National Highlights

Recipients Announced For 2013 Military Child of the Year® Award

Operation Homefront today announced the five recipients of the 2013 Military Child of the Year® Award. The national non-profit organization that provides emergency assistance to military families annually gives the award to an outstanding military child from each branch of service – Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard.

From a pool of more than 1,000 nominees, each award recipient was chosen by a committee including active duty military personnel, Family Readiness Support Assistants, teachers, military mothers, and community members. The five awardees will receive $5,000 each and will be flown with a parent or guardian to Washington, D.C. for a special recognition gala on April 11, 2013. The awards will be presented by senior leaders of each branch of service and an invitation to present the keynote address has been made to Robert Griffin III of the Washington Redskins, himself a military child.

“The sons and daughters of America’s service members learn what patriotism is at a very young age,” said Jim Knotts, President & CEO of Operation Homefront. “Children in military families demonstrate leadership within their families and within their communities. This is what the Military Child of the Year® Award honors.”

This year's recipients are:

ARMY
Nicole Marie Daly, 16
Fort Lee, Virginia

MARINE CORPS
Abigail MaryRose Perdew, 17
Kingdom of Bahrain

NAVY
Alexander Ray Burch, 17
Grand Forks, North Dakota

AIR FORCE
Mark Newberry, 17
Medical Lake, Washington

COAST GUARD
Amanda Wimmersberg, 18
McGuire AFB, New Jersey

Learn more about the 2013 Military Child of the Year® award recipients.


United Technologies Corporation (UTC) is the presenting sponsor for the Military Child of the Year® Award. UTC, based in Hartford, Conn., is a diversified company that provides high technology products and services to the building and aerospace industries.

Additional event sponsors include: Wounded Warrior Project, Military Times, Soldiers' Angels, Veterans United Foundation, Bank of America, Express Scripts, TeenCentral, LaQuinta Inn & Hotels, Flextronics, and Northrop Grumman.