Linda M. Wolverton, military surviving spouse
May 8, 2026, is Military Spouse Recognition and Celebration Day. Join us on May 8 in celebrating and recognizing U.S. military spouses here in the U.S. and all over the world.
Luke Chapter of the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) (LukeMoaa.org) based out of Sun City West with luncheons and dinner meetings in PebbleCreek joins others in recognizing and celebrating the loyalty, strength, and dedication of the military spouse. Luke Chapter does this every day, but places special focus on this day of recognition, May 8, 2026.
In 1984, President Ronald Reagan named the Friday before Mother’s Day as Military Spouse Recognition and Celebration Day. This year that day is May 8, a day that recognizes the significant contributions, support, and sacrifices of the spouses of the U.S. Armed Forces.
We ask that all citizens who are acquainted with a military spouse, who are or were married to a veteran or active duty military member, to thank them for their service, because they also served our country with their support of their military loved one. The military spouse has learned to be adaptable, managing the home front, caring for/supporting their children in an environment that may at any time become unstable, waiting … always waiting for orders, or waiting to hear when the deployment will start/end.
We are strong, focused spouses who do the impossible every single day. We married our military loves who were duty bound and determined to get the job done. We are more than a label (military spouse). While we know separation or loss happens, no one ever prepared us for the hole our spouse left in our heart when they are gone. Being strong people, we learned how to, no matter what the problems were at home, keep a cheerful attitude when we communicated with our deployed spouses. We are plumbers, carpenters, child psychologists who learned patience and adaptability, and to always put our spouses’ ‘job’ first. We change locations as needed, creating exciting descriptions of the new environments for our children. Our kids learn how to make new friends. We learn to be socially active with our newfound friends at each base, creating memories and friendships that last forever. We have learned how to live life within and outside of our spouse’s duties. We are supportive, loving, loyal, fierce, and reliable. We are proud to be military spouses.
Thank you to all military spouses, past or present. You also served!