MILITARY SPOUSE OF THE YEAR: WHO WILL WIN IN MAY?

By Buddy Blouin

Milspouses do a lot for their families, local communities, and the United States as a whole. While warfighters bear the burden of serving, their homes are filled with strong people ensuring everything is in order, making them essential for operational readiness. The Armed Forces Insurance Military Spouse of the Year® (AFI MSOY) program highlights milspouses who are going the extra mile and making an impact far and wide. Get to know the candidates, and don’t forget to see who is honored in Arlington, VA, on May 8, 2025.

What Is the Armed Forces Insurance Military Spouse of the Year?

The Armed Forces Insurance Military Spouse of the Year® (AFI MSOY) program honors military spouses who go above and beyond for their families, communities, and the nation. It’s more than just an award—it’s about recognizing dedication, service, and the impact spouses have in the military world.

Winning Military Spouse of the Year helps milspouses expand their reach, share their stories, and connect with others who are making a difference.

At the end of the day, it’s all about fostering a sense of community, celebrating achievements, and amplifying the voices of those who work tirelessly to support military families.

The History of the AFI MSOY

Since 2008, the AFI MSOY program has been honoring and empowering milspouses by providing a platform to highlight leaders within their community.

The program has been growing ever since with the recognition of the Spouses of the Year at the branch and installation levels, providing each base, Coast Guard district, and National Guard state was represented.

By 2019, Armed Forces Insurance took over the program, helping to expand it even further through the introduction of scholarships geared to better support milspouses even further.

Even during the challenges of COVID-19 in 2020, the program adapted, extending its honorees’ terms, and most recently, in 2022, U.S. Space Force (USSF) was added to the lineup.

Through every milestone, AFI MSOY has continued to amplify the voices of milspouses by celebrating their dedication to service and community.

The 2025 Base Winners and Branch Winners

Becoming the Military Spouse of the Year all starts with being a Base Winner, before moving up to the next level. Here’s everyone who made the cut in 2025:

