Letter from your Family Readiness Officer

Hello Families and Friends of 1st Reconnaissance Battalion!

On behalf of the Commanding Officer and our Marines and Sailors, welcome to the 1st RECON BN Family Readiness Program. My name is Melissa Whipkey, and it is a great pleasure and an honor to serve as the Family Readiness Officer for 1st Recon Bn. I am dedicated to providing you with all of the resources and tools needed to successfully meet the unique challenges of the military lifestyle.

The mission of the Family Readiness Program is to equip our Marines, Sailors and their families with the tools they need to meet the challenges of military life. As your Family Readiness Officer, I am here to provide official two-way command communication, information and referral services as well as readiness and deployment support. Often, during the tough times, the greatest comfort one can have is to know they have someone to turn to for assistance. During those times, count on your FRO to be there, ready to assist.

Whether you are new to the Marine Corps Family, or have been a family member for several years, MCFTB (Marine Corps Family Team Building) offers many valuable workshops that will assist you in transitioning into the Marine Corps Family, or keep you current with the ever changing ways. Some of these great workshops include;

L.I.N.K.S. (Lifestyle, Insights, Networking, Knowledge, Skills) is a volunteer, team-mentoring program, designed by Marine Corps spouses. The program offers an orientation to the Marine Corps lifestyle, helping spouses, Marines, children, teens, and parents/extended family members understand and adapt to the unique challenges military life often presents.

CREDO (Chaplains Religious Enrichment Development Operation) which offers retreats for individuals, couples and families. For more information on these and other programs, please feel free to contact me at any time.

Respectfully,
Melissa Whipkey
1st Reconnaissance Battalion
Family Readiness Officer