Air Force
Taurus James
Wright Patterson AFB
I want to help make people aware of the growing diversity of military spouses, including the growing number of male military spouses. I also want to help male military spouses connect with the people and information they need. I am humbled and grateful for the MSOY Base title and I will use it to serve as a voice and face for military spouses. With the overall MSOY title, I would continue to help military spouses and their families any way that I can to show them that they are not alone in this journey. Read more about Taurus here!
Michelle Aikman
Fairchild AFB
Two issues…
1. Communication and Community. Our world is so fast-paced and plugged-in that we have information screaming at us 1,000 mph. You would think that we would have the information we need as spouses, but we don’t. There are too many outlets and we are overloaded. The messages are not being received and it is contributing to a disengaged community. We need streamlined communications and a renewed commitment to community building.
2. Careers! Fulfilling careers! I am a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) proponent. There is a lot of activity around military spouse employment but there is a lot of ground left to cover. I would use this platform to advance the conversation past “let’s get military spouses employed” to “let’s get military spouses in positions that align with their career interests.” We are highly educated, we should be putting that to work in careers that are fulfilling and enhance our quality of life.
At the end of the day, the military and our nation will benefit from improvements in these arenas because an improved quality of life and satisfaction for the spouse means higher retention rates for service members. Read more about Michelle here!
Ashley Shulski
Los Angeles AFB
My name is Ashley Shulski and I am blessed to be an Air Force spouse and an Air Force mother. It is a great honor to be named a 2016 Armed Forces Insurance Military Spouse of the Year for the Los Angeles Air Force Base.
The ability to see the world from a very unique perspective is the best aspect of being a Military Spouse. Military families may not be able to travel like rock stars and go on a world tour, but with a little ingenuity being stationed in England can turn into a 17 country European expedition. You can “hop” around the Pacific. You can drive coast to coast staying on military bases along the route. Or, you can visit one of the many military resorts around the world. You never know when the Department of Defense will fund your next adventure, but it can be taken full advantage of!
What I would do as Military Spouse 2015 is to continue growing my voice of educating military spouses and military spouse caregivers on domestic violence, mental health, and how to connect them with resources. I also want to better grow and build my network of partnerships so that Healing Household 6 can continue to grow as well. Read more about Ashley here!
