155601277 or ets or Mili tary 23764277 or write to him at stars and stripes printing Apo if theres sufficient Well reprint the