129 Years of Family Serving Family: Tamara Loonam, HQ

One in a series honoring the Exchange’s 129 years of family serving family

Who she is: Tamara Loonam, senior policy & program manager in Consumables, Merchandising Directorate

Years at the Exchange: 14 years. Loonam began her career with the Exchange in 2011 as a planogram specialist.

Military connections: Her family has strong ties with the military community. Her grandfather served in the Navy during World War II and was stationed in Grand Cayman, where he met and married her grandmother

Her other grandfather was a three-star Army general who served under Gen. George Patton in World War II and later under Gen. Douglas MacArthur and Gen. Dwight Eisenhower.

Her father served for 22 years as an Airman; Loonam was born on Nellis Air Force Base. Loonam’s brother was an Army Ranger and her cousin is an F-16 pilot with more than 25 years of service.

Her father-in-law was a Navy captain who served 41 years and her husband is also a Navy Veteran.

Her daughter and son-in-law are Air Force Veterans, living and working in Germany. Her daughter works as a contractor for the Air Force while her son -in-law works for the Department of Defense Education Activity schools. Her grandchildren attend DoD schools in Germany.

Memories of Exchange support: Loonam has fond memories of her father bringing home his leftover MRE desserts and comic books from the Exchange to her and her brother. She also remembers when her father went to Korea and brought back blankets he had picked up from the PX.

“They were giant, really soft blankets,” Loonam said. “They didn’t have that back in the ’70s, everything wasn’t soft. But these were giant, fluffy blankets before they were [commonly] made.”

What brought her to the Exchange: Loonam’s extensive family history of military service is what initially got her interested in the Exchange. She wanted to work for an organization that had a mission she could support strongly.

“My hope each day is that I have made a difference to someone, that I have left the world a little better than the day before,” she said.

Her Exchange career: As a senior policy and program manager for the Consumables team, Loonam oversees the divisional budget, develops and manages policy and programs and supports Consumables Vice President Danielle Pelland

“I am humbled and honored to be able to serve with the Exchange,” she said “Every Soldier, Airman or Veteran is someone’s loved one. Each agreed to stand in front of harm for us to protect our country and our way of life. We serve heroes. This is more than a job to me; it is an act of service.”

Memorable moments: “Working for the Exchange and opening up conversations in unexpected places made me realize how small the world really is,” she said.

Loonam was recently shopping in a local department store, and after chatting with the cosmetics department manager, she discovered that the manager was a Veteran who recently moved to the area to be near her family after her husband passed. Loonam was able to share the benefits of working at the Exchange and provided the manager with information about Veteran job applications.

“She was very excited and didn’t realize this opportunity was available.”

Family Serving Family: “Family serving family means many things, but it is very personal to me. My service to the Exchange allows me to honor my family’s military service of the past and for today. Recently, an article was published announcing our Girl Scout cookie shipments arriving OCONUS. That really hit home for me because my granddaughter participates in Girl Scouts while her parents serve in Germany.”