March is Women’s History Month. Our military history is lined with the incredible dedication and work of military wives: Martha Washington, Margaret Corbin, and Julia Moore, to name a few. But who are some of the military wives who are writing today’s history?
Sharene Brown is an Air Force wife, and the force behind the “Five and Thrive” initiative. The Five and Thrive initiative brings awareness and solutions to the top five challenges military families face: childcare, education, healthcare, housing, and military spouse employment. A powerhouse in her own right, she is a good match for her spouse, General CQ Brown, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, as they divide and conquer the challenges within the US military community.
Beth Conlin is an Army spouse, Chairwoman for the Military Spouse Chamber of Commerce, and has been an advocate for military-spouse employment for years. Not only does she educate on the Status of Forces Agreements (SOFAs) that can have convoluted employment rules regarding OCONUS military spouses, she has pushed to have host countries provide accurate SOFA information. Her relentless work to improve SOFA restrictions paid off last August when Italy expanded its SOFA agreement to allow US military spouses and dependents to telework for US employers. Beth has been crucial in shaping policy that has long-term benefits for the military spouses.
Sarah Streyder is a Space Force spouse and the Founder and Executive Director of Secure Families Initiative (SFI). SFI trains and empowers military families to leverage their voices through education, advocacy, and voting to affect legislation that impacts our lives. SFI advocates for policies that foster peace, both foreign and domestic; Sarah has shown that she is a fierce fighter for peace for our communities, our nation, and our world.
Stephanie Brown is a Navy spouse who founded Rosie’s List, which is an online database to connect customers with military-owned businesses. Stephanie then expanded her vision to launch The Rosie Network, which provides entrepreneurial mentorship, services, and programs for military small business owners. A modern-day Rosie the Riveter, Stephanie has inspired thousands of entrepreneurs in the military community, and empowered them to build their own success.
Kayla Corbitt is an Army spouse who I know well from my day job as she was our National Military Entrepreneur Challenge pitch competition winner at the Military Influencer Conference last year. Kayla launched Operation Child Care and then the sister nonprofit, The Operation Child Care Project, in response to the national childcare crisis that acutely affects military families. She knows that childcare inaccessibility for military service members is tied to home and food insecurity, unemployment, mental health, and military retention, so she is dedicated to inform, advocate, and support families who are impacted by the childcare gap.
These women are phenomenal, and they are writing the pages for tomorrow’s history books. But the most important military spouse who is writing today’s history? You.
For Women’s History Month, it is easy to focus only on the military wives who are well known, celebrating their exceptional accomplishments for what they have done for the military community. But don’t overlook the millions of military wives whose names are not in historical records. Their quiet contributions and steadfast devotion have not gone unnoticed — to their spouses, to their families, to their communities. The young bride who held down the empty fort during training. The woman who kept the family steady after another cross-country move. The mother who encouraged her children to get involved in the community. The military wives who stood fearlessly behind their brave soldiers, challenging the world to get in line.
Just like the countless military wives before us who quietly bore the strain of separation, resiliently parented alone, and gracefully navigated this military life, we are now writing our own stories. We are writing our own adventures. We are writing our own history.
What will yours say?