Armed Forces Insurance Military Spouse of the Year logo (Armed Forces Insurance Military Spouse of the Year )
“Be the positivity you want to see in the world”
— Hailey Smart
Since 2008, Armed Forces Insurance (AFI) has honored military spouses all over the world and from each military branch with the Military Spouse of the Year (MSOY) award. The award recognizes military spouse contributions that help the military community. Nominees compete at the base and branch levels for the ultimate honor of being named the overall Military Spouse of the Year. The overall winner this year will be selected in May 2025.
This year in Europe, six military spouses won at the base level for USAG Rheinland-Pfalz, USAG Wiesbaden, NSA Naples, USAG Italy, NAVSTA Rota and Ramstein Air Base. I had the pleasure of talking to Ramstein Air Base winner, Hailey Smart and she told me a little about herself and her platform.
Hailey Smith standing in front of a house a snow-capped mountain (Valerie Acevedo (submitted by Hailey Smith))
Hailey grew up in Nebraska and is “a cornhusker through and through.” She serves as the secretary for the Ramstein Enlisted Spouse Association (RESA) and a squadron Key Support Liaison working with both the 86th Air Wing and the 688th cyberwing.
She wants to use her new network with AFI MSOY to keep making positive changes in the world and within the military spouse community.
Before letting her go, I asked Hailey some fun questions about her favorite military base and free military family perks. Her favorite base has been Ramstein, stating that “the community that is over here is so much fun.”
She goes on to talk about some of the amazing organizations here such RESA, Ramstein Officer Spouses’ Club, KMC Pride and the Mom’s Strolling groups that create such a “tight-knit community” at Ramstein.
When asked about her favorite military-related perk, as a self-proclaimed “Dis-Nerd,” she stated it was the discounted Disney tickets:
“We can hop on a train and be in Paris in two hours and I go to Disneyland Paris a lot.”
Read Hailey’s full profile on the AFI MSOY website.
Watch the accompanying video to learn more about Hailey’s platform and the Spouse Hub in the Enlisted Club on Ramstein Air Base.
