Colonel Honors HR Relocation Specialist for Her Help With Passport Issue

Col. David J. Green, general counsel for Special Operations Command and director of the Security Justice Advisory Directorate at the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem, needed help with his diplomatic passport. He was in the Dallas area and needed to get to Israel—fast.

He had worked with an agent to get his passport and visa processed, but the agent submitted it with incorrect information. The Special Issuance Office at Fort Belvoir, realizing that he needed help quickly, recommended him to Norris Watkins, a relocation manager in Human Resources at Exchange headquarters.

“He reached out to me, based on the referral, for assistance to get the request completed,” Watkins said. “He forwarded the information he had to me, along with what needed to be corrected. I was able to make the corrections in the system, resubmitted the request and asked to have it expedited.”

Green contacted Norris the week of April 8. By April 17, she had received his diplomatic passport. Green, who is based in the Dallas area, came by to pick it up—and presented her with his challenge coin for her help.

“His team had already left for Israel,” she said. “When he came to pick it up, he presented me with his coin. He said he really appreciated the attention to detail, the timeliness and the sense of urgency.”

Watkins, a 22-year Exchange associate, has been a relocation manager since October 2021. She was previously an HR talent manager, but even then, she had experience with relocation.

“I was a talent manager, but I was also primarily responsible for deployment or contingency staffing requirements for downrange—Kuwait, Jordan, Qatar, UAE, Iraq, Afghanistan when we were there, Kosovo and Romania,” she said. “I also managed the assignment of volunteers in support of Operation Allies Welcome with the support of leadership.”

Executive Vice President/Chief Human Resources Officer Dr. Patrick Oldenburgh Jr. said that Green spoke highly of Watkins’ work—and the work of the Exchange as a whole.

“He expressed immense gratitude to Norris, praising her outstanding customer service and meticulous attention to detail in ensuring his needs were met,” Oldenburgh said. “He also extended his appreciation to the Exchange for its support to our troops downrange, highlighting the comfort of home that we provide during contingency operations.”