AFRC educates new Air Force spouses

MCCONNELL AIR FORCE BASE, Kan. -- Honey, my NCOIC told me I will be going TDY to the AOR ASAP, and if I don't go, I'll be AWOL. I'll have DSN access, but I don't know the ZULU time yet, we'll have a BX and an APO and I'll be wearing DCUs. The TMO can help you with the POV, and we'll get the kids registered at the CDC NLT March, but they need my SSN and my LES. When I come back, we'll have a CONUS PCS!

What?

For a new military spouse, the above conversation can be very confusing and frustrating, but luckily, there is a program that is available to help transition spouses into military life from the civilian world.

The Airman and Family Readiness Center offers the HeartLink program to military spouses. The only requirement for the half-day seminar is the desire to learn more about military life.

Dennis Chrisco, a community readiness consultant with the 22nd Mission Support Squadron, organizes the quarterly program.

He says he has had spouses that are brand new to the military attend, as well as, seasoned veteran spouses who have been through many years of deployments and moves attend his class.

"What we are really trying to do is show them what services are available," said Mr. Chrisco. "The target audience for us is spouses who have been married to a military member for less than five years, although any spouse can come, regardless of how many years they have been married."

Mr. Chrisco went on to say the workshop isn't designed to work on marriages, but is set up to orient the spouse to military lingo, military services and general military life.

During the workshop several speakers brief the spouses on different aspects of military life, including rank structure, military protocol, finance, family readiness and healthy families.

The healthy families segment allows base agencies to give a three-minute presentation highlighting the services they provide the military community. Each agency in the healthy families segment set up a table with information and literature on their areas of expertise.

Agencies such as Tricare, the Health and Wellness Center, education center, McConnell Officers' Spouses' Charitable Association, Enlisted Spouses Club, Family Advocacy and the legal office, in addition to others, are present and give a brief description of what it is exactly that they provide for military families, said Mr. Chrisco.

The literature provided during the seminar gives information on military acronyms, budgeting and situations unique to military families.

"We talk about how to read an LES (leave and earning statement) and how it is necessary to have a special power of attorney if your spouse is deployed," said Mr. Chrisco.

Mr. Chrisco said they also invite a veteran spouse to address the group about different issues. "They discuss what you do when you hear taps outside, how you act in ceremonies, how you dress - the protocol of the military lifestyle. They also address what you do when the Star Spangled Banner is playing and your child is acting up," said Mr. Chrisco.

The program not only allows spouses to learn about military life, it actually allows them to taste it as well.

Lunch from the flight kitchen is served to the spouses during the seminar, allowing them to taste what lunch is like during a flight or when their spouse is working long hours on the flightline, said Mr. Chrisco.

At the end of the program, the spouses are given a briefing by the wing commander, who discusses the importance of the military spouse and how the spouse fits into the wing mission.

After the briefing, the spouses are coined by the commander with a special spouses' coin.

The next HeartLink Program is scheduled for Feb. 22 from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the AFRC. Child care is provided, but reservations are required no later than Feb. 17.

For more information, to reserve a seat, or to make child care reservations, call ext. 6020.