Military spouses received recognition on Military Spouse Appreciation Day Friday thanks to the Military Family & Readiness Center.
The M&FRC held an information fair and hosted several free seminars during the week, bringing together more than 20 agencies — including local blood banks, Defense Language Institute programs and a dental clinic — to connect military spouses to a wealth of resources available both on and off-base.
These services, which centered around family issues like employment, health, volunteerism and finance, were meant to provide a lift for spouses who spend much of their time as “unsung heroes,” said Sylvia Flores, M&FRC community readiness consultant.
“They get left out a lot because the focus is typically on the military member who is performing his or her mission,” Flores explained. “We often forget about the spouses who get dragged across the world with the military member, so they have to adjust and don’t always get all the support they need.”
One of those spouses is Jessica Pigza, who’s been married to Master Sgt. Nathan Pigza, 343rd Training Squadron, for 17 years. The couple met in Pennsylvania through a mutual friend and have spent much of their marriage moving across the country from base to base.
“It has been a roller coaster,” said Pigza, who has three children. ”It has its highs and lows, but it has always been pretty fun.”
Being a military spouse means more than just finding a new home every few years, Pigza said. It means finding a new job, new schools for the kids and getting used to a new city.
“We chose this life and that comes with sacrifices,” said Pigza, noting the diffi culties of starting over after each move. “But this is an experience that most people will never have and most people would never understand.”
The fair was a nice way to recognize military spouses and Military Spouse Appreciation Day was an opportunity for her to refl ect on her relationship, she said.
“If I didn’t love my husband so much, this life wouldn’t be worth it,” she noted. “We both have talked and we know we’re in this for the long haul. This life has definitely made us stronger.”
Giving a lift to spouses like Pigza is a priority for the M&FRC, Flores said.
The M&FRC offers seminars, support groups and classes year-round to include “Building a Healthy Marriage,” “Connect over Coffee: Deployed Spouses Support Group,” “Create an Effective Resume,” “Employment Workshop,” “Peer-to-Peer Support Group” and more.
“It’s essential to include spouses in our mission, because without their support, military members would have a tough time completing his or her own mission,” she explained. “It’s important to let spouses know that we do hear them and that we do see them; they aren’t just a social security number on an ID card. They’re so much more than that.”
For more information about spouse-related programs, call the M&FRC at JBSA-Lackland at 671-3722, JBSA-Fort Sam Houston at 221-2705 or JBSA-Randolph at 652-2117.