Naval Air Station Whidbey Island tenant commands showed their appreciation for ombudsmen at the Officers’ Club, Sept. 12.

The event was dubbed the Ombudsman Appreciation Round-Up Barbecue and was country-western themed with barbecue-style foods provided by the club. Nearly 30 commands honored their 55 ombudsmen at the event, which totaled about 160 in attendance.

“I think the command master chiefs, the executive officers, and the commanding officers will agree that, while we measure success for a deployment by bombs on target, the ability to get all of our crew and aircraft back safe, and coming home on time, no true successful deployment occurs without the support and efforts that the ombudsmen put forth at home,” said Command Master Chief (AW/SW) Darin Hand, NAS Whidbey Island command master chief.

Each ombudsman was presented with a certificate of appreciation and a stationery kit. Many commands also presented their ombudsman with flowers.

“As ombudsmen you all are unique; those of us in uniform cannot do what you do, our Navy family is better because of what you do, and it’s important to us for you to know we appreciate your contributions taking care of our families when we’re deployed and when we’re at home,” said Cmdr. Matt Miller, NAS Whidbey Island executive officer. “Please accept my personal thanks, and thanks on behalf of NAS Whidbey Island. We appreciate everything you do.”

Rear Adm. James Symonds, commander, Navy Region Northwest, also sent a letter thanking them for their service.

“Your role as ombudsmen is essential to our military readiness. You are the essential link between the commanding officer and unit families. You are the person who quietly goes about providing information to new and confused Navy spouses, directing parents in need of emergency childcare to available resources, and sometimes lending a listening ear to a lonely spouse,” wrote Symonds. “You are instrumental in resolving family concerns before the issues require extensive command attention. Thank you for volunteering one of your most precious assets, your time, for no pay or reward. Your sacrifices help the United States Navy achieve its essential mission.”

The event was organized by Linda Pendleton, Ombudsman Program Coordinator with Fleet and Family Services Center.

“I work with (the ombudsmen) throughout the year, and sometimes I see things that even you don’t see, how hard they work on different family cases. They do work really hard and I’m really proud of them, and I want to say ‘thank you’ because the ombudsmen make my job a whole lot easier,” said Pendleton. “They are just so professional and know what to do in 99.9 percent of the cases that come up. They step up to the plate and serve families very well.”

The command leader-ship realized it was a small way to show their appreciation, but were happy just to have a way to say thanks.

“My ombudsman represents safety at home; they are the first one the families call. She’s then able to direct them to resources to help their families’ needs and, if things get complicated, they have a direct line to us if they need it. That allows us to concentrate on the function of war fighting,” said Command Master Chief (AW/SW) James Reynolds, Patrol Squadron 1. “You can’t put a price tag on their job, and the least we can possibly do is show them a good time by giving them a nice meal and an opportunity to fuss all over them.”

The ombudsman program was established Sept. 14, 1970, by Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Elmo Zumwalt to provide a representative for the Navy families to assist them with family readiness and support and to provide a link to the command.