Sarah Copeland

Share your military spouse story:
Life as a military spouse is full of changes. I grew up in Germany and after going through elementary and secondary school I decided to move to a bigger town to go to University. With a plan for what my life would look like, I met my spouse on a rainy night in October of 2010 near Spangdahlem AFB, Germany, and that was the first big change for our lives. My husband PCSed to Okinawa, Japan, just 6 months after we first met and had gone on a TDY before that. Nobody thought that less than 2 years later I would leave my education, family and friends, pack 2 suitcases and fly halfway across the world to live with my husband. When you're part of the military family changes don't often stop and so we moved halfway across the globe once more just 2 years later, this time 7 months pregnant, and have been at Offutt AFB ever since. We have 2 children (9 and 3), who so far have only experienced their military friends leaving and not yet being the ones to go, although they share the awareness of what it means to not live close to family, or as we say - an ocean away. Leaving what you know is hard, moving into new and different cultures is a challenge and starting over can be intimidating, and yet every time we stood before a decision I told myself that others have done this before me. Specifically other military spouses have faced these and many more complex decisions time and time again. It's this reminder that informs my belief that we are all unique, and even though this life can feel lonely at times, we are not and don't have to be alone. Leaning into community was the most important step for me in learning how to navigate life as a spouse, life as a foreign spouse, and life as a mother.

Share an example of your leadership experience within the military community:
As a member of the Offutt Enlisted Spouses Club I have gained experience in opportunities to represent not only the club but resources available to spouses and support to our Airmen and their families. I've advocated for support needs of the families of nontraditional shift members, including night shift workers, members on alert schedules or any 24/7 operations, at meetings with base leadership as well as visits from Mrs Charlene Austin and Mrs Leah Esper. To connect spouses to each other and resources available to them I have presented at Offutt's MFRCs Heartlink classes, accompanied spouses to appointments and have helped provide or secure translation services for foreign spouses to ensure accurate communication. I currently support a combined sub-club between the OESC and OOSC in an effort to bring our individual members closer to each other with the goal of strengthening our relationships.

Describe your involvement in the military community:
I've been a member of the Offutt Enlisted Spouses Club since 2017 and volunteered to be the Community Outreach Chair at my first meeting. In that capacity I was able to build connections with local nonprofit organizations serving the military and local community that have sustained over the years. I have served as Community Outreach Chair 3 times, as Vice President twice (including currently), and as President, as well as Family Matters Chair for Offutt's AFSA chapter and am a committee member of Offutt's Spouses Dining In. During my time on the Executive Board of the Enlisted Spouses club I was able to organize a suicide prevention workshop open to spouses, coordinated support for our nearly 900 displaced flight line personnel during construction, planned a month of the military child celebration, continued our military spouse appreciation day event and strengthened our outreach opportunities, including a partnership to bring a community circle to the spouses of Offutt.

Describe how you support your community:
I think it's important we meet people where they are at and don't make assumptions of where they should be or what they should know. Diversity weaves a stronger web and realizing that not all spouses are the same but we are a multi-faceted community can help us understand that we don't all have to contribute the same way. Every person has a different specialty and when we combine time, talent and treasure we can achieve the highest level of support that includes the biggest number of people. My personal motto for community support is to show up, be present and listen. Simultaneously, when engaging with the civilian community, I talk about or present issues being faced by the military community. I believe that part of advocating for this community is always representing the good of our community regardless of who you're engaged with in your work.

What do you advocate for? Why?
I advocate for stronger community, for inclusion and for equitable access to resources. Often times we see Airmen and their Families that are not included in programs, events or support networks because they don't work daytime hours or they haven't been thought about in the planning. Alert spouses, who are often not included in support programs, although they are regularly geographically separated, Swing shift or Night shift workers, and Foreign Spouses of US Armed Forces Members deserve equitable levels of support and it's important for people who have felt left out to know that they are seen and that they are considered to be a valuable part of our community. This includes rethinking childcare options available to 24/7 operations, easily accessible translation services, and actionable steps towards inclusion especially in the spouse community.

How have you spread the message of your platform/advocacy?
Most of my volunteer work and advocacy work happens in person. Whether in conversations with other spouses, or at Offutt Enlisted Spouses Club events or public events at Offutt AFB, there is usually always a good opportunity to listen to Spouses and connect with resource providers. For me it's important to encourage people to make their voices heard, and if they can't, or are uncomfortable doing so personally, I am happy to support them or take note of a hurdle they're experiencing and try to understand more so that when there's an opportunity we can find the most appropriate elevation to provide an answer. Within our local community I highlight AFSA's Headline Roundup and Legislative work as well as local policy affecting military members and their families and share events with a focus on community building.

What do you hope to accomplish with the AFI Military Spouse of the Year^® title?
The AFI MSOY title allows for more opportunity of connection and exchange of experiences and possibilities. Being a nominee is an incredible honor to me, especially alongside so many fantastic and tireless fellow Spouses doing amazing work all of the time. With whichever level of this recognition I plan to continue to advocate for more equitable access to available resources for all families and restructuring of programs that do not allow for inclusion in the form they're currently available. I hope to be able to connect with others to create ways in which we can support spouses to support each other in the best way possible.