Amanda Watkins

Share your military spouse story:
My military spouse story started nearly 15 years ago watching my husband graduate from boot camp at Parris Island, and there has been no looking back since! In true military fashion, we spend the first couple years of our marriage, and his career, apart as he moved through MOS school, and it wasn't until summer of 2011 when we received our first set of PCS orders to MCAS Miramar. In our five years there, there were a lot of firsts: First deployment to Afghanistan, first PCA and first MEU. Shortly after the MEU's homecoming, we experienced another first - our first set of orders overseas to Okinawa, Japan! We spent three amazing years in Okinawa from 2016-2019 and added some additional excitement in our lives by having our first (and only) child during the middle of a typhoon in 2018! In late 2019, we island hopped over to Hawaii where we spent another three memorable years and now, we are rounding out our time here at MCAS Yuma, as we are set to PCS to Quantico this summer. My experiences as a military spouse may have sounded like a breeze hitting the highlight reel above, but there have been many moments of reflection in recognizing that the Marine Corps isn't just a job...it's a lifestyle. Fortunately I had taken an early interest in my husband's career and everything that he does, but it wasn't until we moved to Okinawa that l learned the value of the military spouse community. It was here where I first began volunteering, taking advantage of educational and recreational opportunities on base, and really beginning to network and get to know my fellow spouses.

Share an example of your leadership experience within the military community:
Serving as the Headquarters Lead for the USMC PCS Advocacy Council has been my greatest leadership experience to date. Beginning as an advocate in early 2020, my involvement continued to grow over the years, transitioning to a Hawaii Specialist, then to CONUS Lead, and finally to Headquarters Lead. In my current role, I serve as a liaison between the Council and Headquarters Marine Corps and am the Marine Corps Spouse Representative on the Military Spouse Advisory Panel (MSAP), hosted by USTRANSCOM. Having these partnerships are truly invaluable to UPAC and our mission to give us the platform to report on trends and to advocate. While I serve as the Headquarters Lead, it is really the team of amazing spouses I work with, located all around the globe, that help drive the boat. Collectively we manage two Facebook groups, USMC PCS Support and USMC PCS Support Pacific Region where we share informational posts with links to official resources to assist with PCS related topics.

Describe your involvement in the military community:
My involvement in the military community started in Okinawa in early 2017 as an appointed Command Team Advisor, and that opportunity really created a foundation for me in the years following. Since that introduction to supporting my community, I have volunteered with the Okinawa Leadership Seminar as a small group facilitator and facilitator team lead and served as an appointed Command Team Advisor for our squadrons in Hawaii and Yuma. My current involvement with the community is with the USMC PSC Advocacy Council (UPAC), where I currently serve as the Headquarters Lead. I also serve as a commissioner for the Spouses of Yuma Area Kickball Association (SYAKA) where I will be entering my fifth season in this role. Finally, from a professional standpoint, I am currently employed by MCCS Yuma and work for Marine Corps Family Team Building (MCFTB), where I serve as the L.I.N.K.S and LifeSkills trainer and the Installation Volunteer Coordinator.

Describe how you support your community:
1. USMC PCS Advocacy Council: Our mission focuses on two words - facilitate and advocate. Our partnership with HQMC and USTC allows us to facilitate information flow regarding PCS related information. It could be sharing a MARADMIN or a new factsheet, but the team stays "in the know" on all things PCS. Advocacy comes in different levels and can simply be a report on trends or communicating the desire for a policy review to benefit the military community. 2. SYAKA: Being a commissioner for SYAKA fostered so much growth for the league and for the spouse community. To have something for the spouses that builds friendship through kickball has been impactful here at MCAS Yuma. 3. MCFTB: My job as a trainer allows me to directly support Marines and their spouses on a daily basis. Whether it is teaching L.I.N.K.S. to a group of participants, providing a stress management or communications class, or sharing volunteer opportunities, my support for the community continues professionally too!

What do you advocate for? Why?
I am an advocate for empowering Marines and their families with official PCS policy and resources to help them feel better prepared during every stage of their move. Not everyone realizes this, but PCS policies change every year and what you might have been able to take with you three years ago to Okinawa may not be able to come back to CONUS with you (I see you, lithium batteries!). There are many official resources out there that are unknown, especially to spouses, who often are the ones preparing most for the move. Continuing to share our groups across other social media platforms to build awareness of these policies and resources, especially among the spouse community, is a huge motivator for me!

How have you spread the message of your platform/advocacy?
The primary form of spreading the message of my platform relies heavily on social media, but word of mouth is also a powerful tool for me as well. Facebook community groups for local installations have been a great way to link our Facebook groups when PCS questions arise. They continue to be an avenue for spouses to ask the questions of various subjects, PCS included. I was also a recent guest on a podcast for Marine Corps Association's 'Behind the Camouflage' initiative where I was given the opportunity to share a little bit about UPAC and what we do! The podcast was not done live and will be released in the coming months! Finally, in UPAC's partnership with HQMC, our platforms are also mentioned in the Peak Season MARADMIN, which is released annually ahead of peak season, in addition to being included in PCS checklists that are embedded in Marine Online (MOL) under the travel tab.

What do you hope to accomplish with the AFI Military Spouse of the Year^® title?
With the title of AFI Military Spouse of the Year, my goal would be to continue to strengthen the Marine Corps community with PCS related policies and information so Marines and their families can continue to feel empowered in every step of their move.