Written By: Jen Amos, Host of Holding Down the Fort Podcast
Happy Veteran’s Day! Today is a day to honor our military veterans who have served. To say, “Thank you for your service,” AND to share their stories. Who are you thanking today? And what is their story?
Let me start by sharing the stories of the two most important veterans in my life.
To my father, Alfonso Apdal Amos…
I come from a family of farmers. I was told that my father loved farming, but his father told him to join the US Military to seek more opportunities. So he enlisted and served in the US Navy as a MM1 in the 80s and 90s. Here’s a throwback photo of my family in the early 90s – my mom is on the left, my dad is to the right of her, and that’s my brother and myself next to him. And that stroller in front of us? That’s my baby sister.
The disappearance of my father in 1998 was completely unexpected. He was on the USS Kitty Hawk traveling from Yokosuka, Japan Naval Base to South Korea when he went missing. I was told that a search crew was sent out for three days to no success… And as you can imagine, this has deeply impacted my family ever since.
Today, we honor my dad’s memory at his marker in Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery. Whenever I have a chance to visit San Diego, CA, I always make it a point to have a father/daughter date with him.
I share more about our family story in Ep. 027.
About the Podcast
Military families are far from the average American family.
While on active duty, families learn resilience, resourcefulness, time management, organizational skills, flexibility, delayed gratification and, of course, how to establish a new normal after every PCS.
Our award-winning show is dedicated to curating knowledge, resources and relevant stories for military spouses (by military spouses and military family advocates) so they can continue to make confident and informed decisions for themselves and their families. Because let’s face it… we know who’s REALLY “Holding Down the Fort.”
November 2020, Jen Amos and Holding Down the Fort Podcast was awarded “Media Professional of the Year” at The Rosie Network Entrepreneur Awards! Check out her acceptance speech at https://fb.watch/1Es0LLlGu7/
About the Host
Jen Amos is an award winning podcaster and online entrepreneur.
Jen first found podcasting in summer 2019 as a way to work through her mild depression and bouts of loneliness. She had recently moved from San Diego, CA (her home of 20+ years) to now Virginia Beach, VA with her husband and fur baby.
Jen is an advocate for promoting personal narratives. She is known for her active listening skills, candidness, and ability to uncover powerful stories and life lessons while interviewing her guests live. Her favorite topics to cover on her shows involve military families, entrepreneurs, women, and mental health.
Prior to podcasting and moving to the east coast, Jen received her Bachelor’s in Journalism emphasis Public Relations at San Diego State University and was fired from her fourth consecutive job in her young adult years. For a decade since, Jen has established a career in sales and in entrepreneurship with experience in the legal industry, online marketing, and now financial services.
Jen’s been featured on multiple media outlets including Psychology Diary, VirtForce, Ossa Collective, SUPERBANDS, Chopsticks Alley, FoundHer by Entrepinayship, Military Veteran Dad Podcast, SD Voyager, FedEx Office, The San Diego Union Tribune, NBC 7 San Diego, The Living East, and much more.
November 2020, she was awarded “Media Professional of the Year” at The Rosie Network Entrepreneur Awards for her work with Holding Down the Fort Podcast. Her show, The Filipino American Woman (TFAW) Project, has been recognized as “Amplifying Asian Women Voices” on Spotify during AAPI Heritage Month 2020. In 2018, her and her husband’s business, US VetWealth, was named 2018 Best Entrepreneur Start Up Company Awardee by the San Diego Business Journal & The Rosie Network.
August 2020, Jen Amos participated as a speaker for PodFest Global, which now holds the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ title for Largest Attendance for a Virtual Podcasting Conference in One Week. In addition to the media platforms, events, groups, and organizations Jen has been fortunate to be a guest speaker at throughout the years, her favorite medium of speaking has been through podcasting.
During her spare time, Jen volunteers with Veterati, SCORE and 7 Cups.