Heroes at Home 2008: Honoring area military spouses

Some say the hardest job in the military belongs to the military spouse.

Military spouses are the unsung heroes who maintain the home-front during lengthy deployments, selflessly give back to their communities though volunteer work, and provide moral support for their loved ones serving both at home and in harms way. At the same time, many hold down full time jobs and raise families.

While the service member is rewarded for superior job performance with medals, promotions and ceremonies, the military spouse generally only receives a kiss and a "thank you" from their significant other.

That changed in 2004 when The Flagship Military Newspaper launched Heroes at Home: The Military Spouse Awards. For the fourth year in a row, the Hampton Roads community will come together to recognize spouses of service members from the Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Navy and Marine Corps.

The Military Spouse Awards give the military and civilian communities an opportunity to say "thank you" and to recognize our military spouses for the challenges they overcome every day.

This landmark event is the only one of its kind that honors military spouses from all branches of the Armed Services. It is a very highly regarded event that has even captured the attention of the White House. Our 2007 finalists were all invited to a reception at the White House honoring military spouses and our winner, Linda Port, went on the receive the President's Volunteer Service Award.

The 2008 Military Spouse of the Year will be chosen from nominees across all branches of the military throughout Hampton Roads. Nominations will be accepted through March 30, 2008.  To make your nominations, fill out this nomination form online.

A judging panel consisting of members of the Hampton Roads business community as well as the Armed Services will review the nominations and select 15 finalists, one of whom will be named the 2008 Military Spouse of the Year.

ALL NOMINEES will be honored at luncheon and formal awards ceremony at The Founders Inn in Virginia Beach, Virginia on May 8, 2008. The finalists and "Spouse of the Year" will be announced at this luncheon.

For more about last year's winner and nominees, visit The Flagship's Heroes at Home page.

For the latest military news, try PilotOnline.com's Military news channel.