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International officers’ wives receive welcome, information during IFOP

  • Published
  • By Mary Sell Manning
  • Air University Public Affairs
MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. --  Peggy Funk knows what it is to be an Air Force officer's wife in a foreign country.

She's lived in Germany and didn't understand the language. She's tentatively shopped for groceries in Italy, unsure of exactly what she was purchasing.

"I do know what it is like not being able to speak the language or know what is in the can," she said

But for the past 25 years, Mrs. Funk has used her empathy for international officers' wives at Maxwell and Gunter - as well as her organizational skills and a surplus of energy - to help organize the annual International Family Orientation Program.

This year's two-week program included about 55 women from almost as many countries. The program's goal is to acclimate the spouses - many of whom have never been to the U.S. - to the area and educate them on everything from the importance of tornado warnings to how to find their favorite kitchen essentials. The program orientation also helps bond the women who will spend a year in Montgomery while their spouses attend Air War College or Air Command and Staff College.

"We want them to feel comfortable and welcome," Mrs. Funk said. "By the time it is over, you have 55 friends."

As spouses program coordinator, Mrs. Funk is responsible for making sure IFOP has the staffing it needs. IFOP relies solely on volunteers and donations. This year, there were 25 volunteers, about half of them translators.

"We have as many translators as we can get," Mrs. Funk said.

On a recent Monday, the first day of the orientation at Maxwell Elementary, Mrs. Funk stood, microphone in hand, among a group of women. She'd split them into language groups around their translators. Later, she split them into two larger groups: AWC and ACSC for an overview of the schools.

George McCarthy, deputy director for the International Officers School, International Affairs, Air University, said there are two benefits to IFOP: reducing the anxiety of officers' families and "if the military students knows his spouse and family can take care of themselves, they can concentrate on what they are here to do: go to school."

Though the orientation lasts only two weeks, Mrs. Funk and the other volunteers see the international spouses numerous times after it's over. There are coffee clubs monthly and an English language program in August.

"Many years ago, I found the women would stay in their apartments and had nothing to do. That is not the case anymore."

She helps the spouses (she says "spouses" because she had a husband in the group last year) with everything from overcoming language barriers to finding transportation to child care and education issues. At the opposite end of Maxwell Elementary, more than 100 international children are going through their own orientation program.

Kate Goodall, the wife of an officer from England, was an IFOP participant three years ago. Now she is a volunteer.

"(IFOP) becomes your family and Peggy is like the mother," Mrs. Goodall said. "She is looking out for everybody."

Meeting the women - many of whom have their own professional careers in their home countries - is her favorite aspect of IFOP, said Mrs. Funk, who has a master's degree in mental health.

Mrs. Funk has a scrapbook filled with group photos and smiling faces from the past 25 years.

She'll take that scrapbook with her next year as she looks to lessen her role in the organization.