It’s no surprise that military spouses are held in great regard – or that there’s a special day set aside each year to celebrate them.

This year, Military Spouses Appreciation Day will be celebrated on Friday, May 6, 2022. Widely considered “the force behind the forces,” military spouses not only vow to honor and cherish, but also to sacrifice, advocate and relocate.

Despite frequent moves, military spouses have formed a tightknit community bonded by shared experiences. These resilient individuals face challenges like frequently hunting for jobs overseas, handling the family’s health benefits, finding schools for the kids or serving as the homeschool teacher – all while maintaining a healthy marriage. No wonder military spouses lean on each other for intel about new duty stations, like where to live, shop, take the kids, the restaurants and local foods to try, plus events and places not to miss.

Advocate in Chief

There’s a lot at stake for the servicemember spouse too. Of course, every active duty member’s primary concern is their job, but they also carry the burden of being responsible for moving their family around a lot, then feeling like they’re not home enough because of work. So it falls on the non-military spouse to provide a strong support system at home that advocates on behalf of the entire family, actively ensuring the kids feel grounded, secure and happy, and enthusiastically bolstering their spouse’s morale.

Keeping up morale is where AFE comes in. Military spouses and service members alike turn to AFE’s live and online entertainment options for date nights, family events, at-home streaming entertainment and anywhere/anytime workout videos. And the beauty of being an active AFE fan is that no matter what overseas move military families make, they’ll always have access to free shows from AFE.

By simply bookmarking the AFE site, and clicking on “Shows Near You” at the top, anyone can make a plan to attend a live show. Prefer to stay home? AFE presents dozens of online shows including the latest musical and comedy performances, magic shows, kid’s shows and hard-core workouts. And it’s all free and created just for AFE.

A National Day of Honor

Military Spouses Appreciation Day was first celebrated in 1984. It is now scheduled for the Friday before Mother’s Day annually, a nod to the 92 percent of military spouses who are women. The day is set aside to honor the role of military spouses in building and maintaining strong families and a strong military.

Those in the military and civilians alike can celebrate the day. Here are a few ideas on what you can do to support others:

• Reach out to military spouses and families you know, and let them know you’re thinking of them on this special day.
• Offer to give the spouse the day off by babysitting, helping with household chores, handling carpool or bringing the family a meal.
• Thank them for their role in serving and sacrificing for our country.

To all the military spouses in the world, thank you for your dedication, and for weaving together your family fabric into a quilt of support.