A Special Thank You To Military Spouses

  • Published
  • By Gen. Don Cook
  • Air Education and Training Command commander
RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas (AFPN) --  Throughout the year we celebrate and commemorate, often with great fanfare, people and events that have made our nation great. For the men and women who serve in uniform I think such commemorations take on added meaning and significance because many of these occasions are recognition of sacrifice, patriotism and service in securing and maintaining freedom and peace for our country and its citizens.

But one occasion that doesn't get as much fanfare as it should is Military Spouses Day, which we will celebrate May 9. I think you will all agree we need to change that.

Our military spouses are extraordinary people. Their personal sacrifices, contributions, volunteer efforts and service before self are integral to the health and well-being of our families and our success as individuals. They play a large role in ensuring our Air Force can successfully achieve its mission.

As we all know, the life of a military family is filled with unique challenges and opportunities. Today it is often the rule rather than the exception that both husband and wife work, while sharing the responsibilities of raising a family. Both spouses may serve in uniform while other couples comprise a military member and a civilian spouse maintaining a career either in the home or in the commercial sector.

But no matter the specific situation, I think today the military family, and the military spouse in particular, face the daunting challenges confronting them with a special fortitude, commitment, and esprit de corps unique to our military family vocation.

It is important to remember that in military families, all members serve our country in one way or another. During the often-lengthy separations indigenous to military service, the spouses remaining behind have awesome responsibilities to sustain a home and family. By default, they must frequently take on the duties of both mother and father dealing with the complex issues of daily life, and they must do it alone. The military spouse is truly the engine that keeps our homes and our lives on track when the military member is deployed or temporarily away.

In my personal experience I could not have succeeded in supporting the many military missions I was called upon to do without the loving partnership I have with my wife, Diane. I am very proud of her service to our family, the Air Force and our nation. I applaud her for her sacrifice and commitment and the fact that she has packed us up to PCS 24 times! She is among the thousands of military spouses who make this Air Force the great organization it is and I thank her and all our military spouses for that special commitment everyday.

Across Air Education and Training Command we will hold a variety of events and activities on May 9 geared to recognize the many contributions our military spouses make to the military community and the enormous impact they have on the quality of our lives. I encourage you to participate fully in celebrating their accomplishments and to thank them for all they do for us. Our spouses are special and help make our Air Force family strong. We must celebrate them. (Courtesy of AETC News Service)