The Highlands Borough Council unanimously approved a resolution supporting and endorsing the Association of the US Navy Operation Reach Out program, the first municipality in the nation to enact the resolution that dedicates support to military personnel in this innovative program.
The Operation Reach Out program is designed to provide military families with guidance, information, support, and access to resources during deployments, training assignments, and other military services to military members and their families.
Mayor Carolyn Broullon and Council encourage residents, businesses, and civic organizations to participate in and support initiatives that assist military personnel, veterans, and their families, the resolution notes.
Towards these ends, the governing body further authorized borough officials to coordinate with the Association in order to benefit military-connected families in the borough.
“This is a great program and we’re happy to be the first to adopt to and help bring military families closer together,” Broullon said.
The Association of the US Navy, also known as AUSN is an organization dedicated to supporting U S Navy and Coast Guard personnel, veterans, and their families through advocacy, education, outreach, and community engagement.
The resolution enables the Association to partner with the borough, businesses, civic groups, and others to host networking opportunities and connect military families with support systems and available resources within their communities. It enables the borough to recognize the sacrifices made by members of the Armed Forces and their families and enables it to support the initiatives that strengthen and assist military-connected residents within the community.
Interested residents who have relatives in the military are invited to complete a survey to aid AUSN in providing support and outreach to borough military families.
“Families do not receive the training as military members do,” Broullon said, “yet they have to endure the separations, the concerns the worries of their family members no matter where they are serving. Part of the mission of AUSN is to forge connections with neighbors who are going through similar experiences. Operation Reach Out gives the association the chance to lend a hand to those who need it as well as an opportunity for comradery.”
Broullon and council members first learned about the newly designed Operation Reach Out program when AUSN Executive Director Steve Rogers accepted an invitation to be the guest speaker at last month’s celebration of the connection between the American flag , the Pledge Allegiance and the borough.
The first version of the Pledge, written in 1885 by Union Army Captain George Th. Belch was revised by Francis Bellamy as part of a magazine promotion surrounding the World’s Columbian Exposition in 1892, the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus‘ arrival in the Americas. That version was read publicly for the first time at the Twin Lights in Highlands, after being read only by students in schools prior to then.
On Flag Day, June 14, 1954, the Pledge was modified once again to include the words “under God” through the recommendations and work of the Knights of Columbus, an international catholic men’s organization. It is that version that continues to be said today.
Last month, the local council of the Knights, the Rev. Joseph Donnelly Council located in Our Lady of Perpetual Help St Agnes Parish, and the borough coordinated efforts to present a program honoring the anniversary of the present-day Pledge at the Twin Lights. Borough officials, employees, the Police Department, veterans , the American Legion and VFW Post 6902 and others participated in the ceremony .
When Rogers explained the new program that will help military families help each other in times of deployment or family separations, borough officials liked the idea of participating and adopted the resolution at its next meeting.
Persons wanting more information on AUSN can visit their webpage at www.AUSN.org.
Those wanting to complete the survey for the borough’s program can visit
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/HighlandsnjOutreach4MilitaryFamilies
Interested persons are also invited to contact the executive director Lieutenant Commander Steven Rogers USN (Ret) at steve.rogers@ausn.org or call him at 703-548-5800 ext. 110.
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