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JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. – The backbone of the U.S. Army is said to be the non-commissioned officer, but behind many soldiers the real strength is the military spouse.
The Army Community Service has provided the Army Family Team Building class for 15 years to offer an opportunity for military spouses to become more knowledgeable about the Army benefits, entitlements, customs and courtesies and chain of command.
“This class is great for brand new military spouses,” said Steven Wegley, AFTB project manager. “It gives them survival skills to face those challenges that await them in the Army.”
The AFTB class is broken down into three levels and within those levels are four to five modules that instill a foundation of knowledge into the military spouses and the soldiers who attend.
“During, [Operation Desert Storm] the military spouses were lost, they had no clue on the programs the military offered,” said Wegley. “Soldiers use to get married and never tell their spouse about the military.”
To encourage military spouses’ unity and commitment, most of the classes offered at the AFTB are given by military spouses who are volunteer instructors.
“I want the military families to thrive,” said Sarah Small, AFTB volunteer instructor.
Small, who has seen her share of military life has moved with her husband from Fort Sam Houston, Texas, to Germany and now Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash. Small’s passion grew even through a hard tour in Germany where she was part of the Family Readiness Group and saw up to 10 memorials a day for soldiers of her unit who had fallen during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
As the Army is constantly evolving, the AFTB classes strives to help seasoned military spouses and soldiers refresh on new programs to update their unit’s FRGs. Programs like the Military Family Life Consultants, also programs that help in reducing child care costs and help brand new mothers prepare themselves for motherhood.
“I learned about the different resources the Army has,” said Spc. Mallory Showalter, A Company, Madigan Army Medical Center, “I’m able to pass on the information I learned here to not only the FRG but to the soldiers as well.”
With the abundance of information that is given through the first level of the AFTB class, some military spouses considered some of the information helpful in communicating with their spouses.
“The military acronyms were the greatest help for me,” said Layzel Busic, military spouse. “I can now understand my husband.”
During busted water pipes, sleepless nights, deployments, moments of sadness and loneliness, the military spouse continues to support their soldier without requesting anything in return.
“I don’t expect anything from the military,” said Alexis M. Speallman, a military spouse, “as long as my husband comes home safe and happy, I’m happy.”
| Date Taken: | 03.10.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 03.14.2011 18:40 |
| Story ID: | 67055 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE LEWIS MCCHORD, WASHINGTON, US |
| Web Views: | 39 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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