Air National Guard Family Guide: History, Structure, Life, Managing Deployment, When Bad Things Happen, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

The Air National Guard (ANG) is part of both the National Guard and the Air Force. As part of the National Guard, the ANG falls under the administration of the National Guard Bureau and is funded by the federal government. The National Guard functions under a law called Title 32, which dictates how long Guardsmen serve, how they are paid, and what duties they can be assigned. In addition, there are approximately 1100 Air National Guard members in Title 10 status, which means they are managed like active duty members. The ANG is also a reserve component of the Air Force, and during deployment (or active duty), Guard units report to the Air Force command. The ANG and the Air Force Reserve are both reserve components of the Air Force, but while the Air Force Reserve always reports to the active Air Force command who report to the President, the ANG at times reports to the governor of the unit's state or territory.

Contents: Chapter 1: Welcome to the Air National Guard * History of the Air National Guard * Structure of the Air National Guard * Missions of the Air National Guard * Air National Guard Symbols * Chapter 2: Life in the Air National Guard * TRICARE * TRICARE Dental Program * Life Insurance * Health and Wellness Center * Identification (ID) Cards * Legal Services * Financial Information for Air National Guard Members * Living Within the Military Community * Flag Etiquette * Chapter 3: Managing Deployment * Personal Resilience * Emotional Preparedness * Helping Children Cope * Talking to Children about Deployment * Conversation Points * Children's Reactions to a Military Separation * Grief by Developmental Stages * Positive Impact of Deployment on Children * Spouse Management of Deployment * KISMIF: Keep it Simple, Make it Fun * Special Concerns * The Family Readiness-Hearts Apart Program * Managing Pre-deployment * Being Prepared for Deployment * Planning for Emergencies * Disaster Preparation * Relocation during Deployment * Pre-deployment Checklist * Managing Deployment * Keeping in Touch * American Red Cross * Emergencies in the Deployed Theater * Security Issues * Positive and Negative Impact of Deployment * A Special Note for Stepparents * Force Protection Conditions * Military OneSource * Identification Cards for Military Family Members * Managing Post Deployment * Reunion: Finally Coming Home * Re-integration. * Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve * Chapter 4: When Bad Things Happen * Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder * Wounded Warriors * Suicide Prevention * Appendices * Acronym * Air Force Rank Abbreviations * Major Air Force Bases Around the World * Air National Guard Bases * Family Programs * Youth Programs * Service Member Programs * Useful Websites