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Operation Homefront Names First Military Child Award Winner
(April 26, 2009) | 
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Brittany Wallace, 17,
stands beside her father, Army Staff Sgt. Robert
Henline, who was the lone survivor of a 2007
roadside bomb in Iraq that burned 38 percent of
his body and all but destroyed his left arm.
Wallace earned the first Operation Homefront
Military Child Award in recognition of her
support and the help she gave her family under
difficult circumstances. Courtesy photo |
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WASHINGTON,
April 22, 2009 – An Army family member has earned $5,000, a laptop
computer and a trip to the nation's capital as the first Military Child
Award winner for a national troop-support organization.
Brittany Wallace, 17, will receive her award
from Texas-based Operation Homefront at a ceremony here April 29.
Wallace was among 450 military children from 8 to 18 who competed for
the award. Jennifer Cernoch, Operation Homefront's Texas chapter
president, nominated the San Antonio teenager.
“I've seen the actual, genuine empathy that Brittany has, not only for
her own family, but also for other wounded warrior families, especially
their kids,” Cernoch said. “She has been such an inspiration to the kids
in helping them cope with their fathers'
injuries. From her babysitting to just being
there, she's become a wonderful role model.” |
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Operation Homefront members voted online for three finalists -- Wallace,
Adam Soisson of South Bend, Ind., and Mollie Danel of Camp Lejeune, N.C.
-- and a panel of judges selected one for the top award.
“Our selection criteria included the child's circumstances, hardships,
challenges overcome, community activities and the example he or she sets
for others,” Kerry McGinley, associate editor for Operation Homefront,
said. “We were really moved by Brittany's giving nature, her commitment
to her family as well as other wounded warrior families, and all that
she's accomplished despite the challenges of her situation.”
Wallace's challenges began in 2007 when her father, Army Staff Sgt.
Robert Henline, was the lone survivor of a roadside bomb in Iraq that
burned 38 percent of his body and all but destroyed his left arm.
Despite his life-changing injuries, the soldier said, it was his
daughter who fought the harder battle.
“She helped her mom a lot during our difficult time,” Henline said. “She
had a lot on her plate. She never complained, and never felt sorry for
herself. She took over caring for her siblings. We were, and are, so
proud of her.”
Brittany was 15 when her mother, Connie, left her and her younger
siblings, Skylar and McKenzie, with family in North Carolina so she
could be at her husband's bedside in San Antonio. For three months,
Wallace helped with meals and homework. Family members said she provided
a sense of comfort and stability to her siblings.
Those three months were hard on everyone, the teenager recalled. She
said she remembers wanting to talk to her mother longer than the brief
chats they shared on the phone, but realized her mother was so stressed
and drained by taking care of her father that anything longer than a few
minutes would set loose the emotions she worked so hard to keep in
check. Wallace said she learned to follow her mother's example for the
sake of her siblings.
“It was hard with my mom being gone,” she said. “My sister and brother
looked up to me a lot. Other family members were there for us and were
very helpful, but they didn't really know our routine. It was up to me
to keep that routine for them. I didn't [worry about] mine. They needed
me, and I was there for them. My priorities changed. My family came
first.”
Those strong qualities, McGinley said, gave Wallace the edge over the
other two finalists.
“We consider Brittany as an exceptional young lady who is determined to
make the most and the best of her circumstances,” McGinley said. “It was
really inspiring to talk to her -- to hear her describe her father's
injuries as a blessing, because it has brought her family closer.”
Lockheed Martin Corp. sponsored the Military Child Award as a way to
honor and “recognize the extraordinary efforts of our military kids,”
said Jim Knotts of Lockheed Martin, who conceived the idea.
“While our country asks for great sacrifices from our men and women in
uniform, we also ask for great sacrifices from our military families,
especially the kids,” Knotts said. “We need a strong military, and our
military members need strong families.” | |
By Sharon
Foster
American Forces Press Service
Copyright 2009
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