Key Spouse honored at ceremony Published March 7, 2011 By Airman Cory Payne 48th Fighter Wing Public Affairs ROYAL AIR FORCE LAKENHEATH, England -- They are a vital cog in the machine of mission success, and they don't even wear a uniform. Military spouse support is critical to RAF Lakenheath, and Cristina Crane exemplified that support in 2010 and was recognized as the Key Spouse of the Year for her contributions as a result. Col. John Quintas, 48th Fighter Wing commander, and his wife Susan, presented the award to Mrs. Crane for her contributions to the Key Spouse Program during the 2010 Key Spouses awards breakfast at the RAF Lakenheath Chapel on March 4. Mrs. Crane received the award for supporting and organizing 23 events and supporting families of deployed spouses. "It's a true honor to be recognized as the Key Spouse [of the Year], I couldn't do it without the families and the squadron," said Mrs. Crane. Colonel Quintas attended the ceremony to show his appreciation for the military spouses. "The leadership, the creativity that you all possess is just simply amazing," he said. The Key Spouse Program is an Air Force-wide volunteer program that builds and fosters local support systems for military families through outreach education events in addition to providing families a link to leadership. Families can voice their concerns to commanders as well as provide moral support to families of deployed Airmen. The Air Force officially implemented this program in March 2009 in response to the higher operation tempos and lower manning. "The Key Spouse Program is very focused on the care of deployed families because we do need Airmen downrange focused on their task," said Colonel Quintas.