Spouse Experience comes to San Angelo

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Erica Rodriguez
  • 17th Training Wing Public Affairs
SAN ANGELO, Texas --  SpouseBuzz, a blog for military spouses, brought the Spouse Experience to the LeGrand Alumni and Visitors Center of Angelo State University, April 26.

The Spouse Experience is an event put on for military spouses by military spouses. In San Angelo, 125 spouses attended this event to discuss their experiences and challenges met in military life through interactive workshops.

Ellery Damiano, 17th Training Wing key spouse, explained that members from the Goodfellow Airman and Family Readiness Center applied to Military.com for SpouseBuzz to come to San Angelo. Spousebuzz only visits four bases in the world per year.

"I think this event is great because we are a technical training base and we have a lot of spouses who are new to the military, so right off the bat they are going to see what a great networking there is and how many wonderful resources there are for them," said Damiano.

Jacey Eckhart, SpouseBuzz editor, and Chris Pape, Military.com blogger, lead the event, interacting with the crowd about the top four concerns of military spouses.
Eckhart and Pape began by acting out a military couple who seem to always place the blame, represented as a stuffed honey badger, on each other. They referred to this type of arguing as the "honey badger of love." Eckhart explained the spouses should take a moment to stop shifting the blame and step back from the situation to reflect on the moment.

The group also discussed other concerns such as transitioning out of the military and building friendships.

Terry Howell, "The Military Advantage" author, provided tips to the spouses that would help make transitioning out of the military easier, when that time should come for them.

Eckhart then asked for all of the spouses to stand up and form two circles going around the room, to where each spouse was facing someone they had never met before. Instead of asking the other person the usual introductory questions, Eckhart put up more interactive questions that helped them to get to know the other person at a more in depth level. This exercise, along with some tips, aimed at teaching the spouses' ways to form friendships that outlast the come-and- go style of military life.

J.J. Montanaro, USAA financial expert, discussed the basics of taking charge of personal finances. Explaining the problems that most military members have with finances, he gave the group information on investing, saving money and ways to prevent going into dept. Montanaro also addressed any questions the spouses had about finances.

Along with the interactive games and discussions, the spouses had chances to win prizes through a raffle and answering questions correctly. Everyone received a copy of "The Military Advantage," written by Howell, a keepsake T-shirt, stuffed honey badger and informational packets to answer any military questions they should have.

At the end of the day, the spouses left better understanding the positives and negatives of being married to a military member. They also left knowing they have people who will support them, not only on the base but also through networking.

"It was really fun and I got to interact with a lot of people," said Rachael Runyon, military spouse. "I had fun while also learning about things. This event just gives you a lot of understanding for the family, what it means to be a part of the military. It shows that you are not alone and you have a support group."