129 Years of Family Serving Family: Tina Eakin, EUCOM Consolidated Exchange

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

Who she is: Tina Eakin, Services Business Manager, EUCOM Consolidated Exchange, USAG Stuttgart, Germany.

Military connections: For Tina Eakin, serving those who serve isn’t just a job—it’s a personal mission shaped by years of life within the military community. As a military spouse and mother to two military-connected children, she’s seen the highs, lows and sacrifices that come with military life.

“I understand what it’s like to be the new spouse trying to figure it all out, and I’ve also stood beside others in some of their darkest moments,” she said.

That empathy carries into her role with the Exchange. From supporting quarantined service members during the Ebola and COVID crises, to standing up emergency operations, she’s never hesitated to roll up her sleeves and get to work.

“We were in the thick of it—setting up the first Exchange unmanned retail unit (URU) for quarantined Soldiers during COVID. That experience reminded me how essential we are to the military mission.”

What brought her to the Exchange: Eakin’s journey with the Exchange began in November 2014, when she was hired as an intermittent seasonal cashier at the Fort Cavazos Exchange.

“I started at central checkout during the holiday season,” she said. “It was fast-paced and high energy—but I loved being part of the mission.”

After the holidays, she became a regular part-time cashier, and by April 2015, she had transferred to Services and Vending as an operations assistant. With each step, Eakin gained new skills, took on more responsibility and stayed focused on one goal: serving the military community with excellence and heart.

What she did next: Eakin’s career continued to rise at Fort Cavazos as she moved from operations assistant to business technician and later to assistant services business manager. Each role gave her deeper insight into how the Exchange supports military families—not just through products and services, but by being present during critical moments. She was part of the Exchange’s inventory deployment to Kuwait in 2019 and supported the Fort McCoy mission in 2022, where she helped set up retail support for Afghan refugees arriving in the U.S. “Those were some of the most meaningful experiences of my career,” she says. “To be part of a mission like that—it reminds you how important our work is.”

In June 2023, she took the next big step in her journey, accepting a promotion to services business manager at the EUCOM Consolidated Exchange in Stuttgart, Germany.

What it’s like being a military spouse: Eakin knows firsthand the weight of service and sacrifice. As a Family Readiness Group leader, she’s answered crisis calls, supported families during deployments and maintained normalcy at home during turbulent times.

“It’s not always easy, but it’s always worth it,” she said. Her experience spans the full spectrum—from entering the military world as a spouse to navigating the unexpected challenges of her husband’s combat mission-related medical issues.

“I’ve stood with families as their worlds changed. That perspective is what I bring with me into my leadership role. I know what these families need—because I’ve lived it too.”

Best part of working for the Exchange: The most rewarding part of her career is knowing that her work makes life a little easier for the military community.

“Whether it’s setting up a new service or helping a young spouse figure out how to navigate a new duty station, it all matters,” she said. “We’re here to serve, and we do it with empathy and understanding.”

Family Serving Family: “It’s about responding with aptitude and empathy, no matter the obstacle,” she said. “Our Exchange family is here to support the families of our Soldiers and Airmen—today, tomorrow and for generations to come.”

Her leadership, compassion and commitment shine through every step of her journey—from seasonal hire to mission-critical support in times of crisis, to her current role.

“This is my mark on the world,” she said. “And I’ll keep making it—one service, one connection, one family at a time.”