Photo By Sgt. Ariana Cary | Maj. Gen. Kurt Fuller, center, commander of the 25th Infantry Division, stands with...... read more read more
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SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, Hawaii - The annual Army Emergency Relief (AER) fundraiser kicked off during a lunch ceremony, Feb. 1, at the Nehelani Club, Feb. 1, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. AER is a non-profit service providing loans to Army personnel and their families in times of financial difficulty. AER is an Army program funded by soldiers for soldiers.
“Throughout the year, every year, we offer our soldiers an opportunity to donate to worthy causes and charities,” said Maj. Gen. Kurt Fuller, commander of the 25th Infantry Division. “But, in my experience, there isn’t a program in existence that’s more worthy of our support than AER. And that’s because every dollar we contribute is used to directly support our soldiers and their family members.”
AER was incorporated on Feb. 5, 1942. It is funded solely by donations. The program’s financial assistance is conducted within the Army structure by mission and garrison commanders. Members of active duty, Army National Guard and the U.S. Army Reserve on continuous active duty for more than 30 days and their dependents, retirees, widows, widowers and orphans of Soldiers who died while on active duty or after they have retired, are all eligible for an AER loan.
“Seventy two years ago, when AER was founded, as the Army started to grow from 200,000 to 3.5 million, the problems we hear about today were nothing new,” said Andy Cohen, the deputy director for finance and treasurer for AER in Alexandria, Va. “And the Army leadership realized that there was no organization, either outside of the Army or within the Army structure, to handle these types of things and to reduce soldiers’ stress, so they can be valuable members of combat units and accomplish their mission.”
During the lunch, several stories were told by soldiers of their experience with AER. Spc. Iesha Bronson, with human resources in 225 Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 25th ID, had such story. She had donated to AER before, never thinking she would actually need the program herself, she said.
Then Bronson and her son had to leave their home due to events beyond her control. She was then responsible for two households, paying the major bills and buying groceries. One day, her car was broken into and her ATM card was stolen, she said. At this point she was stressed out. She didn’t have money for gas, or food and supplies for her son. She went to her chain of command and they suggested AER. She filled out the appropriate paperwork and discussed payment plans with an AER representative.
“AER relieved days of stress within two hours,” Bronson said. “Within two hours, I had a check. Thanks to AER, I was able to quickly get back to performing my duties as a soldier.”
AER is an emergency program funded by soldiers to assist soldiers during financial crisis.
| Date Taken: | 02.01.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 03.05.2013 18:35 |
| Story ID: | 102961 |
| Location: | SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, HAWAII, US |
| Web Views: | 128 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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