International spouses tour new home

Published April 5, 2012
By 2nd Lt. David J. Murphy
Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst Public Affairs

JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. -- Military spouses from more than 15 countries got a first-hand look at the different facets and capabilities related to Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst March 23.

The International Spouses Group, based out of JB MDL, received an inside perspective of the installation during their day-long tour.

Locations visited during the tour included: the New Jersey National Guard's Battle Lab, the control tower, a C-17 Globemaster III static display, the C-17 flight simulator and the 87th Explosive Ordnance Disposal Flight among others.

The ISG is different from other groups because its members come from many different nations, such as England, Jamaica and Peru among others.

Amada Espinoza, originally from Peru, is a relocation/outreach program manager with the Warfighter and Family Readiness Center, started the group 20 years ago because she said she realized that transitioning to a new base and community wasn't easy for families and was even more difficult for foreign spouses.

"The international spouses were missing their families, and with the culture being so different, I thought this would help them adapt to the community and flourish," said Espinoza. "I met all these different people with different backgrounds and interests, and they were so rich in their culture, so I thought maybe it's time to get all these spouses together and see what happens."

What happened was the ISG, a group that meets monthly and participates in a variety of different activities. The ISG mixes social and educational activities together by hosting events with various goals. Some activities are organized to educate group members about different cultural celebrations while other events are more social in nature. Some upcoming events include a trip to the United Nations, a wine tasting and an international Thanksgiving dinner.

Emiliya Terry, wife of Technical Sgt. Ryan Terry of the 305th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, hailing from the Republic of Dagestan, Russia, enjoyed the virtual reality simulators at the Battle Lab and was impressed by how real it was. She said she didn't realize there were so many different activities going on throughout the base.

"At first, when I heard about the base tour, I thought 'I've already been everywhere,' but now I realize there is so much more here," said Terry.

Louise Abato, from Hockwald, England, whose husband is Staff Sgt. Bobby Abato of the 819th Global Support Squadron, said her favorite stop was the flight simulator. Even though she has been working on military bases since 1993, she said, she didn't realize how much existed on JB MDL and was impressed by how it all worked together.

Not every spouse on the tour had a service member working at the base. Beijing native Ruth Cumming's husband Vincent retired from the Navy 23 years ago but Cuming said she was still interested in being a part of the ISG.

The tour educated the spouses about JB MDL, teaching them facts about the base they wouldn't have otherwise known.

Cummings has lived in New Jersey for 20 years but said she was surprised to discover the Marine Corps and Coast Guard work on base.

"While we've been to many other bases we think this place is awesome," said Cummings. "It's really impressive to see so many people working hard and enjoying what they are doing."

The ISG is open to all spouses, not just those who are foreign born.

"We like to learn about the American culture and if we have an American in our group we can learn from them," said Espinoza. "I feel so proud to be part of this community and that I can be of some help to our military family members."

Call Amada Espinoza at 562-3271 or send an e-mail to amada.espinoza@us.af.mil for questions about the ISG or to become a member.

Article Display