Family readiness is a combat multiplier, equally as important as individual equipment and combat readiness.  It is the responsibility of the individual Marine and their family to successfully balance life, career and mission events, through active and reserve service, and is supported by the enduring partnership between the unit's Family Readiness Command Team and Marine Corps Community Services (MCCS).

The goal of personal and family readiness programs is to provide resource information and training in addition to support services to enhance a Commander’s Family Readiness Command Teams, Service Members, and their families.  A Marine must ensure their personal and family affairs are in order so that they will remain fully focused on the mission, whether in garrison or in combat. 

A ready and resilient Marine and family:      

1. Are prepared for family separations and life events.

2. Understand the additional responsibilities that will fall on the family when the Marine departs.

3. Is knowledgeable of and able to utilize information about benefits, entitlements, programs and services provided through the Department of Defense, Marine Corps and the community.

4. Is knowledgeable of command structure and resources available to assist and contribute to the personal and family readiness goals.

OPSEC for Volunteers 

Operational Security (OPSEC) is a required annual training for all appointed volunteers – Command Team Advisors and Family Readiness Assistants. During this training, volunteers will learn about the latest OPSEC issues, including a special focus on social media.

Please contact your unit Readiness Coordinator (RC) to register for all Family Readiness Program training.

*For more information regarding training, please email MCFTBOkinawa@okinawa.usmc-mccs.org or call 645-3689*

Marine Corps Family members look to one another to help navigate the unique circumstances associated with military life. In L.I.N.K.S., you will learn about those unique circumstances and how they correlate to the Marine Corps’ mission while acquiring an arsenal of resources, knowledge and skills that will help guide you.

L.I.N.K.S. is a mentoring program for Marine family members taught by Marine spouses. The classes provide insight into the military lifestyle, giving family members a place to network with other military families, learn about the resources available to them and tangible ways to thrive in the military community. There are L.I.N.K.S. sessions for Marine, Navy and Japanese spouses, and sessions are offered on all three housing camps (Camp Foster, Courtney and Kinser).

Why Should You Attend a L.I.N.K.S. Workshop?

• To understand the Marine Corps mission and how it affects Marines and family they were born into, sworn into, and/or married into.
• To acquire the knowledge and develop the skills to successfully meet the challenges of the Marine Corps lifestyle.
• To make new friends and thrive as an empowered member of the Marine Corps family.

Session Topics: 

- Our Corps, Our Culture: Introduction to the Marine Corps organization, mission, culture, history, and traditions.

- Events and Etiquette: From unit fun days to the beloved USMC Birthday Ball, learn more about the expectations for the different types of events you may encounter.

- The Maze: Information regarding the many services and resources available to Marines and their families.

- Pay & Entitlements: A basic education of Marine Corps pay and allowances. L.I.N.K.S. also provides tips on effective money management and the financial services on base that can assist our families with debt repair, savings plans, and investing.

- The Places You'll Go: Strategies, tips, and services to help for successful moves to new Marine Corps duty stations.

- Deployment 101: Education on how to cope with deployments and other types of military separations.

- Investing in Your Community: Volunteer opportunities and the benefits of becoming involved in each new community.

- Safe and Sound All Around: Basic tips to keep yourself, your family, and your online life safe and healthy.

- Building Your Network: How to build and maintain positive relationships in your community.

• Each workshop will be tailored and applicable to the audience. The sessions are hands-on and interactive, with a mixture of videos, group discussion, games and more.
  • LINKS for Japanese Spouses
  • LINKS Foundations for Navy Spouses

Volunteer Opportunities

L.I.N.K.S. is supported by a group of wonderful and positive of volunteers to include Marines, spouses, and teens. Work on and develop skill sets for future employment. Meet new people and build relationships. Share experiences and encourage others. If you are interested, please contact Skyler Parker - the L.I.N.K.S. Trainer.

L.I.N.KS. Positions include:

• Mentor
• Event/Workshop Assistance
• Historian
• Publicity
• Photographer
  

LifeSkills Training and Education offers various workshops in such areas as conflict management, 4 Lenses temperament discovery, and many other workshops.  In addition to these workshops, the following series of training are also offered as opportunities for personal growth and education. 

Communication and Leadership Courses

4 Lenses

Four Lenses is a lively, interactive two to three-hour workshop that teaches participants how to assess and evaluate their own personality preferences, while learning to value and understand the preferences of others. Participants learn how to open lines of communication, reduce misunderstandings, motivate others, and strengthen their relationships, both personally and professionally.

Bridging the Generation Gap

Communicating across generations is essential in today's connected world. This two-hour workshop shows participants the unique characteristics of the many generations that exist today providing a foundation to enable improved communication through increased knowledge of generational characteristics, influences, and priorities.

Conflict Management

Conflict is an unavoidable aspect of everyday life – learn how to manage it in a productive way! This two-hour workshop addresses interpersonal conflict and is designed to help participants become more aware of conflict; empowering them to make healthy choices by managing their responses to conflict.

