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RAF MILDENHALL, England - The spouse of a member assigned to the 352nd Special Operations Maintenance Squadron was recently selected by Air Force Special Operations Command, Hurlburt Field, Fla., as its winner of the "2011 Air Force Key Spouse of the Year" Award.
Valerie Glessner, wife of Master Sgt. David Glessner, is known within the squadron and its parent unit, the 352nd Special Operations Group, as "always busy," so when each major command was given the opportunity to pick one key spouse of the year, she easily rose to the top of AFSOC's pyramid.
"I was very pleased when I heard that Valerie was going to be recognized for all her work in supporting the squadron as well as other base and community agencies," said Lt. Col. Anthony Babcock, 352nd SOMXS commander.
As a key spouse, Glessner, along with the other 102 spouses entrusted with that title base-wide, is the link between the unit's leadership and family members.
"Key spouses provide support to the families and keep them up to date on what's happening on the base," said Kelly White, 100th Force Support Squadron Airman and Family Readiness Center Key Spouse program manager. "They have a direct line to the unit's leadership, so if there's an emergency or something goes wrong, they can quickly communicate to help resolve the issue. They carry a great responsibility."
Glessner, who works for the Department of Defense Dependents Schools Isles District, gladly took on this responsibility; she sees it as something of a calling.
"My dad is retired Air Force," she said. "When I was growing up, I remember my mom would do a lot of spouse-support activities. When my dad retired, we moved to Saudi Arabia for four years -- my mom worked at the school there. My mom was always involved; it's the way I've grown up."
Carrying on tradition and embracing her key spouse responsibilities as a family is what Glessner credits to her success.
"When I take things on, I generally take them on as a family; if not, I take them on knowing that Dave and Ashleigh [their 9-year-old daughter] are going to be doing it with me," she said.
Their move to RAF Mildenhall was their first permanent change of station as a family, and on accepting the key spouse position, one of the first things she decided to tackle was beefing up the squadron's sponsor program.
"My family and I had a wonderful sponsor, but I wanted to make sure it was the case across the board," she said. "So I created a packet of information on things like what's offered on which base, how to call back to the states and how your family can call you. I've worked hard with the commanders to make this work, because it's important to me and I really think it helps morale overall."
Once they're settled, Glessner feels the next thing to do with the new families is to get them involved -- and the key is through their children.
"Get the families together, not just with the spouses groups, but all the families," she said. "We do an Easter celebration every year for the kids. I've met some of my best friends through those kinds of activities, because you tend to meet people through your kids."
Through her role as a key spouse, she has not only been able to network with the other families within the squadron, but also with many agencies on base.
"Being a representative for our squadron at different events makes me proud," she said. "To be a representative, and ultimately try to get more of our members and their families involved in base-level events, has been the most rewarding."
The 352nd SOMXS commander has nothing but praise for Glessner.
"She clearly loves helping people and it's spouses like her that enable us to care for our people and their families," said Babcock.
Glessner is currently being recognized for her achievement at the Caring for People Forum, July 18 to 21, in Arlington, Va.
| Date Taken: | 07.25.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 07.25.2011 05:28 |
| Story ID: | 74261 |
| Location: | ABERDEEN CITY, GB |
| Web Views: | 327 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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