who we are

A community of women doing our best to thrive in this military wife life

We are so glad you’re here! Wives of the Armed Forces (WAF) started as “Wives of the Air Force” – a blog and community created by Jen + Kirst to support Air Force significant others with resources and community. In time it was clear that this type of platform was something military spouses from all branches desired, so together with the incredible team of women below they took a leap and expanded to Wives of the Armed Forces – a space for any military significant other to find empowering resources and a community eager to thrive in this chaotic lifestyle. 

This team is passionate about making this journey easier and clearer for other WAFs no matter where they are and hope that you find what you are looking for on these pages.

For more information on how Jen + Kirst met, you can read their story HERE.

If you still have questions, we encourage you to check out of FAQ section below, and if you still don’t find your answer email us at [email protected]!

Kirst

Co-founder; Air Force WAF

Kirst is a born and raised Iowan (Go Hawks) turned WAF when she met her husband during his pilot training back in 2014 through a childhood friend and his girlfriend (who happened to be her college roommate). She’s competitive, loyal to a fault, and always down for good food and a delicious glass of wine! When she’s not chasing around her two kids (Carmen + Gaetano), you’ll find her reading, trying new recipes with her husband, or spending time with family or friends. This community was something Kirst says she prayed for as a new military girlfriend on those nights when loneliness and confusion really set in. Since choosing to embrace the lifestyle and the incredible people that come with it, she has witnessed a deep-rooted change in herself that makes her a more dynamic person in any of her acting roles as wife, mommy, daughter, sister, and friend!

Jen

Co-founder; Air Force WAF

Jen never dreamed of marrying into the military. She had her life perfectly planned out on how she was going to be a successful female in the business world in her hometown in Arkansas. That all changed when she started dating her husband back in 2013. Her life is now bigger, more dynamic, and more full of adventure than she could ever have imagined! After getting married at 21 and learning that her life was not over, in fact, it was just getting started, she set out to encourage and empower other military spouses to find fulfillment in where they are planted! She currently lives in Anchorage, Alaska with her husband, 2 little girls (Ava + Maisie), and goofy Old English Sheepdog, Wallace. She is a girls girl, major extrovert, and recently converted adventure gal who is constantly trying to find the balance between life as a wife, mom, friend, daughter, and entrepreneur!

Kirst

Co-founder; Air Force WAF

Kirst is a born and raised Iowan (Go Hawks) turned WAF when she met her husband during his pilot training back in 2014 through a childhood friend and his girlfriend (who happened to be her college roommate). She’s competitive, loyal to a fault, and always down for good food and a delicious glass of wine! When she’s not chasing around her two kids (Carmen + Gaetano), you’ll find her reading, trying new recipes with her husband, or spending time with family or friends. This community was something Kirst says she prayed for as a new military girlfriend on those nights when loneliness and confusion really set in. Since choosing to embrace the lifestyle and the incredible people that come with it, she has witnessed a deep-rooted change in herself that makes her a more dynamic person in any of her acting roles as wife, mommy, daughter, sister, and friend!

Jen

Co-founder; Air Force WAF

Jen never dreamed of marrying into the military. She had her life perfectly planned out on how she was going to be a successful female in the business world in her hometown in Arkansas. That all changed when she started dating her husband back in 2013. Her life is now bigger, more dynamic, and more full of adventure than she could ever have imagined! After getting married at 21 and learning that her life was not over, in fact, it was just getting started, she set out to encourage and empower other military spouses to find fulfillment in where they are planted! She currently lives in Anchorage, Alaska with her husband, 2 little girls (Ava + Maisie), and goofy Old English Sheepdog, Wallace. She is a girls girl, major extrovert, and recently converted adventure gal who is constantly trying to find the balance between life as a wife, mom, friend, daughter, and entrepreneur!

meet the team

Cara

Business Manager

Cara became a WAF in 2023 after having been a GAF for 3 years before that. Though her Air Force husband is in the midst of transitioning out of the military after 12 years of service, she is beyond grateful to have had the opportunity to support him and the mission throughout their time together and is excited for this next chapter. She is thrilled to have the opportunity to support fellow WAFs and remain involved in the community. 

A New Yorker turned Floridian, Cara works from home as an executive for a media company and loves all things travel, home decor and organization, and Grey’s Anatomy. She lives outside of Tampa, FL with her husband and their two dogs Milo and Zuri. 

Sarah

Content Coordinator

Sarah is a WAF of two years and newer to military life. Sarah and her husband are both from Indianapolis and left everything and everyone they knew when he decided on the Air Force. Sarah taught first grade for six years in Indiana before they moved to their first duty station and lived in Alexandria, Virginia. PCSing in the middle of the school year, Sarah made the difficult decision to leave the classroom. In addition to being a stay-at-home mom, she is now the content coordinator for Wives of the Armed Forces and loves being a part of this engaging and connected community! In her free time, Sarah enjoys reading, cooking, organizing, and playing pickleball. Sarah, her husband, daughter (Margo), and silver lab (Baker) live outside of Kansas City, Missouri, and are making the most of all the adventure the military throws their way!