Say What? Interpersonal Communication

Whether in our personal or professional lives, effective communication skills support growth and foster healthy relationships. This two-hour workshop emphasizes active listening and improved speaking skills, and uses evidence informed activities to advance each participant’s communication capabilities.

Readiness and Resiliency Sessions

Attitudes and Actions

Through this modern-day exploration of concepts and philosophies, this under two-hour workshop encourages participants to maintain a positive focus using a growth mindset, and to be more engaged in their homes, at work, and in their communities.

Basic Anger Management

Although disagreements and anger are a normal part of life, overwhelming expressions of anger can have a very detrimental effect on relationships with others. This two-hour workshop provides a general overview of the dynamics of anger, and offers a variety of acceptable coping strategies to handle angry feelings and behaviors.

Basic Stress Management

The challenges of a Marine Corps lifestyle can be exciting yet stressful. This two-hour workshop provides participants with basic education on the concepts and management skills needed to successfully navigate both everyday and extraordinary stress.

Family Care Plan

The Family Care Plan is an essential and mandatory part of the military readiness that helps Marines focus on their job and mission during deployment, mobilization, training, or other times when duty calls. This one-hour workshop will highlight the four pillars: legal, medical, financial, and logistics, and help participants design their own solid plan.

Ready, Set, Prepare: Emergency Edition

Preparation is key to overcoming, and sometimes surviving, natural disasters and hazards. Each duty station presents varying environmental activities. This two-hour workshop teaches participants how to plan and prepare for the unexpected, while keeping their families as safe as possible.

Relationship Enhancement Seminars

4 Lenses for Couples

Four Lenses for Couples is a fun, interactive experience designed to allow participants to learn more about one another and connect in new ways while having a total blast. In this two to three-hour workshop, couples will take an in-depth personality assessment and learn how to improve communication, finances, intimacy, and enhance their relationship all through the scope of their unique personality perspectives.

PREP 8.0

PREP is a research-based approach to teach couples how to communicate effectively, work as a team to solve problems, manage conflicts without damaging closeness, and preserve and enhance commitment and friendship. PREP is a fresh approach based on 20 years of research in the field of marital health. Topics include: Expectations, Commitment, Fun & Friendship, Danger Signs & Time Out, Anger & Stress, Problem Solving, and more. This workshop can be hosted in a one-day session, or divided up into modules based on preferred topics. 

Real Relationships

Resilient, healthy relationships are built on interpersonal skills of communication, conflict resolution, and setting boundaries. This two-hour workshop shows participants how to identify the hallmarks of meaningful relationships, and how to build skills to make them stronger.

Franklin Covey Core Workshops

7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Foundations and Service Members

Great performance requires a common set of values, behaviors, and skills that align with individual capabilities. Participants learn how to work more effectively with others to achieve far better results in this full day workshop. 7 Habits of Highly Effective People facilitates the establishment of necessary foundations to balance time and renew oneself in order to attain both personal and professional goals.

The Speed of Trust: Foundations and Service Members

Trust plays a critical role in the credibility and performance of an organization. Fostering and sustaining the high trust of others requires specific behaviors. In this half or full day workshop, participants learn the language of trust, as well as actions to build and maintain trust as leaders. Increasing trust leads to a positive reputation, greater employee retention and improved results within an organization.

Unconscious Bias

Bias is a natural part of the human condition of how the brain works. However, bias affects how individuals make decisions, engage with others, and respond to various situations and circumstances, often limiting potential. Through this eight-hour workshop, Unconscious Bias empowers participants to identify and adjust for bias, cultivate meaningful connections, and choose courage to make real changes in the workplace and community.

Franklin Covey Select Offerings

Leadership Modular Series

Leaders understand that to accomplish great results, a new mindset, skillset, and tool set is required. These select workshops provide the foundation necessary for participants in leadership positions to think, act, and lead from a new paradigm. Participants learn powerful concepts and leave with tools and skills to help them lead, support, and inspire a talented, valuable workforce.

Meeting Advantage

In a world driven by results and performance, Franklin Covey’s Meeting Advantage workshop teaches participants how to plan effectively to make meetings work to their advantage. Over this five-hour workshop, participants learn key strategies on how to plan effective frontloading before a meeting, increase focus and productivity during meetings, and follow through successfully after a meeting is held.

Writing Advantage

To stay ahead in business, documents have to cut through the information clutter, and communicate clearly. This workshop teaches participants how to set quality writing standards to help them increase productivity, resolve issues, avoid errors, and increase credibility. Participants help themselves and their organization set writing standards that impact business results through strategies acquired during this full day skills-based workshop.

To Register for LifeSkills Classes: Please email MCFTBOkinawa@okinawa.usmc-mccs.org or visit www.mccsokinawa.com/mcftb  for additional information.

Getting Married in Japan? 

Sign-up for our informational Premarital Seminar! 

