2026 AFI USAG Rheinland-Pfalz Spouse of the Year winner, Esra Mills (Esra Mills)

Since 2008, Armed Forces Insurance (AFI) has honored military spouses from each military branch all across the globe 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 Military Spouse of the Year.

The overall winner this year will be selected in May 2026. In 2026, eight military spouses in Europe won at the base level for USAG Rheinland-Pfalz, USAG Wiesbaden, NSA Naples, USAG Stuttgart, USAG Bavaria, RAF Mildenhall, Ramstein Air Base and Spangdahlem Air Base.

I had the pleasure of talking to 2026 AFI USAG Rheinland-Pfalz Spouse of the Year winner Esra Mills and she told me a little about herself and her platform.

For almost 14 years, Mills has been a military spouse. She met her husband when she was a college student in Germany, and he was stationed here as an Army SGT. They survived 14 grueling months of long-distance marriage until she was able to join him at his new duty station, Fort Bliss. Since then, she has PCSed several times, spent 11 years in the U.S., had two children, earned her master’s degree, and in 2024, returned to Germany.

For almost 14 years, Mills has been a military spouse.  (Esra Mills)

One of the most impactful things Mills said during our interview was “It’s always worth it to invest in your future.” She espoused the difficulties of moving careers not only across different States, but across the world. As a foreign-born military spouse, she understands the value of education and career development for military spouses and service members. From her unique perspective I learned that she has had to jump through hurdles additional to those that military spouses already have to deal with. It is this personal experience that inspired her to advocate for continuing education and career development for military spouses.

This is the sage advice Mills has for newer military spouses. She continued with “we are all so different; we come from these different backgrounds, and every experience is unique. So, remain open, get out there, connect with others and have fun.”

For those who may be experiencing an OCONUS base for the first time, she recommends traveling, creating a Pinterest board for places to see, connecting with others and the USO, and giving yourself time to adjust.

One of the most impactful things Mills said during our interview was “It’s always worth it to invest in your future.” (Esra Mills)

Before we parted ways, I asked Mills some more “fun” questions about military life. With regard to her favorite military-life perk, she loves the Commissary, the USO and ACS (Army Community Services). Her children were born and raised in the U.S. and while she was excited to share German snacks with them while living here, she is grateful that the on-base commissary has Cheez-Its® and American popcorn stocked for their snack cravings: “For them it’s comfort. It’s a taste of home.” And, when prompted on which American food she was missing the most, she replied, “Oh my gosh, fried pickles.”

You can learn more about Mills’ military spouse journey by watching the above video and checking out her Armed Forces Insurance Military Spouse of the Year profile.