Hi y’all, my name is McKinzee. My husband and I are at Tyndall AFB in Panama City, FL. I’ve been a military spouse for one year now. In this past year, I’ve learned the challenges of being married to an Air Battle Manager Officer student are unique, even to all the experiences of other military spouses. I hope to share some light and give some encouragement to other people who have a significant other in this going through UABMT (Undergraduate Air Battle Management Training).
What is an ABM (Air Battle Manager)
The Initial Shock:
When you first arrive, it can be a little nerve-racking between your first taste of the military and the move. But you and your significant other will get the hang of it and do a lot of positive growth together during this period. Once you get settled and they start their training, it might get a little lonely, especially if you are working from home and trying to find friends. For the first month, don’t be alarmed if it takes a little bit to find your group of people. At this point, I didn’t really have any friends here and was feeling a little homesick from my college friends. However, soon I met the wonderful spouses at the 337th ACS and became a Key Spouse myself because I never wanted someone to feel alone in this career field. The spouses group at the 337th is an amazing group of women and men who will make sure you know you are not alone and that your feelings and concerns are valid whatever they may be. I also recommend finding hobbies to keep yourself busy. The base has many different programs and their own beach! I wrote Tyndall’s base guide for the Wives of the Armed Forces page with all the fun events and places around the Emerald Coast!
The Course:
At any given point, there are a dozen or so classes of students going through the same course that your significant other is in, just at a different point in the course. While in the course you will hear, always say “see ya later” to fellow ABMs you meet because at some point you will be coworkers again, which I found is very true. During the course, you will learn that it might be beneficial to help your significant other study as much as you are able to as it is very helpful for the both of you. You will be able to better understand the parts of the job you are able to know while also helping them study nightly to understand all of the material they are learning each day.
As they progress in the course, be prepared for very early mornings and very late nights when it gets to their practice missions, you will be helping them prepare and make sure they have everything they need for those long days. While the job has its secret parts of the unknown to everyone and it will be stressful for the both of you, be there for your significant other when they need to come home and talk about as much of their day as they can because trust me they need those few moments. During this long phase, you will find yourself cheering your significant other on almost every day because you honestly become their biggest fan through all of this!
What is Callsign Night?
Callsign night is the night that your significant other has been looking forward to since their first day. Students fill out their “dream sheets” of the available locations that are available pending graduation in order of preference. When this night finally arrives, they will learn their callsign and their next duty station. This will usually happen two months before graduation. Days leading up to this can be a little stressful as you just want to know where you will be moving to, you feel like that moment is finally close enough but still so far. Something I have always told myself is, “Good things come to those who wait.” Callsign nights are usually big events where you learn how to play CRUD, which I have attached a link of how to play: (How to play CRUD). You can invite your friends and family to watch as well as other students and cadrewill usually join! Cadre, is a group or member of a group of leaders, kinda like a teacher! The amount of excitement watching your significant other get their next duty station makes all those late nights, early mornings, and reciting calls are finally well worth it!
What Comes Next:
After Callsign night, they have about two more months of schooling before their graduation day. Trust me, those two months fly by! When graduation day comes, you are able to bring your friends and family to the 337th aka the “Doghouse” to watch their graduation and pinning of their wings. If your friends and family cannot travel to attend, there will be a live stream event so they can also share this special day with you. Next, your significant other will do two different TDYs to prepare them for their career field. Once they return, you will have a few weeks before you PCS to your new base or in our case, stay for two more years as my husband is now an instructor at the beloved “Doghouse”.
Meet McKinzee
Hi! I am an ABM spouse, we are stationed at Tyndall! I am very involved in spouse events on base and love reading, working out, spending time at the beach, and spending time with my husband and our puppy! We have one Labrador Retriever Mix named Diana who is one, she is our only “child” and she definitely knows she is! As this is our first base, I have really tried to make it home! Our Air Force journey is only getting started but we are very grateful for every second, the good and the bad. It is all about who you surround yourself with and your outlook on things! I am excited to be a part of the WAFs!
