Military Spouses and Mother’s Day Published May 16, 2013 By Brig. Gen. Anthony Cotton Commander, 45th Space Wing PATRICK AFB, Fla. -- Within the course of the last week, our nation celebrated two events that should be very near and dear to everyone's heart: Military Spouse Appreciation Day and Mother's Day. Growing up in a military family, I was able to witness first-hand that military spouses stand shoulder-to-shoulder with all members of our military, whether they are Active Duty, Reserve or National Guard. Amy Cotton was a perfect example. My mother was the glue that always held the Cotton family together. She was a feisty woman from Sapporo, Japan. She was all of 5 feet, 2 inches, and she stood as tall as any women I have ever known. She had to be ... she was married to an Air Force Chief! She was a homemaker who truly ran the household As a husband and father, I can also say the same about my wife, Marsha. She is cut from the same cloth. Not only is she a remarkable military spouse, she is an equally remarkable mother to our two children. And not unlike many of the military spouses today, she has her own career that has been sidelined due to multiple PCS moves and various obligations. Never ever forget about those sacrifices our spouses make. Marsha and my beloved mom represent all the moms and spouses of not only our Patrick - Cape Team but all those in the Department of Defense. We could not do it without their loving support. In our nation's capital recently, our commander-in-chief, President Barack Obama, had this to say about our Military Spouses, "As long as there have been courageous men and women willing to protect our Union and our ideals, there have been extraordinary spouses at their side -- patriots in their own right who serve and sacrifice in ways many cannot fathom. America's military spouses are at the core of our Armed Forces, and on Military Spouse Appreciation Day, we celebrate their contributions to keeping our country safe." For me, everyday is mother's day and military spouse day. My heartfelt thanks and gratitude goes out to all of you. I hope you feel the same. Let's switch gears. At press time, we were preparing to launch the latest Global Positioning Satellite, scheduled for late Wednesday afternoon, which will mark my final time as the Launch Decision Authority on the Eastern Range. This is the 31st active GPS satellite in the constellation, the 65th GPS to be launched, the 4th Block IIF and the first GPS IIF satellite to ride on the Atlas V launch vehicle. This is the 32nd EELV Atlas V launch from SLC-41 at Cape Canaveral AFS. Then we get right back to work for a Delta IV launch currently scheduled for the evening of May 22. Keep Pushing Sharks!