NAVAL AIR STATION-JOINT RESERVE BASE FORT WORTH, Texas -- Marine Aircraft Group 41 and subordinate squadrons continued a long-time Marine Corps tradition of showing spouses what it’s like to be a Marine for a day when it held its third annual “Jane Wayne” Day for approximately 40 spouses of active duty and reserve personnel from the Dallas/Fort Worth area here on April 1.
Eager cammie-clad spouses participated in events ranging from the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program, operating heavy equipment, firing the 9mm pistol, piloting the F/A-18 simulator, experiencing the night vision systems laboratory, donning their Nuclear, Biological, Chemical suits, touring a F/A-18A+ Hornet and KC-130T Hercules aircraft, and firing an electronic weapon simulator featuring a life-like machine gun, assault rifle, pistol, rocket launcher and grenade launcher.
Throughout the day spouses were confronted with standards, rules and requirements of what it takes to be a Marine, sometimes even taking them out of their comfort zone.
“Being ordered like we were Marines was actually kind of fun,” said Cynthia Garcia, spouse of Sgt. Andy Garcia, MAG-41 Career Planner. “It’s all a part of getting to see what your spouse experiences as a Marine. It’s really interactive.”
Meals-Ready-to-Eat (MREs), which feature menus such as chicken with salsa, spicy penne pasta, and even a vegetarian manicotti, were served for lunch; giving the spouses an inside taste on “chow.”
“Jane Wayne Day develops a bond between the spouses whether it be by training together, sweating together or spending the entire day together,” said MAG-41 Family Readiness Officer Chief Warrant Officer Stephen O’Day.
Unit family networks, like what were portrayed in the Viet Nam era movie, When We Were Soldiers, thrive due to the convenience of living door-to-door on a larger base. However, when over two-thirds of an air group consisting of over 1,500 is reserve, commuting their monthly training on average of over 40 miles away in every direction, a strong network must be put in place to maintain a structured line of support.
“There can be no family readiness unless the spouses have some awareness of the role their spouses play in this nation’s defense, said MAG-41 Commanding Officer, Col. Juergen ‘Baron’ Lukas. “(Spousal) support comes from understanding the importance of each individual Marine’s role.”
Today’s MAG-41 participants came from as far west as Mineral Wells, Texas (45 miles), as far east as Troup, Texas (137 miles), as far north as Celina, Texas (51 Miles), and as far south as the coastal town of La Marque, Texas (271 miles). The distances traveled monthly by the drilling reservist vary, but with MAG-41 being the largest Marine unit in Texas, they sometimes forget that they, their spouses and children, are too a part of the Marine Corps family.
Events like Jane Wayne Day, or group-wide family days, give these sporadic spouses the opportunity to come together and build relationships that are crucial when that once a month mentality becomes a 7-month deployment in harm’s way.
“Our spouses need somebody they can turn to and talk with who share a common understanding of what (Marine Corps) life is all about,” said Lukas.
As a testament to this lifestyle, Col. Lukas’ wife, Debby, has carried on with nine of her 26 years of marriage raising children alone as her husband deployed all over the world. Her personal experiences have led her to become one of the founding ladies in the current family readiness program implemented by MAG-41.
Col. Lukas admits that the concept of Jane Wayne Day hasn’t changed much since he and his wife experienced their first 26 years ago, but the Marine Corps’ overall interests in family readiness has changed dramatically.
“Today’s concept is that we recruit Marines and we retain families,” said Lukas, “Marine Forces Reserve (MFR) has recently ended three years of mobilizations and now we’re in a sustainment phase, our goal is to encourage our families to continue to be part of something bigger than themselves by staying Marine.”
The day’s farthest participant, Kate, the wife of 4th Marine Aircraft Wing’s Commanding General, Brig. Gen. R. David ‘Goose’ Papak, came from New Orleans. This was her first experience with a Jane Wayne day, but she proved to be a quick learner in many aspects of the day’s events.
“I’ve been able to shoot the pistol pretty well in my career, but I don’t know if I’ve ever had a (shooting) group as tight as hers,” said Brig. Gen. Papak.
Nine of her ten bullet holes had struck the bull’s-eye black circle in such a close pattern that many of the marksmanship instructors gathered around, arguing who’s training assisted her the most. Later in the day, Kate could be seen walking amidst her fellow spouses with the paper target rolled up in her hand as a trophy.
“I always understood the Marine Corps camaraderie,” said Kate, “but after experiencing this I have a deeper respect for what (Marines) go through both physically and mentally.
The day’s events were concluded with an award ceremony, complete with the issuance of personal dog tags and a barbecue dinner provided by the Fort Worth Air Power Council, a foundation committed to supporting the families of the men and women serving the nations while assigned to NAS-JRB Fort Worth.
“The Marine Corps family bond of MAG-41 and its squadrons have been significantly strengthened as a result of this particular event today,” said O’Day.
Story/Photos by: Gunnery Sgt. Rusty Baker & Sgt. Joel A. Chaverri