Spouse forums focus on family, services

  • Published
  • By Mark Wyatt
  • 66th Air Base Group Public Affairs
HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. --  While visiting with Key Spouses, medical and local school administrators as well as Hanscom spouses, Betty Welsh, wife of Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III, delivered one central message at each visit - caring for military families is vitally important.

At an all-call with Hanscom personnel upon their arrival, the general was proud to introduce his wife and note that she travels with him to speak with Airmen and civilians as well as their families to get a sense of not only what's going well, but also not going well.

Attending spouse-oriented forums alongside retired Col. Craig Wolfenbarger, husband of Air Force Materiel Command Commander Gen. Janet Wolfenbarger, Welsh took the opportunity to hear firsthand about programs that focus on caring for Hanscom's families.

During a gathering of Key Spouses at the Airman and Family Readiness Center, Welsh thanked each Key Spouse for what they do and highlighted the critically important role they play in assisting families during long deployments.

"I just can't thank you enough for what you do," said Welsh. "It's important that we give our spouses a voice, we give our families a voice. It's been said that 'we recruit Airman but retain families.' That is among the highlights of what the Key Spouse program does."

Originally developed as part of a quality of life initiative in the mid-90s, the Key Spouse Program was standardized in 2009 to build stronger Air Force communities.

Wolfenbarger also took the opportunity to stress the significance of the program, and that sharing "common practices" across installations is essential to ensuring it's successful.

"I travel around AFMC and I hear of what they are doing with their Key Spouse programs and encourage you to reach out across AFMC and the Air Force to share the great things you are doing," he said.

Welsh also attended a briefing from the 66th Medical Squadron that highlighted how the clinic services more than 125,000 retirees in a six-state New England region and New York.

In addition, she attended an overview of the collaboration between the two school districts Hanscom students attend. Students in pre-school through eighth grade attend the Lincoln School District and high school-aged students attend Bedford High School.

Hanscom Middle School Principal Eric Ledebuhr touted the "first-class education" students receive while assigned here.

"We feel so strongly about the education students are receiving while they are assigned to Hanscom Air Force Base," said Ledebuhr. "The collaboration between the Hanscom Middle School and Bedford High School has grown during my five years as principal. Last spring we sat with program coordinators and, together, hand-scheduled all of our eighth grade students that were going to Bedford High School. To take that kind of time was fantastic."

After attending a luncheon with spouses of base senior leaders and deployed Airmen, Welsh attended a forum at the Minuteman Commons that highlighted the successes of base organizations such as the Hanscom Spouses Club.

Impressed by the many efforts of base organizations, Welsh thanked each of them for the role they have in supporting Hanscom families through scholarships and community events that enrich military families.

After 35 years as an Air Force spouse, she emphasized that spouses have a voice and encouraged those she met not be afraid to share their thoughts.