Amanda Rummel

Share your military spouse story:
Never say never. This may sound like an old cliché, but it has become my life motto. When I said I would never marry someone in the military, then it obviously was going to happen. Growing up in a small town, it’s not strange for a teenager to date her best friend’s coworker. For them to still be married 16 years later despite the “never” is. I felt the trials of the first deployment during my senior year of high school, putting college on hold, building a new life at 19 during the second deployment, leaving family to be based in Germany for 4 years, and on and on. After all of the obstacles and lessons learned, my husband said, “you should be a Key Spouse”. For years I declined, thinking I had no knowledge to lead others. Luckily, I learned quickly I had been leading spouses without even intending to. By 2017, I had earned a Presidential Service Lifetime Award with 2000+ volunteer hours all devoted to serving the military community, and have since then let my service speak for me.

Describe any leadership positions or provide an overview of your leadership contributions within the military community.
I have had the privilege of serving many communities, service members, spouses, families, and retirees, throughout the last 12 years. Working with organizations such as the Key Spouse program, Americans Working Around the Globe, Ramstein Enlisted Spouses’ Association, the USO, and Offutt Enlisted Spouses Club to name a few, I've been able to propel the connections, funding, and awareness of the Air Force communities where we resided. Through the positions of: Executive Secretary, Funds Development Chair, Rheinland Pfalz Area Representative, Seminar Assistant, Ways and Means Chair, Historian, 2nd Vice President, Vice President, Membership Chair, Fundraising Chair, KSL, and KSL Mentor blood, sweat, and tears have been shed, information disseminated, lifelong friends made, and most importantly, communities strengthened.

What programs or projects are you currently involved in that support the needs of military families?
I currently fill the role of Vice President for the Ramstein Spouses’ Association. In this demanding position, I am responsible for coordinating, tracking, and appreciating the organization’s volunteers. I also dedicate my time as a Key Support Mentor of the 721st AMXS, assisting incoming families and airmen, hosting squadron events, and being a resource for every possible inquiry coming in. Of course, volunteer roles usually consist of much more than what goes on paper. Behind the scenes, I am constantly racking my brain how to better every process in place to make systems easier for the next person, while being “the one” that anyone, spouse or otherwise, can rely on. I always have said “I just want to help people”, and I mean it. I strive to become a person that everyone feels comfortable and connected to, because no matter how much money is raised, lemonades served, or members recruited, the strongest thread in a successful military community, is the power of human connection.

What moments best reflect your impact on building inclusive community among military spouses?
Upon our return to Germany post pandemic, morale was obviously very low. The most efficient way I could think of to reconnect with the squadron spouses was to host regular in person coffee connections. These became such a hit that I expanded into organizing morale trips. I also saw that the members were struggling, so I partnered with the local USO to come into my husband’s 24-hour squadron 3 times a year during shift change to provide shift dinners for the active-duty members. With the commander and USO’s support, these became a regular event that the maintainers still look forward to. I’ve also co-chaired the RESA lemonade stand at the Freedom Fest and base Bazaar for multiple years, contributing thousands of dollars back into the local community via philanthropic actions and welfare grants for other private organizations that help build up our military community.

Identify your main advocacy effort and describe your personal connection to the cause.
As we all know and have likely personally experienced, the obstacles that spouses must go through are never-ending. Every TDY, PCS, deployment, shift change, and major life events throw a major wrench into our daily routines that we must figure out how to navigate. As a new mother, my eyes have also been opened to the struggle which is the access to the specific issues of spouse employment and access to childcare overseas. I advocate for any spouse needing resources, support, or a voice, but I especially see those milspouses lacking resources. I feel so strongly that those who are trying to fight to keep their own identity and advance their own careers for their family and themselves are given the opportunity to do so. One of my mentors once told me "if you hold an event and only one person attends, that's one person you helped who may have really needed you".

Summarize your advocacy outreach strategies, including any events, media involvement, or other communication efforts.
Using my honored position as the Vice President of the Ramstein Enlisted Spouses’ Association and a Key Support Mentor for the 721st AMXS, I network as much as possible in order to reach as many spouses as possible. Every volunteer event I attend, whether it’s handing out bagged Thanksgiving meals and setting up our Quartermania Angel Tree event, or helping launch our local Relay for Life team and heading membership tables at high schools for scholarship opportunities, I seek connection. Since I am a natural extrovert, I gravitate to finding new faces and revisiting previous connections. I also regularly bring spousal concerns to our KSL team to enhance communications from the families to the command team. Every encounter is a chance to meet someone who may need the resources that I can direct them to or help raise issues with the right people.

What do you hope to accomplish with the AFI Military Spouse of the Year^® title?
With the AFI Military Spouse of the Year® title, I would broaden my sights on programs and initiatives to enhance the overall spouse experience. Being away from your village is tough, regardless of the number of miles or oceans between, but it shouldn’t be harder than it needs to be. I would love to create the changes in the system that would cause others to come back in 5 years and say “wow, this is so much better”. And I’ve learned throughout my years that it all starts with one person and a voice for change.