An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Home : News : News
JBSA News
NEWS | April 11, 2013

Hearts Apart program brings comfort to families of deployed Airmen

By Robert Goetz Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph Public Affairs

The Air Force's Wingman concept originally applied to aircrew members' commitment to each other, but this time-honored tradition now permeates the service.

One example of the Wingman concept in action can be found in a program offered by Airman and Family Readiness Centers that supports spouses and children experiencing separation due to deployment, remote assignment or extended TDY.

Called Hearts Apart, the program provides these families with social activities that allow them to come together, build friendships and ease the strain of separation from their loved ones.

"Hearts Apart gives families the opportunity to meet other spouses and find different avenues to cope with deployments while their loved ones are gone," Master Sgt. Joe Ugarte, 902nd Force Support Squadron Airman and Family Readiness NCO in charge, said. "Spouses are able to join support groups like the Yellow Ribbon Spouses. They can also get information about activities on Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph and in the local community."

Since Ugarte became the Randolph Airman and Family Readiness NCO in charge last August, Hearts Apart events have become a monthly happening for families of deployed members.

Events have included a pool party; a fashion show and dinner; a spa night that allowed spouses to get free massages, facials and makeovers; a presentation by a Fiesta San Antonio Commission official; and a pumpkin-carving activity.

The next Hearts Apart event, scheduled for 1-3 p.m. April 20 at the Randolph Airman and Family Readiness Center, will have special significance for families because it will feature a book reading and presentation by a spouse who knows first-hand about the stresses of deployment, Ugarte said.

Kristin Ayyar, whose husband, Brig. Gen. Balan Ayyar, formerly served as Air Force Recruiting Service commander, will read from her book "Countdown 'Til Daddy Comes Home," which helps children deal with separation from parents who are temporarily away from home. She will also provide tools to help spouses and children cope with their loved one's deployment and present each family with an autographed copy of the book, he said.

Volunteers play a key role in Hearts Apart events, including Randolph's Yellow Ribbon Spouses, who offer social events in support of active-duty members' spouses, and Airmen who want to lend a hand, Ugarte said.
Randolph's Chaplain Office also supports the program, sponsoring several events per year.

Some of the Hearts Apart events are geared to spouses and some to children, but even those that are focused on spouses have activities that children enjoy thanks to volunteers and the Randolph Youth Center's Give Parents a Break program, he noted.

Ugarte said the program has received positive marks from spouses.

"Spouses really enjoy the events," he said. "It's like a networking opportunity for them to meet others in the same situation."

One of those spouses, Colleen Brust, called Hearts Apart and the Yellow Ribbon Spouses "a great support system" that can result in lifelong friendships.

"It's a great opportunity to meet other spouses who are dealing with the same deployment issues," she said. "I've met so many new people."

Spouses' participation in Hearts Apart and the Yellow Ribbon Spouses doesn't always end with deployment's conclusion, Brust said.

"Spouses still come back to support the group," she said. "It's your network."