Kentucky Army National Guard Wife Wins National Guard Spouse of the Year
When asked to list the qualities that define his wife, SFC Darrell Brookins of the 198th Military Police Battalion, Kentucky Army National Guard, chose, “Extraordinary. Exciting. Loving. Selfless.”
This is how he sees his wife, Shelia Brookins, and he is not the only one. An entire panel of judges felt the same way, as the traits he described are essential to winning the title of Armed Forces Insurance National Guard Spouse of the Year – an honor Shelia Brookins recently earned.
The Armed Forces Insurance Military Spouse of the Year (MSOY) award is presented by Military Spouse magazine and recognizes the contributions and commitment of military spouses to the military community and to the country.
A winning spouse is chosen from each branch and component of the U.S. military, and the selection process is rigorous to say the least. After Brookins was nominated for the award by both her husband and her coworker, she was entered into a pool of thousands of military spouses from all branches.
Once nominated, spouses go through a three-phase voting process – Installation Voting, Top 18 and Branch Voting. First, nominations are collected and organized by base, Coast Guard district or State – depending on the branch and component of service. The nominee with the highest popular vote at each base, district or State is named the respective winner and advances for consideration to be in the Top 18 Spouses. The Top 18 Spouses of the Year are determined based on the results of the popular vote from round 1 along with votes from the MSOY panel of judges. Winners of the Top 18 then move on to the branch round voting. Those with the highest combined score – derived from the popular vote from round 1, the MSOY judging panel vote from round 2 and round 3 votes from the MSOY Judge Advisory Panel – are awarded the six national branch-level titles.
“It’s an honor and a privilege to even be considered,” Brookins said. “It’s just awesome. The job that I do requires a lot of confidentiality, so the people that I help usually don’t come back to say thank you. This is just a way of knowing that people have appreciated the things I’ve done over the years.”
Brookins works as a Family Assistance Center Specialist (FACS) contracted for the Kentucky National Guard. In that position, she connects service members and their Families with available resources, education and information that is needed before, during and after deployments. Brookins is a perfect fit for the position, as it allows her to use her passion for helping others to benefit a host of Families.
“I like being there for people,” Brookins said. “You get to meet a lot of people. Sometimes they are in dire situations and sometimes they just need a little assistance. I like having the opportunity to help them overcome whatever obstacle they [are facing].”
According to SFC Brookins, it was no surprise when his wife won the national title. “Just looking at her qualifications and the things that she’s done over the years, she definitely fits the mold of Military Spouse of the Year,” he said. “I felt confident as we were putting her bio together and listing all the things that she’s done. I felt very strongly that she would win, but when she actually won it was really exciting. My son and I were jumping up and down like we were going to the Final Four or the Super Bowl!”
Brookins’ desire to help others doesn’t stop with her position as an FACS. Her goodwill has led her to volunteer for multiple organizations. Brookins is heavily involved with her children’s extracurricular activities. She serves at her children’s schools, Westport Middle School and Ballard High School, as a Team Mom for the basketball team at Westport, and as a Parent Rep and volunteer for the football team at Ballard. She also serves as a parent representative on the school’s School-Based Decision Making council – a parent-teacher leadership committee under the Kentucky Department of Education that is responsible for setting school specific policy. In her local church, she serves as a praise leader, Vacation Bible School coordinator and the church conference coordinator. Brookins also serves as the Chaplain, Family Affairs Co-Chair and Area II Auxiliary Director of the Enlisted Association of the National Guard of the United States and the Auxiliary President of the Enlisted Association of the National Guard for Kentucky.
Brookins commented that receiving the National Guard Spouse of the Year Award has not only shown her how much others have appreciated her acts of service and volunteerism, but more importantly, it has given her the opportunity to encourage others to become more involved in their communities.
“It gives me an opportunity to have a platform, and for me [that platform is] volunteerism,” Brookins explained. “It seems that, over the years, people’s efforts in volunteering have died down. You don’t find as many people volunteering in their communities anymore, so it gives me a platform to try to encourage people to go out and volunteer.”
Brookins traces her passion for volunteerism to her upbringing.
“I was raised by my grandmother,” explained Brookins. “She was always helping somebody. If there was someone in the community that needed anything, she was there for them. I learned that there are people out there who need help and you have the ability to help them. That’s always been a part of [who I am].”
Brookins and her husband share a core value of always lending a helpful hand. Brookins said their common desire to support and help those in need is part of what drew them to each other back when they first began dating. Now, after 18 years of marriage, it remains at the center of their family values.
“When I met my husband, he was always there for his family and trying to help people,” Brookins recalled. “It seemed like we just clicked. Helping people is just what we do.”
Because of their exuberant personalities and passion for volunteerism, Brookins and her husband are known in the Kentucky Army National Guard community as “Team Brookins.” The team also includes their three sons, three daughters, Brookins’ two younger sisters – whom she and SFC Brookins raised – and their eight foster children.
Brookins expressed gratefulness for both her supportive Family at home, and the supportive Family she has made in the Kentucky Guard.
“Although the National Guard Family is dispersed, it’s still the most amazing Family I’ve ever had the privilege of being a part of,” Brookins told Military Spouse. “The Family you are born in is chosen for you, but with the military, these individuals chose to be a part of this great Family. The support you get is unwavering and I’m honored to be a part of it.”
Brookins went on to note the vital lessons she has learned in being a military spouse, including the importance of being “flexible, understanding and patient.”
“The military has taught me that I am stronger than any obstacle that is set before me,” she said. “Change is certain and in order to survive it, you must keep an open line of communication and be willing to accept anything that gets thrown your way. Deployments may come, promotions might not come and celebrations will be missed, but if you approach each occurrence as a Family and look for the positives, you will get through.”
While Brookins is the 2018 National Guard Spouse of the Year, she emphasized the importance of showing recognition and gratitude to all military spouses.
“Even though I’ve gotten this recognition, there are other spouses out there who may never be recognized, but do some of the same – or better things – than I do,” Brookins reflected. “Many times, we recognize the service member, but behind the scenes there’s the Family and the support. [This award] lets me know that people do recognize that we make sacrifices too. It’s nowhere close to the sacrifices our Soldiers make, but they are still sacrifices.”
By STAFF WRITER Tatyana White-Jenkins
