Armed Forces Insurance Military Spouse of the Year
Congratulations to Alicia Hinds Ward, National Guard Spouse of the Year on being named the 2013 National Winner of the Armed Forces Insurance Military Spouse of the Year. The 2013 Armed Forces Insurance Military Spouse of the Year was announced on May 9, 2013 at the sixth annual MSOY Awards Ceremony in Washington, D.C. This year's ceremony was held at Quarters Seven, the Air Force Chief of Staff's residence at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall.
The Armed Forces Insurance Military Spouse of the Year® program honors spouses of all ranks and from all branches of service. Those who are nominated represent an elite group of leaders within the military spouse community that support a wide variety of important causes. The Armed Forces Insurance Military Spouse of the Year® award recognizes military spouses' essential contributions and unwavering commitment to the military community and our country.
Alicia will be advocating for better spouse employment options and special needs resources. While there are some great measures in place, the majority of military spouses still face almost insurmountable obstacles when entering or reentering the workplace in the current economic climate. She would like to bring more attention to the challenges National Guard spouses face regarding availability and knowledge of resources affecting us globally, especially regarding spousal employment. The typical National Guard spouse does not PCS, and therefore does not truly benefit from federal mandates and some of the employment resources available to their active-duty counterparts. Spousal preference does not apply to many National Guard Spouses who may never become an active-duty spouse, is typically geographically separated from their military community, and may never PCS. Additionally, other resources to assist our special needs population, financial, and social challenges are often inadequate.
Congratulations to this year's branch finalists:
- Army Spouse of the Year: Tara Crooks
- Navy Spouse of the Year: Alisha Youch
- Marine Corps Spouse of the Year: Karen Guenther
- Air Force Spouse of the Year: Verenice Castillo
- Coast Guard Spouse of the Year: Shelley Kimball
- National Guard Spouse of the Year: Alicia Hinds Ward
Read more about their accomplishments at http://msoy.militaryspouse.com