Congratulations!
Below are the Top 18 Base Level Spouses of the Year who will be moving on to the Branch Level voting process. Voting takes place this Thursday, February 4th!
Army
Shannon Simpson
Fort Irwin
One thing that I would like to accomplish with the MSOY title is to expand the reach of my advocacy for military families who face inequalities for reasons such as, race, religion, sexual orientation, etc. I truly believe a large reason for discrimination stems from lack of education/knowledge of minority populations. Part of my advocacy would entail educating others at a national level about these inequalities and how they can be corrected. The traditional stereotype of a military family has changed and now includes individuals of all different races, religions, and sexual orientations. We as a military community need to recognize this change and celebrate our differences by embracing one another. Read more about Shannon here!
Janine Boldrin
Pentagon
Military kids are a huge focus for me, particularly access to mental and medical health care, and educational opportunities. Specifically, I want to put more of a spotlight on the kids who are falling through the gaps by identifying the groups that are struggling to find support, highlighting the processes that are failing them, and advocating for changes that will support the kids who need it most!
(* I know I am supposed to say only one thing but military spouse entrepreneurship is also very important to me. I want to work on getting some huge speed bumps out of the way for military spouses who own their own businesses and/or live on post. Problems surrounding this have been brought to me, as a military spouse business owner/speaker on entrepreneurship, and I strongly believe it is the right time to get a lot of these issues solved.) Read more about Janine here!
Dave Etter
USAG Kaiserlautern
First and foremost, my passion is to help people. After nine and a half years in the U.S. Navy Submarine Force and five years as military spouse, I have learned so much and I love to share that information with others. Whether I am talking to a new service member, family member or civilian, there’s always an opportunity for me to share my knowledge to help them have a more fulfilling military experience.
I have been honored to serve as a Spouse Master Resiliency Trainer, Army Family Team Building Instructor, Army Family Action Plan delegate, Family Readiness volunteer, Ramstein Enlisted Spouses Association member and a Boy Scouts of America (BSA) District Leader. In my passion for serving others I have volunteered more than 1,200 hours with the military and with more than 7,000 hours in the past 20 years with the BSA.
As the MSOY of 2016 I would continue to encourage building our family resources to focus on stronger families. In addition, I would promote mentorship from our male spouses for our young people and new incoming spouses. Male spouses who have been involved are making a positive impactful benefit at our military installations. We are an untapped resource and can bring a well-rounded military experience for the family as a whole. Read more about Dave here!