This seminar is held to inform service members and their future spouses on the nuptial process, whether it is a dual service marriage, service member and U.S. civilian, or a service member marrying a foreign or local national. Topics covered include: the requirements of local marriage orders, the procedure to marry in Japan and in neighboring countries, family programs and resources, IPAC benefits, TRICARE services, legal information and services, immigration procedures, financial resources, and basic communication strategies.

Procedure for Marrying Foreign Nationals  in Okinawa - Packet

Procedure for Marines and Sailors Marrying in Okinawa - Packet

Procedure for Marrying Japanese in Okinawa - Packet

Procedure for Marrying US Citizens in Okinawa - Packet

Procedure for Marrying in the US - Packet

Procedure for Marrying via Proxy - Packet

The individual files below are also in the respective packets above:

Legal Assistance Office  

Local City Office Locations

How to fill out Kon In Todoke

Procedural Guide for Marriage, Benefits and Entitlements

COMNAVFORJAPANINSTR 1752.1T - Marriages within U.S. Naval Forces Japan Area of Responsibility

COMNAVMARIANAS Inst 1700.1 - Marriage of Active Duty Personnel to Foreign Nationals in Asia Pacific, outside of Japan

COMNAVMARIANAS Inst 1700-1 - Appendix A - Affidavit of Support

COMNAVMARIANAS Inst 1700-2 - Appendix B - Application to Marry-Validation of Marriage

The goal of Readiness & Deployment Support is to prepare families for the unique challenges of deployment, in addition to maintaining a constant state of readiness independent of deployment. Each Marine Corps installation and Marine Forces Reserve are staffed with Readiness and Deployment Support Trainers, who coordinate and deliver pre, mid, and post-deployment briefs and support at the unit level for Marines, children, and extended family members.

READINESS & DEPLOYMENT SUPPORT

The goal of Readiness & Deployment Support is to prepare families for the unique challenges of deployment, in addition to maintaining a constant state of readiness independent of deployment.

Each Marine Corps installation and Marine Forces Reserve are staffed with Readiness and Deployment Support Trainers, who coordinate and deliver pre, mid, and post-deployment briefs and support at the unit level for Marines, children, and extended family members.

Pre-Deployment

Topics discussed in the Pre-Deployments trainings include resources available to Marines and families, legal planning, single parents, Combat Operational Stress Continuum, personal preparation and preparing loved ones.

Pre-Deployment for Marines & Families

This training highlights key areas of personal and family preparation of single Marines, married Marines, and their respective families; either activity duty or reservists in preparation for deployment.  Suggestions for preparation of important documents, emergency communication, and sources of assistance are also provided.

Pre-Deployment for Parents & Kids

This training uses an optional guest speaker, puppet show, and activities for children age 5 and older to prepare for the upcoming deployment.  The adult component highlights ways that parents can support their children during a deployment and to recognize common reactions children may exhibit due to deployment.

Mid-Deployment

Topics discussed in the Mid-Deployment workshops provide information on how to thrive during a deployment, promoting self care, and helping children cope with deployments.

Mid-Deployment – Deployment Success

This workshop is designed to promote deployment success for the spouse or significant other at home during a deployment.  It includes suggestions for fun things to do, goal setting and resources.  This is a great opportunity to assess your deployment success thus far!

Mid-Deployment- Kids & Deployment

This workshop is designed to promote deployment success for kids, including reactions to deployment, ways parents can help, and resources available.

Mid-Deployment – Self Care

This workshop is designed to promote deployment self-care for the spouse or significant other at home during deployment.  It includes information about stress management, staying connected with your Marine, dealing with emotional ups and downs, and resources available.

Return and Reunion

Topics discussed in the Return and Reunion workshops provide information on what to expect on the “Big Day”, helping you deal with changes that may have occurred while your Marine was deployed, and ideas on how parents can best support their children during the reintegration process.

Return and Reunion - Spouses and Significant Others

This workshop provides ideas on how to reintegrate with your Marine, what to expect on the “Big Day” when he/she returns, and helping you with changes that may have occurred during the deployment.

Return and Reunion – Parents and Kids

This workshop provides age-appropriate activities for children age 5 and older to prepare for the upcoming return, reunion, and reintegration with their Marine parent.  The adult component combines ways parents can support their child during return, reunion, and reintegration.

Return and Reunion – Parents and Extended Family

This workshop answers questions about what to expect at homecoming, provides suggestions on celebrating homecoming with your Marine, and addressing any concerns you may have regarding your Marine.

Post Deployment

Topics discussed in the Post-Deployment workshop includes ideas on how to renegotiate responsibilities now that your Marine has returned, communication strategies, understanding each other’s need for personal space and time, and resources available to help in the reintegration process.

Reintegration – Strong Marine Couples

This workshop provides a fun forum for couples to assess their recent deployment experience in an effort to further strengthen their relationship. This training addresses the effect of reintegration on a relationship, assessing the level of relationship satisfaction, and provides communication tools and resources for couples to use to strengthen their relationship.

R U Ready?

Checklist

Other Important Considerations

Deployment Spending Plan