How military spouses can find community

Military spouses sacrifice stable careers and time with loved ones due to constant moves to new duty stations and holding down the fort at home during their spouses’ deployments. That’s why the USO prioritizes providing community and support to military spouses. Here are some of the ways their programs are making an impact:

• Friendship: USO Coffee Connections are monthly gatherings where military spouses can relax, craft, do yoga, swap advice and go on outings. The goal is to build friendships among military spouses. When Jenna King’s husband, Tech Sgt. Howard King was deployed to Poland with less than 24 hours’ notice. She said she found a home away from home at USO Lakenheath in the U.K., which has been hosting Coffee Connections since the war in Ukraine began. She and her children visit the center often because of the warm welcome and sense of community she finds there. “There’s something for each of us here,” she said. “Being overseas, friends who are like family are the biggest blessing. And you can’t turn down free coffee and snacks.”

• Support for new parents: Military parents are often away from family and friends during their pregnancies and first months as new parents. USO Special Delivery presented by Johnson’s are baby showers providing a home touch. They allow expectant parents and military spouses to connect and bond; this year, 72% of participants have stated in feedback surveys that this is the only baby shower they will receive. More than 20,000 parents have been served through this program since its 2013 launch, including 1st Lt. Erika Pearson, an active-duty service member in the Air Force. She knew her spouse, 1st Lt. Drew Pearson, could potentially be deployed around her due date. “The USO helped me make friends that I could rely on if my husband were to miss the birth and offered me resources I could reach out to if needed,” says 1st Lt. Pearson.

• Professional development: Military spouses often have trouble finding their professional footing due to frequent relocations. That’s where the USO can step in. Connecting service members and military spouses to resources that focus on employment, education, financial readiness, mentorship and veterans benefits, the USO Transition Program helps military families build a roadmap to achieve their goals and positions them for success throughout their service, as well as in their post-military life.

• Support while solo parenting: The burden of solo parenting can become especially apparent during deployments when military family members must struggle to find a new normal. For Tessa Michaelson Schmidt, connection with her husband Brett, a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve, became complicated when he was deployed to Kuwait, where there is an eight-hour time difference, unreliable Wi-Fi on base, and the added pressure of being deployed near the frontlines. Because they and their two children have an incredible passion for reading, the USO Reading Program has been a blessing. Deployed service members can record themselves reading a book to their child. Then, the recording and a copy of the book are sent to that service member’s family.

“They have a real response when they hear his voice, and then we get the books in the mail, and they know they’re books from daddy,” says Schmidt, who explained that her children will often watch the videos of their father just before bed so that in a way, he is present for storytime.

The life of a military spouse is undeniably challenging. By the USO fostering community and providing connection sources, military spouses can feel supported and empowered.