Team V spouses gotta stick together!

  • Published
  • By Jennifer Green-Lanchoney
  • 30th Space Wing Public Affairs
Changing duty stations can bring forth many emotions. For me many times I felt a mix of both excitement and nervousness.

My family and I arrived at Vandenberg in 2004. It was my first experience with Air Force Space Command and an active (all-ranks) spouses club.

As a stay-at-home military spouse, I was very active during the day with my two young children. We would attend activities on base and, like many spouses on Vandenberg, I was alone much of the time due to the deployments separating me from my husband.

The Vandenberg Spouses' Club became an outlet for social activities for my children and I.

It is not easy taking on the role of a single parent, especially after being used to a duel parent household. Although, I believe that meeting the many spouses on Vandenberg gave me the feeling that I was not alone.

Now, the Vandenberg Spouses' Club has many different mini clubs that provide entertainment and allow spouses and their children to connect on a personal level.

Clubs like Moms, Pops and Tots help stay-at-home parents, or parents with time off from work, connect with others. I know that while I stayed at home this was one of my childrens' favorite activities, because they were able to socialize with other children and it was a reprieve from home life.

The Book Club, Bunko and Wine Club rank at the top of my list for social activities without the children.

As well as participating in the mini clubs, I was also given the opportunity to apply for a scholarship to continue my education. Having the support of peers in my personal life as well as in my professional journey made a big difference to my success.

At the time I was working on my associate degree and, with our limited income, the scholarship helped pay for books that I could not otherwise afford.

The big message is to get involved! Life is what you make it and joining clubs on base can be what you make of them as well.

Whether you want to join a mini group, or you plan to be the next VSC president, getting involved with your community can make your time here at Vandenberg a positive experience.

It has for me.