What a day!😅 Our Military Child of the Year® award recipients started the day off by taking a bus tour of D.C. — we stopped at Arlington National Cemetary, the US Marine Corps War Memorial, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the Korean War Memorial, and the Lincoln Memorial. We ended the day at Audi Field, where our friends @drinkbodyarmor helped us surprise Noelani, Taylor, Caleb, Lindsay, Charlotte, Allison, and Isabella with a meet and greet with @dcunited players @lucas_bartlett And jstroud50. They also received personalized @dcunited jerseys, soccer balls, backpacks, and more and ended the day with the most delicious catered dinner at Audi Field. We are feeling tired but so grateful for this experience. ⚽🥅🇺🇸
Tomorrow is the big night, so tune in and tag along on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, where we will live-stream the event. We look forward to engaging with you all there🙌
Operation Homefront, alongside our incredible partner @officialcsx , recently hosted a Star-Spangled Babies® event in Baltimore, Maryland, dedicated to supporting service members and their growing families. @officialcsx employees generously volunteered their time to pack baby care caddies at their headquarters in Jacksonville, FL. 🍼👶🏽🐣
During the event, many essential baby supplies, including portable play yards generously provided by @deltachildren , were distributed. This collective effort aims to ease the journey for service members as they welcome the newest additions to their families.
Operation Homefront's Star-Spangled Babies® program has provided vital baby supplies to over 21,000 military moms since 2008. With the generous support of @officialcsx through their Pride In Service initiative, we were able to go above and beyond, offering essential resources and alleviating financial burdens for military families in Maryland.👏🏼
We were honored to welcome Army veteran Mike Christensen and his family to their new mortgage-free home in Babcock Ranch, a sustainability-focused community in Southwest Florida. This is the 18th home Meritage Homes has gifted to a veteran family since partnering with Operation Homefront in 2013. 🏡
“This is life-changing for us,” Mike emphasized.
Mike, a retired sergeant first class, overcame significant challenges during his two-decade military career, including a battle with cancer. Despite adversity, he rejoined duty after surgery and recently celebrated nine years cancer-free. Entering Operation Homefront’s Permanent Homes for Veterans program marks a crucial step toward stability for the Christensen family.
Watch the heartwarming homecoming in this short video. (But first, you may want to grab a tissue.) ❤️🤍💙
Raise your flag high, it’s Armed Forces Day. 🫡
Today, we honor those who serve and sacrifice to defend our freedom. Our appreciation for the men and women across all service branches runs deep.
Today and every day, we thank you for defending our nation and embodying dedication and courage. Your patriotism is inspiring and undeniable. May your bravery and courage be remembered forever.
With the help of @dollartree , Operation Homefront's Transitional Homes for Veterans is changing another military family's life. 💙
Meet Samuel Gouzoules and his wife, Athena. Samuel's upbringing laid the foundation for him to join the Army at 23 years old. Samuel was adopted from Mexico at 7 years old into an American family and developed a strong appreciation for the United States. As many do, he planned to serve for 20 years, but chronic pain from arthritis and a pinched nerve led to his honorable discharge in December 2025.
Samuel and Athena felt a strong pull to El Paso, Texas. Their previous experiences in the town helped them develop strong, meaningful connections. But the transition to civilian life proved challenging, and in early 2025, Athena experienced a difficult pregnancy that required a 2-month bed rest, forcing her to leave work. Then came another financial strain when the family car was totaled due to a rear-end collision.
It was almost time for the Gouzoules to relocate to their final duty station, El Paso. That's when they found our Transitional Homes for Veterans program. This program helps reduce this stress, enables Samuel to pursue his educational goals, and supports long-term stability, something every military family deserves.
We thank Dollar Tree for its commitment to our military families. Since the start of this partnership in 2006, the company has provided more than $200 million in cash and in-kind support for programs, including funding the purchase of this fourth transitional home, which will benefit multiple military families for years to come.
See the impactful day below! 👪🤩
We asked our Military Child of the Year® Recipients two simple questions:
What does this recognition mean to you?
And what did it take to get here?
Their answers reflect the moves, the goodbyes, the uncertainty, and the quiet resilience built along the way.
Different bases. Different schools. Different chapters of growing up.
We asked Operation Homefront’s 2026 Military Child of the Year® Recipients to finish one sentence:
“Being in a military family is…”
Their responses are honest, powerful, and personal, but together, they reveal something shared.
Take a listen above.
By definition, a Military Spouse is a person who is married to a service member.
But in reality, they are so much more. Aside from being a support system for their partner, they face challenges that many don’t, such as being away from their loved ones, including their spouse and family. They deal with constant moves and uncertainty. Yet, military spouses still demonstrate their strength, adaptability, and compassion daily.
This #MilitarySpouseAppreciationDay, take a moment to reflect on the accomplishments of these partners, like pursuing careers, raising children, and keeping it all together at home. We raise a hand to you!
New life means new beginnings, so we brought together many new and expecting military parents in Bremerton, WA, to our Star-Spangled Babies® Shower. ✨
All attendees were greeted with baby essential bundles, an abundance of community resources, and the opportunity to make new connections within their military community. There was also a bit of competition, with games like the blind diaper‑changing challenge and “Find the Parent” bingo, leading into an exciting raffle. 🤭
We thank our event sponsors, Walmart and Johnstone Supply, along with our generous in‑kind donor, @DeltaChildren , for their commitment to making this special time for our military parents just a bit easier. And a special shout-out to our volunteers for their kindness and help in making the day so special. 👶
Just ahead of Military Spouse Appreciation Day, @snhu and Operation Homefront are proud to celebrate five incredible military spouses. ✨
This year, Athena, Amanda, Biancca, Amber, and Kryssha have each been awarded full-tuition scholarships to Southern New Hampshire University—an investment in their education, their dreams, their families, and their futures. 🎓
Military spouses are the backbone of their families, navigating relocations, career disruptions, and constant change with resilience and grit. Too often, those challenges put higher education on hold. Together, we’re changing that.
Because appreciation isn’t just about saying “thank you,” it’s about creating real opportunities to grow, lead, and thrive.
To the spouses who serve in their own extraordinary way: we see you, we celebrate you, and we’re cheering you on every step of the way. 👏
Learn more about this year's recipients here at the link in our bio.
Registration is now open for a few of our Holiday Meals for Military® Summer events! 🌞We look forward to the sunny days ahead and the opportunity to keep supporting our military families.
View eligibility requirements and register at the link in bio.
Remember to keep an eye on our socials and website for the latest event information!
