F.E. WARREN AIR FORCE BASE, Wyo. -- My name is Alyssa, and I am now a flexible missile spouse.
Sometimes date nights are on Tuesdays, and random date nights means discounted movie tickets.
Sometimes I cook dinner for one, and sometimes I am greeted by dinner waiting for me when Justin makes it home from work first.
Sometimes we celebrate a holiday together, and other times the celebrations wait until he gets back from the field. Often I celebrate twice, once with friends and once when he returns!
When the stars align, and we both have Saturdays off, we get to sleep in, share the pot of coffee, and walk the dog together. Those days are my favorite.
I am the wife of a missileer. Last February we began a 19-hour drive to grow roots in a place we had never seen, but the learning curve to become a missile-spouse started long before our journey in February.
My husband, Justin, began learning the ropes of missileer life in September, 2016 when he started technical training, and I started learning all the experiences of a missileer’s spouse such as the art of flexibility.
While in New York, finishing my Masters’ degree, Justin was in tech school. This is when I learned a missileer’s schedule operates on 24-hour shifts. This did not sound ideal, and after months of long-distance as we each finished up our respective educational obligations, I was not pleased with the idea of spending many nights apart.
Now we have been in Cheyenne for more than nine months, and I am finally getting the hang of a missileer’s schedule; but if I am honest, I would never choose Justin’s current schedule over one where he gets to come home every night. However, I realized months ago that as a missileer spouse, there is a choice to make. You can indulge in an analysis of the ways in which your spouse’s job and the schedule are making life difficult, or you can choose to embrace both the experience and the missile community with enthusiasm, and capitalize on the unique opportunities that a missileer’s schedule and work life presents.
An unorthodox schedule, and the unique sort of flexibility that comes with it, creates opportunities for both of us. Justin is going back to school and will be able to capitalize on his time away from home to get work done.
God has opened doors to professional opportunities since I have been in Cheyenne and Justin has encouraged me to pursue them. While Justin is growing as a missileer, I am growing in my profession too.
I have found the shared experiences of missile families can create a community that is not only wide, but more importantly, one that is deep. The community that Justin and I have found in Cheyenne has been an enormous blessing. I am beginning to feel more at home during squadron events, and I always enjoy the time socializing with Justin’s coworkers and other missile spouses. There is a lot of overlap between our missile family and our church family, and we have thoroughly enjoyed experiencing life with the people we have met over the past nine months.
Sadly, we have seen members of our community move on to a different assignment and pursue different opportunities, and the community we have grown to love is ever-changing. This is neither good nor bad. It has become another exercise in adaptation and flexibility.
While we are at F.E. Warren experiencing life as a missile family, we will dream big, grow roots and be flexible. Something tells me that the ability to be flexible will serve us well for many years, and it will all be thanks to missiles.