Military Spouse Day May 7

  • Published
  • By Brig. Gen. Brett Williams
  • 18th Wing commander
KADENA AIR BASE, Japan --  Thanks Spouses!

In 1984, President Reagan established Military Spouse Day to honor the contributions of our military spouses. Military Spouse Day is the Friday prior to Mother's Day so it is May 8th this year. I bet that even President Reagan did not anticipate the sacrifices our spouses would be asked to make in a post-9/11 world. I have long recognized and appreciated the contributions of my wife, Marianne, and have marveled at her energy, enthusiasm and unwavering dedication to our family, our Air Force and our Country. 

At the same time, as a commander, I have come to see her contributions to the spouse community as being critical to mission success. She has put her 28 years of "seasoned" spouse experience to work coaching, mentoring and encouraging military spouses of all ages and from all services. This is incredibly important work and I thank her for her passion.

We both appreciate more and more every day the contributions our military spouses make to the mission by executing the extremely tough duty they assumed when they married their Airmen, Soldier, Sailor or Marine. As we continue to fight the war on terror we all admire and appreciate those military members who repeatedly go forward into harm's way to defend our way of life. 

However, it is important that we not forget the work done by the spouse who stays behind. Sometimes that spouse is a stay at home mom. Sometimes that spouse is a full time career person. And sometimes that spouse is a military member themselves who may have recently deployed. Perhaps they shared only a few short weeks or even days between deployments before they sent their husband or wife out the door and picked up the role of single parent.

Deployed, or at home station, our spouses fill a critical role in the mission. It is their support, their commitment, their patriotism that allows us to focus on the job at hand. Our spouses provide the peace of mind and clarity of purpose we need to do what is frequently dangerous and always important work. We can never take them for granted. 

So to all the military spouses of Team Kadena, let me say a personal thanks for all you do. Please never underestimate how important your work is to our mission and the security of the United States. Thank you very much!