Key spouse gets key win at AFMC level

  • Published
  • By Capt. Geoff Buteau
  • 66th Air Base Group Public Affairs
HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. --  Mission-focused, force-multiplier and crucial connection: all terms seemingly reserved for operators in the U.S. Armed Forces, whether a small arms professional, pilot or tank driver. But this time, an Air Force security forces commander used these terms to describe a young lady married to one of his organization's troops, who just won the Air Force Materiel Command-level award for Key Spouse of the Year.

Savannah Hewett, wife of Staff Sgt. Frank Hewett, a patrolman with the 66th Security Forces Squadron, has been part of the unit's spouses community since she and her husband moved to Hanscom four years ago to begin his Air Force career. It wasn't until a few years into their Hanscom assignment, though, that Ms. Hewett became the squadron's key spouse, a position she has absolutely conquered, according to Lt. Col. Chris Echols, 66 SFS commander, at her recent recognition.

"She's played a crucial role in making sure that our spouses stay informed and happy," he said.

Ms. Hewett, from the beginning of her tenure, he said, had a plan for bringing all the spouses together, depending on a community of support for the difficult times that can impact a family following a military deployment.

Colonel Echols made the connection between an informed spouse and an effective Airman deployed to the Area of Responsibility.

"If your spouse is not happy at home, you're not happy in the AOR and you can't focus on the mission," he said.

Ms. Hewett was motivated by the idea that the 66 SFS spouse community needed a more personal feel.

"I wanted to invite them to different things where we could get to know each other and interact more," she said.

Coming from a supportive family and wanting a career in teaching or counseling -- jobs that help people -- she said she applied what she knows she needs to her fellow spouses, and it worked.

She echoed this message from the beginning of her stint as a key spouse.

"I had a meeting here with the squadron to introduce myself," she said, "and let them know that not only was I here to support them, but they had other people who are in the same situation and we could all go to everyone for help and support."

But it wasn't just the community support Ms. Hewett brought to the squadron spouses, which she did by creating an online social network for the spouses, making regular phone calls to spouses of deployed Airmen, planning spouse dinners and organizing the logistics of welcome-back events. In addition to all that and what truly makes her a high-value asset -- according Dawn Andreucci, an administrator of the Key Spouse program at the Airman and Family Readiness Center -- is her ability to connect as a peer with many of the young spouses in her husband's unit.

"Because of her maturity, poise and compassion, she was able to visualize a program that would best fit the unit, work with unit leadership to meld that vision and then reach out as a trusted liaison between unit leadership and the spouses," said Ms. Andreucci, who trained Ms. Hewett on the key spouse essentials.

Additionally, Chief Master Sgt. Chris Bostrom, 66 SFS manager, said the common ground Ms. Hewett has with her peers allows them to speak openly with her. Her actions also alleviate a lot of responsibility from the shoulders of the squadron's First Shirt, Master Sgt. Stephen Willis, augmenting his regular efforts helping families cope with the stresses of deployments.

A friend and fellow squadron spouse of Ms. Hewett, Laura Melendez, said one of the most important measures of Ms. Hewett's effectiveness as a key spouse is that she feels she can always call Ms. Hewett.

"Whatever you're feeling, speaking to someone who has been through it is good for people going through the same experiences," she said. "She's very caring and always there; like an old friend."