AAAA Family Forum / By Jodie Francis and Janice Crosby
Over the years our Army Aviation First Ladies, Jodie Francis and Janice Crosby, have dedicated themselves to supporting our Aviation Soldiers and their Families in countless ways. I thank them for sharing their thoughts and I look forward to spending time with them and you this April in Nashville! – Judy
Hello Aviation Families! It has certainly been too long since we have been able to get together face to face, and we are extremely excited to see all of you at the 2022 Aviation Mission Solutions Summit. AAAA has gone above and beyond to make this a safe event for all of us, and we appreciate their effort! This year will be a special time as we reunite with old friends and meet new ones that have changed out over the course of the last two years. We know that “the Army goes rolling along” despite the challenges of the pandemic, and we look forward to welcoming all our new folks into the Aviation family!
I continue to be amazed at what our SFRGs continue to do to ensure our families are informed and taken care of. Our Army continues to deploy around the world, and our SFRGs have had to come up with innovative and creative ways to keep our families connected to each other. From Facebook Live and Zoom calls, to healthy outside events, our volunteers continue to overcome obstacles to take care of each other. All this while taking care of their own families that have had to stay home from school and other activities. Your resilience is truly inspiring!
This year’s Summit will be exciting in so many ways! But most importantly getting the Aviation family back together again is by far the thing I am most excited about! We have been blessed with such incredible people in this community, and it’s time for us to catch up and share the incredible stories that have kept our Aviation team going strong! Thanks to all of you for taking care of each other, and we look forward to catching up with all of you in Nashville!
Above the Best!
Jodie Francis
Aviation Spouses,
I sincerely hope you are all well and that you will be able to attend this year’s AAAA Summit in Nashville. It is time for our Aviation family to come together once again. As you know, this once-a-year event celebrates the accomplishments of Army Aviators and their families, and it also allows our Army and Industry teams a chance to come together and plan their efforts for the future. In addition, our great AAAA team has arranged events for the spouses during the event. Here is what we have set up for this year:
- Sunday from 12 to 4 is the Marathon Village and Greenbrier Distillery Tour, a trip back into the early 1900’s when autos were made at the plant. It is now a creative community of unique shops and a Tennessee whiskey distillery. This is the home of the American Pickers show.
- Monday from 8 to 8:30am there will be a Yoga event.
- Monday from 11:30 to 12:00 we have the spouse professional program, The Evolution of Rosie the Riveter. Maria McConville, the Army’s Senior Spouse, will guide you through starting a successful business while being a military spouse. She will share her successes and offer advice on steps to take to create a portable career. Rosie the Riveter has reinvented herself!
- Monday from 1:30 to 2:30 is the spouse Gaylord Opryland Garden Tour, hosted by one of their fabulous horticulturists. Guests will have their own private session to learn about the plants and the many hours of work it takes to care for these lush gardens.
- Tuesday from 8:00 to 9:00am there will be water aerobics.
- Tuesday from 11:30 to 12:30 we have a spouse professional program, Strategies for Living with Multiple Deployments. Multiple Deployments remain a constant in today’s Army. Dr. Tim Hoyt, Psychological Health Promotion Branch Chief, will offer strategies for Living with Multiple Deployments.
- For more information and registration go online at www.quad-a.org/22Summit/RegistrationTickets
- Remember, the annual summit is a great time to establish and renew relationships within our Aviation family. I hope you can enjoy the social events to catch up with friends and find time to experience the many wonderful Nashville attractions.
Hope you have a great time in Nashville!
Janice Crosby
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Jodie Francis is the spouse of MG David J. Francis, Army Aviation Branch Chief and Commanding General of the U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence at Ft. Rucker, AL; and Janice Crosby is the spouse of AAAA National President, MG (Ret.) Tim Crosby.
Judy Konitzer is the family forum editor for ARMY AVIATION; questions and suggestions can be directed to her at judy@quad-a.org.
