[Chaplain2007] Military Support Group

[Pat Richeson]

Dear Students, Faculty and Staff,

My name is Chelsea Capizzi-Walsh, if you are a student at Sweet Briar, you might
recognize my name from an email I sent out about a VMI football game. This time,
I'm emailing everyone for a different reason. The hardest role in the military
is not always the part of the soldier on the ground, no matter what branch of
the military. The heaviest burden can also lie on the shoulders of those that
are left behind to carry on through daily life.

As a military child, I've witnessed this first hand. My mother had to care for
myself, my two infant brothers and keep her own head on straight through Desert
Storm, and as a Battalion Commanding Officer?s wife, the second deployment
added being the leader of the support group for the wives and girlfriends of
over 1,000 Marines. Each of these deployments is a minimum of six months. Six
months can seem like a lifetime to someone if their loved one is overseas.

The military is more than just a bumper sticker on the back of your car. The
support provided through military support groups can be the best community
support group available. Military wives/girlfriends/family members know exactly
what you're going through and are going through it with you.

I know that having anyone leave for an extended period of time is very rough,
and it is this reason that I am contacting everyone to ask if Sweet Briar
College should participate in this support group. Whether it is your boyfriend,
husband, fiancé, family member or friend, there are people here that understand
the sacrifice and emotional challenges.

As a girlfriend of an Army option at VMI and a daughter of a Retired Marine
Corps Lt Col, I know how their absences have affected me. I also know that
although VMI, The Citadel, West Point, The Naval Academy and others like them
around the country are not technically military, they can be just as tough
sometimes so I want this group to include those with loved ones in these
places. I know I've worried about what my boyfriend will be doing in a few
years and I know that I?m not alone in this.

LASTLY, IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE A MEMBER OF THIS SUPPORT GROUP, PLEASE EMAIL ME.
The first meeting will be There are no costs, no membership cards, none of that,
just the support you need for the times that are the hardest with friends that
will always be there for you.

Thank you for your time,

Chelsea Capizzi-Walsh
(703) 626-6124
x7256




Terms of reference:

People: There will be no limit on the capacity of the support group.
Group goals: To aid in the emotional responses of those with loved ones in the
military as well as possible fund raisers.
Plan of Action with milestones:
	The first meeting will be determined based on approval by the SBC council. 
Most likely there will be a meeting at the end of September/ early November. I
can keep an updated group itinerary and report as needed to the council.
Primary objective: To promote a self maintained discussion/support group to

those who may feel burdened by the strain of missing a loved one.