JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas – Meet Melina Johnson, spouse of Tech. Sgt. David Johnson with the Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center’s Installation Support Directorate in San Antonio.
Melina comes from a military family with her dad serving in the U.S. Navy for a decade. She’s been married to David for eight years.
We asked her to tell us a little more about her life as a military spouse.
What’s your first memory as the spouse of an Airman?
When David and I were newly married, I vividly remember his Airman Leadership School graduation. It was my first-time seeing Air Force traditions and it touched me how everyone treated each other as family.
What’s your best experience as the spouse of an Airman?
I love that we have had a chance to live in many different places and meet people from all around the world. It was not my favorite part of the military initially but I have grown to love the adventure of being a military spouse.
What’s a challenge you and your spouse overcame as a team?
When I was in my senior year of at the University of Nevada Las Vegas, we received orders to Sheppard AFB in Texas. We had to navigate both our career goals but we put our heads together and made it work. I was able to finish most of my course work in an accelerated timeframe and went back to Vegas to finish my capstone and graduate. It was a stressful time but we came together and made it happen.
What’s your best advice for other AFIMSC spouses?
Enjoy the time you have together and view change as an opportunity to experience something new in life.
Do you have a mantra that you live by and how does it help?
“See the good, be the light, make a difference.”
What’s something you cherish from your time as a spouse and why?
My most cherished memory relates to when we were pregnant with our second child. Very shortly after, David was tasked to deploy. He set everything up to ease my pregnancy while he was away, yard work, bills, etc. Based on my due date, he would not be able to make it back for Violet’s birth ... or so I thought. David walked in the hospital at around 12 a.m.! He somehow made it back to see us for four days before he went back to finish his deployment. He didn’t tell anyone he was coming back; it was a beautiful surprise.