Innovative FTAC program reaches out to spouses

Published July 13, 2010
By Lance Cpl. Meredith Watts
AFN Okinawa

KADENA AIR BASE, Japan -- Kadena's First Term Airmen Center, or FTAC, is going the extra mile to welcome new spouses to Okinawa.

Besides providing the typical orientation training to the Air Force's newest Airmen, FTAC here now offers weekly meetings and a Facebook networking page for spouses to minimize stress as they settle into their first duty station overseas.

"FTAC has helped me in a lot of ways," explained Maria Polintan, wife of Airman 1st Class Joel Polintan. "I've met a lot of friends and have also gotten to network because I've been volunteering. [The program has] helped me warm up and get to know the base more than I probably would've by just reading."

During a recent trip to Kadena, Teresa Rice, wife of U.S. Forces Japan Commander Lt. Gen. Edward Rice, stopped by to see the program firsthand and interact with the spouses.

"Never have I seen a program specifically designed for new FTAC spouses," she said. "I think this is an excellent program to catch people when they first come in, introduce them to the military family and welcome them to their base."

FTAC offers a way for the new Airmen to feel more comfortable without leaving out their families. For spouses who can't come out to the socials, the Facebook page, Kadena Spouses Unite, offers a great way to interact with the community virtually and in person.