Everybody has a “story.” There’s a process to everything: every situation, every interaction, and every relationship. Not many people, though, can say that an airline was their ultimate “wing man” (pun intended) that fostered a relationship and really let it take flight.
My name is Jason Watson. I serve in the U.S. Navy, and I am currently stationed in San Diego. Originally from eastern Kentucky, my career has provided me the opportunity to broaden my Appalachian horizons by traveling and seeing more than most ever get to. However, the great thing about a small-town upbringing is that it always finds a way to come back into your life, no matter where your life takes you.
Rewind to a year and a half ago. My now wife, Destiny, was on a temporary job assignment in Phoenix, Arizona. Destiny and I grew up in the same small eastern Kentucky town, our history going back generations with grandparents and aunts and uncles; it's the epitome of small town life. Facebook reconnected us, and we both moved out West for work. Before long, the first Southwest flight was booked and a reunion that began as nothing more as long lost friends reconnecting, was catapulted into our modern-day fairy tale.
Through the months, many trips were made by us between Phoenix and San Diego. Sometimes we would take the scenic route and drive, but as more time passed we started burning up the skies (God bless Southwest’s military rates and travel points!)
As fate would have it, we found out that we were expecting a child together. We both have children from previous relationships, but this bundle of blessings united both of our worlds. The only problem was Destiny’s assignment in Arizona was ending, which meant she had to move back to Kentucky. There is nothing more devastating than watching your future wife load herself and your unborn child onto a plane and fly off into the sunset. Without you.
Life gets hard, for everyone, but even harder when you’re trying to make a life with someone on the other side of the country. For us, though, Southwest has been there to bridge our gap for every one of our milestones in our short time together. Between accumulated points and the airline’s respect for military personnel, we’ve had the privilege of traveling coast to coast and so many other places in between, all in an effort to unite our family as often as possible. I've been able to fly home for doctor visits, cheer competitions, surprise baby showers and the birth of our daughter. Destiny was able to fly to Texas right before Christmas to pick up my son and bring him home to spend the holidays with us. And Southwest has been there for us every step of the way.
Baseball games, surprise short trips home, just taking a long weekend when the extra money and points allowed, we would be NOTHING without the service of Southwest. The frosting on the cake was when I boarded the flight that left me from San Diego a single man and brought me back to base as a husband, father, and stepfather to the best people that have ever happened to me.
I recently re-enlisted in the U.S. Navy. Once again, Southwest facilitated bringing my wife, our 8-month-old daughter (this her 13th Southwest flight), and two of my stepchildren to San Diego to witness my choice to continue my commitment to the Navy and this country. And again, without fail, Southwest made it a fluid transition.
Soon I will be making the honorable and long-awaited flight back to my old Kentucky home as I’ve been provided with orders to be a recruit for the central Kentucky area. Although our air travel will not be as frequent with me finally being home, our love affair with Southwest is far from over. We will now be able to all be together in our future travels, instead of coordinating from opposite coasts. I can’t wait to see where Southwest takes us all, together, as one family. Thanks, Southwest, for being our red-bellied fairy godmother.
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