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The spouses of new chiefs across U.S. Air Forces in Europe visited the Contingency Aeromedical Staging Facility and Health and Wellness Center as part of their three-day orientation.
“Spouses came from all over USAFE in order to learn how they can contribute as senior enlisted leaders,” said Mary Williamson, wife of USAFE Command Chief Master Sgt. David Williamson. “We want them to know that being a spouse is an important part of the leadership team, so we bring them in to explain their role.”
As part of the learning experience, the chiefs’ spouses were oriented about organizations and programs the Air Force offers. With this knowledge, Williamson said, the spouses should be able to better fulfill their roles as senior mentors to other Air Force and Department of Defense spouses.
The trip provided a chance for these spouses to spread their newfound knowledge to those who may not be familiar with these organizations. After the orientation, spouses were encouraged to find out how these agencies operate at their base.
An example of what spouses learned about an organization they might not have known about before is when they were briefed on the CASF, a half-way point for wounded warriors who are receiving treatment before their return back to the states.
“Most aren’t familiar with our mission,” said Senior Master Sgt. Anthony James, CASF superintendent. “Tours like this give us a great opportunity to explain what we do.”
“We have this orientation annually for the active-duty member, but this is the second time we have brought in spouses. This year’s orientation was highly successful, we doubled our number of spouses from last year,” Williamson said. “This is still a new program, so we encourage our members’ support to make this the best program we can.”
