News>'Air Force Spouse of the Year' named by Military Spouse magazine
Photos
Megan Glynn, standing in front of a C-130J Super Hercules July 13, 2011, was named 2011 Air Force Spouse of the Year in an award program sponsored by Military Spouse magazine. Her husband, Maj. Matt Glynn, is a C-130J pilot with the California Air National Guard’s 146 Airlift Wing at Channel Islands ANG Station near Oxnard, Calif. (U.S. Air Force photo)
Megan Glynn and her husband, Maj. Matt Glynn, along with their three boys, Murphy, JP and Cooper, stand behind her husband's C-130J Super Hercules July 13, 2011. Megan was named the 2011 Air Force Spouse of the Year in an award program sponsored by Military Spouse magazine. The major is a C-130J pilot with the California Air National Guard’s 146 Airlift Wing at Channel Islands ANG Station near Oxnard, Calif. (U.S. Air Force photo)
Megan Glynn, named the 2011 Air Force Spouse of the Year in an award program sponsored by Military Spouse magazine, stands by the steps of a C-130J Super Hercules July 13, 2011, with JP and Murphy. Her husband, Maj. Matt Glynn, is a C-130J pilot with the California Air National Guard’s 146 Airlift Wing at Channel Islands ANG Station near Oxnard, Calif. (U.S. Air Force photo)
Megan Glynn, named the 2011 Air Force Spouse of the Year in an award program sponsored by Military Spouse magazine, walks with her husband, Maj. Matt Glynn, and their three boys, Cooper, Murphy and JP, July 13, 2011. Her husband is a C-130J Super Hercules pilot with the California Air National Guard’s 146 Airlift Wing at Channel Islands ANG Station near Oxnard, Calif. (U.S. Air Force photo)
Megan Glynn, named the 2011 Air Force Spouse of the Year in an award program sponsored by Military Spouse magazine, and her husband, Maj. Matt Glynn, watch as two of their three boys, Murphy (foreground) and JP, explore the inside of a C-130J Super Hercules July 13, 2011. Her husband is a C-130J pilot with the California Air National Guard’s 146 Airlift Wing at Channel Islands ANG Station near Oxnard, Calif. (U.S. Air Force photo)
by Alicia Garges
Space and Missile Systems Center Public Affairs
7/18/2011 - VENTURA, Calif. (AFNS) -- The wife of a California Air National Guard pilot and mother of three has been named the Air Force Spouse of the Year by Military Spouse Magazine and Armed Forces Insurance.
Megan Glynn, the wife of Maj. Matt Glynn, who is assigned to the 146th Airlift Wing at Channel Islands ANG Station near Oxnard, Calif., was selected for the honor through an online vote by the magazine's readers. She was nominated by two friends she was assigned with in Germany for her work as a childbirth skills teacher, and as a doula who provides nonmedical support before, during and after childbirth. Megan was present for the birth of one of the nominator's children.
While Matt and Megan's grandparents and parents were friends for more than 50 years, the couple didn't meet until 2000 when Matt was a lieutenant. Both are natives of California. She's a graduate of UCLA and never really traveled very far from Agoura Hills, outside of Los Angeles.
Since marrying, the Glynns have been to Germany; Korea; Fort Campbell, Ky.; and Arkansas. Two of the couple's children, 4-year-old J.P. and 2-year-old Murphy, were born in Germany and Korea, respectively. The couple's youngest, 2-month-old Cooper, was born here. All this travel has shaped her into the person she is now, Megan said.
According to Megan, building a support network and creating a different routine for her kids is how she and her family cope with deployments. Besides the numerous overseas assignments, Matt has deployed to Iraq four times while on active duty as an F-16 Fighting Falcon pilot and is scheduled to deploy again soon to Afghanistan as a C-130 Hercules pilot with the Air National Guard.
She organized play dates and dinners with her fellow spouses in Germany. While she doesn't have the same military family network here, she does have her parents nearby for support when her husband deploys.
Strength, patience and the ability to adapt to any situation is what it takes to be a military spouse, she said.
"Hold on tight, it's a wild ride filled with ups, downs and deployments," she said. "I'm proud to be serving along with my husband."
Megan's advice to other military spouses is to focus on building relationships.
"It's a wonderful time to be a spouse," she said.
This is the fourth year that Military Spouse Magazine has presented awards to a spouse from each service. This year was the first time a husband was honored as a spouse of the year. Robert Duncan, whose wife is stationed at Naval Air Station Fallon, Nev., was the Navy Spouse of the Year. Bianca Strzalkowski, a Marine spouse, was named the 2011 overall military spouse winner. Laura Vanderwerf of Novato, Calif., represented the Coast Guard; Crystal Cavalier of Cameron, N.C., represented the Army.
These winners and their families were honored recently at a ceremony in Washington D.C., and will represent their respective branches throughout the year.
Comments
7/21/2011 5:02:44 PM ET I completely agree with the above statement: another useless program, but for the benefit to the military spouse, helps to show that they are not alone in what they go through. Being a military spouse isn't easy but come on. A spouse magazine?
Andy Pinecone, Florida
7/21/2011 5:42:20 AM ET I know she didn't nominate herself and am sure she is a good person but is this award necessary? And Military Spouse magazine....come on. We must stop over-glorifying everything and everyone. The complete military family including friends and neighbors do great things everyday...let's drop the awards and practice some humility. Our nation and military will be better for it.
