Key Spouses build community, resilience among Air Force families

  • Published
  • By Mark Wyatt
  • 66th Air Base Group Public Affairs
HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. – A small cadre of trained volunteers are working to enhance readiness and retention here by ensuring families have appropriate information and resources to meet their needs throughout the military life cycle.

The Hanscom Key Spouse Program accomplishes this by promoting partnerships with unit leaders, volunteer Key Spouses appointed by the commander, families, the Airman and Family Readiness Center and other community and base helping agencies.

“The Key Spouse Program strives to build a sense of community and resilience among military families through peer support, resource information and privacy-protected direct lines of communication with unit leadership, including first sergeants and commanders,” said Christina D’Amico, A&FRC community readiness consultant, who manages the program. "The scope of the Key Spouse Program include the Exceptional Family Member Program, relocation support and extended separations from loved ones."

To become a Key Spouse volunteer, D’Amico said individuals must attend six-hours of initial training conducted at the A&FRC and then attend bi-monthly training after.

“I first decided to become a Key Spouse to be able to become more involved with the Air Force community,” said Lauren Pongallo, a Key Spouse for the Battlefield Airborne Communications Node office. “As the months went on, I continued to grow and enjoy being a Key Spouse because I was able to be a direct link and be involved with many different types of Air Force families.”

Key Spouses, typically spouses of military members, are volunteers who are willing to share a few hours each month to connect with families of a deployed member.

“I was a military spouse in the Air Force for twenty years,” said April Fitzgerald, a Key Spouse in the Battle Management Financial Management Branch, where she works as a civilian operations research analyst. “I knew firsthand what spouses go through during TDY's [temporary duty] and deployments and I wanted to give back by supporting current active duty spouses.”

The program addresses the needs of all military families during separation, but has special emphasis on support to families throughout the deployment cycle.

“Ensuring families are taken care of while service members are deployed allows the member to focus on the mission more effectively,” said D’Amico.

Audra Knoedler got involved when her husband’s unit had a number of deployments.

“I became a Key Spouse to help my husband’s office out with deployments,” said Knoedler, a Key Spouse for the Airspace Mission Planning Division. “It has turned into a way to give back to the base as a whole.”

The Key Spouse program also provides an informal sounding board for its members, and allows Key Spouses to identify and resolve issues early, before they escalate into major problems.

“I found that being a Key Spouse during a crisis is helpful to calm others and give them good information - such as who to call and where to go,” Knoedler said. “I feel very informed about many areas on base and the programs available to the Hanscom community.”

At Hanscom, more than 30 volunteers serve as Key Spouses and Key Spouse Mentors in the program.

The role of the Key Spouse Mentor is to serve as an adviser to Key Spouses, said D’Amico, who explained the role “as not supervisory, but supportive.”

Typically, mentors have an increased understanding of the military lifestyle.

First sergeants also have an important role in the program.

“Key Spouses provide so much support for our deployed members’ families,” said Master Sgt. Nicholas Souza, first sergeant for Air Force Life Cycle Management Center Detachment 7. “For many of our deployers’ with families, it may be their first time being apart and the Key Spouses do an amazing job communicating with them and caring for any concerns they may have.”

And while the reasons to become involved in the program vary among those currently serving, many feel a sense of duty to give back to the Air Force community that has provided so much to them.

“When someone gives back to the community that they are living in, it often provides an enhanced sense of well-being and pride knowing that you are also supporting the mission and therefore the spouses’ call of duty to their country,” said Pongallo.

For more information, or to get involved in the Key Spouse Program, contact D’Amico at 781-225-2765.