2026 AFI NSA Naples Spouse of the Year: Dannielle Niewald (Dannielle Niewald)
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 NSA Naples Spouse of the Year winner Dannielle Niewald and she told me a little about herself and her platform.
Niewald has been a military spouse for almost 20 years. She talked about getting married at 19 and thinking she knew it all (didn’t we all?). She has been in Naples for about two years, but has been stationed there before, so she is quite familiar with the area.
Her platform focuses on breaking down barriers and getting support for service members, their families and DOD ID holders. She spoke about “meeting people where they are at,” especially for workers and families with special circumstances: the service member who works night shifts who cannot access services during normal operating hours or the military family with only one car, juggling who can go where and when.
Niewald has been a military spouse for almost 20 years. (Dannielle Niewald)
When asked what is something she would like to share with newer military spouses, she reflected and stated, “be kind to yourself.”
“There are some really hard days you are going to walk through, but there are some really amazing days that you are going to walk through, too ....Be kind to yourself along the way.”
— Dannielle Niewald, 2026 AFI NSA Naples Spouse of the Year
As someone who has spent 13 of the past 20 years OCONUS, Niewald had some wise words for people experiencing an OCONUS base for the first time: “Find your tribe.”
When asked what is something she would tell her older self, she stated: “Live every opportunity and be thankful for every opportunity you have had.”
Her platform focuses on breaking down barriers and getting support for service members, their families and DOD ID holders. (Dannielle Niewald)
I also asked Niewald some “fun” questions about military life. Her favorite military-related perk? All of the opportunities she has had with different military organizations such as USO, MWR and Armed Forces Entertainment. She has attended concerts and activities because of these organizations that supported the growth of the different military communities she has been involved with.
After our discussion, Niewald was chosen as a Top 3 Branch Finalist for Navy Spouses.
You can learn more about Niewald’s military spouse journey by watching the above video and checking out her Armed Forces Insurance Military Spouse of the Year profile.
