VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- The Joint Space Operations Command held their Annual Spouses’ Open House, here, Aug. 17.
The open house consisted of a mission brief from Col. Michael Manor, 614th Air Operations Center commander, a welcome brief from Tracey Manor, wife of Col. Michael Manor, a tour on the JSpOC operations floor, multiple leadership briefings and a social period in the heritage room.
“The purpose for this open house was to show spouses how they are an integral part of our team here at the JSpOC,” said Capt. Michael McCormick, 614th AOC non-kinetic duty officer. “We wanted to speak to the challenges space professional’s face, while not being able to share all of the details of their jobs with spouses and family members. This opportunity was a gesture to show spouses that the mission can’t get done without their support on the home front. We can’t do what we need to do without the support at home.”
Due to high security in the JSpOC, those who work inside often times face challenges when trying to include their spouses in their work life.
“For the past five or six years I have worked a job that I not only cannot bring my spouse in, but I can’t tell them details about my day, and that holds true for a lot of people in the JSpOC and in the space profession community as well,” said McCormick. “This open house provides the opportunity for spouses to see where JSpOC members work so that they can feel connected to what their spouse does for a profession.”
The open house informed spouses of the JSpOC mission and helped build comradery within the community.
“First, we wanted to inform the spouses of our mission and introduce leadership to them,” said McCormick. “Through that we hope to build comradery within the JSpOC team. The second part was the social aspect of the event – it’s a good opportunity to meet other spouses and start creating a support network. It’s good to be able to set up those contacts and meet people to support you through deployments or some more turbulent times of your spouses’ career.”
In her welcome brief, Tracey Manor emphasized how crucial the spouses’ support network is, and offered her support to anyone in need.
“In case you didn’t know, you are very important to this JSpOC family,” said Tracey Manor. “There is a lot that goes on in this building and the mission is phenomenal, and it could not happen without your support. Also, we are here for you. I know that it can be tough sometimes, but you can call me if you need someone to talk to or for any reason.”
Ultimately, the open house highlighted the steps that JSpOC members are taking to share their job and show spouses and family how important they are to the team and mission.
“There’s nothing wrong with communicating more and reaching out to make people feel like they are part of the team,” said McCormick. “The simple fact that it went from 30 attendees last year to more than double the amount this year, just goes to show how well people respond to events like this. So now spouses and family members have a better idea of what we contribute and how integral we are to the overall defense of our country.”