Madison

Marketing Coordinator

Madison is an Army WAF of 8 years (and a GAF of 6 years prior). She has used her experience as both a girlfriend and wife to foster connections wherever she moves. She has lived overseas, faced deployment, and experienced the continuous PCS cycle with her 6th move this year. She loves traveling, exploring all that her community has to offer, trying new restaurants and breweries with her husband, and attending fitness classes (currently loving barre, pilates, + F45). She spends her days going on adventures with her two kiddos and fur pup (a rescue from her time living in South Korea). Madison is thankful for the opportunity to connect and serve military spouses while working with WAF! 

Nikki

Community Coordinator

Nikki, a WAF of 13 years, is stationed with her husband in Georgia. She has two daughters and one pup! She works from home as a virtual assistant and is the community coordinator for Wives of the Armed Forces! Nikki loves all things self-care, including doing beautiful manicures at home. She also loves having a margarita with friends and stays busy with her kids’ sports schedules.

Corrie

Army Lead Contributor

Corrie and her husband have been married for eight years and an Army family for the past five years. They have two active boys and love finding the best hiking trails and brunch spots wherever they are! Corrie loves working out, drinking coffee, and building community – she’s passionate about sharing ways to embrace military life where ever it takes you. Whether it be the discounts, the places, or simply the shared experiences that build friendships, she believes there’s always a way to embrace this life with joy! 

Ashley

Army Community Coordinator

Ashley has been a WAF for a little over a year. Her husband is in the Army and they are currently stationed at Fort Jackson, SC. They have a 5-month-old baby boy who is so sweet and happy! She loves to spend time with family and friends, go on walks, play cards and board games, and watch Friends. She’s so excited to be a part of this team and community!

Chandler

Coast Guard Lead

Chandler is a small town girl from Central New York. Her whole life she swore against the military lifestyle. She didn’t want to be away from family; and then she met her husband. She and her husband have been together for 4.5 years and married for 1. They have a son named Foster with another on the way. Chandler met her husband in his hometown of Sitka, Alaska while she was working for a bear rescue up there. She had been a long time adventurer traveling for her job as a zookeeper. Upon meeting her husband two weeks before he left for boot camp she realized nothing would ever be the same. They have endured many miles of distance and 4 years of “boat life”. She is very new to any military life and knows only what she has learned through her time  constantly learning new things about the Coast Guard as well as other branches. In her spare time she enjoys finding new hiking trails, sipping a coffee in local coffee shops, DIY home projects and relaxing with her family. 

Danica

Coast Guard Community Coordinator

Danica has been a USCG WAF for 9 years! She never imagined marrying someone in the military, but is loving the adventure! It’s not always easy, but she feels lucky to have made many good friends that have become like family along the way. She’s the current Ombudsman for her husband’s unit, and previously was an elementary school teacher for 10 years. She’s taught in 5 different states! She now stays at home with her son who will be 3 this summer. She loves to be creative and craft when she has time, and is an avid reader (she really loves historical fiction and Harry Potter)! She also enjoys working out using the SWEAT app. She’s learned about incorporating healthy habits into her life and loves to share that with others! She’s been following the WAF IG account since March 2020, and now is so excited to be a part of their team!

Kaitlin

Marine Corps Lead Contributor

Kaitlin and her husband have been married for two years. While her husband has been in the Marine Corps for ten years, Kaitlin has also been involved, working for the Marine Corps for the past four years. They currently reside in sunny, Southern California. In their free time, they can be found catching some sun at the beach, finding new restaurants, or hanging on the couch rooting for the Dallas Cowboys! Though a newer military spouse, Kaitlin is also a military sister and daughter. She’s eager to foster community amongst other military spouses and find the positives within this crazy, beautiful life we all get to be part of!

Laura

Marine Corps Community Coordinator

Laura has been a WAF (better yet, GAF ) since her boyfriend commissioned with the United States Marine Corps in November 2020. Her home base (for now!) is in Missouri, while her boyfriend is stationed at Camp Pendleton in Southern California. She is a former middle school English teacher and now works full-time in commercial construction in the St. Louis area. When she’s not at work, she can usually be found traveling to and from the west coast, training for endurance events (running/triathlon), or relaxing with a book and her two cats. She’s thrilled to be part of this supportive community of WAFs!

Haley

Navy Lead Contributor

Haley is one half of a dual-mil couple. Her husband is a pilot in the Navy, while she’s serving in the Air Force. She’s been a WAF for two years and grew up as a military brat. Some of her hobbies include traveling, hiking, and wine tasting… but you can usually find her hanging out at home with her German Shepherd, Tug.

Katie

Navy Lead Contributor

Katie is a former Air Force brat turned Navy spouse living in Jacksonville, FL. Having met her husband on a dating app (Hinge is great!) while he was in Naval Pilot Training in Pensacola, they have moved around Florida and made Navy life their own. Between workups, underways, and deployments, they have had quite the Navy ride in their first couple years of marriage, but still choose to see the good and growth from it all. From rich friendship forged by months apart, Katie has seen the beauty of community and is reminded of one’s inner strength. In the daytime (and evenings), Katie works as a Realtor, assisting military families navigating PCS season to find affordable and safe housing, both to and from NAS Jacksonville and NS Mayport. In her spare time, she enjoys working out, hot yoga, and traveling.

