JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas -- Meet Heather Marie Maeger, spouse of Maj. Kyle Maeger, branch chief of the Airfield Pavement Evaluation Team, Air Force Civil Engineer Center, Tyndall AFB, Florida. Heather is our January #IMSCFamily spotlight.
Heather has been around the Air Force for about 15 years – five at the U.S. Air Force Academy and prep school, just over five years active duty and the rest as an Air Force spouse.
We asked her to tell us a little more about her life with the military.
What’s your first memory as a the spouse of an Airmen?
I met my husband while I was on active duty at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska. We got married a year after we met. I was still a second lieutenant and my squadron’s holiday party was one of the first events that we went to together as newlyweds. My name was drawn for winning a Play Station 3. I never played video games growing up and I was contemplating having them draw someone else’s name … but looking back at my husband, he was cheering and pumping his hands up and down in the excitement for the win. I awkwardly accepted the PS3 but needless to say after that, we discussed how we would approach prizes at holiday parties.
What’s your best experience as the spouse of an Airman?
Being able to serve the Air Force as a team -- Kyle from the workplace and me from the home front with other spouses.
What’s a challenge you and your spouse overcame as a team?
Determining what to do as family once we started having kids. We started as a mil-to-mil couple and based on our family values we made the decision for me to separate when possible to serve our family from the home front. It was challenging, but worth the trial because support from the home has provided stability for us as a family with less separations.
What’s your best advice for other AFIMSC spouses?
Find a good community to surround yourself wherever you are stationed: friends, church family or other interest groups.
Do you have a mantra that you live by and how does it help?
No, but I am guided by my faith in God. My faith helps me keep all of life in the right perspective. It keeps me at peace and gives me hope in the things to come.
What’s something you cherish from your time as a spouse and why?
From my time so far as a spouse, being able to help with the unexpected. You never know when someone is going to need your help and it is a pleasure and honor to be able to assist when something comes up.