Retreats help servicemembers and families reconnect Published Jan. 28, 2010 By Staff Sgt. Nicole Celestine 446th Airlift Wing Public Affairs JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. -- Applications to attend Operation Purple Family Retreat are now being accepted. The second retreat for winter 2010 will be at the Teton Science School, Jackson Hole, Wyo., from March 19-23. Operation Purple Family Retreats give servicemembers and families opportunities to communicate, work as a team, and to reconnect after deployment, as they explore and learn about the environment. "Operation Purple Family Retreat is a great way for families to reconnect after deployments and navigate back to 'normal', all within a stress-free environment," said Master Sgt. Steven Thomas, NCO in charge of the 446th Mission Support Squadron Airman & Family Readiness Center here. The National Military Family Association will be sponsoring 10 free, four-day family retreats this year, with fun, family-focused activities such as nature hikes, canoeing, camp fires, beach exploration, and arts and crafts. Additional activities that emphasize areas of strength and resilience in families and promote family growth, will be provided. Retreats are open to servicemembers and their families who have experienced deployment within the last 15 months. To be eligible for consideration to attend these retreats, servicemembers must have returned from deployment no less than three months or no more than 15 months prior to the start date of the retreat. Sergeant Thomas said the program helps servicemembers who have returned from deployment, "come all the way home", physically, mentally and emotionally. Families who attend receive a $200 stipend per family upon arrival to the retreat site to cover travel costs. The retreats are free thanks to support from the Sierra Club and the Sierra Club Foundation. To apply or for more information, log on to: http://www.militaryfamily.org/our-programs/operation-purple/family-retreats/.