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Army 'Family of Year' Receives Award, Continues Giving
(December 12, 2010) |
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Tawny Campbell of
Landstuhl, Germany holds Rhynli, 2, as Ceilidha,
7, looks out at the sea of photographers. Sgt.
Joe Campbell stands with Army Chief of Staff
Gen. George Casey Jr. who presented their award
on behalf of the National Military Family. |
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ARLINGTON, Va. (Dec. 8, 2010)
-- Sgt. Joseph Campbell left his flight medic
duties in Afghanistan Friday and joined his
family in Germany, Saturday, where they hosted
charity events all day, packed their bags until
3 a.m. on Sunday. They then and got up at 6:30
a.m. for a plane ride back to the U.S. to
receive the Army Family of the Year award on
Tuesday.
The Campbells, of Landstuhl, Germany, received
the award Tuesday from the National Military
Family Association at a luncheon in Arlington
attended by Army Chief of Staff Gen. George
Casey Jr.
"Sergeant Campbell is a great representative of
Army families and the spirit of Army families,"
Casey said.
But Campbell later sought to correct the record:
"This is not my award. It's my wife's and my
daughters' award," he said.
While Campbell has been deployed to Afghanistan
for the past five months, his second tour of
duty downrange, his family has kept busy by
managing three successful charities: Operation
Angel, Project Portrait, and Project Rudolph,
which all seek to help deployed or injured
servicemembers and their families with
specialized care packages, hospital visits, and
photo projects. |
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When asked why she started her charities, Tawny gave a sly
smile.
"I got bored," Tawny said.
"That's wrong," piped in Joe. "Let me tell you about this
woman. When I was getting ready to go on a mission back in
1997, Tawny sold my CDs and used the money to buy gifts for
a needy family."
"On Valentine's Day, she made cookies for an old folks'
home. And I thought, 'Well, maybe it's just a phase.' That
was so many years ago and that phase is still going," Joe
said.
"The charities started in 2006," Tawny said. "We fall under
the National Pioneer Hall of Fame started by a retired Air
Force general. He incorporated us as a 501 C(3) under him
because he knew how much paperwork there was to start and he
knew that this was such a good thing that he wanted it to be
able to start immediately," she said.
"I can't stand next to this woman without feeling somewhat
humbled by her service," Joe said.
The Campbells, along with six other families, representing
the seven uniformed services, were presented with the 2010
National Military Family Association's Family of the Year
Award.
"We really embrace the seven uniformed services that include
the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard, the
Commissioned Corps of the Public Health Service and the
National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration," said
Communications Director Michelle Joyner, National Military
Family Association.
"This is our fifth year of doing the program, but it's only
the second year in which we've recognized seven families,"
Joyner said.
The Mullin family from Randolph Air Force Base, Texas, was
chosen as Military Family of the Year and presented with a
monetary award following the lunch.
"We didn't care if we won this Military Family of the Year
award, because the biggest prize we won was having Joe come
home. Nothing can compare to that," Tawny said.
Following a week of activities in the nation's capital, Joe
will begin his R&R before returning to Afghanistan.
All seven families received an all-expense-paid trip to
Washington, D.C. For about a week they participate in family
activities, have opportunities to meet with members of
Congress, enjoy lunch with the many dignitaries in
attendance at the Sheraton Hotel in Arlington, Va., and
receive their award.
The association recognizes strong military families who
embrace their service to the nation, are role models in
their community, and understand that together they are
stronger. The nomination process begins in the spring with
the awards presented in the fall or early winter.
The keynote speaker during the luncheon was Richard Danzig,
former secretary of the Navy and senior advisor to then
Senator Barack Obama on national security issues.
"In the military, we have such a profound emphasis on the
sense of family, that we are, all of us, in this together -
that we are a family. In this organization of some 2 million
military members, representing Active duty, Guard and
Reserves, they have some 3 million family members who are
associated with this institution - 2 million of whom are
children," Danzig said.
The Campbells believe in the importance of family.
"There's a lot of interaction between all of us. That's the
way we roll," Tawny said, laughing as she and her 7-year-old
daughter looked at each other.
"What's the most important thing?" Tawny asked Ceilidha, who
didn't hesitate for a moment.
"Family and love," Ceilidha said.
To learn more about the National Military Family
Association, visit
MilitaryFamily.org. | |
Article and photo
by
Rob McIlvaine
FMWRC Public Affairs
Copyright 2010
Reprinted from
Army News Service
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