{"id":114651,"date":"2024-02-11T23:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-02-12T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=114651"},"modified":"2024-02-13T07:36:03","modified_gmt":"2024-02-13T07:36:03","slug":"majors-valentines-daycouple-found-love","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=114651","title":{"rendered":"Majors\u2019 Valentine\u2019s Day,\ncouple found love"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n Majs. Andrew and Liz Collins take a selfie in front of the 501st Military Intelligence Brigade building, U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command, South Korea. Andrew served as the operations officer for the brigade while Liz served as the brigade and battalion executive officer.
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WASHINGTON \u2014 As couples across the country celebrate Valentine\u2019s Day, two majors remember how they met, the challenges they faced, and how they continue to make it work while both serving in the Army.<\/p>\n

Maj. Liz Collins, an intelligence officer with Defense Intelligence Agency, Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, Washington, D.C., grew up in Korea, Texas, South Carolina, Louisiana and New Jersey. Her father retired as a sergeant first class in infantry. One brother is the finance corps sergeant major with 24 years of service, and the other is an intelligence warrant officer.<\/p>\n

Maj. Andrew Collins, an intelligence officer with the Department of the Army, Pentagon, grew up in New York at the U.S. Military Academy, Kansas, Louisiana and in Saudi Arabia. His dad retired as a lieutenant colonel in infantry.<\/p>\n

How they met<\/strong><\/h5>\n

\u201cWe did the math, and there was some overlap at Fort Johnson when we were kids, even though we didn\u2019t know each other,\u201d Liz said.<\/p>\n

\u201cBoth of our dads were infantry. We could\u2019ve met on the playground and not known it,\u201d Andrew added with a laugh.<\/p>\n

Liz commissioned through Officer Candidate School, and Andrew went to West Point. Both joined the military because they had grown up in the military lifestyle, for the educational benefits, and because of their family history.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing familiar with the environment helped shape my decision,\u201d Liz said. \u201cI have a family history of Army service.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAs an Army brat, you grow up knowing what it\u2019s like and being comfortable and familiar with it,\u201d Andrew said.<\/p>\n

Their first assignment was Fort Liberty, North Carolina, where they were executive officers in the same battalion.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe just became friends,\u201d Liz said. \u201cHe was just a great source of information for me a great help, getting me spun up on what it means to be an XO [executive officer] and how to do things. We were prepping for a deployment as soon as I got there. Within three months, we were deploying.\u201d<\/p>\n

First deployment<\/strong><\/h5>\n

During their first deployment to Afghanistan in 2010, they were at separate locations, staying in constant communication.<\/p>\n

\u201cI emailed him and called him all the time,\u201d Liz said. \u201cHe was always so much fun to be around and so much fun to talk to in person and online. He was a mental break away from what I was doing every day in my mission in that environment, to just take a break and talk to somebody fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI spent time with my platoon sergeant, my warrant officers and my first sergeant but I didn\u2019t have a lot of officers or peers I could hang out with,\u201d Andrew said. \u201cShe gave me an outlet digitally. We could stay up late chatting on the little chat boxes with entirely professional conversations but still laughing with each other. We were both in the same job within the same battalion at the time.\u201d<\/p>\n

They were friends. Over the year, the two bonded.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe is hilarious and just laughing at crazy situations that being in the Army bring you into,\u201d Liz said, laughing. \u201cJust having that outlet with somebody, to share it with him. And then him understanding everything you\u2019re talking about, it\u2019s great.\u201d<\/p>\n

More than friends<\/strong><\/h5>\n

A few months after they got back from Afghanistan, Andrew had to go to school to progress in his career. Liz said she felt a sadness deep within and knew he was more than a friend.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt wasn\u2019t like losing a friend. It hurt more,\u201d she said. \u201cThat feeling let me know this relationship wasn\u2019t something I wanted to let go of at that moment in our lives.\u201d<\/p>\n

They started dating in October 2010.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was love at first sight for him,\u201d she quipped when asked how Andrew felt.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was hard going to school without her, but growing up in the military, you get used to saying, \u2018See you later\u2019 to people instead of goodbye. You know you\u2019re going to see them again. I just never really felt like I was saying goodbye,\u201d Andrew said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re still together. We\u2019re going to stay together forever, absolutely forever, no take backs,\u201d Andrew said, laughing.<\/p>\n

Second deployment<\/strong><\/h5>\n

They dated for three years, and during that time, she deployed for one year, and he served at a different base. During her second deployment, Liz said she constantly thought of Andrew and knew he was the one for her.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was probably the hardest part of our entire 14-year relationship,\u201d Liz said. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t the same deployment by any means.\u201d<\/p>\n

Since Andrew was stateside, the couple had a time difference, and she couldn\u2019t share mission stories because of her work in the intelligence career field, it was harder to relate to Andrew during that time.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe got through it,\u201d Liz said. \u201cWe made a schedule for when we could call each other. We tried to keep it relevant to what we could talk about and what we were experiencing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe joke that she had a higher standard of living in the [United Arab Emirates] than I did at Fort Johnson,\u201d Andrew said jokingly.<\/p>\n

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\n Katie Collins, Maj. Liz Collins, Maj. Andrew Collins, and John Collins pose for a photo after Liz and Andrew exchanged wedding vows at the top of Reservoir Hill at Fort Huachuca in Arizona. Katie and John are Andrew’s parents.
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Two weddings<\/strong><\/h5>\n

