Legion’s Family Support Network available to Camp Lejeune families

A large deployment from Camp Lejeune, N.C., to Afghanistan will result in hundreds of family members being left behind. American Legion posts in the area are urged to provide assistance to those families through The American Legion Family Support Network.

A 300-Marine element from the 1st Battalion, 2nd Regiment will be deploying to Helmand Province, Afghanistan to embed with and train the Afghan National Army’s 215th Corps in that province for the next nine months. The unit already may have started the deployment process of sending Marines forward to initiate the Relief in Place with the outgoing task force, so the main body of the Marines will probably start the deployment process in the next few weeks.

American Legion posts in the Camp Lejeune and Jacksonville, N.C., area may see an increase in requests for Temporary Financial Assistance, as well as requests for additional Family Support Network programs for these families of these newly deployed Marines.

If American Legion posts in the region want to proactively reach out and offer assistance to those impacted and schedule a time to go to Camp Lejeune and meet with the unit’s Family Support Group leaders to give them a briefing on the Family Support Network programs, the II Marine Expeditionary Force Public Affairs office at Camp Lejeune can be reached at (910) 451-7200. That office can assist Legionnaires in contacting the leaders for that unit, as well as their Family Support Group advisors in order to help Legion post and district commanders with scheduling a time to meet with them.

When the additional military units in the deployment are identified to deploy overseas as part of this recent increase in military deployments, The American Legion National Headquarters will work to notify the respective Legion departments for Legionnaires to be aware of the potential impact these new deployments may have in their communities

If Legion Family members wish to learn more about the Family Support Network program, they can access additional information here.