Paulette "P.K." Johnson, Air Force Spouse

Like most military spouses, Paulette “P.K.” Johnson saw a need–and, in a tale as old as time, did what military spouses do: worked on a solution!  

The decade was 1990–and the newest service of the armed forces, the United States Air Force, was less than five decades old.  At the time, P.K., an Air Force Spouse, could not find anything on Air Force history–and certainly could not find a modern understanding of what it meant to be a military spouse. 

Using her love of research, combined with the opportunity to go on speaking tours with the spouses clubs, she began gathering stories: military spouse stories!  From there, using the new and uncharted internet, she found someone to do the layout and the editing for a book–and with the goal to break even on the printing costs–Wings Of Our Own: Heroes, Happenings and History of Air Force Spouses was born!

This 240 page book, truly a cornerstone in our military spouse history, captures the spouse stories and history of the likes of the Blue Ribbon Panel; Gladys Vandenberg and her inspiration behind the Arlington Ladies; and how Bonnie Carroll used her tragic loss to create the national non-profit, the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors.

Today, 78 year old  P.K. is working on another book, MIA in Manila Bay.  This one too will share the history of loved ones, but this time, her focus is her father-in-law, a career naval officer.  Based on his journal entries, it will share his story as he evaded capture for five weeks after being shot down in World War II,  nearly 80 years later.

And as P.K. continues to leave her mark on history, she leaves us with following seasoned, military spouse wisdom and encouragement for each of us: “Remember opportunities are all around you; always have fun; engage with others; be curious; and always involve everyone.”

Thank you, P.K., for capturing our military spouse heritage so that it was not forgotten–and for amplifying the exceptional value of the military spouse and our military community.  What an honor it is to share your story!