Danielle Ritter

Share your military spouse story:
My Air Force spouse journey began 19 years ago when I decided to make a crazy move after graduating college to Little Rock for a boy in the Air Force. Military life was something that was never on my radar. I had a plan that involved attending law school and I was convinced nothing else would make me happy. Fast forward many years later and I never went to law school and have been married for 17 years with two wonderful girls and could not be happier. We have PCS’d five times and with those moves I have been able to experience some amazing places and meet some extraordinary people. The connections made with each of the people you meet at every duty station may be the best part of the constant moving. I also consider myself lucky because my husband was selected to be a First Sergeant and he completed six years in that career field. While we were a part of that community, I was able to learn a lot about the Air Force and taking care of people. Being a part of so many different units, it really allowed me to see some of the gaps in spouse involvement and communication. We are currently stationed in Little Rock, which is funny because this where my spouse journey started so many years ago. I am enjoying my time here being a part of this great base community and being allowed to serve as a key support liaison. My community of spouses here have been great especially during one of the toughest times in my life. In May of 2024, my husband was diagnosed with colon cancer. It is because of this military community that I have been able to have the resiliency and strength to get through the past few months. I look forward to the coming year and the next adventure the Air Force will send us on.

Share an example of your leadership experience within the military community:
I currently serve as a key support liaison. In this role I have been able to make contact with many of the families in our unit. I have established both welcome and deployment letters that are provided to each spouse. I have also attended numerous trainings that allow me to provide the most up to date information and resources to my unit. During my time as a First Sergeant spouse, I was also able to sit on a panel that helped to mentor new spouses and allow them to understand the new role both them and their spouses were about to take on. This allowed me to really drive home the importance that this isn’t just a job, but a lifestyle that your entire household is in. That is probably one of my biggest lessons that I like to get across to new spouses. I firmly believe that if you embrace the military as a lifestyle and not just a job it will make your time as a spouse much more rewarding.

Describe your involvement in the military community:
I have tried to be involved at pretty much every duty station we have been at. Anywhere from helping plan events for our unit families to attending trainings to better serve those families or attending distinguished guest panels. I have also worked with the unit booster club on various events to help provide opportunities for our families to enjoy and be a part of those events. I also coordinated with the First Sergeant to provide baby gifts to our unit. As a key support liaison, I have also worked with the Unit Deployment Manager to make sure our deployed lists are up to date and available for my fellow key support liaisons to make contact with our deployed spouses. I also attend all deployed dinners and events to make sure our spouses have the support they need while their partner is away.

Describe how you support your community:
I think one of the most important parts of being a military spouse is the community we build at every base we go to. I not only enjoy coming together with other base spouses, but I have learned a wealth of knowledge from the many events I have attended over the years. I make it a priority to attend any opportunities I am given to engage with base leadership or base agencies. These opportunities have given me to ability to then turn around and provide information to other spouses on base. I am also a member of the Patient and Family Partnership Council. On this panel we discuss important issues that our families are having with the medical group and we aim to a find solution. This has allowed me to keep our unit informed of important changes within the medical group and even Tricare, including the recent change we have had at our base from Tricare East to West.

What do you advocate for? Why?
I advocate for every spouse to realize that they are more than just a spouse. I want them to understand that this ride they are on can be amazing and that they control their story. I want each spouse to be able to advocate for themselves. I want them to understand that no matter the situation they need to stand up for what is right and to do the research to be able to support their issue. I think the military lifestyle can be an intimidating place for many spouses and some just do what they think they are supposed to while suffering in silence. I want them to know there are people out there that care and are willing to help them. I want spouses to know they have a voice and be able to use it.

How have you spread the message of your platform/advocacy?
I try and have contact with as many spouses as possible. I make myself available at many of the events that take place on our base. I stay in contact with our deployed spouses by text and phone. I also provide all the information that is available to them on our unit Facebook and Instagram pages. I attend our unit newcomers briefing once a month to welcome any new members and collect their spouse information. I also provide a welcome and deployment letter with important information. I attend all events that our unit puts on for families and try and make contact with any spouses that are in attendance. As a key support liaison, I also meet with my other liaisons monthly to discuss how we can improve our communication within the unit and provide our spouses with the most up to date resources.

What do you hope to accomplish with the AFI Military Spouse of the Year^® title?
With this AFI Military Spouse of the Year title, I hope to be able to get the message of we aren’t just spouses out there and that title of military spouse can have many different definitions. I want to really build a stronger team within the military spouse community where everyone feels like they are heard. I want to drive home that this really is a lifestyle and we need to treat it as such. I hope that we can break the stigma that some see us as just spouses and instead see the strength we bring to each and every unit we are a part of.