Five Military Kids Honored and a Military Family of the Year Surprised

Today Our Military Kids Organization honored five Military Kids of the year and one Military Family of the Year at the Naval Heritage Center. Our Military Kids, Inc is a non-profit organization that provides programs that nurture and sustain military children while a parent is serving our country overseas. Every year Our Military Kids conducs the ceremony A Celebration of Our Military Kids ' Star Power where they honor one military family and five military kids. The nominee selection process for this year’s star power event was based around how well the children are excelling in their particular program and the family of the year is determined by how well the soldier is doing in his or her deployment.

This year’s Military family of the year was the Karnbach family. The Karnbach family was surprised today at the Naval Heritage when 45 year old husband, father, soldier and Petty Officer Christopher Karnbach returned home two weeks early from his deployment. Petty Officer Christopher Karnbach surprised his two children when he came behind the curtains while the two of them were performing a martial art piece that they learned from a grant provided by Our Military Kids. His wife Anne Maries, and their children, Christopher, 9, and Abigail, 7, all burst into tears when they realized their father Christopher Karnbach had entered the room.

“I was so happy to see him, said Christopher Karnbach wife Anne Marie. I missed my husband he has been away for a year at Gitmo. Just to see his face brought so much joy! I had no idea that he was returning back home early."

Christopher Karnbach added “The first thing we are going to do as a family is go is check out a national’s game this weekend. They are winning and I love baseball."

Before the Karnbach family were surprised, the Five Military kids of the year that performed for top military leadership were: Anya Alexis Wilkie, Jonathan Harrell, Decorda Owens Baleigh Wheeler, and Sydney Schmidt. All five of the Our Military Kids performers received grants in dance and orchestra. Anya Alexis Willis,7, of Brighton Illonis, received a grant from Our Military Kids to attend violin camp. Jonathan Harrell, 10, of Charleston Virginia, also received a grant to continue piano lesson. Decorda Owens, 13, of Starkville Mississippi, received a grant to take hip-hop classes. Baleigh Wheeler, the 15 year of Greenville Virginia, also received a grant to continue taking dance classes. All five of the selected military children were honored with a trophy that read Our Military Kid of The Year 2012.

Every year Our Military Kids honors five Military Kids across the nation. According to Our Military Kids Fact Sheet, Between April 2005 and February 2012, Our Military has provide more than 35,000 grants totaling $14 million to children of deployed service members from every branched of the military living in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, Virgin Island, Guam and the District of Colombia.