Why I Advocate for Military Spouses
by Heba Abdelaal
Over the course of my professional career on Capitol Hill, I was fortunate to work with military members and families on the policy issues that impacted their respective missions. We talked about training requirements, weapons systems, recruitment, and retention challenges. When I became a military spouse, those policy discussions became a personal reality. And while I would call our cross-country move from Washington, D.C. to Colorado for our very first assignment an adventure, moving overseas during a global pandemic was something else entirely. Of the life challenges I have overcome, being a military spouse seeking employment abroad has been the most challenging. I am not alone.
We know there is a direct correlation between military spouse employment and the retention of our military members. We know that with every PCS military spouses often leave behind friends, neighbors, and job opportunities. We know that despite the countless social media posts, proclamations, and press releases that support and thank military spouses, the military spouse unemployment rate continues to hover at 22%.
But there is a lot we do not know. We do not know how many military spouses have lost their job as a result of COVID-19. We do not know how many military spouses are also entrepreneurs and small business owners. We do not know how many military spouses are underemployed despite having an advanced education or training. These are the issues that the National Military Spouse Network works to resolve with their advocacy.
If you are a military family that has ever moved OCONUS, you know how challenging and tedious the whole process can be. When we officially found out we would be moving overseas my husband was meticulous about tracking everything we needed to do in preparation – passports, car shipments and medical clearances. Lucky for us, a family we knew from our originating assignment had made the move just a couple of months before us. This spouse took it upon herself to send helpful notes with reminders of things to do before we left the U.S. And when my husband finally arrived (I followed later), she made it a point to go and greet him at the airport despite having to wait outside in her car due to COVID-19 restrictions. By all measures I'm still a relatively new military spouse. But what I learned from her act of kindness is that these are the kinds of things military spouses do for each other and once you are a military spouse, you are a military spouse for life. That very day, I promised to do everything I could to pay it forward for others.
To make good on my promise, I couldn't be more excited to participate in NMSN's Day of Advocacy on Military Spouse Appreciation Day. We need spouses like you to come alongside us and talk with your members of Congress. We want you to share your personal stories and tell our elected officials how they can best serve you as a military spouse. Let us show our appreciation for military spouses by raising the profile of military spouse employment and entrepreneurship. Together we can go the extra mile virtually, locally, or in Washington, D.C. to use our experiences to make a difference. Let's pay it forward and then pass it on.
I hope you will join the National Military Spouse Network for our annual Day of Advocacy on May 7th. Your voices can make a difference.
For nearly a decade Heba Abdelaal has worked as a congressional staffer in the U.S. Senate where she pursued her passion of serving those who serve-- and have served, our nation. Heba's work with NMSN supporting our nation's military spouses began long before she herself became the proud spouse of a member of the U.S. Air Force in 2018. Heba began her time on Capitol Hill as a legislative aide to Senator John Boozman (R-AR) where she helped advance congressional work on national security and veterans' affairs issues including the VA MISSION Act of 2018-. Most recently, Heba served as Military Legislative Assistant to former U.S. Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO) while based in Colorado Springs, CO.
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