THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, February 28, 1996 TAG: 9602270317
SECTION: MILITARY NEWS PAGE: A8 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ALVA CHOPP, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Medium: 79 lines
If you listened carefully Saturday, you may have heard an audible sigh of relief as the aircraft carrier America returned to its homeport in Norfolk.
For the families and friends waiting at pierside, this last six-month deployment included more than the normal share of stressful moments.
Airstrikes into Bosnia, uncertain port schedules and the news of two crewmen swept overboard made those back home feel even more distant from their loved ones. And more concerned about their safety.
Marsha Van Aulen's phone rang a lot.
As one of the America's five ombudsmen, Van Aulen guided families through the long months of separation, tending to their crises both big and small and being a constant source of support.
``I have this special place in my heart that wants to help people,'' she said. ``It takes up a lot of time, but it's time well spent.''
The Navy's Family Ombudsman Program is a network of volunteers trained to provide a link between the command and the military family.
``I can't describe the feeling when you get a thank-you call from someone you've helped,'' Van Aulen said. ``That's all you need to keep going.''
The Navy has placed a new emphasis on the ombudsman program, according to Manny Willis of the Norfolk Navy Family Services Center.
The ombudsman, usually the wife or husband of an active-duty member of a command, is trained to be a calming, reassuring source of information. She might help a wife with budgeting problems one minute, share medical clinic information the next, or be asked to check out the latest delays in the ship's mail service.
This year marks the 25th anniversary for the program. What makes today's ombudsmen different from their predecessors is an emphasis on standardized training.
``An ombudsman's job is not to solve problems but to give others the resources they need to solve their own problems,'' said Willis.
In Hampton Roads, ombudsmen are offered a basic training course each month through the Norfolk Navy Family Services Center on Hampton Boulevard. The 25-hour curriculum is a ``how-to'' course covering such topics as writing newsletters, confidentiality issues and communication skills.
Willis said almost all new ombudsmen receive the training. There are currently around 600 ombudsmen serving Navy, Coast Guard and Marine Corps commands in the Hampton Roads area.
An advanced training course, designed to cover more serious topics including suicide and crisis prevention, is offered quarterly. All ombudsmen who have served for a while are encouraged to attend these sessions.
In addition, the Hampton Roads Ombudsman Assembly meets quarterly to discuss local resources and current topics of interest to local commands.
Rosemary Blaicher, chairman of the assembly, said, ``The biggest challenge to current ombudsmen are the social and economic changes happening in this increasingly changing world.''
Because of downsizing and uncertainty in the military, the stresses on active-duty service members have become greater, she said. ``Things are not as simple as they were.''
Blaicher, who has been an ombudsman for seven years, said she has seen support for the program increase over the years.
``Standardization was a good idea,'' she added. ``Being able to sing off the same song sheet of music has helped greatly.'' MEMO: The next scheduled ombudsman training course will be offered March 11-14
at the Oceana Navy Family Services Center, and an areawide course will
begin March 16 at the Norfolk Navy Family Services Center. To register
for these courses or for more information about the Ombudsman Assembly,
call 444-2102.
ILLUSTRATION: Photo by BILL TIERNAN/The Virginian-Pilot
Marsha Van Aulen, with daughter Ashley, 4, spends a lot of time by
the phone. Van Aulen, whose husband is a chief petty officer aboard
the America, is one five ombudsmen for the carrier.
by CNB