Navy Spouse Enjoys Community Support at Back-to-School Event
Naval Petty Ofc. 1st Class Kenneth Watkins and his wife, Veronica, have known each other since high school. They started dating before Kenneth enlisted in the Navy in 2007.
“We are both from really small towns, and a lot of kids go into the military to be able to see new places,” Veronica said.
The couple, from South Texas, embarked on the adventure of being a military family. Kenneth has deployed to Italy, Bahrain, Greece, and the South Pacific, to name just a few locations. Seventeen years later, they have four kids, ages 19, 14, and twins who are 6.
“This year we had our twins in first grade. Last year, when they were in kindergarten, I had four kids in school,” Veronica said. “At this point any help would be a great help. I wasn’t working at the time.”
The family was also trying to rebound financially after their twins’ premature birth when the family was stationed in Japan. One was in the NICU for almost five months, and the other was in NICU for eight months.
“I’m just so grateful. It was an immense help getting ready for the school year.” – Veronica Watkins, Navy spouse
“We basically lived in therapy with them (after that),” Veronica said. “Money was tight. I couldn’t work.”
When her youngest children started school last year, Veronica looked for assistance. The family was stationed in Norfolk, Virginia, when she saw an email from the Family Readiness Group that mentioned Operation Homefront’s Back-to-School Brigade® program.
“It was so helpful last year that I knew I had to watch out for it this year,” Veronica said.
In July, the Watkins family joined more than 300 military families at a BTSB event in Norfolk where they received free backpacks filled with school supplies and enjoyed activities set up for the kids. The event was one of dozens held nationwide as military families prepared for school. Since its inception in 2008, BTSB has delivered more than 550,000 backpacks to military children.
Her usually picky son, the 14-year-old, was excited about his backpack.
“If he’s impressed it’s a good thing,” Veronica said, “And my twin girls were having a blast.”
The Bluey backpack was a true hit, she added.
Veronica appreciated the number of volunteers. Her twins live with cerebral palsy, and the volunteers helped her keep track of them and her son while she added supplies to the backpacks. Plus, it showed the support active-duty service members, veterans, and their families have in the community.
“It is sometimes left to spouses and the ones at home to keep track of everything,” Veronica said. “And you wouldn’t think school supplies are a big thing, but when you have three kids in tow and two are special needs, it is a big thing. The peace of mind we can get from that little bit of help is beyond words, and that’s helpful for service members too because they are not worrying about us.”
She wants donors to know how much their support impacts military families.
“I just want to express my gratitude,” she said. “I’m just so grateful. It was an immense help getting ready for the school year.”
