From Marine Corps Air Station Miramar / 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing:
First impressions are often the ones that last.
Stephanie Milroy, a family readiness program volunteer with Marine Light Attack Training Squadron 303 Atlas, makes sure that initial contact with the unit is a happy and positive experience.
“I hope to help the new spouses have an easier adjustment to the Marine Corps life, which will ultimately help the Marines focus on their job protecting this country,” she said.
Helping new families fit in is important to Milroy because her husband, Maj. Aaron Milroy, an instructor pilot and a quality assurance officer with HMLAT-303 and a Burnham, Maine native, is one of those Marines.
In order to do that, Milroy welcomes new junior officer spouses to the unit and steers them clear of feeling like a fish in muddy waters.
“When we returned to HMLAT-303, our Family Readiness Officer asked if I could take over for the last volunteer who welcomed the students’ spouses,” she said. “She knew that I used to volunteer a lot and guessed that I would be willing to do what was needed. She was right!”
She caught the volunteer bug well before joining Atlas. Milroy stood out as a volunteer at her husband’s last duty station with Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 369, too. Because of her efforts, that unit nominated Milroy to attend the Leadership Education Seminar. This biannual event offers military spouses personal and professional development.
“After attending such a wonderful and beneficial seminar, the logical next step was to give back and to volunteer with the crew,” she said. “I helped host seminars for the next four years, during which time I held three team leader positions. This expanded my knowledge of the Marine Corps and the beautiful teamwork that can only be seen with military spouses.”
Even when she is not able to be directly involved with her husband’s squadron, Milroy continues to help others.
“I took a break from volunteering to work at the Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund from 2010 to 2011,” she said. “Honestly, I couldn’t just get a typical job; it needed to be something that would help Marines and their families. That was, and is, very close to my heart.”
Milroy said the Committed and Engaged Spouse Campaign is a great way to highlight spouses, comparing the recognition to a ribbon on the chest of a Marine.
“Maj. Gen. Steven Busby’s emphasis on Committed and Engaged Spouses will encourage new spouses to get involved,” she said. “When spouses are involved in the family readiness program … a strong camaraderie develops between Marine Corps spouses which can never be broken. A surrogate family truly forms and this helps alleviate any homesickness caused by living far from one’s biological family.”
This story is part of an ongoing series highlighting the committed and engaged spouses of 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing.
