JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas – Meet Teresa Benavides, spouse of Eli Benavides with our Detachment 1, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado. She is our September #IMSCFamily spotlight.
Teresa, who is a budget analyst but with Schriever Space Force Base, has been around the military for 40 years. It started with 20 years as an enlisted spouse, then 4 years as a contractor and now about 16 years as a civilian spouse.
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?
Receiving letters from my Airman husband during his time at Lackland AFB while he went through basic training.
What’s your best experience as the spouse of an Airman?
Our opportunities to travel the world. The time spent in Europe was life changing for our entire family.
What’s a challenge you and your spouse overcame as a team?
During the pandemic, we both teleworked from home. We overcame TEAMS meetings and telephone calls at the same time, while sharing office space. What began as a challenge ended up becoming a blessing, bringing us closer together.
What is your best advice for other AFIMSC Spouses?
Always be supportive and patient with your spouse. Flexibility is the key to a successful team/marriage.
Do you have a mantra that you live by and how does it help?
“You can’t control circumstances, however, you can control your attitude, approach and response.” As I serve U.S. Space Force and he supports the U.S. Air Force as budget analysts, we get confronted with many complex financial obstacles constantly. How we handle them says a lot about our character.
What’s something you cherish from your time as a spouse and why?
Raising our children in a military atmosphere, starting with the time they spent in a Department of Defense school in Germany. Standing for the national anthem before movies at the base theater are nice, fond memories they still cherish today.