Army Wife Proud, Pampered at Homefront Celebration
Ashley Jordan left Operation Homefront’s Homefront Celebration in El Paso, Texas, with a door prize of a Ninja blender, plenty of new friends, and gratitude that her role as a military spouse was recognized and honored.
As the wife of an Army staff sergeant stationed at Fort Bliss, Ashley can tell you that military spouses are the support behind the nation’s active-duty personnel.
With a 7-year-old daughter, a 5-year-old son, and a 9-month-old son to care for, she was thrilled to get a baby-sitter and head for a night out on her own in mid-September.
“I got to dress up, the food was great, I didn’t have to cook or clean, and I got to speak to grown-ups,” Ashley said. “It was lovely.”
Homefront Celebrations are special nights out, just for military spouses, hosted by Operation Homefront at various locations throughout the United States each year. Guests enjoy a catered dinner, hear from a motivating guest speaker, and have a fun and relaxing evening. Southern New Hampshire University supports military spouses by hosting Homefront Celebrations and providing a scholarship to a guest.
“It was nice to feel pampered.” – Ashley Jordan, Army spouse
The El Paso event took place at the El Paso Zoo and gave guests a panoramic view of the zebra exhibit as they bonded over their shared military life experiences.
“The people at our table were so sweet, and we got to take pictures with them at the photo booth Operation Homefront provided. And we asked each other icebreaker questions that were such fun. It was a great networking event.”
She found out about the event through Operation Homefront’s email list and social media and signed up right away.
Ashley’s husband, Staff Sgt. Eric Graham, joined the Army in 2011 and operates unmanned aerial vehicles at Fort Bliss. Their only other assignment was at Fort Hood in Texas, both quite different from her native Oahu, Hawaii. They met in Hawaii when Eric was serving as a tanker.
Once her children are old enough, she hopes to open a catering business and utilize her skills cooking Hawaiian dishes.
The Homefront Celebration gave Ashley a well-needed break, especially because her husband was away for training at the time.
“It was nice to feel pampered,” she said. “I’m very grateful that they held this event, and I would love to attend more events. It was lovely to be recognized.”
Operation Homefront, a nonprofit that this year celebrates 20 years of serving America’s military families, helps service members and veteran families overcome short-term bumps in the road so they don’t become chronic problems.
