Military Child of the Year Award recipients stand with former professional athlete Jason Brown, center, before the award ceremony April 16, 2015 in Arlington, Va. From left are Zach Parsons, Caleb Parsons, Christopher-Raul Rodriguez, Brown, Cavan McIntyre-Brewer, Emily Kliewer, and Sarah Hesterman. DoD photo by EJ Hersom
By Shannon Collins
DoD News, Defense Media Activity
The night began when six eager and very accomplished military children, representing each of their respective service branches, met with keynote speaker, Jason Brown, a former professional NFL center with the Baltimore Ravens and St. Louis Rams, before Operation Homefront’s 7th Annual Military Child of the Year Awards Gala at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Pentagon City here Thursday.
Brown signed footballs for each of the children and took photos with them. He said he came to inspire them but after learning about them and what they have done, he was the one inspired. He was especially touched when Cavan McIntyre-Brewer’s sister, Lorelei, 9, gave him one of her Heart Hugs pillows in honor of his older brother who had paid the ultimate sacrifice while serving in the Army in Afghanistan in 2003.
“That was the most beautiful, genuine, unique gift that I received in a long time,” Brown said. “These kids here, they inspire me. They’re the best and the brightest, not just academically, but service minded who have gone out of their way to help out their fellow man, to help out their families, to help out their communities and not just in America in the entire world.”
After photos, the children enjoyed a reception, dinner, a beautiful and inspirational speech by Brown, followed by special remarks from Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
“What makes the military child so important is self-abnegation; it means being willing to put others first in the service of a greater good,” he said. “Our awardees have pursued excellence. They’ve made it a priority to serve others. They’ve inspired us. They’ve done it with character. I’m incredibly proud and honored to be the chairman of such a fighting force with incredible military families who support them. Our winners tonight are perfect examples of the stellar quality of military kids, and we’re so fortunate to have them in our military family. This nation asks a lot of each of you, and each of you continues to prove day in and day out that you are strong, that you are resilient and you are full of love of our country and for each other.”
Each year in April, the Month of the Military Child, the winner from each service branch receives a $10,000 cash award and a laptop and is flown with a parent or guardian to Washington, D.C., for a special recognition ceremony.
Christopher-Raul Rodriguez, 17, the Marine winner, said that money will go a long way to help him with his education. He began his life overcoming diversity but through the encouragement and determination of his mother and step-father, he has exceled in athletics and academics.
“I’ve had to come from the streets and build my way up. A lot of motivation came out of that and from my mom and my step-dad who really helped me out. My mother was always there for me. They helped keep my mind on my studies,” he said. “There’s no reason to ever give up. This is really breathtaking.”
Cavan McIntyre-Brewer, 13, the Army winner, created his own non-profit, Socks for Vets, and has helped 7,500 wounded warriors receive socks and other donated items. He advocates for veterans through this program at the state and national levels, promoting events and telling the stories of those he served. He also assists his sister with fundraising for her program, Heart Hugs, which involves collecting, sterilizing and distributing compression pillows sized for pediatric heart patients.
Cavan also works with Pack Goats, where he trains goats to carry camping gear for wounded warriors who have prosthetics who may have trouble carrying their own camping gear. He said, “Veterans and wounded warriors aren’t that guy in the wheelchair or a homeless person that no one seems to care about. They are normal people who want the same things we do, and when I spend time with them, I feel like my family just gets bigger and bigger.”
This is the first year a child was chosen for the Army and Air National Guard.
“I’m really proud to be able to represent my branch and to bring light to what we go through too as military children,” Zach Parsons, 16, said. While Zach’s father was deployed to Afghanistan, he and his mother took care of an 80-acre farm with 50 head of cattle and then his father was injured. Taking on this increased responsibility has been tough but has made him a stronger person, said Zach.
“It’s been tough for my mom and I but it’s helped me develop a lot of character traits and skills I now have so I can be a leader in my community and I can be successful in 4-H,” he said. “I owe it all to my experience to being a military kid because I’ve been able to gain and learn all that respect.
Caleb Parsons, 18, represents the U.S. Coast Guard, since his father is serving as petty officer leading counter drug efforts down in Miami. His mother is an Air Force staff sergeant. Caleb is in junior Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps in high school but will attend the Army U.S. Military Academy in the fall. He took on the challenge of taking care of his younger siblings while his parents were both deployed, while still maintaining his 4.21 grade point average. He attributes being a military child and part of a military family to his success.
“In the military, you’ve got two families, your biological one and the military,” he said. “Military families take care of each other, and that’s just one of the amazing things about it.”
Caleb was thrilled to win the award and grateful to Operation Homefront because it gave him the chance to see his mom, who had been deployed. After Sarah Hesterman, 16, the Air Force winner, spoke with her dad, Lt. Gen. John Hesterman, U.S. Air Forces Central Command commander, they were able to assist Caleb with getting his mom leave for the weekend to attend the event.
“It’s a tremendous blessing,” he said. “Without Operation Homefront and the help of Sarah’s dad in helping get my mom here, I wouldn’t have been able to see my mom for quite some time.”
Hesterman, quick to blush over the praise but glad to help Parsons, said she doesn’t want to be in the spotlight but takes the opportunities awards gives her to speak on behalf of others. For example, this award highlights the military child, the struggles of moves and deployments. She is most passionate about female empowerment.
While her family is stationed in Qatar, she founded Girl Up Qatar, a club that works to promote the rights of women and girls in the Middle East and around the world. It is part of the United Nations foundation innovative campaign Girl Up to empower girls. She hopes to be a part of the United Nations to promote gender equality and to develop her own nonprofit organization that provides access to education and resources to girls in situations of conflict.
“Girl Up has been an amazing opportunity that I wouldn’t have had unless I was a military child,” she said. “Living somewhere across the world as the daughter of someone in the military gives me the chance to create a positive change in the world and to stand up for female empowerment, which is something I feel so strongly about.”
Emily Kliewer, 17, the Navy winner, works with special needs children. She volunteers with the Special Olympics as a swimming instructor, volunteer coach and hugger. She is also a peer on peer mentor, where she is an assistant teacher and friend to special needs children. She has also placed in multiple events at the Florida State and Regional levels for swimming and is a National Merit Scholarship finalist.
Kliewer said she loves working with the special needs children.
“I volunteer every summer; it’s incredible; I just love it,” she said. “They’re just so innocent and happy all the time. It brings a new perspective on life, and you just have to hug them. It’s so great.”
Operation Homefront provides emergency financial and other assistance such as transitional and permanent housing to the families of service members and wounded warriors.
