In less than a year of operation, Fort Gordon's Soldier and Family Assistance Center has made an impact on the lives of many wounded and injured warriors.

"We've had 2,500 people sign in for services," said Kent Brickman, the SFAC's director.

The SFAC opened fully in January bringing about a dozen people into its offices to assist Soldiers who are part of the Warrior Transition Battalion.

"It's been fast moving. We took a lot of different people from a bunch of different areas," he said.

Most of the staff moved to the area to be part of the SFAC.

The SFAC office first opened in Darling Hall, but it moved to a newly constructed 3,000 square foot building closer to the WTB buildings in July.

"The original idea was a USO-type of service,"' he said. "There's a waiting area for Families here. They can feel free to come here to be away from the hospital. It's grown past that and become a one-stop shop."

The SFAC assists with a variety of services from child care to financial planning.

The most commonly requested services are human resources military benefits, information, referral and follow-up and financial counseling.

"We have eight in-house programs," he said.

And its staff works to connect people with needed services that are not in-house.

The office also houses a representative for Child, Youth and School Services and a federal recovery consultant. The representative for the Traumatic Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance recently left, but a replacement will soon be found.

Brickman said the response from Soldiers has been positive. His staff is committed to their work with the wounded warriors, and they enjoy what they do.

"It's so satisfying to be able to help people on a daily basis and being told thank you. We are told thank you on a daily basis. We service heroes every day. Very few people do that," he said. For more information about SFAC and its services, call (706) 791-8777.