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There is fear, chaos and sadness overwhelming military families behind the scenes. It’s being driven by the sudden firing of senior military officers, officers who have demonstrated they care deeply about the community.

Military families deserve qualified leaders to guide our force, and firing leaders like Gen. “CQ” Brown, Gen. James Slife and Adm. Lisa Franchetti without justification is harmful to our force. We deserve a reason. Sudden firings without justifications create an atmosphere of mistrust.

This loss of stability will have long-term effects on the retention and recruitment of the force. We rely on each other and our government leaders to provide direction and security. What is happening now does the opposite. Military families wonder how they will keep a roof over their heads if they suddenly lose their jobs as well. I worry about the future and how this affects our country’s standing on the international stage. This chaotic atmosphere does nothing to build a secure, lethal warfighter. This is destabilizing to the force overall.

Part of this is tied to what these leaders have meant to the community.

Brown and his wife Sharene are well-loved by military families, and I’ve been personally touched by their work for our community.

I have never met Mrs. Brown in person, but during the difficult transition with the Air Force’s Exceptional Family Member Program, which is a Department of Defense program for family members who have special needs, to MyVector, I began posting on social media about the backlog of assignments in the Air Force Personnel Center’s Central Cell. I wanted to bring awareness to leadership about the problem and help other Air Force and Space Force families struggling with the same thing we were experiencing.

My service member’s assignment, a boarded position, was sitting with no movement, and we were getting down to weeks before our scheduled move. Shareen Brown responded to my post, saying, “Email me here and let me see if I can help you.” I was shocked to have her respond to me on social media, and I sent an email to her right away.

I wrote about how this backlog was affecting all families, and she responded, “What is YOUR story?” I hated that because I hoped to help everyone in the same position as us, but it showed how much she cared for each individual as well. Maybe she had the intuition to know that there was a greater problem that she probably couldn’t solve right then, but she could help in a small way. Once I told her my story, she reached out to Central Cell on our behalf and just asked about our assignment. The next thing we knew, our assignment was approved in enough time for us to get what we needed for our move, and we were off.

I am incredibly grateful for what she did for us and have never forgotten. The Browns are the literal best among us. They take the time to listen to military families and use that for good.

I could list all of their accomplishments, like championing Five & Thrive and working with the Joining Forces initiative, which was unpaid volunteer work, but anyone can Google that and find even more than I can list. I have watched how Sharene Brown carries herself with grace and compassion, speaking up for military families time and time again. I also watched the way her husband cared well for all airmen as the chief of the Air Force and later for all service members as the chairman of the Joint Chiefs.

Something that stands out to me is how they served as a team, and their willingness to talk about their experience with being a part of the Exceptional Family Member Program and how that affected their family. Not many leaders in their positions share what that is like or have that experience.

Their efforts contributed to greater morale among the ranks, because when military families are taken care of, we all know that our service members can focus more on the mission, thereby increasing their warfighting capabilities. Brown’s sudden and premature firing feels like a gut punch to military families, especially since we do not understand why he was fired. He was only the second-ever Black chairman of the Joint Chiefs to serve, and he was fired coincidentally during Black History Month.

Behind the scenes, I am watching spouses lament what is happening, between the firings of leaders and of military spouses who happen to be probationary employees with the federal government.

The military is apolitical and should remain apolitical. Our service members serve regardless of the president’s political party. Their obligation is to the Constitution and their country. Their service should not be in jeopardy because of a political agenda. Our service members and their families are not political pawns and should not be used as such.

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