While at the captain\u2019s course at Fort Huachuca in Arizona, they had their first wedding on July 4, 2014, on top of Reservoir Hill so that they could be Army official and move together.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the home of intel. Everybody runs this hill at a 5,000 elevation. We got married on top of that hill on the 4th of July by one of my instructors,\u201d Liz said. \u201cAndrew\u2019s parents flew in. It was just the four of us, plus this Army chaplain on top of this running hill, overlooking this beautiful vista. It was a beautiful day.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was amazing,\u201d Andrew said. \u201cIt was way better than our actual big party wedding. The first wedding was small and intimate. The bigger wedding was with family and friends just outside of Phoenix in September of that year over Labor Day weekend.\u201d<\/p>\n

Honeymoon<\/strong><\/h5>\n

Since they already had two established households, instead of receiving normal wedding presents, they asked for money to go toward their honeymoon.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s sitting in a savings account right now,\u201d Liz said with a chuckle.<\/p>\n

They were going to go to Greece for their honeymoon but found out they were getting stationed in Hawaii for almost four years.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe did take a short trip to Napa Valley that was kind of a mini honeymoon. That was pretty awesome,\u201d Andrew said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe got pregnant immediately in Hawaii, like immediately. There was something in the water in Hawaii,\u201d Liz said giggling.<\/p>\n

Ellie was born and six months later, Liz was pregnant with Sophia.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe didn\u2019t find out I was pregnant until I was four-and-a-half months along. We felt her kick,\u201d Liz said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI go to Hawaii for three years, and I was pregnant for two of them,\u201d Liz said grinning.<\/p>\n

Liz said they were both company commanders in Hawaii. And since both daughters were born there, they took them back on a short vacation last year.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey got to see where they grew up, where they spent their first few years. The house is still there,\u201d Andrew said. \u201cThey just love saying they\u2019re Hawaiian girls.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRaising our kids in the Army life, we\u2019ve realized the opportunities they\u2019re getting,\u201d Liz said.<\/p>\n

Ellie, 8, has lived in Texas, Hawaii, Korea and Washington, D.C.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe make her aware of all the experiences those locations can provide,\u201d Andrew said. \u201cTheir cousins have lives in the same house their entire life. We remind them of the cool things they get to experience and give them a global perspective.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n Maj. Andrew Collins, an intelligence officer at the Pentagon, his daughter, Ellie, 8, and Sophia, 7, and his wife, Maj. Liz Collins, an intelligence officer, Defense Intelligence Agency, Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, Washington, D.C., enjoy a hike in Maryland.
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Making joint assignments work<\/strong><\/h5>\n

Whether joint spouses are enlisted or officers, it\u2019s always a challenge to get assigned together, especially as each spouse rises in the rank and responsibility. They talk to their assignments team to see what jobs are available for two people in one area while still trying to advance in their respective career fields.<\/p>\n

For example, an officer will need to lead at different levels such as company, battalion, brigade and division, depending on their career fields.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not complaining because of the locations we\u2019ve been to, which have been amazing, and it\u2019s about keeping our family together,\u201d Liz said, \u201cbut at the end of the day, it\u2019s managing the touchpoints you have to have in your career.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDepending on the job and the mission, somebody has to take a backseat sometimes, and then we rotate it,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

Andrew said it didn\u2019t always work out. He got a great opportunity to work at the Pentagon and had to take it.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt turned out great but made a life a little bit harder,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

They both said communication with each other and with their family, friends and the military community is vital.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Army really teaches you how to communicate,\u201d Liz said. \u201cEarly on we knew it was rough and that we have to talk to each other. I deployed again in 2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHere we have a great support structure with our family,\u201d Andrew said of being stationed in Washington, D.C.<\/p>\n

He said they didn\u2019t have trouble convincing any of their family to come out to Hawaii to help them.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn Korea, you\u2019re reliant on other military families to help you out, and they did,\u201d Andrew said. \u201cOur commands were very supportive of us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still a spark<\/strong><\/h5>\n

From serving as executive officers to a year of deployment chats, two weddings and two daughters, 14 years of marriage hasn\u2019t dampened this couple\u2019s spark.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s so much joy that you get from having a partner who understands you, who supports you and that has the same career,\u201d Liz said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love his blue eyes, and he\u2019s still hilarious,\u201d Liz said animatedly. \u201cHe\u2019s very calm, mellow, approachable but hilarious. He\u2019s also very reserved. Most people don\u2019t realize how funny he is until they get to know him. It\u2019s like this secret I get that he doesn\u2019t share with the whole world.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s young at heart and the life of the party. She always has a lot of energy,\u201d Andrew said about Liz. \u201cShe\u2019s bubbly and fun to be around.\u201d<\/p>\n

The two majors tend to finish each other\u2019s sentences and both agree that they see a little of each other in their daughters.<\/p>\n

\u201cI see us in both of our daughters,\u201d Andrew said. \u201cEllie is much more outgoing than me but also super easy going. Sophia, I see myself in her a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re both very animated. They\u2019ve successfully gotten that trait,\u201d Liz said proudly. \u201cAnd they have lots of energy, nightly dance parties, karaoke competitions. You can thank Korea for that one.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd expect Andrew to bust out, \u2018You\u2019re welcome\u2019 during those parties,\u201d Liz couldn\u2019t resist saying.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Majs. Andrew and Liz Collins take a selfie in front of the 501st Military Intelligence Brigade building, U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command, South Korea. Andrew served as the operations officer for the brigade while Liz served as the brigade and battalion executive officer. (Photo Credit: Courtesy photo) VIEW ORIGINAL WASHINGTON \u2014 As couples across […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":114653,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-114651","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/114651","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=114651"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/114651\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":114657,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/114651\/revisions\/114657"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/114653"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=114651"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=114651"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=114651"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}