BARKDSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. -- Sixteen years ago, a squirmy three-year-old launched Julie Cooley on a path that lead her to be named this year’s Armed Forces Insurance Military Spouse of the Year at Barksdale Air Force Base.
Mrs. Cooley’s journey began one Sunday during a church service in Destin, Florida. At the time, Mrs. Cooley was a single mother of twins and had her hands full with the distracted duo. She sent one of them, Kayleigh, to sit with a relative a few pews back.
But instead of going to the relative, the toddler headed for a completely different person.
“Imagine my surprise when I looked back and saw Kayleigh sitting next to a handsome young Airman!” said Mrs. Cooley.
That young Airman turned out to be her future husband, Col. Casey Cooley, who now serves as the 307th Maintenance Group commander at Barksdale. Julie had seen him in the small congregation before, but the two had never met.
“My grandmother had taken up drinking hot tea with him during fellowship and had been talking about him for weeks,” said Mrs. Cooley. “Kayleigh was determined to introduce us.”
The young girl’s perseverance paid off and within weeks the two were dating and were married a few months later. Not long after, Col. Cooley received orders for Maxwell AFB in Alabama. For Ms. Cooley, the orders represented much more than just a change of scenery.
In Florida, Ms. Cooley had her own property management and homeowner association business.
“My resort-based career didn’t exist in small town Alabama and I was stuck reinventing myself, something I would get used to doing,” said Ms. Cooley.
The cycle of moving and finding new employment continued even after Col. Cooley transitioned to the Air Force Reserve. Instead of focusing on her own problems, Mrs. Cooley began reaching out to help military spouses wrestling with the same issues. She began serving as a facilitator for the Department of Labor’s employment workshops, helping Airmen and their spouses transition to civilian life after retiring or separating from the Air Force.
Even that role did not fulfill her desire to help military families. Mrs. Cooley did not want to wait until people were separating from the military to help them with employment. She wanted to help them while they were still part of the Air Force.
These days, Mrs. Cooley goes to great lengths to help military spouses create connections with employers and be successful in the job market.
“I try to help military spouses build networks and make connections so they can find employment while they are at Barksdale,” she said. “I help them with interview practice and will even help them shop for interview clothing.”
Dr. Tess VanHoy, who nominated Mrs. Cooley for the award, said her accomplishments extend well beyond helping military spouses with employment.
In her nomination letter, Dr. VanHoylisted eight local volunteer groups that Mrs. Cooley devotes time to, as well as serving as a host for foreign exchange students. She pointed out Mrs. Cooley’s devotion to the troops.
“She rarely misses an airport visit whether it is a departure or a return from a deployment, she enjoys being there for the hugs on the way out and the tears of joy on the returns,” said VanHoy. “She involves herself in the community advocating for the AF Reserve by helping business leaders, local politicians, and community leaders understand the reserve encouraging the hiring of reservist and their spouses.”
Always on the lookout for new ways to help military spouses with employment, Mrs. Cooley has pursued her cause beyond the local level. She joined a group of military spouses and business leaders in persuading the Louisiana state legislature to pass a host of bills easing the licensing burden for nurses, physical therapists and other medical professional arriving from other states.
“I was so pleased to stand with our team as the governor signed those three bills into law,” said Mrs. Cooley.
Col. Cooley believes his wife’s selection as MSOY will provide the Air Force with unique insight into the struggles faced by all Air Force spouses.
“Julie, as a Reserve Spouse, will be able to use her Spouse of the Year platform to further educate the Air Force as a whole on what she refers to as the ‘forgotten population’ of Reserve families that are required to move around as civil servants,” he said.
Ms. Cooley’s selection as Barksdale MSOY 2019 moves her to the next round of the process. She is now in the running for MSOY for the Air Force and for the entire U.S. military.
Regardless of the outcome, she already has plans to help others at her husband’s next duty assignment.
“Wherever we end up next, my plan is to mimic just what I’ve done here at Barksdale,” she said. “I’m going to get involved from day one, learn the needs of the military families in my area, and find ways to help them.”