Crystall Herrera

Share your military spouse story:
I am a 21 year Air National Guard spouse. I also have a son that has served in the Air National guard for ten years. I am a mother of four, a special education teacher, a teacher mentor and I have been a Key Volunteer for the 250th Intelligence Squadron for approximately 9 years. I have taught special education on our active duty military base and also supported and mentored new special education teachers on base and across our city. As a military spouse and prior military child I am passionate about supporting military children in my local community. Navigating the education system and military life can be difficult for families. I am fiercely passionate about advocating for children with disabilities. With my experience as a military spouse and as a special educator I strive to support families with the unique challenges of military life. In my role as a Key Volunteer I support families as they navigate military life. I volunteer for the 150th Special Operations Wing family events and my children also volunteer alongside with me. As a military spouse I strive to help my children approach life with resilience, grit and grace. It is important for my family to give back and support others. The Air National Guard is our family and our support system and I hope to be that to our families as well. Our volunteer team provides support to our families during deployments, TDYs and during family hardships. We make sure our families have access to the resources they need when facing difficult times and we support and celebrate during the good times. I believe it is important to build connections during our family events so that we can build trust with our families and they feel safe reaching out when faced with life's challenges. I communicate with our commander, squadron leadership team, family support programs and I also collaborate our key mentor regularly to ensure our families are supported.

Share an example of your leadership experience within the military community:
When our lead mentor recently dealt with health concerns I stepped in to support her, our families and our key volunteer team. I have helped organize family events, supported families during deployments, volunteered for Operation Homefront events in our community and supported spouses in our squadron during difficult times. I communicate with our commander and leadership team regularly. As a volunteer I also attended the Military Child Education Coalition conference in Washington DC where I gained valuable information on high quality connections, suicide awareness and post secondary education tools among many other resources to support our military connected children.

Describe your involvement in the military community:
I help organize and attend the 150th Special Operations Wing family events and communicate with families to coordinate attendance. I attend our states National Guard events and also volunteer for youth events provided for our children. I welcome new family members into our squadron and help to support spouses as they navigate military life. I communicate with our commander and leadership team regularly and make sure to check in with families during UTA weekends and before, during and after any family crisis. I have participated as a Key Spouse /Key Volunteer for the past nine years and also worked collaboratively with five different commanders. I attend the National Guard Volunteer Program trainings monthly and also have attended volunteer meetings for our active duty base. I am passionate about supporting military children in our community as they are a future

Describe how you support your community:
I am a member of the National Guard Enlisted Association Auxiliary and attend and participate in their events to advocate for our National Guard members and veterans. I volunteer for our wing's holiday event, military child appreciation and spouse appreciation events. I check in with families regularly during deployments, TDYs and I also have supported spouses in our squadron during difficult times. I communicate with our commander and leadership team regularly to ensure I am supporting spouses and families in need. As a volunteer I also attended the MCEC conference in Washington DC where I gained valuable information on high quality connections, suicide awareness and post secondary education tools among many other resources to support our military connected children. As an educator I train new special education teachers across our city. I advocate for our military children when meeting individually with teachers at many of the schools surrounding the base and throughout the city.

What do you advocate for? Why?
I advocate for support and resources for families, military connected children and children with disabilities. Children are our future and we need to put our time and effort into assuring that they have the tools, education and resources then need to grow up to be responsible compassionate adults. I believe it is important to give back to our community.

How have you spread the message of your platform/advocacy?
I help to manage our guard families and volunteers Facebook group. I share events and resources weekly and sometimes daily depending on the need. I track resources and events in our community and help share them with our families as well. I also email and share information with the families in our squadron. If needed I help families seek out resources through our Family Support Programs and Military One Source.

What do you hope to accomplish with the AFI Military Spouse of the Year^® title?
I hope to build relationships and connections with our families and let them know that they are supported. I also hope to communicate the many resources that are available for our military families so that they never feel alone. Our spouses are the backbone of our families and they are the primary support our military members, I feel we need to support and advocate for our spouses and families so that our members can focus on their mission knowing their families are taken care of.