ROBIN KING - FOREVER CHANGED
NSW Spouse & CEO of the Navy SEAL Foundation
It has been said that the toughest job in the military is that of an NSW spouse. For many, this may be difficult to comprehend due to the contrast in nature of duties between the spouse and service member. However, life on the home front, although vastly different, poses unique challenges that only an NSW spouse can understand and deliver on.
Recently, we had the chance to meet long time NSW spouse and CEO of the Navy SEAL Foundation, Robin King. Robin was kind enough to share her unique story of becoming an NSW spouse and how the last 28 years as an NSW spouse has affected her perception on time, service and community for the better.
We hope you enjoy reading her story as much as we did.
FOREVER CHANGED
When I was 15 years old, going to high school in Dallas, Texas, I a met boy. He had blond hair, blue eyes, and dimples. He was gorgeous. He was a year older than me, an athlete, and a very popular guy, and I was seriously improving my social status by going out with him. His name was Bill.
Over time, Bill became a fixture at my house. He would come over after football practice, and many, many times he would be wearing these seriously tacky Navy SEAL t-shirts he had gotten from his older brother. He thought they were super cool, but I didn’t really know or care what a SEAL was. One of the t-shirts was a Navy SEAL Instructor shirt, and I think he wore that one the most. He had one with a totally offensive SEAL poem on the back, and another just said Peter Four across the chest. If you don’t know what that one means, ask an old frogman because I am sure he would love to let you in on that old dirty joke. To top it off, he was the proud owner of a bumper sticker that said “Frogmen Do It Deeper.” Obviously, I was in love.
Over the next couple of years of high school, Bill began to explore what he wanted to do with his life. Bill had been introduced to the photography business through my family, and he liked the idea of shooting for magazines, record albums, advertisements and fashion. He decided to go to college on an athletic scholarship and explore photography as a major. Bill completed two years of college in Texas before transferring to a very prestigious art school in Los Angeles. I also transferred to college in LA. After a few years, we graduated from college, got married, bought a house and got a dog. Bill started shooting pictures, and his business was going well. If he was shooting a job for Interview magazine or Warner Brothers Records, I wanted to be there. I truly enjoyed living this ultra-cool LA life, and this life was good.
One day, Bill told me his older brother was going to be in San Diego visiting a buddy from his active duty SEAL Team days, and Bill was going to drive down and hang out for the weekend. I told him to go enjoy himself and have a great time; but when Bill came back after that weekend, he was different, and he said he wanted to talk. He told me he loved hearing all about his brother’s time in the Teams, and it really made him think about his life. He said, “I want to be a SEAL. I have always wanted to be a SEAL, and I have to try.”
Well believe it or not, I still didn’t really know what that meant. I think I knew it meant being a part of the military, and for a girl who grew up in Dallas, that was not something I had ever been exposed to. Over the next few days, we talked a lot. I learned a lot about what this change was going to mean for our lives, and he discovered that he still didn’t know a lot about this career. One thing was obvious; this was his destiny. You could see it in his eyes. He had to try, and I said, "Okay." At that moment, I knew my life was about to change completely. What I didn’t know was that it was going to change for the better.
I have been married to Bill for 28 years and an NSW spouse for 25 years, and I can’t imagine who I would have become without this community. I know being a part of Naval Special Warfare has shaped who I am, and the best examples of this relate to my thoughts on serving our country, valuing time and understanding a community.
SERVICE
Military life and life in Naval Special Warfare are about service. Serving our country in the biggest way possible. As NSW spouses we are a part of our national security. We understand the sacrifices it takes to ensure our freedoms. We live them every day. We serve. Our kids serve. And our spouses serve on the front line.
We are constantly guarding our families. Monitoring our social media and that of others to ensure the safety of this community. We care about each other, even when we haven’t met. We play an integral part in supporting the force, establishing a solid, grounded family life offering the stability needed to allow our spouses to come and go while staying focused on their job. Through NSW, I serve, and I honestly don’t think I would have incorporated service into my life without it.
TIME
Life in NSW teaches you a lot about the value of time. It is precious, and we know that because our families measure time differently. We learn it is important to make our days together meaningful and to understand that holidays are not necessarily marked by a particular day on a calendar, but are defined by when our loved ones can be together in one place to celebrate them. We joke about whether we are celebrating our 20th anniversary or our 10th if we are measuring in NSW time. And we pretend our marriages are successful because of all the time spent apart, but we know it is because we are strong enough to endure the separation.
And we know that time is sometimes taken from us. We’ve experienced the loss of many friends, and we grieve for the time they did not get with their families while we have stood in awe at the strength and grace their loved ones have exhibited. I think about time every day, and I am thankful NSW has taught me to appreciate it.
COMMUNITY
As part of NSW I am part of something much bigger than me. I am a member of a community. We all have friends and neighbors, but a community is more than that to me. We are an interconnected group of people who live through profound events together. Explaining life in NSW to outsiders is hard. They don’t understand this unique community. They don’t get how we feel when the media attacks our warriors or our leadership. They can’t wrap their head around the crazy operational tempo at the height of the war, and how that stress filters down onto the families. But we get it, and we support each other. And although I don’t know everyone in NSW, I don’t doubt the community’s support for me if I was in need. I hope the NSW community knows I will be there for them too.
My life in NSW is unique to me. It’s not necessarily easier or harder than another spouse’s, and I wouldn’t begin to judge our lives by comparison. It is simply my story. Twenty-five years after becoming an NSW spouse, I can say my life is better because of my connection to this community. I am honored and proud to be a part of it. I would like to thank every NSW spouse for being part of the community as well, for being part of something bigger than themselves, and for serving our country. I hope we all acknowledge our strength every day, value our time, recognize our importance and appreciate how life in Naval Special Warfare changes us all, for the better.
