INCIRLIK AIR BASE, Turkey (USAFENS) -- The mission here doesn’t always depend on the people wearing uniforms. Military spouses play a key role by supporting their loved ones.
With that being said, it may be just as important to keep the morale of the military spouses as high as the troops here.
"In my opinion, it’s important to keep spouses morale high because that’s how you keep the families morale high," said Richelle Kemper, acting president of the Incirlik Consolidated Spouse Club. "Everyone needs a support network, whether it’s the spouse club, the church or a Mommy and Me support group.
"I truly think that the key to keeping up morale is to jump right in with the wonderful activities that are available on base so you can meet other people that have your same interests."
The spouses club here provides opportunities for these military counterparts to not only get involved with the base populace, Mrs. Kemper said, but to also feel like part of the mission.
"Military spouses can contribute to the mission by supporting each other so that the family unit remains solid," said Mrs. Kemper. "There is so much that we can do to help, such as meals for spouses of deployed members, starting an Airman’s attic or a food distribution center for those in need. There are so many good ideas out there, we just need volunteers to make them successful."
The spouses club here also gives back to the community.
"We offer social support and community service involvement," said Mrs. Kemper. "Our biggest ongoing fundraiser is the thrift shop. All of the net profits go into our welfare account which is redistributed each year in the form of college and continuing education scholarships. We are always looking for volunteers to help run the thrift shop. All of our spouses also get together every month for a monthly social and business meeting.
"Our most popular social is Turkish Treasures Bingo, which happens in the fall. We take a big chunk of our money that we have raised through the sale of funnel cakes and buy really nice prizes for this event. The spouses club also offers monthly functions such as lunch bunch, special shopping trips to Adana, a weekly bowling group and monthly Bunko.
"We are also a great resource for each other when looking for a job,” said Mrs. Kemper. “We have many spouses that have terrific job knowledge and will fit right into some of the mission-enhancing positions available here."