2026 AFI USAG Wiesbaden Spouse of the Year winner Ashley Dixon (Ashley Dixon)

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 Wiesbaden Spouse of the Year winner Ashley Dixon, and she told me a little about herself and her platform.

Dixon has been a military spouse for 14 years and has been stationed at USAG Wiesbaden for about three and a half years. She advocates for military spouses and children and is involved with her children’s DoDEA schooling through PTA and volunteering in the classroom, as well as in CYS sports. She is also president of the Wiesbaden Community and Spouses Club.

Dixon believes in fighting for what is right and against the unjust; she was inspired to start taking leadership roles in her community where she could make real changes.

This is the straightforward advice that Dixon has for military spouses. She also advises new spouses not to let first impressions dictate everything. She wants to remind new spouses that people are always coming and going, experiencing things in life, and that maybe the first impression of a person, a base, an organization or an event was a wrong one. She encourages new spouses to just give them another try.

For those who may be experiencing an OCONUS base for the first time, Dixon recommends getting to know all about the on-base community and organizations such as ACS and MWR because they can help you adjust and settle into your new surroundings and connect you with basics that you may be used to easily accessing in the States. Also, she recommends taking advantage of travel opportunities.

Dixon is president of the Wiesbaden Community and Spouses Club. (Ashley Dixon)

Before we parted ways, I asked Dixon some more “fun” questions about military life. With regard to her favorite military-life perk, she stated that in this phase of her military life, it is all of the activities and programs for military families and children.

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