Looking through her wedding album, Prescilla Halsey recalls a chance encounter in the Philippines with a U.S. Air Force Band aviator that changed the course of her life 35 years ago. Halsey is currently the Chief Budget Analyst for the U.S. Army Garrison Resource Management Directorate at Fort Huachuca, Arizona.
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Before she leaves the Philippines for her next assignment in Japan, Priscilla Halsey is desperately preparing to plan her wedding to an airman from the United States Air Force Band. I was only there for two weeks. The couple currently reside in the United States, but still return to the Philippines whenever possible.
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Prescilla Halsey (center) is active in the Asian-American community, participating in dance troupes that celebrate her Filipino heritage. She and her husband recently decided to move back to the Philippines after retiring after a few years.
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Prescilla Halsey (dressed in blue) is active in the Asian-American community, including joining a dance troupe that celebrates her Filipino heritage. Looking back at her, she says she can’t believe how her story has developed.
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Fort Huachuca, Arizona — In honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in May, we’re featuring U.S. Army garrison employees who bring diversity to their workforce.
Today’s spotlight is on Prescilla Halsey, Chief Budget Analyst at the Office of Resource Management.
Halsey grew up in the Philippines and worked as a bookkeeper at a local restaurant while attending college. One day she met an American airman who was a member of the Air Force Music Corps and who was visiting the restaurant where she worked. She said she was surprised when he recognized her among all the people working there.
Like any modern fairy tale, they fell in love, but then learned that the band was relocating to Japan. He asked her to marry him and accompany her to Japan.
Halsey said she initially declined, saying she needed to finish college. But he didn’t want to wait, so he finally persuaded her. They spent two hectic weeks preparing for the wedding.
“We tried to keep our scale small, but most people in the Philippines have large families,” she said. “I invited 30 people, but 150 people came!”
Shortly after the wedding, his squadron left for Japan, but Prescilla remained there to complete her schooling. They were separated for six months before she joined him.
“And that was 35 years ago!” she said.
Although the couple currently live in the United States, they still return to the Philippines whenever possible, and Prescilla is active in the Asian-American community, including participating in dance troupes.
But as the Hallze family gets older, she says they’re starting to feel it’s time to move back to the Philippines. She and her husband recently decided they want to retire there in a few years. Last month they finally bought the land on which they plan to build a house.
“We want to start a Christian ministry there,” Halsey said. “We want to help people, we want to feed people. There are a lot of needs out there.”
Looking back, she said she couldn’t believe how her story had developed.
“I left the Philippines at the age of 21. It’s been 35 years since I left the Philippines and now I’m making plans to return to the Philippines. This is what I thought my life would be.” not.
“I never intended to marry an American. [in the Philippines]. I never thought I would go to America. But I didn’t know what God had planned for me. I got a lot more than I expected, so I’m very happy! ”
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Fort Huachuca is home to the U.S. Army Intelligence Center of Excellence, U.S. Army Network Enterprise Technology Command/9th Army Signal Command, and supports over 48 tenants representing a diverse and multidisciplinary workforce. Our unique environment includes 946 square miles of restricted airspace and 2,500 square miles of protected microwave ovens, which are critical elements of our national defense mission.
Located in Cochise County in southeastern Arizona, about 25 miles north of the Mexican border, Fort Huachuca is a frontier military installation with a rich history. Founded in 1877, the fort was designated a national landmark in 1976.
We are the home of the Army.Learn more about https://home.army.mil/huachuca/.
