The CoE Cares recently inaugurated the Those Who Serve campaign to send care packages to spouses of CoE employees who are serving in the military overseas. If you are interested in helping out, there’s a list of items here (below, right) that Sergeant Logan Watson, husband of AE School program coordinator Alysia Watson, could use while on assignment in Afghanistan. We salute Watson and all of his comrades for the sacrifices they are making on our behalf. What we can’t send them is the peace of mind they get from having dedicated spouses holding down the fort at home. With that in mind, this edition of “Our Stories” takes a peak at the life of one such spouse – Alysia Watson – who is doing her part.
Alysia Watson with her husband Staff Sergeant Logan Watson, and their two children, Xander and Adilynn, shortly before Logan's Dec. 28, 2018 deployment to Afghanistan. His current deployment could end as early as July or as late as October.
Ask a member of the Decision Control Lab who keeps the machinery whirring, and you’ll likely hear two words: Alysia Watson. Order is her fairy godmother. Deadlines, her best friend.
The longtime AE staffer has her faculty’s travel itineraries nailed, their newsletters written, and their calendars updated to the second. When she was out on maternity leave last year, she left a semester’s worth of publicity flyers spring-loaded on her computer. Just press and publish.
And if that weren’t enough: Alysia Watson always has a full jar of Hershey Kisses on her desk – an unspoken welcome to all visitors.
“Oh, do I still have those? Go ahead and have as many as you want…I can always get more…”
And she means it.
Lately, though, it’s Watson who could probably use a little boost (one that she certainly won’t ask for): in December, her husband Logan Watson, a staff sergeant in the Georgia Army National Guard, was sent to Afghanistan on a six to 10- month assignment – leaving Alysia to manage three-year-old Xander and his eight-month old sister, Adilynn.
For a gal who thrives on well-executed planning, there couldn’t be a tougher challenge. She still runs a tight ship, mind you, but she does so with half her heart (and another set of very helpful hands) a world away. In a warzone.
Alysia doesn’t complain about any of this. She strategizes.
“On my computer, I set up a Google folder called ‘Homesick’ that I share with Logan,” she said. “It’s where all of the photos I take every day get automatically uploaded for him to see. It gives him a peak at the little moments – the kids snuggling or playing. And since it’s automatic -- I know this sounds crazy -- but I don’t have to think about it. It’s done.”
Holding down the homefront is another matter. It's often looming.
“You can never predict with kids,” she said one morning after a last-minute skirmish with Xander started an avalanche of mishaps that made her a wee bit late for work. “The big thing they need is routine, and sometimes life just doesn’t cooperate.”
Case in point: Adilynn was recently hospitalized for a week with two viral infections. While Alysia camped out at the hospital, there was no one to drive Xander to his day care, so, the little guy had what amounted to an unplanned holiday at his grandparents’ house.
Xander had only recently gotten used to going to daycare, so this disruption – though fun – threw him off his game. There were more pouts. More tussles. And a few more tears. Nothing that Alysia couldn’t handle. Just a little more juggling in day that already starts at 5:30 in the morning and ends…well...when it ends.
That's where a sense of humor helps.
"The time between when I get off work and when the kids go to bed I call 'apple juice time,' because it's all about the kids," she quips. "The time after that I could call 'wine-and-dishes time,' but more accurately, it's 'falling-asleep-in-a-bed-much-too-small-for-an-adult' time."
None of this fazes Alysia, who has gotten very good at pinpointing the little things that will make a big difference in her children’s – and her husband’s – life. It’s a constant challenge, however. Her children’s take on the world is vastly different from the practical hustle-and-bustle that defines her days.
“I picked Xander up from daycare, recently, and I asked him how he liked it. The first thing he said was ‘I had a great day.’ Then, after a couple seconds he said ‘I cried all day, Momma.’ When I asked him why, he just said ‘Because you went away.’”
Moments like this one go right to her heart. But they also go right to her head, where she recalculates any number of experiences that might influence her son’s perspective. It’s what parents do all of the time. And Alysia loves being a parent.
"One thing we've learned is to never say 'Good bye.' It’s too final. We just say 'See you later,' meaning: 'I’ll be back. It might not be soon, but I will see you again.' That's important for Xander, but also for us. I’ve been with Logan for 10-plus years, and I’ve never heard him say 'Good bye.' It got much more important for Logan after he lost his best friend -- Sgt. Dustin Wright--- who was killed in Niger in October of 2017."
We look forward to seeing you soon, Sgt. Watson. Godspeed.
--
How can you help?
In recognition of Armed Services Day on May 18, CoE Cares is collecting items to send in care packages to family members of the CoE community who are currently deployed with the military.
One of those packages will go to Logan Watson, who is stationed in Jalalabad, Afghanistan.
Alysia says anything that will help Logan and his comrades relieve their stress would be welcome, including: snacks that have a decent shelf-life (like M&Ms and Pringles), magazines, and even some admittedly juvenile games like Nerf darts.
"Coloring books are good because Xander sends him [Logan] pictures that he's colored and he loves to get pictures back from his Daddy."
On a recent phone call to his Jalalabad outpost, Logan told us that he's likely to share anything he receives with his fellow soldiers.
"I like to make sure they've got what I've got," he said.
Asked what he missed most about being back in the United States Logan Watson didn't mention chips, chocolate or magazines.
"I miss playing with my son, holding my daughter," he said. "And I miss my wife."
You can bring your donations to the AE Chair's Office in the Montgomery Knight Building any time between now and May 18. The following is a list of suggested items provided by CoE Cares:
- Deodorant (men & women)
- Aftershave lotion
- Toothpaste
- Disposable razors
- Ankle socks (men & women)
- Cards/card games, books, crossword puzzles, word searches, Sodoku, magazines
- Lens-cleaning cloths
- Candy/junk food that is shelf stable and travels well — gum, beef jerky, Propel powder, non-chocolate candy (Twizzlers, gummy candies), cookies, snack cakes
- Gourmet coffee
- Energy/protein bars