Anna Spafford

Share your military spouse story:
I am Anna and I have been a military spouse for over 21 yrs. I met and married the love of my life in northern Michigan before he ever ventured into the military. Considering our limited options, we made the decision together for him to enlist in the Air Force and the next thing I knew he graduated from Basic Military Training Thanksgiving weekend of 1999. I was mesmerized by the pomp and circumstance of that weekend because I had very little experience with the military! Moving to our first base was hard and lonely, but I learned that I had to be open to spouses with diverse backgrounds to develop community. We connected through playgroups, coffee meetups, going for walks, and Desperate Housewives nights. In 2010, after a 5-year hiatus and getting a degree, my husband commissioned in the Air Force, and transferred to Space Force in 2020. Each duty station has come with a new set of friends, and new adventures to be had! Sometimes old friends are at new duty stations, also!

Describe any leadership positions or provide an overview of your leadership contributions within the military community.
Over the years, I have led by running yahoo groups for bases (before Facebook), bible studies, book clubs, and homeschool groups. I volunteered my time as American Heritage girl troop leader and homeschool coop teacher. When an opportunity to be a Key Spouse presented itself, I volunteered. As a Key Spouse, I worked to be a conduit of information for both families and leadership. I remembered what it was like to be a young spouse and wanted to make spouses feel like they were an important part of their military community by planning social gatherings, unit gatherings, attending all calls, staff meetings, meeting with leadership and sharing family insights and needs. This provided opportunities to ask tough questions of leadership about issues affecting military families. I was honored to be chosen to attend Military Spouse Advocacy Network’s Military Spouse Leadership Development Course, and in 2025, I attended their Mental Wellness course.

What programs or projects are you currently involved in that support the needs of military families?
Since 2023, I have volunteered with the non-profit, Exceptional Families of the Military in several roles. EFM is a passion project as my family is an EFMP enrolled family. In the last year, I have been volunteering between 5-10 hours a week overseeing EFM’s grant program sending grants to military families and veteran’s families for medical appointments. This program gives small grants for gas, parking, and food for appointments and inpatient hospital stays. It has been very meaningful to see how this has helped these families and ease some of the burden medical appointments have on these families. Some of the families have needed the grant to help with appointments for cancer, heart transplants, and other unexpected long inpatient stays. One family requested a grant because they often have to leave work to go to frequent medical appointments and that has been difficult. Other ways I am involved, I am often in military spouse Facebook pages sharing resources.

What moments best reflect your impact on building inclusive community among military spouses?
Throughout my time as a Key Spouse/Key Support Liaison, I tried my best to create moments of connection through outings with other spouses, so they felt like a part of the unit. I found that many spouses felt disconnected and lonely. Even now, I take time to text or email other military spouses to check on their wellbeing and to see if they needed anything. Often, I will receive back a text, “Thank you for reaching out, that means so much!” Those little moments mean a lot to people. My desire is to provide a safe space for spouses to be real and share what they are going through, so they feel validated for their experiences and not alone in this military life. I also go out of my way to champion other military spouse’s causes and work by sharing their work with the broader community. I believe in showing up and being a supporter of other spouses. I spent time volunteering with Space Force spouses this year at JBJ Soul Kitchen and laying wreaths at Arlington for Wreaths Across America

Identify your main advocacy effort and describe your personal connection to the cause.
I advocate broadly for EFMP issues, but specifically I advocate for better mental health care for military families. I am personally connected to this issue because I have had family members who have suffered from depression, eating disorders, OCD, and suicidal ideations. Having more options and access to better quality mental health care would do wonders for our families, but while TRICARE covers care, it lacks choices, limited in-person care, or the inability to move because of a lack of providers at duty stations. When the service asks so much of our families, it is essential for it to be a high priority for military leaders. I believe we need to normalize talking about seeking help for our mental health because caring for our mental health and wellbeing is as essential as seeking medical care for other ailments and being open about it destigmatizes it. The pursuit of mental wellness is important for all military spouses, and seeing spouses thriving is what I am all about!

Summarize your advocacy outreach strategies, including any events, media involvement, or other communication efforts.
Some call me a quiet advocate because I am not the most outspoken advocate and do not seek to be the center of attention, but I am passionate about military family issues. I was an experience and EFM’s expert blogger for Mission Milspouse where I shared about the challenges and triumphs of military life. I have engaged several times with a journalist who writes on military family issues and even wrote an anonymous op-ed for Military.com to speak out on military family issues in the last year. I have engaged many times with Secure Families Initiative, helping give feedback or made videos about military voting issues. I also wrote several press releases for Exceptional Families of the Military and reached out to journalists to try to advocate for EFMP issues.

What do you hope to accomplish with the AFI Military Spouse of the Year^® title?
If I were to be honored with the title of MSOY, I hope to show that it isn’t only the loudest in the room who can make an impact. Small acts of showing up for our fellow spouses can cause a ripple effect that goes far and wide. Each military spouse has within them the seeds of hope for what the future of the military community can be. Through my being authentic and open, I hope to make space for others to be themselves, so they feel they belong in our community. Sharing our experiences and how we care for ourselves, our family, and our community can make a big impact on other spouses. It’s not just about me, it’s about us, and what we do together that matters. The quote I live by is by Edward Everett Hale, he said, "I am only one, but still, I am one. I cannot do everything, but still, I can do something. And because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something that I can do."