Kirtland Spouses Flight Day

Family members of the 58th and 150th Special Operations Wings get a safety briefing for Spouses Day event at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico. May 14, 2022. Kirtland family helping agencies attended the spouse flight event displaying family readiness resources available to all 58th and 150th SOW military members and their families. (U.S. Air Force photo by Amn Tallon Bratton.)

Kirtland Spouses Flight Day

The UH-1 Iroquois take off in a staggered formation for an orientation flight as part of the annual Spouses Day event at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico. May 14, 2022. This year spouses from the Air National Guard were able to attend spouse day as it was opened up this year for different sections in units. (U.S. Air Force photo by Amn Tallon Bratton.)

Kirtland Spouses Flight Day

Family members of the 58th and 150th Special Operations Wings boarding the UH-1 Huey for an orientation flight as part of the annual Spouses Day event at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico. May 14, 2022. Spouses from the 58th and the 150th Special Operations Wings got the opportunity to fly and learn more about the family readiness that Kirtland Air Force Base has to offer. (U.S. Air Force photo by Amn Tallon Bratton.)

Kirtland Spouses Flight Day

Family members of the 58th and 150th Special Operations Wings waiting to take off in the HH-60 Pave Hawk for an orientation flight as part of the annual Spouses Day event at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico. May 14, 2022. This event was especially important to the 150th SOW as the Air National Guard spouses don’t visit Kirtland AFB as frequently as the active duty spouses. (U.S. Air Force photo by Amn Tallon Bratton.)

58th, 150th SOW Spouses Flight Day

Published May 26, 2022
By Airman Tallon Bratton
377th Air Base Wing

KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. --

KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. – Spouses from the 58th and the 150th Special Operations Wings got the opportunity to fly May 14, 2022 and learn more about the family readiness that Kirtland Air Force Base has to offer.

Helping agencies attended the spouse flight event displaying family readiness resources available to all 58^th and 150^th SOW military members and their families.

“We brought in our key spouses, and Airman and Family Readiness center, the Albuquerque Public Schools is out here, as well as our support groups,” stated Col. Michael Curry, commander, 58 Special Operations Wing. “Through our Preservation of the Force and Family and True North [programs] we have in our human performance and learning center, it’s key that we bring all of them out here so our families can see the helping agencies we have available, as well.” Bringing awareness to family resources is in line with the Five & Thrive initiative announced in late 2021 by Mrs. Sharene Brown, the spouse of the Chief of Staff of the Air Force. Five & Thrive is an Air Force-level initiative focusing on the top five quality of life challenges faced by military families: childcare, education, healthcare, housing and spouse employment.

The 58th and the 150th Special Operations Wings were both represented at the spouse flight event. This year, flights were available for the first time to all spouses within the 150th SOW.

“About 190 spouses signed up, and 60% of them are Guard,” said Lt. Col. Mike Rogers, 150th Operations Group commander.

This event was especially important to the 150th SOW as the Air National Guard spouses don’t visit Kirtland AFB as frequently as the active-duty spouses. Due to this, the spouses of the 150th SOW don’t have the same amount of exposure to the family readiness resources as active-duty spouses do. This event was a great opportunity to bring that exposure to them.

Stacy Sandoval, a spouse of the Command Chief of the New Mexico Air National Guard, spoke about how the spouse flight event was a great opportunity for spouses to meet with each other and share their similar experiences.

“They get to meet each other and network with each other. And hopefully, reach across from the Air Guard to the active duty and make new friends and get to experience those things in the military lifecycle,” said Sandoval.

Spouses of these Airmen were able to see these aircraft in action and to get up close and experience something not every civilian has the opportunity to see.

“What was exciting this time is that we opened it up on the Guard side to our other spouses in different sections in units. I think the excitement of going into that hangar, seeing the sights, smelling those smells, hearing those copters and those engines roar was exciting for them to see,” said Sandoval.

"It's an absolute honor to be part of a military family. The devotion we each have, both military member and spouses and family, is sometimes taken for granted,” said Jessica Dicks, a key spouse for the 512th Rescue Squadron. “Events like the spouses day flights help to convey the community and family we have with one another and this sense of devotion we each share."