Wolf Pack spouses can still support each other despite distances

  • Published
  • By Maj. Steven Martin
  • 8th Maintenance Operations Squadron commander
KUNSAN AIR BASE, South Korea --  Here's an idea for you to dismiss if you so desire, Kunsan needs a spouses group. 

Now, I know what some of you are thinking. Our spouses are literally scattered all over the globe. How could we possibly have a spouse's group given the geographical separation of not only active duty member and spouse, but between also spouses? 

Let me offer one suggestion. We have the internet. We have smart people who understand how to host a Web page, chat room, blog and message forum. We have some amazing spouses who have expertise in a myriad of areas. Let's pull all these resources together to create a Web based spouses group whose purpose is to support Wolf Pack spouses across the globe. 

Thomas L. Friedman wrote an amazing book called "The World is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century." It is worth your time to read this book. Basically it discusses how technology has allowed companies, including the U.S. Air Force, to operate across the globe seamlessly. Software engineers in New Delhi are writing code pulled together in Silicon Valley. Doctors in Kansas City are having their X-ray's evaluated while they sleep by technicians in Bangalore, India. 

The evaluations are available for them when they show up to work the next morning. Small businesses are outsourcing secretary, accountants and human resource functions to companies half way around the globe. If these agencies can find a way to connect across vast distances and time zones, so can our Wolf Pack spouses. 

The possibilities are endless. Let me provide a fictional example, in San Antonio, there is a Wolf Pack spouse who has a Chevrolet Yukon with a weird noise coming from the engine. In Phoenix, there is a Wolf Pack spouse who works for Chevrolet as a service manager. These two spouses could get together via the spouse Web page. Now the spouse with a sick Chevrolet has someone who understands the strain of military life and has knowledge to help resolve the problem. The service manager spouse can coach the Chevrolet spouse through their local Chevrolet service center or even call ahead and grease the skids towards a loaner car or an appointment that works around sleep times, school drop off/pickup and work schedules. 

Some of our spouses also have been to Korea before. They have experience on how to negotiate at the airport and customs, how best to travel around the Peninsula, where to stay, hotels and base lodging, where to shop, and what sights to see. Some spouses have never been outside the continental United States and the thought of traveling around the globe is rather daunting. Through the Website, spouses can get together and plan a trip together. Active duty members get to see their spouses without the stress of planning the logistics associated with a visit, spouses have someone to share experiences with and get the opportunity to see another country and culture. 

By having another resource our spouses can turn to, the challenges of military life can be reduced. This reduces stress not only on the home front but also for the active duty member who is not worrying about how to solve issues thousands of miles away. In addition, this is an opportunity to add to the list of amazing military families we have the pleasure to know throughout a military career.