Jami Price

Share your military spouse story:
My spouse and I have been together for over 28 years. We started dating our Senior year after we enlisted in the Marine Corps. We got engaged before graduation and went off to bootcamp on separate coasts. Yes, we were those Marines that got married in a casino chapel while on boot leave! A few days later, we headed to separate coasts again. We spent the next 4 months hanging out by the pay phones and spending our money on calling cards. I was fortunate to get orders to El Toro and he was at Camp Pendleton. I remember moving into our first apartment. We used our savings to buy a car and rent an apartment. A woman at the dealership was a Marine spouse and gave us a few kitchen essentials. She said that wives take care of each other and help each other out. We barely had money for food and borrowed my grandmother’s credit card to buy a living room set. There was a mistake with the delivery and we went a month without any furniture. We slept on the floor of our empty apartment and used our issued sleeping bags. One of my husband’s SNCO’s wives found out about our situation and took us to the flea market so we could get some furniture for our apartment. We were two kids trying to navigate this new world. We didn’t know about lending lockers, thrift stores, food drives, or any of the other resources that were around at the time. Throughout the years, we had 2 beautiful daughters, multiple deployments, promotions, PCA’s, PCS’s, schools, TAD’s, moves, graduations, weddings, and even a grandson. Throughout all of this, one thing has remained constant; mentorship and friendship from the amazing Marine Corps Spouses that I have been fortunate to have crossed my path. I know that I could not have done it without them and have vowed to carry the torch and pass on the leadership, knowledge, and dedication that they showed me. We experienced the highest of highs and the lowest of lows together. I am honored to be nominated and to represent these spouses.

Share an example of your leadership experience within the military community:
While serving with the Camp Lejeune Leadership Seminar, we were facing having to cancel the seminar due to the pandemic. Our team knew that we needed to continue our mission and help spouses on their leadership journey especially during those times of uncertainty. We took the lead of the sister Leadership Seminars and hosted the first fully virtual seminar. By going virtual, we were able to have military spouses from all over the country and different branches join us. It was such a unique opportunity and knew that we could make a big impact for all military spouses. My team went into the planning stages with a vision and persevered through the many trials and errors. We supported each other and lifted each other up where needed. The ability to connect with other spouses on a different platform was such a rewarding and amazing experience.

Describe your involvement in the military community:
I am currently serving our community as a LINKS Mentor. I enjoy teaching the classes, encouraging spouses to get involved, and welcoming Spouses to the area. Over the past 27 years, I have volunteered with the Family Readiness Program as a Key Volunteer, Family Readiness Assistant, and Command Team Advisor. When I have not been able to commit to a specific role, I have jumped in to help where the unit or community has needed me. I have served with the Camp Lejeune Leadership Seminar as a Facilitator, Lead Facilitator, Curriculum Vice President, and as President. I also served on the Mental Health Consumer Council at the San Diego VA Healthcare System where we advocated and worked with the County of San Diego to expand mental health services to veterans and military families that were not eligible for care through the VA.

Describe how you support your community:
I have a passion to serve my community. As a LINKS Mentor, I help educate spouses and military members about the resources available to them in the community. I encourage spouses to get involved and show them different ways to give back at levels they are comfortable with. I also offer mentorship and friendship to spouses that are having trouble navigating this lifestyle. At one unit, I started a monthly coffee group for spouses to come network, build friendships, and created a safe space to express themselves. When the pandemic hit, I transitioned the group to a virtual platform and was able to have guest speakers from all over the country interact with us to help us through the unknown. I also started a program to welcome spouses to the unit by writing welcome notes and included business cards for some of our most important resources.

What do you advocate for? Why?
I believe that strengthening our Family Readiness Programs can help empower spouses and our military members. The Marine Corps is known for having the least amount of money and understand the money is needed in other places. However, there are amazing spouses with knowledge, skills, passion, time, and the ability to help empower and educate our community. We are the least expensive and underutilized resource that the Marine Corps has. I advocate for spouses to step outside of their comfort zone, believe in themselves, get involved in the community and utilize the resources that are available. It is so easy to sit in the negatives of a situation and miss out on the amazing things going on around them. I remember being a 21-year-old spouse and mom of two young children experiencing our first deployment. I remember our PCS to the East Coast not knowing the area and only knowing a few people to lean on. Both of those experiences were positive and successful due to those volunteers.

How have you spread the message of your platform/advocacy?
I lead by example and am involved in the community. When I'm mentoring at LINKS, I teach spouses, military members, and parents about the resources available, I show them how to get involved in the community and encourage them to leave it a little better than how they found it. I speak with spouses that are struggling and help them find resources for their situation, offer mentorship to them, and cheer them on through their journey. I share my struggles and wins on social media so people know that they are not the first or the last to go through their situation. I speak with other leaders in the community about the struggles and try to find solutions to strengthen the Family Readiness program.

What do you hope to accomplish with the AFI Military Spouse of the Year^® title?
My hope as Spouse of the Year is that I will inspire spouses to get out of their comfort zone, get involved, and share their knowledge and experiences with each other. Our journey as a military spouse is what we make of it. There will always be good and bad days and in the end, we are responsible for how we respond to those days. You have the power to make your community a better place for those that come through after you. Together we can create a ripple effect that will be felt throughout the community and be the ray of light that shines through the toughest of days.