Key Spouses: important factor in mission readiness Published April 29, 2011 By Airman 1st Class Whitney Jackson Nellis Public Affairs NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. -- As the ever-increasing Air Force mission takes Airmen all over the world, it impacts the many spouses and families left behind. It is imperative for these families to have a strong network to prepare them for the time their spouse will be gone and to keep them from dealing with the experience alone. The Key Spouse Program, an official communication network for military spouses, is designed to enhance readiness and establish a sense of community among leaders, Airmen and their families. Key spouses help peers handle military life and prepare families for deployments with the appropriate resources. "These spouses contribute to mission readiness; taking care of the families is part of the mission," said Wayne Ojala, 99th Force Support Squadron community readiness consultant. A key spouse volunteer may be the spouse of an officer, an enlisted Airman, a Department of Defense civilian or other qualified person connected to the unit. Unit commanders formally select and appoint each key spouse for the squadron. "We fully rely on our key spouses, and want to accommodate them as much as possible so they get as much out of the program as they can." Mr. Ojala said. There are currently 118 participants divided up by squadrons throughout Nellis and Creech. One key spouse is assigned per 100 people in the squadron. Each spouse is tasked to do a different job depending on the needs of the squadron and commander. Some participants stay in the squadron and make newsletters and contact military spouses on a regular basis; others may only contact spouses of deployed military members. "The Key Spouse Program is often referred to as the 'chain of concern,'" Mr. Ojala said. "Spouses feel more comfortable calling a peer for help rather than a first sergeant or supervisor." "It's a great program," said Heather Zehm, a key spouse for the 57 Aircraft Maintenance Squadron. "It helps out a lot of spouses who don't know where to get information anywhere else." Group training for key spouses is conducted quarterly at various locations around the base so that the spouses can get familiar with the many units located here and their missions. "We try not to have one-on-one training," Mr. Ojala said. "If we did, they would miss out on the experience and questions the other spouses have, which can be an important part of the training." For more questions regarding the Key Spouse Program, contact Wayne Ojala at 652-3327.