Robin King
NSW Spouse
Navy SEAL Foundation, CEO
Recently, we had the chance to meet long time NSW spouse and CEO of the Navy SEAL Foundation, Robin King. Robin was kind enough to share her unique story of becoming an NSW spouse and how the last 28 years as an NSW spouse has affected her perception on time, service and community for the better.
We hope you enjoy reading her story as much as we did.
FOREVER CHANGED
When I was 15 years old, going to high school in Dallas, Texas, I a met boy. He had blond hair, blue eyes, and dimples. He was gorgeous. He was a year older than me, an athlete, and a very popular guy, and I was seriously improving my social status by going out with him. His name was Bill.
Over time, Bill became a fixture at my house. He would come over after football practice, and many, many times he would be wearing these seriously tacky Navy SEAL t-shirts he had gotten from his older brother. He thought they were super cool, but I didn’t really know or care what a SEAL was. One of the t-shirts was a Navy SEAL Instructor shirt, and I think he wore that one the most. He had one with a totally offensive SEAL poem on the back, and another just said Peter Four across the chest. If you don’t know what that one means, ask an old frogman because I am sure he would love to let you in on that old dirty joke. To top it off, he was the proud owner of a bumper sticker that said “Frogmen Do It Deeper.” Obviously, I was in love.
Over the next couple of years of high school, Bill began to explore what he wanted to do with his life. Bill had been introduced to the photography business through my family, and he liked the idea of shooting for magazines, record albums, advertisements and fashion. He decided to go to college on an athletic scholarship and explore photography as a major. Bill completed two years of college in Texas before transferring to a very prestigious art school in Los Angeles. I also transferred to college in LA. After a few years, we graduated from college, got married, bought a house and got a dog. Bill started shooting pictures, and his business was going well. If he was shooting a job for Interview magazine or Warner Brothers Records, I wanted to be there. I truly enjoyed living this ultra-cool LA life, and this life was good.
One day, Bill told me his older brother was going to be in San Diego visiting a buddy from his active duty SEAL Team days, and Bill was going to drive down and hang out for the weekend. I told him to go enjoy himself and have a great time; but when Bill came back after that weekend, he was different, and he said he wanted to talk. He told me he loved hearing all about his brother’s time in the Teams, and it really made him think about his life. He said, “I want to be a SEAL. I have always wanted to be a SEAL, and I have to try.”
Well believe it or not, I still didn’t really know what that meant. I think I knew it meant being a part of the military, and for a girl who grew up in Dallas, that was not something I had ever been exposed to. Over the next few days, we talked a lot. I learned a lot about what this change was going to mean for our lives, and he discovered that he still didn’t know a lot about this career. One thing was obvious; this was his destiny. You could see it in his eyes. He had to try, and I said, "Okay." At that moment, I knew my life was about to change completely. What I didn’t know was that it was going to change for the better.
I have been married to Bill for 28 years and an NSW spouse for 25 years, and I can’t imagine who I would have become without this community. I know being a part of Naval Special Warfare has shaped who I am, and the best examples of this relate to my thoughts on serving our country, valuing time and understanding a community.
SERVICE
Military life and life in Naval Special Warfare are about service. Serving our country in the biggest way possible. As NSW spouses we are a part of our national security. We understand the sacrifices it takes to ensure our freedoms. We live them every day. We serve. Our kids serve. And our spouses serve on the front line.
We are constantly guarding our families. Monitoring our social media and that of others to ensure the safety of this community. We care about each other, even when we haven’t met. We play an integral part in supporting the force, establishing a solid, grounded family life offering the stability needed to allow our spouses to come and go while staying focused on their job. Through NSW, I serve, and I honestly don’t think I would have incorporated service into my life without it.
TIME
Life in NSW teaches you a lot about the value of time. It is precious, and we know that because our families measure time differently. We learn it is important to make our days together meaningful and to understand that holidays are not necessarily marked by a particular day on a calendar, but are defined by when our loved ones can be together in one place to celebrate them. We joke about whether we are celebrating our 20th anniversary or our 10th if we are measuring in NSW time. And we pretend our marriages are successful because of all the time spent apart, but we know it is because we are strong enough to endure the separation.
And we know that time is sometimes taken from us. We’ve experienced the loss of many friends, and we grieve for the time they did not get with their families while we have stood in awe at the strength and grace their loved ones have exhibited. I think about time every day, and I am thankful NSW has taught me to appreciate it.
COMMUNITY
As part of NSW I am part of something much bigger than me. I am a member of a community. We all have friends and neighbors, but a community is more than that to me. We are an interconnected group of people who live through profound events together. Explaining life in NSW to outsiders is hard. They don’t understand this unique community. They don’t get how we feel when the media attacks our warriors or our leadership. They can’t wrap their head around the crazy operational tempo at the height of the war, and how that stress filters down onto the families. But we get it, and we support each other. And although I don’t know everyone in NSW, I don’t doubt the community’s support for me if I was in need. I hope the NSW community knows I will be there for them too.
My life in NSW is unique to me. It’s not necessarily easier or harder than another spouse’s, and I wouldn’t begin to judge our lives by comparison. It is simply my story. Twenty-five years after becoming an NSW spouse, I can say my life is better because of my connection to this community. I am honored and proud to be a part of it. I would like to thank every NSW spouse for being part of the community as well, for being part of something bigger than themselves, and for serving our country. I hope we all acknowledge our strength every day, value our time, recognize our importance and appreciate how life in Naval Special Warfare changes us all, for the better.
Robin King
NSW Spouse
Navy SEAL Foundation, CEO