Holloman's Heart Link strengthens team

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Suita B. Ika
  • 49th Wing Public Affairs
HOLLOMAN AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. --  The military lifestyle and daily grind that comes with being in the United States Armed Forces can be challenging to adapt to. For married military members, the task can be even more difficult -- not only for them, but for their spouse as well.

For Holloman Air Force Base spouses, the Airman & Family Readiness Center offers a program that is much more than a slide show introduction to the base.

"Heart Link creates spousal awareness of team Holloman's mission, customs, protocol and the support resources available to them," said Bob Berger, A&FRC director. "The goal of Heart Link is to give spouses an inside look at the military lifestyle so they'll feel more comfortable breaking down the stereotypical doors that used to exist."

Different organizations from around the base and the local community attend the program and meet with the spouses, including representatives from civilian job vendors, Tricare, 49th Wing Legal Office, Education Center, A&FRC and a Military Family Life Consultant, Mr. Berger said.

"This is different from other programs; you can actually sit down and have a discussion with the different organizations' representatives," Mr. Berger said. "As opposed to them standing there saying, 'I'm from this agency and this is what we do.' Our panels have a lot of practical knowledge and can answer questions about almost everything under the sun."

Although the program was created with the intent of reaching out to spouses new to the Air Force, Heart Link offers plenty to those familiar with the military lifestyle.

Elizabeth Rabjohn-Allen, 49th Comptrollers Squadron unit program manager and wife of Tech Sgt. Sanjay Allen, 49th Wing Public Affairs, attended the class in 2009, just weeks after moving to Holloman and about a year after separating from the active duty side of the Air Force.

"My active duty husband was skeptical about me joining this program because I had just separated from active duty," she said. "He thought it would be a waste of my time. However, being a military wife is not the same as being an active duty member; there were really some things I didn't know."

In addition to the different agencies that meet with the class, base leadership also speaks to the program's participants to brief about the base's mission and personally welcome them to Holloman.

"The base commander took time out his day to talk to us, which really made me feel welcomed," Mrs. Rabjohn-Allen said. "It gave me a good look at what the mission here at Holloman is all about. I truly knew so much more about the base and what it had to offer than I did when I arrived to the class that morning."