Nominations sought for armed forces children of year

SAN ANTONIO, Texas - Operation Homefront, the national nonprofit dedicated to building strong, stable and secure military families, has announced that nominations for the 2016 Military Child of the Year are being accepted online at MilitaryChildofTheYear.org through Dec. 11. Awardees will be recognized in April 2016.

This award is presented to an outstanding child from each branch of service - Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard - and the National Guard. The recipients each receive a $10,000 award and a laptop, and are flown with a parent or guardian to Washington for a special awards gala on April 16. In previous years, recipients have had the honor of meeting the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, First Lady Michelle Obama, former NFL star and philanthropist Jason Brown and singer, songwriter and philanthropist Bret Michaels, who were guest speakers for the event awards ceremonies.

Anyone can nominate a child. Family members, teachers, coaches, counselors, clergy, neighbors and friends are encouraged to nominate outstanding military children. For more information on how to nominate a child in your community or to see photos from past events, please log on to MilitaryChildOfTheYear.org.

"It's our honor to celebrate military children through the Military Child of the Year for the eighth consecutive year," said Operation Homefront President and CEO, John I. Pray, Jr. "Whether it's in schools or honor societies, civic associations and clubs, sports or volunteerism, you never have to look far to find an exemplary military child who thrives in the face of challenges inherent to military life. As we open up the nomination window, please join us in celebrating the resilience, achievement and strength of character embodied by our youngest patriots and submit a nomination to recognize them today."

On average, previous recipients have had at least one parent deploy for 18 months or longer and have relocated at least five times due to a parent's military assignments.