First Sergeant's Column -- Family Care Plans: Everyone's Peace of Mind Published March 9, 2011 By Master Sgt. Shannon Last, First Sergeant 927th Maintenance Squadron 927th Air Refueling Wing MacDill Air Force Base, Fla. -- The First Sergeant's Column will feature the stories, messages and advice of various first sergeants within the 927th Air Refueling Wing. This week, Master Sgt. Shannon Last, the first sergeant of the 927th Maintenance Squadron, describes the importance of having a family care plan on file, especially for military families. According to AFI 36-2908, Family Care Plans, only single parents, dual military parents and those with special or unique circumstances are required to have a written family care plan on file with the unit commander or first sergeant. However, it is a good idea for everyone to have a plan for the care of their family in case of emergencies. Being married to another military member myself, I have stood on both sides of the deployment fence; as the member to deploy, as well as the military spouse left behind to hold down the fort at home. I can tell you from experience the burdens of being the spouse left at home can be a heavy load to carry. Taking care of our daughter, our home, paying the bills, working full time, taking classes in addition to missing my spouse, who was operating in a deployed environment, was an extremely stressful time for me. The last thing I had time to be worried about was who would take care of our daughter if something happened to me, or even worse, both my spouse and I. On the flip side of that coin, while my spouse was deployed the last thing he should have to be worried about was the wellbeing of his family should an emergency arise. I would much rather he have his head in the game, focusing on the mission. Fortunately, in our case we didn't have to be worried about it because we had a family care plan in place. Even if we weren't a dual military family, we would have a plan for our daughter to be taken care of should an emergency arise. Things in life happen unexpectedly. I value the peace of mind that having a family care plan creates. No matter what happens, our child is going to be taken care of by those we trust, and by those my husband and I have appointed. Our plan is very specific, and both our short-term and long-term caregivers know the details and are armed with the knowledge to carry out the plan, should it ever come to that. I encourage each and every one of you to design a family care plan for your sake and the sake of your family, even if you are not required to have one on file with your unit. My words cannot describe the invaluable peace of mind that this creates for everyone involved. Family Care Plans are available from your first sergeant or online. When completed, turn them in to your first sergeant in case of an emergency.