By David Vergun
Army News Service
JOINT BASE MYER-HENDERSON HALL, Va., May 9, 2015 – Army wife
Corie Weathers yesterday was named the 2015 Armed Forces Insurance Military
Spouse of the Year on Military Spouse Appreciation Day.
While receiving the award was an honor and a happy event, Weathers
said she's survived really tough times as an Army spouse, just like others
have.
The darkest moments came in 2009, when Corie's husband,
Chaplain (Capt.) Matthew Weathers was deployed to Afghanistan at a place where
many of his fellow soldiers were killed or injured -- Contingency Operating
Post Keating.
While her husband was in Afghanistan, Corie was at Fort
Carson, Colorado. Although he was at a distant outpost, the two were still able
to maintain almost daily contact through social media, he said.
Corie said she fully realized the danger he was in. But
rather than sit home and cry, she decided to do something that would ease the
pain of separation and help other spouses on post.
Being a licensed professional counselor, she decided to put
that to use doing a job that is plainly heartbreaking. The procedure was for
the casualty notification team to deliver the news in person to the home of the
spouse.
Corie's job was to then do a follow-up visit with the
spouse, within just minutes of the visit by the casualty notification team,
according to the chaplain, who termed it the "Care and Go" team.
Being a counselor, Corie was able to use that skill to
listen and offer solace.
Meanwhile in Afghanistan, Weathers said the strength and
love of his wife helped him through the darkest days.
Today, Corie helps to advise and set up Care and Go teams.
She and her husband now are stationed at Fort Gordon, Georgia.
She also continues to provide counseling to other spouses,
mainly dealing with issues of employment, career issues, domestic violence and
others.
"Military spouses need more help -- a place to talk, to
hurt, to be real without feeling it is unpatriotic or out of place," she
said.
The goal, she continued, is to help them "thrive in
their marriages, their personal goals, cope with the changes in their soldiers,
as well as the coming changes in the military."
Julia Kysela
While Corie was the overall winner of Military Spouse of the
Year, there were other winners representing each of the services, with the
National Guard included.
Julia Kysela was selected as that National Guard Spouse of
the Year. Her husband, Sgt. 1st Class Daniel Kysela, is in the Pennsylvania
Army National Guard.
Julia and her husband organized the "I've Got Your
Six" 6-kilometer and 1-mile races to support the VALOR Clinic Foundation.
Proceeds go to help struggling veterans in crisis and homeless veterans.
She is also the Family Member Support director for Steel
City Vets, an organization that supports post 9/11 veterans in Pittsburgh and
western Pennsylvania.
When Corie was 23 years old, she said her husband deployed
to Iraq and that was a wakeup call for her. She never realized how alone she
would feel and also how much worrying she would do.
That's when she said she began to do volunteer work for
soldiers and veterans in the community. Her advice to other spouses in that
situation is to not only do volunteer work but to find time to relax.
Stacey Benson
Stacey Benson was selected as Coast Guard Spouse of the
Year. She and her husband, Petty Officer 1st Class Larry Benson, are stationed
at U.S. Coast Guard District 1 in Rhode Island.
Her husband is a former soldier, so she said she's
experienced living alone through six deployments.
While volunteering on the board of Military Spouses of
Newport, Rhode Island, Benson said she noticed there were a lot of spouses who
had talent and ambition and wanted to work, but had grown frustrated with a
lack of opportunities.
So she took action. Now, as military liaison of Newport
Hospital, she uses her role with Military Spouses of Newport to help other
military spouses find employment in the local health care system.
"If employers give a military spouse a chance, they
will get a hard-working, dedicated and well-educated person who gives them 110
percent in return," she said.
Nicole Spaid
Nicole Spaid was selected as Marine Corps Spouse of the
Year. She lives with her husband, Wes Spaid, at Marine Corps Air Station New
River, North Carolina.
They've been married 20 years and have been through eight
deployments and 10 permanent change-of-station moves.
She, too, said she's found fulfillment in volunteer work in
myriad ways on post and in the community. She said she believes every spouse,
military child and family "possesses unique gifts and talents that add to
the strength of our military community."
With the downsizing and budget cuts, she said "the
resources available to military families are shrinking as well." That's
why it's so important to volunteer. "I have found that families do not
want a handout. They want a hand up!"
Antonia Wilber
Antonia Wilber was selected as Navy Spouse of the Year. She
and her husband, Keith Wilber, are stationed at Naval Base Guam.
Wilber volunteers her time as a COMPASS mentor and team
leader. COMPASS is a spouse-to-spouse mentoring program that improves quality
of life through education, enabling spouses to understand, experience, and meet
the challenges of the Navy lifestyle.
She also volunteers at the Navy Marine Corps Relief Society,
helping families to thrift shop and provides them financial counseling during
times of crisis and assists them with security interest-free loans when needed.
Her philosophy: "Every military family deserves an
environment that fosters unity, yet encourages independence, whether through
social network, neighbors, faith, family or employment. Education, guidance and
support are key to success of military families."
Jana Kingery
Jana Kingery was selected as Air Force Spouse of the Year.
She and her husband, Master Sgt. Matthew Kingery, are stationed at Beale Air
Force Base, California.
Kingery founded the Team Lone Tree Volunteers program in
2011. She also volunteers at her local school, teaching and tutoring students,
among many other volunteer activities.
Also, as a Key Spouse liaison, she manages the calendar of
events and activities for more than 148 military families.
She said she challenges other spouses to "get involved
to help foster a sense of family at each new assignment."
Special Guest
Taya Kyle, author of “American Wife: A Memoir of Love, War,
Faith and Renewal” was presented with the Gabby Giffords Award for Courage and
Bravery. She spoke, saying the real heroes are not her but the spouses present
today who are living through the often difficult way of life that spouses face.
Their courage and commitment is tremendous, she added.
The 2015 co-chairs attending included Joint Chiefs of Staff
spouses and VIPs: Deanie Dempsey, Mary Winnefeld, Linda Odierno, Ellyn Dunford,
Darleen Greenert, Betty Welsh, Fran DeNinno-Zukunft, Pat Grass, Holly Dailey,
Theresa Stevens, Athena Cody, Janet Cantrell and Blaire Brush.
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