The tear-streaked face of a child buried in the uniformed shoulder of his or her parent as the parent returns from war. That's the image, which, to many, says "the end." The parent made it home safely, so that's it... right? As far as Congress was concerned, it wasn't.

As part of the National Defense Authorization Act of 2008, Congress mandated implementation of the Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program (YRRP). The Secretary of Defense was directed to establish the program and provide Reserve members and their families with sufficient information, services, referrals and proactive outreach opportunities throughout an entire deployment cycle.

In 2010, the Coast Guard established the YRRP to ensure deploying Coast Guard members, families and others connect with local resources before, during, and after deployments.