Any FRG Leaders here?

Ashley858

I have not posted here in a really long time so I guess I should do a little quick re-intro.

DH is Army, at Ft. Bragg. We have a 6 month old son who was born while he was deployed to Iraq, he is home now though. I am currently finishing my bachelor degree in Criminal Justice/Homeland security. I have been a key caller for a little over a year now and really enjoy it.

I was recently asked if I would like to take over as FRG leader but I'm still not sure on what all it involves. Also, I wonder if it would be too much with being a full time student and taking care of our son. Any advice would be wonderful, thank you!

blue_angeleyes06

It really just depends, I've been in FRG's that are amazing and some that are horrible. I think it just depends on how much you put into it.  Most of the FRG's I've been in only meet once a month.

panicked228

blue_angeleyes06:

It really just depends, I've been in FRG's that are amazing and some that are horrible. I think it just depends on how much you put into it.  Most of the FRG's I've been in only meet once a month.

^^^Yup, this.  The job is much easier when the troop is home. It's a little more involved when they are overseas or in training.

eskamo

Our FRG is pretty laid back. Once a month I have to go to a meeting with all the other company FRG leaders and the battalion commander. As well as organize and plan a meeting for all the spouses in our particular company.

On the paperwork side, there's the rosters, and the emails. I would say I spend about 6-7 hours a month on being the FRG leader. Oh, and our Soldiers are home. 

Ashley858

Thank you! I would really like to do it. I talked to our current FRG leader and she said that she spent about an hour a day doing stuff and sometimes a whole day occasionally but that was while the guys were deployed.

lew0509

I was an FRG Leader for a while not while my soldier was deployed. I absolutely hated it and it was a complete waste of my time, energy and sanity. I went into it with the best of intentions, but it just didn't work out. It all depends on the command team that you'll be working with. We weren't able to work together effectively and he treated me like his personal secretary. I have found that most of the issues with the FRG come down to Army politics and apperances. I went to all the workshops, classes, seminars, etc. to try and improve our FRG, but it just wasn't going to happen. It is a totally thankless job with a fair amount of expectations. Unless you have a very close knit unit and a lot of willing and able volunteers I would turn down the position. Or if you're still curious, offer to be the co-leader or secretary to get an idea of how the FRG operates before you take on more responsibility.