When Teri Ryan’s husband, Allen, enlisted in the Army in 1996, she could have used a few of the courses she now facilitates through the Army Family Team Building program.

“He enlisted in Florida and the closest military base was an Air Force base two hours away,” said Ryan, whose husband is now a warrant officer and deployed.

Simple things such as how to sign up for dependent ID cards were lost on her, and as far as Army acronyms and chains of command, Ryan didn’t have the slightest clue.

“Learning about AFTB would have made things significantly better. It would have made it easier,” she said.

AFTB has been around since the mid-1990s. There are three levels associated with the classes. The Level I classes are the equivalent of Military 101 with topics such as military acronyms and terms, introduction into military and civilian community resources, introduction to family readiness groups, basic military benefits and entitlements and the chain of command.

Level II and Level III classes are geared more toward personal growth and leadership development.

Ryan said while some of the topics are Army-specific, some would be applicable for spouses of those in other branches as well.

“A lot of Level I is basic,” she said.

Another important aspect of AFTB is building relationships with other spouses and networking with people who’ve likely faced some of the same challenges, she said

Classes are offered on a regular basis at the Family Outreach Center.

Ryan said she likes to have reservations for the classes so she has adequate supplies. Reservations should be made within a week of the class. The next set of Level I classes are scheduled for April 1 and 2.

To find out more about how AFTB can help families, call (706) 791-2820.