JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, Va. –
Service members’ spouses
from the Hampton Roads peninsula came together for the 40th Joint Services
Luncheon celebration at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, March 15, 2018.
The event was open to spouses of all ranks of
active duty, guard, reserve, foreign liaison and civilian
personnel, as well as spouses of local retired or deceased Armed Forces
personnel.
To emphasize the joint
partnership throughout the military community, each year the spouses clubs
rotate where the luncheon is held, providing the spouses a chance to visit the Navy,
Air Force and Army installations on the peninsula.
“The luncheon gives us a chance to come
together and meet other military spouses,” said Dana Wacks, Langley Officers
Spouses Club president. “It gives everybody the opportunity to find people they
can relate to and find people that will be there for them when they need it.”
T.T. Robinson, who has
written several articles about the life of a military spouse, was the guest
speaker at the event and she emphasized finding ones’ tribe or a group of friends
and how beneficial it is for spouses who are new to an area.
According to Robinson, having
those friends can be very important for individuals who may have a spouse
deployed or recently moved to a new location. She said it can be very
overwhelming but spouses should never be discouraged about asking for help.
“I think it can be
incredibly difficult to ask for help but there is more strength in excepting
help than doing it yourself,” said Robinson.
Whether they’ve been a military
spouse for a few months or a spouse of a retired military member, any spouse is
able to attend the Joint Service Luncheon, and will be welcomed with open arms.