Spouses come together for quarterly forum

  • Published
  • By 1st Lt. Bryan Bouchard
  • 18th Wing Public Affairs
KADENA AIR BASE, Japan --  While the military may not have issued you a spouse, your spouse didn't sign up for the military either. Being a military spouse can be difficult in today's Air Force of 6-12 month deployments, constant PCS moves and long duty hours. Kadena military families also must learn to live in a foreign country, and adjust to a new culture and language.

These were some of the many challenges discussed this week at the Kadena Leadership Spouses Forum, a quarterly event designed to provide the spouses of key base leaders with resources to address topics important to Kadena Airmen and their families, the Air Force and the DOD.

"We discussed some of the major topics that will equip them to help the families within their units," said Cindy Wilsbach, wife of Brig. Gen. Ken Wilsbach, 18th Wing commander.

Mrs. Wilsbach hosted the event, attended by approximately 60 spouses. This quarter's forum was designed to provide practical information to help leadership spouses reach out to families, and to familiarize the base's newer leadership spouses with some of the unique challenges and opportunities associated with living and working on Kadena.

Mrs. Wilsbach explained that while military members signed up for their active duty service, many of their spouses did not: their role as the spouse of a commander or senior leader is voluntary - they choose to fill it for the betterment of the families within the unit.

"These spouses are volunteers," she explained. "They are serving their country and especially the Airmen and their families here at Kadena. We want to thank them for what they're doing and help support them as they serve."

The spouses received a wing mission briefing to help familiarize some of the latest arrivals to Kadena with the base's overall mission.
"There are many new leadership spouses and we wanted to give them an opportunity to learn more about the 18th Wing and our mission at Kadena; this gives them an idea of how we all work together here," Mrs. Wilsbach said.

In addition, the spouses received other valuable information that will assist in planning unit activities, such as fundraisers and other morale-boosting events. They also had a question-and-answer session to exchange ideas about ways to provide information, outreach, and resources to help improve the quality of life for military families.

General Wilsbach also addressed the crowd and expressed his appreciation and thanks for the efforts of Kadena spouses.

Mrs. Wilsbach will be hosting the Spouses Forum on a quarterly basis, with the next one occurring in January. Her hope is that these sessions facilitate conversation - and ultimately action - about what leadership spouses can do to improve Team Kadena.

"You do serve as a team," Mrs. Wilsbach said. "But spouses receive very little training to help them navigate these volunteer roles. We need to acknowledge their contributions, help them where we can, and thank them for their service."