Caroline Schultz

Share your military spouse story:
I had the pleasure of becoming a military spouse 13 years ago. Though, my military “service” began through my father’s 30 years of CG service making me a proud "military brat". I moved 19 times before completing college and swore I would never marry into the military! Then my high school boyfriend answered the call of duty and became a Coastie! For 4 years we kept a long-distance relationship alive and days after our wedding he transferred to a 210ft cutter that deployed 2 months at a time. My immediate indoctrination into military spouse duty came during this time, when everything that could go wrong did so when he was gone! My CG upbringing hadn’t prepared me for this new level of service/duty. I learned very quickly just how important the Ombudsman role is to families. During one of my miscarriages, I reached a breaking point that only my spouse could fix. I just needed to hear his voice. My mom told me to contact the Ombudsman whose efforts quickly yielded a satellite phone call from him. Without that moment, today might look different for us. My brother also joined the CG, expanding the support network I am lucky to have. As he moved from enlisted to a commissioned officer by attending Officer Candidate School, we took in his twins. While this was a significant challenge in my household, it was a vital support task that I felt duty-bound and rallied to support. I’m proud he earned his commission in 2023! As my Coastie accepted orders to his 3rd ship, we prepared to move our entire lives to Cape May, farther from our core support network than we’d ever been. I realized that there must be others with similar struggles that might benefit from my experiences, knowledge, and ability to relate to their lives. I volunteered as Ombudsman to support them in overcoming the difficulty of military spouse service and I thoroughly enjoy this role. I am humbled by my opportunity to introduce the newest CG spouses to military family service through the Guardian Spouse Program.

Share an example of your leadership experience within the military community:
I proudly serve as Ombudsman to 5 units/300+ families. I also interface and coordinate info flow between external resources to our military community. I maintain regular contact with numerous local organizations that support our military families through activities and fundraising events. I assist in distributing relevant info and activities to my CG families. I also maintain touch points throughout the CG Work Life/Family Support programs, keeping abreast of any changes and providing these resources to families in need and also as an indoctrination effort in the Guardian Spouses program that meets with every new spouse each week a recruit company graduates. My efforts have improved the delivery and information quality that every new spouse entering military service receives. I have met with the CG Ombudsman At Large and communicated challenges, shortfalls and needs of military families in Cape May, as well as received valuable “intel” for our families to make use of in their lives.

Describe your involvement in the military community:
Each recruit company has a Facebook page which can be 500+ members, and I am added to each one of them to provide expert knowledge and mentorship to recruit spouses. I interface with families in my immediate military community through social media postings, newsletter participation, and event attendance to present information. I also provide local community members with information related to our families’ challenges/needs from our seasonal beach community. Recently we had a significant shortfall in elementary school transportation resources. I was fortunate to be asked to assist in CG/School Board meetings to develop a bus solution both reasonable and sustainable for all. CG District 5 Command asked me to give insight on the Ombudsmen/Command Senior Enlisted Leader(CSEL) relationship. This was used to develop a qualification packet for aspiring CSEL. I've planned and executed base tours for those new to the area, which helped them meet friends and feel a part of their new community.

Describe how you support your community:
I volunteer in my local community through support to the local CG Foundation and I support community service efforts that our military families participate in. I also worked with the local police department during the holiday season to make sure any of our families in need received help to give their children a memorable Christmas. I work with the community to get letters and cards to recruits. I'm active in the elementary school programs that our CG children attend. I provided volunteer support to a community festival that opens up the gates of the base to the local community to come and experience our lives at Training Center Cape May. As a Guardian Spouse, I am available to every single new bootcamp recruit spouse and future spouse. Every week we have a bootcamp graduation I am available to answer questions and give information about the new Coast Guard life adventure they are about to set sail on. My efforts help to make these newest CG Family members feel part of our CG community.

What do you advocate for? Why?
I advocate for our families. I believe that retention of Coast Guard members starts at home. If our families feel supported and are happy then there is a better chance that our Coasties will thrive and continue to answer the call to serve our nation. The job of an active-duty Coast Guardsman is not easy, and the job of their spouses is equally challenging and often overlooked. If the Coastie has an unhappy family that will prevent them from giving it their all at work. Imagine if we could alleviate some of that stress or unhappiness simply by communicating the inclusivity of the military spouse network to all our spouses, especially the newest ones! We are a Coast Guard family, and we support and appreciate every single member of this family, from the Commandant to our newest infant dependents!

How have you spread the message of your platform/advocacy?
I frequently send messages and emails to my units’ families to make sure they know pertinent information and to remind them if they need something I am always here! I encourage commands to offer, and have helped plan, pre-deployment briefs. Whether alone 3 days or 3 months, the info is relevant to the families. All service members and spouses benefit from Work Life resource refreshers. As a Guardian Spouse I am always available for senior USCG members and commands to answer questions about what type of information is relayed and where we are lacking. Our common goal is to make sure the Coast Guard family experience is a great one and to do that we need to make sure our families are supported. When a recruit company mentor observes our Guardian Spouse meetings, I am there to answer questions and receive feedback on which spouses might need extra help or advice. The chain of communication is always open, and this is how we make sure our Coasties and families are supported and happy.

What do you hope to accomplish with the AFI Military Spouse of the Year^® title?
I hope to be able to spread the importance of, and be the ambassador for, the Ombudsman and the Guardian Spouse programs. I want to make sure that every military spouse knows that they are not alone and even when far away from family there is always someone to talk to. I always hear from spouses both new and seasoned that they never knew how much support there is and how many resources are available. I want to make sure no spouse is left behind! Every spouse should know the resources available or at least know the contact information of who can get the most up to date resources available to them. I hope to make the Guardian Spouses program something that is used Coast Guard wide because it’s not just bootcamp where new Coast Guard spouses come into our family.