AFSOC to host Warrior CARE Summit

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Melanie Holochwost
  • Air Force Special Operations Command Public Affairs
HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. --  Air Force Special Operations Command will host its second annual Warrior CARE Summit April 24 to 28 at Portofino Island Resort on Pensacola Beach.

The purpose of the summit is to provide resources and build upon a network for AFSOC caregivers of wounded, injured or ill service members, according to Lisa Dunaway, AFSOC Warrior CARE (Caregiver and Resilience Education) program manager.

“The summit offers an opportunity for caregivers and their families to strengthen relationships and bonds across the Air Commando family, which has grown by 50 percent since the inaugural event in 2016,” she said.

The program defines a caregiver as someone (immediate family member) who provides physical or emotional support to a service member who is recovering from injury or illness.

“This is a time for them to relax, learn more about themselves, and grow and support one another as a family,” Dunaway said. “It helps to know that they are not alone in their journey, wherever they may be.”

In addition to several instructional speakers, local and professional leaders will host panel discussions on topics including relationships, finances, medical care and resiliency.

“We have an amazing team of people who are looking at the heart of the challenges our Airmen and families may be facing,” said Dunaway. “AFSOC wants to give back to them – for the sacrifices they endured not only physically or psychologically, but as a family.”

The Warrior CARE program ensures family members and caregivers are linked to others who are facing similar obstacles, said Capt. Joshua Pratt, AFSOC chief of resilience.

Pratt said the goal of the summit is to strengthen relationships between couples and to expand the caregiver network throughout AFSOC.

“This year will have in-depth healthy marriage workshops, financial benefits seminars, personal testimony presentations and therapeutic decompression activities,” he said. “It will also have a resilience education program designed for children of all ages, plus fun and physical activities.”

Representatives from several private organizations will be on hand to offer information on resources and services they provide, Pratt said.

The summit is fully funded through the Preservation of the Force and Family (POTFF) initiative.

POTFF was designed to build and implement a holistic approach to address the pressure placed on the total force. This effort is based on the Special Operations Forces truth, that humans are more important than hardware, and is focused on preserving unit integrity, prolonging careers and ensuring readiness.

For more information about the Warrior CARE program, email AFSOCA1.A1.AFSOCWarriorCare@us.af.mil.