FORT IRWIN, Calif. — Fort Irwin Garrison Commander Col. Seth Krummrich kicked off the 2018 Army Emergency Relief Campaign March 6 at an event attended by senior National Training Center and Fort Irwin leadership.

The AER program is the Army’s emergency financial assistance organization, dedicated to “helping the Army take care of its own” by providing interest-free loans, grants and scholarships to Soldiers and their families.

“Your hard work will help Soldiers, it will help families, it will make Fort Irwin a better place,” Krummrich said. “We serve for one reason – because we want to win the nation’s war, but really because we love our Soldiers and we love our families. That’s why we keep doing this. So this is a great mechanism to show it.”

Since its founding in 1942, AER has provided approximately $2 billion to more than 3.7 million Soldiers and families. This year, the fundraising campaign will run until May 15. For more information, visit https://www.aerhq.org/. –C. Kozacek