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'It's all about the family'

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Jacob Morgan
  • 436th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. --  When Staff Sgt. Bill Hutchison, formerly with the 436th Maintenance Squadron accessories flight, passed away in January 2011, the 436 MXS key spouses coordinated more gift donations than his family could accept. This is indicative of a value military spouses share. Spouses have a long history of taking care of each other's families in a time of need. Just as important, however, is to create a sense of family when times are good.

"[Servicemembers] sacrifice a ton," said Maj. Aaron Sasson, 436 MXS squadron commander. "But so do our families. We want to let our spouses know what we do, and why, so they can understand what we do and realize that they are in this with us. Our success hinges on their support."

The 436 MXS Commanders Call held April 1, 2011, was not the typical gathering of members in the squadron. Instead, it was for the spouses of the 436 MXS squadron.
Twenty-seven spouses and six key spouses showed up to the Hunt Community Center in the afternoon for a briefing.

"We separated name tags by color, which indicated where the spouse's servicemember worked," said Stef Thompson, 436 MXS lead key spouse. "Nine of our spouses weren't even sure where [in the squadron] their husbands worked."

The briefing consisted of a quick introduction by Major Sasson, and was followed by a video explaining Air Mobility Command's mission. After the video, each of seven flight chiefs from the 436 MXS' shops introduced themselves and told a little about each shop.

The idea was to show who the leadership is for each flight, where each flight fits into the squadron, where the squadron fits into the base, and how the base fits into AMC's mission, said Major Sasson.

After the briefing, the spouses were driven to the Isochronal Dock, where they were they were shown their servicemembers' job specifics, got to see equipment demos, and were taken on an in-depth tour of the C-5.

"By the time we left the [Isochronal Dock], each spouse could tell you exactly what their husband does," said Mrs. Thompson.

The night's event ended with a three-hour social and information fair back at the Hunt Community Center.

"I wear the uniform," said Maj. Sasson. "But, my family is in the military."