Fort Gordon’s community spoke, and the leadership listened.

“Rest assured, if you captured it, it will have the visibility of the leadership,” said Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Foley, Fort Gordon’s commanding general and chief of Signal, during the closing of the Army Family Action Plan conference Jan. 27 at the Gordon Club.

About 75 delegates representing active-duty servicemembers, including some members of other services, dependents, retirees, civilians, National Guard and Army Reserves, focused on concerns submitted to the conference.

They met with subject matter experts and researched the problems as well as provided possible solutions.

The top five issues, voted on by attendees were expanded coverage for dependents with learning problems, sex offenders living and working on post, medical and dental benefits, automatic doors for Warrior Transition Battalion buildings and insufficient dwell time.

There were about 40 issues discussed during the conference.

Other topics of concern addressed included female Soldiers wearing earrings with their Army Combat Uniforms, the delays in processing GI Bill benefits by the Department of Veterans Affairs, volunteer registration, a central location for the Soldier service center and the donation of sick leave to co-workers by Department of the Army civilians.

Conference attendees and staff had positive impressions of this year’s event.

“This is the fourth AFAP I’ve attended at Fort Gordon, and this was the best by far,” said Virginia Hindbaugh, a military spouse.

Teri Ryan, AFAP manager, was pleased, “overall, it was a great function. Hopefully, more people will be aware of it,” she said. “It’s a program that really works. It gives them a voice.”

Since it began 26 years ago, AFAP has resulted in 112 legislative changes, 159 policy changes and 178 improved programs.

“It’s really worthwhile,” said Ryan. “Things may not be fixed immediately, but they are addressed.”