Last February, Cathy Smith hadn’t set foot on a naval station in over two years. In a whirlwind nine months she’s found herself marrying a Sailor, moving to Everett and assuming the demanding role of Naval Station Everett’s first ever command ombudsman.

Smith shares the title with Judy Baker who’s also been given the awesome responsibility of serving the families of NAVSTA Everett.

Many Sailors, especially those who are single, are unfamiliar with exactly what an ombudsman is.

“I’m basically a liaison between the captain and the families,” said Smith. “I’m there to help them in any way I can. I’m a spouse myself and I can understand where people are coming from when they approach us with questions concerning their families.”

With the changing role of today’s military, more and more Sailors are being deployed with much shorter notice then in the past. Smith has seen this first hand with the deployment of her husband, MA1(SW/AW) Gary Smith, who left for Baghdad, Iraq to perform garrison security within a week of volunteering. 

After her husband left, Smith immediately began to look for support through the Navy. Her search eventually led her into the office of the NAVSTA Everett Commanding Officer, Capt. Eddie Gardiner. They both soon realized the base needed to provide something more for families with a deployed relative. Smith’s extensive background in customer service and human relations, she holds a degree in behavioral studies, encouraged Gardiner to request she consider becoming the station’s first command ombudsman. Smith eagerly stepped up to the plate and accepted the volunteer position.

“Before doing this, I worked for a 1031 exchange company in California,” said Smith. “It’s a lot of the same because I’m still dealing with people. I helped people with their investments before and now I’m helping them with their lives.”

Many challenges accompany the creation of a new job; however, Smith has worked hard in the weeks since her appointment to command ombudsman to iron the position out into a smooth operation. She said starting from scratch can be a challenging task but the resources at her disposal are almost endless.

“One of the exciting things about being an ombudsman and going through this process is learning of all the really neat things that the Navy is doing for families and how they are concerned about the Sailor’s family even while they’re not here,” she said. “Every other day I’m finding a new resource that we have as spouses and putting it together in a way that everyone can use. Judy and I are always thinking of ways, as ombudsman, to get this information out so that other families understand we have these resources available to us.”

Smith’s first order of business as command ombudsman was to put together a welcome aboard letter for Sailors new to the base. In the future she hopes to continue aiding the Sailors and their families.

Because her own husband is deployed to Iraq, she said she’d like to be actively involved with the spouse’s of deployed servicemembers, letting them know what means of support are available to them during their loved one’s absence.

Smith said the station’s chain of command has been a big help while getting the base ombudsman program on its feet. 

“We have a captain who is very concerned about his Sailors and their families. He is constantly in conversations with us and desires to support the families of his Sailors.”

Smith encouraged all the families of NAVSTA Everett to come in to see the command ombudsman with any questions, concerns or just to say ‘hello’. 

“One of the things I want to do is encourage spouses to get involved while I’m here,” explained Smith. “It’s always good to sit down with someone face to face who’s been through what you have.”

Spouses who have a question, wish to get involved, or need help can contact the command ombudsman office, located in the Chaplains Office, Bldg. 1985, on the ombudsman care line at (425) 304-3346.