Letters to a Military Spouse

One of the true honors I have as a Commanding Officer is to express appreciation for the good work my people do, and express appreciation to their spouses. This month one of my top Sailors is getting out of the Navy after 12 years of outstanding service. While we recognize him with an award and farewell meal, the Navy does not have a good process in place to recognize spouses.

As such, below is a letter I wrote to his spouse which included a command coin. It is my hope other Commanding Officers can use this letter as a template for expressing a personal thank you to other Military Spouses.

Dear Mary,

As David is transitioning out of the Navy I wanted to take a moment and recognize your service, sacrifice and support.

In the Navy we have a saying “The Chief is the Backbone of the Navy”. The same can be said for a Navy spouse.  The same thing can be said for a Navy Spouse “The spouse is the backbone of the Family”. You hold things together and provide a stable loving foundation for David to do his best work.

To your credit, David is an outstanding sailor and one who truly takes pride in his work. It has been a pleasure to work with him and learn from him over the last two years.

I wish you and your family all the best as you get ready to move to the East coast and start a new chapter in your life.

If you ever need anything from San Diego please let us know.

Best, John