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AIEA, Hawaii – It's one of the toughest jobs on the planet.
Kissing their loved ones goodbye for months or even years at a time
is rough, but like in their soldiers' ranks, Army spouses lead, pull
resources together, make decisions, and are voices of direction and
reason.
When the 130th Engineer Brigade headquarters deployed
in August, the unit turned to Erika Gronenthal, a Long Island, N.Y.,
native and the wife of Capt. Victor Gronenthal, for that leadership.
Gen. Vincent K. Brooks, the commanding general for United States
Army Pacific, shakes the hand of Erika Gronenthal, an Army spouse
who won the Navy League's Key Spouse Award, during an annual
military appreciation night as the University of Hawaii Rainbow
Warriors football program hosted the Army Black Knights on Nov. 30,
2013 at
Aloha Stadium. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Kyle Richardson,
USARPAC Public Affairs) |
Developing pre-deployment strategies for soldiers'
families and hosting get-togethers for spouses to meet and
form supportive bonds are just a few of the reasons she was
awarded Hawaii's Outstanding Military Key Spouse Award
during military appreciation night as the University of
Hawaii Rainbow Warriors football program hosted the Army
Black Knights on Nov. 30, 2013 at Aloha Stadium.
This
is the 10th consecutive year that the award's sponsor, the
Hawaii Navy League, has honored the outstanding spouses of
deployed service members.
“Erika has a big heart and
is one of the most generous people that I've met,” said Lt.
Col. Anela Arcari, commander for the 130th Engineer
Battalion (Provisional). “We were blessed because Erika's
husband has been a commander before, and so she was familiar
with how Family Readiness Groups are run and their
usefulness. She knew when they came to this unit that it was
only four months before the deployment and realized that her
role would be that much more significant.”
Since
coming to the unit last year, Erika has developed its FRG
into a multi-echelon network of information and spousal
support.
“I see it as a privilege to be the FRG
leader,” she said. “It's been such an honor to get to meet
all these families, to develop these relationships, and to
be able to support them during a deployment.”
Arcari
said, “Communicating to the families, getting the families
together, having some fun, passing out important
information: Erika was a leader in making that happen.
“I think spouses appreciate the information that comes
from the FRG,” she added. “It gives an opportunity for
veteran spouses to tell and show them what it's like to go
through a deployment.”
Erika and her husband are on
their third deployment, which makes her a veteran spouse and
a well of information. She also has a son with another on
the way, so that makes her an authority on children and
pregnancy during a deployment as well.
In the Army,
the mark of a great commander is expressing legitimate care
and concerns for the soldiers and families in their unit.
“There's no doubt in my mind that Erika, in all that
I've seen her do, cares as deeply for this unit as any
soldier in it,” Arcari said.
By U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Gaelen Lowers
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2013
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