96 U.S. VETERANS MAGAZINE WWW.USVETERANSMAGAZINE.COM
MILITARY SPOUSES
D
uring a ceremony on May 5, Sarah Streyder was recognized as the Armed Forces Insurance Space Force Spouse of the Year and Armed Forces Insurance Military Spouse of the Year for her advocacy and voting education efforts. Nominations for this award are made by both the military and civilian communities and honor military spouses from all branches of service for their important contributions and unwavering commitment to the military community and the nation. Streyder, who works as the Secure Families Initiative executive director, a military-serving nonprofit she founded, was nominated by a friend and colleague. She received the award after four rounds of advancement.
The experiences weve gone through shape who we are today; however, I think each of us has faced dicultiesthatwedon'twantthe next generation of military spouses to go through. Its less that I would change my own experience; its more wanting to improve the future experiences of those coming behind me.
- Sarah Streyder, Military Spouse of the Year
U.S. AIR FORCE TECH. SGT ARECA T. WILSON/RELEASED
Who is the Space Force Spouse of the Year?
By Tech. Sgt Areca T. Wilson
Sarah Streyder, the Armed Forces Insurance Space Force Spouse of the Year, accepts the additional honor of Armed Forces Insurance Military Spouse of the Year during a ceremony in Arlington, Virginia, May 5, 2022.
she said. I care a lot about voting and advocacy and making sure military families know how to do that and how to do it well. Chief of Space Operations Gen. John W. Jay Raymond said he was inspired by Streyders dedication to serving others, I am incredibly proud of Sarah for her selfless support to our military families. She is the perfect example of the commitment and connection so many of our Guardian spouses and loved ones bring to our new service, and we are thrilled that Sarah is being recognized as the first-ever Space Force Military Spouse of the Year. Mollie Raymond, a family advocate and the Space Force's first spouse, also expressed her gratitude for Streyders passion for her platform and the military community. The life of a military spouse is challenging, but its gratifying, Raymond said. In addition to taking care of service members, spouses like Sarah do what they can to support the spouse community, and we could not be more grateful and proud. While Streyder said she is happy to be named Military Spouse of the Year, she is even more ecstatic to continue building a better path for current and future military families. The experiences weve gone through shape who we are today; however, I think each of us has faced difficulties that we dont want the next generation of military spouses to go through, Streyder explained, Its less that I would change my own experience; its more wanting to improve the future experiences of those coming behind me.
Source: U.S. Space Force
Its surprising and humbling, Streyder said. I went into this excited and passionate to represent my branch because I'm really proud of the Space Force and everything were building. Streyder is the first spouse to represent the Space Force and the first Guardian spouse to receive the top honor of overall military spouse of the year. She became a military spouse nearly seven years ago when her husband Jason, now U.S. Space Force Sergeant and IT requirements manager at the Office of Special Investigations Headquarters, initially joined the Air Force in 2015. Since becoming a military spouse, Streyder has used her time and talent to spread awareness and educate service and family members about their voting rights. Im very passionate about my platform,
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