[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 6]
[Senate]
[Pages 7592-7593]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      RECOGNIZING HOMEFRONT HEROES

  Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. President, May is recognized as National Military 
Appreciation Month. In addition to a time when we honor the men and 
women who wear our Nation's uniform, we must also remember our military 
families who make tremendous sacrifices.
  These husbands and wives support our troops at home, during training 
missions and deployments. Military spouses are essential to the 
wellbeing of our service members and the strength of our national 
defense. We honor them with a special day honoring their role--National 
Military Spouse Appreciation Day.
  Arkansas is home to thousands of military personnel. Their spouses 
are the homefront heroes who serve our country out of uniform. I asked 
Arkansans to share the roles their spouses play in their military 
career. I want to highlight some of the ways Arkansas National Guard 
spouses support their partners' call to service.
  MSG Tracy Onassis Hayes and her husband, Cedric, have been married 
just over 1 year. Master Sergeant Hayes says her husband had no idea 
what he was getting into when he married a soldier. He has had to deal 
with the early mornings, late nights, and long weeks of her being away 
from home all while taking care of their 15-year-old son Ke'cy and 
making certain he gets to school, practice and all his other events 
while Master Sergeant Hayes travels out-of-State for training. He also 
makes sure the family pets are well cared for all while maintaining a

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traveling choir of over 30 children. Master Sergeant Hayes shared with 
me:

       He makes it look easy. My husband's support of the past 
     year has made serving a whole lot less stressful. I am very 
     thankful for his love and support. He is my hero. Thank you 
     Cedric for your commitment.

  Naomi Howard is familiar with military life as the daughter of CW4 
Arthur Troy. The military also paved the way for her love connection to 
her husband SFC James Howard. The couple met after James attended the 
Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, ESGR, briefing given by 
Naomi upon his return from deployment to Egypt. The couple spent the 
first 14 months of their marriage apart while James was deployed with 
the HHC 39th IBCT to Iraq.
  In 2004, the couple settled into a routine life in Cabot, AR, with 
James serving on Active Guard/Reserve duty, and Naomi working as a 
civilian at the National Guard Bureau Professional Education Center. In 
2007, James deployed to Iraq again and was away from home for more than 
1 year. James told me:

       During this time Naomi did an amazing job raising four 
     young children on her own. Since then, Naomi has continued 
     working at the National Guard Bureau's Professional Education 
     Center and supporting me in my continued military service. 
     Being in the military requires long hours and time away from 
     home, yet my wife has continued to support me, more than I 
     could have ever imagined.

  Not only is she a strong support for her husband and children, but 
she is doing this all while working and attending college as a full-
time student. She was named to the Central Baptist College President's 
List for Fall 2014 for maintaining a 4.0 GPA. ``She juggles more than I 
could ever imagine and she excels at doing so,'' James said.
  Wanda Thomen has been married for 28 years to Deputy Commander CPT 
Rex Thomen of the 61st CST/WMD and is a mother of two children, Myranda 
and Phelan. Wanda served as an active duty airman and was honorably 
discharged in March 1998. Her prior service experience helps her to 
understand both sides, as a servicemember and as a spouse. She 
previously served as president of the Auxiliary of the National Guard 
Association of Arkansas whose motto is ``The Other Half.'' She also 
worked as the 39th Infantry Brigade Combat Team Family Readiness 
Support assistant. She has been supportive during deployments, 
injuries, illness, and everyday activities as her husband continues his 
military career and Wanda continues to give back to the troops and 
their families.
  Thank you to Cedric, Naomi, Wanda, and all of our military spouses 
for your support at home while your loved one is away defending our 
Nation. We thank you for your dedication and commitment to our Armed 
Forces, your family and extended military family.

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