The Department of Defense has prepared numerous guides and handbooks to assist service members. Click on a link from the list of handbooks below.
Benefits and Entitlements
Guide to Reserve Family Member Benefits
This booklet explains the wide range of benefits available to Guard and Reserve families
Finance
The Citizen Soldier’s Guide to Mobilization Finance
This 35-page guidebook contains financial information including contacts and Web site resources for service members while they are mobilized. This includes important information about what and how you will be paid.
Checklists
All National Guard families should answer the questions on these checklists and worksheets periodically to ensure that they and their units have current information. Similar preparations should be made before temporary active duty or deployment, including Inactive Duty Training (IDT), Annual Training (AT), and State Active Duty (SAD). Click on any of the links below to view, download, or print the checklists. You may wish to customize these lists to meet your family’s specific needs.
Soldier and Spouse’s Checklists with Important Documents
This document includes a specific checklist for the soldier and one for the spouse to help both with family and personal preparations before deployment. This list specifically has a section that focuses on gathering and preparing important documents a family member may need.
Source: Operation READY: Soldier/Family Deployment Survival Guide, U.S. Army
Red Cross Deployment and Emergency Checklists
The Red Cross offers helpful hints for service members and their families during deployment.
Source: Red Cross
Financial Checklist for Spouse
Designed for the spouse, this one page document lists specific financial preparations that should be taken into account and completed before deployment.
Source: Adapted from the Army Readiness Handbook, Operation READY
Readiness and Deployment
Guard & Reserve Family Readiness Programs Toolkit
The Toolkit provides a wealth of information on benefits, deployment assistance, finances, family program management, volunteer management, and much more. Active and Reserve components are designed so that everyone can use the same terms when discussing deployment preparations. You may also visit the website.
The Army Family Readiness Handbook
This 220-page document is designed to be used for Army National Guard and Reserve units, as well as active installations. Sections focus on the complex preparedness and deployment issues for today’s families. This is an extensive resource based on Operation READY.
Deployment Guidebook for Parents
This book offers timely and relevant tips for the parents of National Guard members, whether they are new to the deployment process or seasoned veterans themselves.
Air Force Family Readiness Edge
To assist your deployment and reunification response efforts, use the Air Force Readiness Edge guides. The Air Force Readiness Edge assists families during all phases of deployment, reunion, and reintegration with the services of the Integrated Delivery System (IDS). Checklists identify challenges, behaviors and concerns, and tailored support from the IDS base helping agencies, and in-depth resource information is provided.
Air Force Crossroads Predeployment Guide: A Tool for Coping
This is an online interactive tool created to assist military members and their families in preparing for and coping with separations. This guide answers questions on deployment and addresses the reunion of friends and family.
A Soldier and Family Guide to Redeploying
This tri-fold brochure discusses redeployment and reunion issues with an emphasis on medical concerns.
Personal and Family Readiness Guide
A guide developed to assist military members and their families in preparing for and coping with separations. This document reviews basic information such as benefits and provides specific “how to” guides for carrying out critical tasks. This handbook provides excellent readiness information for Army and Air Guard and includes an extensive checklist section.
Unit and Commander Resources
The Army Leader’s Desk Reference for Soldier/Family Readiness
The Army Leaders’ Desk Reference for Soldier/Family Readiness is designed for commanders and leaders to understand and address family readiness. In a clear and forthright manner, it presents the key elements in a unit’s family readiness responsibilities.
The Army Family Readiness Handbook
Today’s Army Leadership recognizes that family readiness is inseparable from unit readiness. More Soldiers have Families than ever before, and these include increasing numbers of single-parent families and dual-military families. Soldier who know that their families’ needs are being met, perform better in the stress of deployment. And, families whose needs are met during deployment will be in a better position to welcome and support their returning Soldiers.
The Army FRG Leader’s Handbook
This Army FRG Leader’s Handbook provides an overview of the Family Readiness Group (FRG); its purpose, structure, and function; command and member responsibilities; key leader job descriptions; and other aspects of building and leading effective FRGs. Its focus is on the essential ingredients and key tasks of effective FRGs and their importance in helping Soldiers and Families cope with the stresses of military life and in building cohesive Families in the Army. In a very real sense, FRGs can help Soldiers and their leaders with the military mission, too. This handbook explains how.
Predeployment and Ongoing Readiness
The Predeployment and Ongoing Readiness contains information on planning for military separation, coping with separation, children and separation, predeployment financial planning, and financial planning for the future. This resources also contains useful power point slides, handouts, and video scripts for your use.
Homecoming and Reunion
This Homecoming and Reunion information provides information for reunion for Soldiers, Families, Communication Techniques, Reunion Stress Management Workshop/Retreats, and more.
