Former Judge Edward Manibusan, in a press briefing at the Army Reserve Center, said under this Covenant, the government and members of the community can adopt a servicemember during deployment and join hands to help a servicemember’s family in any way possible.
Manibusan is the civilian aide to the U.S. secretary of the Army.
Some states, Manibusan said, have laws to help servicemembers and their families go to school and find jobs.
The Army Community Covenant, he said, is an initiative to develop and foster effective government and community partnership with the Army in improving the quality of life for servicemembers and their families as they transfer from state to state and deployment.
This initiative, he said, expresses a formal commitment of support for the nation’s servicemembers.
About 70 men and women from Saipan have enlisted in the military and most of them are waiting for deployment.
For those who have sacrificed their lives in the past few years, the community continues to support their loved ones.
According toTania Mesa of the Family Readiness Group, the families, especially the children of the CNMI’s fallen heroes, “are so far, doing fine.”
As for the families of servicemembers who have been deployed or are about to be deployed, Mesa said: “It’s scary this time around so that we just have to pray.”
Veteran of Foreign Wars commander Mariano Fajardo said through this Covenant, the community and the government will let the servicemembers know that “we are here for them, ready to make them feel comfortable, knowing that their families are taken care of back home.”