Amber Sayer – Louisiana, National Guard
Amanda Kibble – Mississippi, National Guard
Amanda Watkins * – Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Marine Corps
Alice Silver – USCG District 8 - Sector New Orleans, Coast Guard
Ansley Summerville – Minot Air Force Base, Air Force
Ashley Owings – Naval Station Great Lakes, Navy
Ayana Garcia * – Fort Carson, Army
Barbara Dominguez – Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, Army
Bethany Jett – Florida, National Guard
Brett Turner – Patrick Space Force Base, Air Force
Breanna Ricciotti Hebding – Naval Base Guam, Navy
Brittany Contreras * † – Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, Marine Corps
Brittany Meeks – Not Affiliated With a Duty Station, Marine Corps
Brittany Sims – Virginia, National Guard
Brittney Rabens – Maxwell Air Force Base, Air Force
Bridgette Ellis – Eglin Air Force Base, Air Force
Brianna Thrash – USAG Italy, Army
Candice Carter – USAG Wiesbaden, Army
Caroline Kathryn Schafer – Fort Riley, Army
Caroline Torres Marin – Naval Station Rota, Navy
Cassandra Kidd * – Nellis Air Force Base, Space Force
Courtney Travaglini * – Los Angeles Air Force Base, Space Force
Crystall Herrera – New Mexico, National Guard
Crystal Bettenhausen Bubulka * – Naval Base San Diego, Navy
Cynthia Giesecke – Fort Belvoir, Army
Deana Watson – Fort Campbell, Army
Deanne Grant – Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center Bridgeport, Navy
Eleanor Finney – Not Affiliated With a Duty Station, Navy
Emily Alos – Fort Wainwright, Army
Ginny Beers – National Reconnaissance Office, Space Force
Hailey Smart – Ramstein Air Base, Air Force
Jetta Allen – USAG Humphreys, Army
Jaime Billert * † – USCG District 1 - Sector New York, Coast Guard
Jacky Moore – Fort Meade, Army
Jennis Stewart – Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, Marine Corps
Jennifer Barnhill * † – U.S. Naval Academy, Navy
Jennifer Christine Dobbs – Not Affiliated With a Duty Station, Air Force
Jennifer Kain * – Hurlburt Field, Air Force
Jessica Graham – Fort Moore, Army
Jessica Gutierrez – Camp Hansen, Marine Corps
Jessica Ruyts – Letterkenny Army Depot, Army
Jessica Whatley – MacDill Air Force Base, Air Force
Jerad Knight – Buckley Space Force Base, Navy
Jetta Allen – USAG Humphreys, Army
Julia Priftis – Naval Support Activity Naples, Navy
Kari De Longpre – Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Navy
Kayley Shepro * – USCG District 17 - Sector Anchorage, Coast Guard
Kismet Canady * – Fort Cavazos, Army
Lainey Crown * – Alabama, National Guard
Lakita Oats – Fort Leonard Wood, Army
Laura Lange – Little Rock Air Force Base, Air Force
Laura Longmire – Dover Air Force Base, Air Force
Leander Johnson – Naval Air Station North Island, Navy
Maura Alice Bonham – Fort McNair, Navy
Mateo Rogers – Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Navy
Margaret Stolzoff – USAG Rheinland-Pfalz, Army
Mary Blumenfeld – Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Marine Corps
Mckinzee Fisher – Tyndall Air Force Base, Air Force
Meljun Kruk * † – Pentagon, Space Force
Melissa Purnell – Naval Station Newport, Navy
Monica Poulsen – Goodfellow Air Force Base, Air Force
Morgan Farr – Joint Base San Antonio, Army
Nichole Lovejoy * – Marine Corps Air Station New River, Marine Corps
Nicole B Gebhardt – District of Columbia, National Guard
Nicole Bartlett – Idaho, National Guard
Penney Letrud Samons – Naval Air Station Whiting Field, Navy
Rachel Smith – Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Air Force
Rachael Conner – Moody Air Force Base, Air Force
Rasheeda Morris – Not Affiliated With a Duty Station, Army
Ryane Page – USCG District 5 - Sector Maryland-National Capital Region, Coast Guard
Sasha Rentfro – Camp Courtney, Marine Corps
Sarah Copeland – Offutt Air Force Base, Air Force
Selina Parker * – Scott Air Force Base, Navy
Sharaya Woodwick – Hill Air Force Base, Air Force
Shaun Beal * † – Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, Air Force
Sharon Kozak – Navy Talent Acquisition Group Heartland, Navy
Stephanie Allen – Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, Navy
Stephanie Hickey – Fort Drum, Army
Tara Brandt * – North Dakota, National Guard
Terilyn Tamayo – Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, Marine Corps
Tiffany Kelley * – Robins Air Force Base, Air Force
Tiffany Leary – Kadena Air Base, Air Force
Varsha Robinson – Fort Knox, Army
Vimbo Watson – Washington Navy Yard, Navy
Vince Afaisen * † – Fort Leavenworth, Army
Deana Watson – Fort Campbell, Army

Branch Finalist, † Branch Winner, ‡ Overall Winner

The next level of the Military Spouse of the Year Awards is to determine Branch Winners out of all of the nominees above. While everyone does their part to help service members and our nation, here are the 2025 Branch Winners up for the finals:

Vince Afaisen – Armed Forces Insurance Army Spouse of the Year
Brittany Contreras – Armed Forces Insurance Marine Corps Spouse of the Year
Jennifer Barnhill – Armed Forces Insurance Navy Spouse of the Year
Shaun Beal – Armed Forces Insurance Air Force Spouse of the Year
Meljun Kruk – Armed Forces Insurance Space Force Spouse of the Year
Jaime Billert – Armed Forces Insurance Coast Guard Spouse of the Year
Hope Daupert – Armed Forces Insurance National Guard Spouse of the Year

Don’t Forget to Check Out the 2025 Armed Forces Insurance Military Spouse of the Year® Branch Winner

Now that the AFI MSOY award has narrowed it down to the seven branch finalists, there’s only one more step to go. Don’t forget to follow along as the 2025 Armed Forces Insurance Military Spouse of the Year® winner is announced in May.

Suggested reads:

TAGS:

JOIN OUR NEWSLETTER

Get the latest news and military discounts

Email*

CONNECT WITH US