JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas – The husband of an Air Education and Training Command, Directorate of Manpower, Personnel and Services major was recently recognized for his creative efforts in educating other male military spouses.
Chris Pape, husband of Maj. Dana Pape, Resources Section chief, was named the AETC winner of the Joan Orr Spouse of the Year Award.
Mr. Pape is lauded in the citation for bringing a male, military spouse perspective into the spotlight as the founder of "Macho Spouse," an interactive online resource and educational video library. Macho Spouse videos capture life lessons from male spouses, advice from family counselors and career tips from military spouse career experts.
Maj. Pape said she remembers the day Mr. Pape came up with the name for his new project.
"One afternoon while walking our dog, Chris was bouncing ideas off me for naming his project. When he said, 'how about, Macho Spouse?' I immediately smiled and laughed!" she said. "Not only does the quirky, creative name stick in your mind, but it also reflects his personality."
Although he works full time and tries to spend as much time with his wife as possible, around both of their busy schedules, Mr. Pape stays motivated to make a change.
"Creating Macho Spouse has been my biggest accomplishment within the military community," he said. "This project has given me the opportunity of feeling as if I'm making a difference. To this point, Macho Spouse has been purely a labor of love and volunteer effort; this is what makes me most proud. I can rest at night knowing I've at least tried to make life for military families a bit better."
Mr. Pape used his video producer background, creating online video content for the Arkansas Department of Education, to design the content for Macho Spouse.
"Video is a very powerful way of communicating, and I wanted to share the stories, experiences, and insight from other male spouses in a very effective manner," Mr. Pape said. "For guys to be able to see and hear life-lessons of others is a very important component to Macho Spouse."
Each video is designed to share positive and pro-active insight on how best to handle the challenges of being a military spouse, according to Mr. Pape.
"[In the videos] You won't see a bunch of guys sitting around crying about the difficulties of military family life," he said.
Mr. Pape has also hit the road as a key speaker at four military spouse conferences, addressing more than 1,300 attendees all together. At each event, he was lauded by both men and women for providing an avenue where the male spouse community can feel accepted and understood.
"Knowing that I'm actually helping to make a small difference for military families is my motivation. Also being aware that the amount of support I put in will eventually come back to me when I'm in a jam and need some support," he said. "Even though there are millions of us around the world, we can be a small community when it comes to helping others in times of need."
Maj. Pape said she couldn't be more proud.
"Chris has opened my eyes to better understanding the demands placed on military spouses and I am thrilled that 'my Macho Spouse' is being recognized for his significant contribution to enhancing the military spouse community!" she said.
While all of his work has paid off with each new member of Macho Spouse and each new follower on social media, Mr. Pape still hopes to get more male spouses involved.
"I hope to achieve a higher rate of inclusion for male military spouses," he said. "I hope to help bring our extremely high divorce rate down to levels that reflect normal society. I want to build a resource that gives guys a way to connect with one another, especially in times of need."
To check out the resources available on Macho Spouse, visit malemilspouse.com. You can also show support by liking the Macho Spouse Facebook page at www.facebook.com/#!/MachoSpouse.
