Heart Link provides 'Military 101' for spouses, place to meet new friends

  • Published
  • By 2nd Lt Kathleen Ferrero
  • 100th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
RAF MILDENHALL, England --  The Air Force can be a lonely and confusing place for those who marry into it and aren't familiar with the military culture. One cure for this culture shock is Heart Link, a free orientation workshop offered by the Airman and Family Readiness Center. 

All husbands and wives who are married to an Air Force member can come to the next Heart Link from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday (Feb. 20) at the base AFRC. Children are also welcome. 

The workshop includes breakfast, lunch, take away items and optional door prizes.
Heart Link orients new spouses by explaining their significance to the Air Force team and where to go for help. It also links spouses together, said Mrs. Angela Cottman, Community Readiness Technician. 

"I think the strongest impact of Heart Link is learning that I have value as a member of the Air Force," Mrs. Cottman said. "I play a vital role." 

Heart Link isn't just for wives. Several husbands are signed up to attend the next workshop, Mrs. Cottman said.

It also isn't just for new spouses. Annalisa Horan said she benefited from going to the workshop even after more than three years of marriage to her sergeant husband.

"I walked out of Heart Link armed with a wealth of information and even learned a few things my husband didn't know," Mrs. Horan said.

Representatives from finance, family advocacy, spouse clubs and other organizations explain the Air Force culture, how to access benefits and how to contact help agencies.

At the end of the day, the base commander, Col. Eden Murrie, gives each attendee a traditional token to induct them into the military family.  Mrs. Cottman's father served in the Army, and she said she grew up folding "hospital corners" in her bed sheets. But the Air Force was still foreign to her.

Heart Link made the difference, she said. She still keeps in touch with the friends she met at the workshop three years ago.

"Your spouse takes you away from your family and all that you know," Mrs. Cottman said. "Then you meet people at Heart Link who are going through what you are. 

"You learn from each other how to cope with deployment, volunteering, where to find resources for children," she said. "They become your family away from home. " 

Editor's note: For more information about the free Heart Link orientation workshop for military husbands and wives, call the Airman and Family Readiness Center at DSN 238-3406.