Research - Rehabilitation - Re-Employment

Sgt. Shaft 11/25/2002

Dear Sgt. Shaft:
Diane and I were pleased and very proud to read the 7 October edition of Sgt. Shaft, and we want to take a moment to thank you for featuring Camp Pendleton’s Together We Grow program in your column. As you know, Together We Grow holds special meaning for us and was an important first step toward addressing the needs of Marine families. In the future, we hope to see similar programs at major bases throughout the Corps.

When we focus on taking care of families and their needs, our Marines and Sailors can concentrate on the mission. Too often, families with special needs miss out on opportunities available to them, simply because they don’t know these opportunities exist. Though we pride ourselves in keeping our Marines informed, articles like yours go a long way toward getting important information out to as wide an audience as possible.

We look forward to seeing you again in the near future and thanks again for being such a great friend of the Corps.

Semper Fidelis,
James L. Jones
General, U.S. Marine Corps
Commandant of the Marine Corps

Dear General Jones
I urge everyone to wholeheartedly support this wonderful initiative, Together we Grow (TWG).

As you know, TWG is a product of the staff at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, who developed a very special relationship with an off-Base agency called SpecialCare. SpecialCare is a child development program/center in San Diego that serves both children with special needs and typical youngsters. While Camp Pendleton's own Children, Youth, and Teens Programs (CYTP) has always made every effort to accommodate special needs children in their programs, they simply have not been sensitized and equipped to handle some of the more severe needs. 

The SpecialCare staff operates a program, appropriately titled Together We Grow, in Oceanside, California, (just 4 miles from Camp Pendleton) not only during the regular Monday through Friday workweek, but also on alternate weekends. These weekend services are available for periods up to 48 hours.

Together We Grow is good for the Marine Corps because it's a program that helps to ensure family readiness and improves quality of life. TWG provides a ready resource for our military families at Camp Pendleton for both special needs child development, as well as for care of typical children.

Newborn babies bring a certain level of stress to any family situation, but that stress increases dramatically when that child is medically or mentally fragile. While medical facilities do an adequate job of providing basic medical instructions to families of special needs children when they take their child home, it's the 24 / 7 care that creates stress in any family. All parents of a special needs child need assistance with daily care, i.e. feeding, cleanliness, medical equipment, administration of medicines, in addition to the daily family activities. When a family has more than one child, the care demands for the special needs/medically fragile child impacts on the overall family well being. Having to Share or limit time, love, and dollars is a challenge for any family, but especially for these families with special needs. TWG is a tremendous resource to these families. They assist the family in coordinating insurance paperwork and filing claims for a wide range of services.

While our military Child Development Centers are among the best in the business and do serve special needs children when it's safe and appropriate to do so, they, like most day care facilities, are simply not equipped to provide the level of care required by some children. This makes TWG all the more valuable to installations, such as Camp Pendleton, that have a substantial number of special needs children. The partnership between TWG and Camp Pendleton has developed based on real needs.

The benefits of inclusion-type programs are many. Children learn by modeling others; they develop a sense of pride in their achievements; they build interdependence and the ability to deal with and overcome obstacles; they develop interpersonal skills; they learn to solve problems; they develop self-respect by being part of a "normal" environment; they develop patience and compassion; they learn to accept not only themselves but one another; they learn to help each other; and they develop friendships.

Parents receive training, which reinforces appropriate behaviors and development in the home. They come to understand that all children have negative behaviors; they discover ways to include other members of the family and other children; they learn to relax and take a break from their children; they share common experiences and develop a kinship with other parents; they learn that others can, in fact, provide a nurturing, secure environment for their child/children; and they learn to accept the strengths and needs of their own child.

When the family sees the progress.... the improved overall health of the special needs child, the increased mobility, the improved disposition of the child, stress is reduced and overall family health is improved. The service member is able to provide full focus and attention to his/her job, improving readiness, deployability, and the safety of all.

TWG offers part of the incentive package to Marine families who have a medically fragile special needs child who want to stay in the Corps. It's a win - win situation for all, and should be expanded worldwide.

I urge all my readers to open their hearts and wallets to support your wonderful initiative. Contributions to TWG may be sent to Gen. James L. Jones, Pentagon, Room 4 E 714, Washington, D.C. 20380-1775

Shaft Kudos
A special salute to local Air Force Veteran, Chuck Lucas. Chuck stepped in to fill a void that occurred when the Air Force could no longer fund a newsletter. He worked out an agreement with Comprint of Gaithersburg, Md., who defrayed costs with advertising. Still Serving was the result and is now in its 7th year. Glad to see you're still serving, Chuck. 

Send letters to Sgt. Shaft, c/o John Fales, P.O. Box 65900, Washington, D.C. 20035-5900; fax to 301-622-3330; call 202-462-4430 or email sgtshaft@bavf.org.

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