MacDill Key Spouse Program: a vision in purple

  • Published
  • By Dr. Dora Mays
  • MacDill Airman & Family Readiness Center
MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  The color purple has historical reference for royalty and distinct implications of imperial power or high rank.

With that in mind, purple is a fitting color for Key Spouses. At MacDill, Key Spouses are distinguished by many characteristics and can be identified in public by their purple shirts. You might see them at base-wide or squadron functions, such as the base picnic or Back to School Fair. They wear the purple shirts as an indication of their affiliation with the program and their position within the command.

The Air Force Key Spouse Program was developed in 1996 as a Quality of Life Initiative, like the Navy's Ombudsman Program and became standardized across the Air Force in 2009. It is a commander's program that consisting of a 5-part team: commander, first sergeant, Airman & Family Readiness Center, Key Spouse Mentor (usually the commander's spouse or designate), and Key Spouse (KS-appointed spouse of a member within the unit). The traditional norm for military spouses is to provide support and encouragement to each other during difficult times associated with being a military family or more specifically during family separation due to deployment and other mission requirements. The KS Program utilizes this concept as a peer-to-peer spousal support resource at the unit and base level.

Each commander is responsible for appointing at least one spouse to act in the role of KS (more if needed to support the number of families assigned to the unit) and to also appoint their own or another leadership spouse to act in the role of the KSM. They are trained volunteers working as an official representative of the commander. Key Spouses are responsible for making 100 percent contacts with every deployed spouse in the unit each month for the length of the deployment. Their intentions are to provide useful information about base and unit activities, ensure families stay connected with the unit while the member is deployed, and offer support if needed. In order for the KS to successfully do their job, they need accurate and current contact information for each spouse.

The Airman & Family Readiness Center provides oversight and training for the program and ensures its compliance with Air Force standards. If you are interested in becoming a KS, contact your unit first sergeant or the A&FRC for more information about the program and how to get started. Even if you are not willing or available to become a KS, make every effort to get to know your unit's KS and help them to keep you informed. They are the force multiplier!

If you are a deployed spouse, call Dora Mays at 828-0139 to get connected with your unit's KS.