Maddie

Navy Community Coordinator

Maddie, a WAF of two and a half years, lives in Pensacola, Florida with her Student Naval Aviator boyfriend and their black lab, Bessie. Maddie has worked as a full-time labor and delivery nurse for the last three years in both Baltimore, Maryland and Pensacola, Florida.

Maddie is originally from Pennsylvania and loves being outside in the sunshine, taking care of her house plants, and practicing Pilates. As someone who did not grow up in the military lifestyle, this WAF community has become an invaluable part of her journey and she is thrilled to be part of this team!

Casie

Space Force Lead Contributor

Casie is a toddler mom, Space Force spouse, and thrives when she is active, connected to her community, and serving others. After working for thirteen years in education & the nonprofit sector as a teacher, national trainer, and strategy consultant, she recently paused her office-based career to spend more time with her family and pursue other interests.

As a lifelong athlete, she is passionate about all things relating to personal wellness. She currently serves as a health coach, designs and leads wellness workshops, and coordinates Financial Peace University at her current duty station.

She has been a military spouse for nearly ten years, proudly supporting her husband in the Air Force for the first seven years of their marriage and the Space Force for the past three. She is excited and honored to serve as the Space Force Lead Contributor for the Wives of the Armed Forces.

Chelsea

Space Force Community Coordinator

I’m Chelsea! I’ve been a WAF for 8 years and work full time as a Transition Specialist and Career Coach for a veteran nonprofit, primarily working with military spouses in assisting them with job search preparation and resume writing. We’ve lived in 3 states and have navigated deployments, TDYs, and various training events in my husband’s career, including his transfer to the Space Force in 2020. When I’m not working, we love to travel, hike, and take our 2 year old son on as many adventures as we can. I’ve been following the WAFs page since they started and am so excited to contribute!

frequently asked questions

Do you feel passionate about where you live and want to spread the word to other WAFs about what makes that location a gem? Shoot us a message through our contact us page or email us at [email protected]. Our base guides are 100% by WAFs for WAFs!

Meetups are an incredible way to get to know other WAFs in your area! Fill out our form at the bottom of our homepage and we will help you broadcast the info about your meetup.

Each post is tagged with keywords so if you type it into our search bar, all related posts should pop up! Not seeing the topic you are looking for? Contact us through our contact page and we will do our best to find the info you are looking for.

Simply put, the “s” represents the plural form of this community. Although it’s not “grammatically correct” it’s the most natural way we caught ourselves and others in this space referring to a group of milsos that believed in the core values and ideals of what we’re trying to accomplish here.

Periodically we release apparel with all proceeds going to a military charity, so you’ll want to be on our email list to make sure you’re the first to know when those launches are happening! You can subscribe HERE.

When we started out we featured all of the contributors to the blog on our Instagram and the data showed us that wasn’t getting traffic because (we later learned) people weren’t recognizing that it was “WAF” content, but when users saw one of our faces they recognized us and knew what platform/brand they were seeing.

At the end of the day we try to make the smartest business decisions to make sure these resources are getting into the hands of as many WAFs as possible, we listen to the data and lean into what’s working.

Lastly, we started this space, particularly on Instagram, to normalize military significant others being so much more beyond their milso title. We (Jen + Kirst) are women, wives, daughters, sisters, mothers, etc. first before we identify as military spouses. It’s just a small part of our identity and we want this space to reflect that balance while still providing support and empowerment for our WAF family.

The business and team that supports it! Our dream from day 1 was to have a team full of WAFs that are paid and supporting the incredible resource and community Wives of the Armed Forces is! Shopping our links helps us do that. We haven’t reached that point yet, but we’re working behind the scenes daily to secure funding to fulfill this dream.

You can shop our finds and support this business in a couple of ways, on our website HERE and/or on our LTK page HERE!

When positions become available (volunteer or otherwise) will be posted on our Instagram and shared with the email list.

While we understand how hard this lifestyle is, we also know that sitting in negativity for extended periods of time about things we can’t control doesn’t serve us well at all. That’s the biggest difference you’ll see here, we follow the “24 hour rule” when the military hands you lemons, you throw the biggest, baddest pity party for yourself for a solid 24 hours and then you push forward.

We also deeply value each of our community members despite their partner’s rank, military affiliation, or marital status. This is a space where you’re welcome if you’re kind, encouraging, and eager to receive or give help to other milsos to make the lifestyle easier for everyone. Things you won’t see: comments that are negative and not helpful, reference to the term “dependa”, trash talking about our significant others and their military jobs (we all love using humor as a coping strategy but doing it at the expense of our partner’s career just isn’t our vibe).

contact us

We love to hear from our visitors – drop your information below and let us know how you would like to contribute to the WAF community, what topics you would like to see, or why you love following along.