129 Years of Family Serving Family: Maysa ‘Amie’ Martin, Fort Belvoir

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

Who she is: Maysa “Amie” Martin, Fort Belvoir Warehouse Worker, firearms

Years with the Exchange: 35

Military connections: Martin’s father served in the military and was stationed at Fort Belvoir, where she and her family have lived since. “I went to elementary school here. I used to bag groceries at the commissary. Belvoir has always been my post.”

Exchange connections: As a child living on Belvoir, Martin visited the Exchange regularly. “We used to come up to the Exchange when we were living on Belvoir. So I did come up with the Exchange. My brother was also working here first. My mother worked here too. She had 20 years at the Belvoir Exchange. She retired in 2022.”

Her Exchange career: Martin started as a sales associate in the men’s department. She has held multiple roles at the Fort Belvoir Exchange. “I think, initially, I was hired for linens when I came to the store, but I was pulled into the men’s department. I started my junior or senior year in high school. Around inventory, they’d pull me to the stockroom to help with inventory. Back in the day, we used to do it on a tally sheet. In 1991, I moved to the stockroom, where I was a stocker. When I moved to the new store—we had a brand-new store then—I was moved to the women’s department as a stocker.

“The work has always been steady. The hours were very convenient for me. When I was going to college, it allowed me flexibility. When we transitioned to the new store, I applied for receiver. It was flexible for me. I worked in the mornings, and I was always learning new things, too. I can look at a box and tell you exactly what is in it without opening it. I truly like what I do.”

Memorable moment: “When we were building the new store, we had an earthquake. The whole ground was shaking. We thought it was the construction next door, but no, it was an earthquake! This was around 2011. It kind of felt like something was happening to make the building move. … It was kind of like a roller coaster. After that, we all looked around for structural damage.”

Family serving family: “The Exchange has always been good to me. I do like what I do and I’m comfortable where I am at. We’re part of a bigger community, and we’re always trying to help the community grow and service the people around us. We’re all one big family helping each other out.”