Operation Homefront recently announced Emily Baldeosingh is the Military Child of the Year for the National Guard. The 18 year old from Havelock, North Carolina, is the president of her senior class, a two-time National Cheerleaders Association (NCA) All-American cheerleader, and a varsity lacrosse, soccer, and track and field athlete. Emily is also the 2024 Havelock Chamber of Commerce Volunteer of the Year and has served as a Gold Star Sailing junior counselor for five years.
“It’s always been my goal to make my dad proud, and with this award, I think it signifies that I have,” she said. “Whether it’s through service, volunteering in the community or extracurriculars in school, I’ve always put my best effort into everything I’ve done. So, being able to win this award is pretty amazing.”
Emily’s father, National Guard Sgt. Juan Carlos Baldeosingh, was killed in action during Operation Iraqi Freedom when she was just 2 years old. He first served as an active duty Marine for four years but separated when Emily’s mother, Rebecca Baldeosingh, gave birth to twins. Rebecca said he wanted to be there for his kids.
After a few years working security and as a Spanish-speaking translator at a local hospital, Rebecca said Juan Carlos was drawn again to military service in the National Guard. He was deployed in South Baghdad, Iraq, as an infantry soldier for just over a month when he was killed by an improvised explosive device on June 29, 2009.
Related: Military Child of the Year recipients celebrated for resilient approach to parent’s service
Sgt. Baldeosingh was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 120th Infantry Regiment, and posthumously awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart. Throughout her life, Emily has made it her objective to carry on her father’s legacy and serve as an ambassador for other Gold Star children. She continues to be a mentor for kids at Gold Star Sailing camp and has aspirations to become an adviser and counselor.
“Through my award, I want to not only honor my father but also be a person that represents Gold Star children,” she said. “I want to be somebody that others can look up to and be a role model for others that don’t get represented as often.”
A Military Child of the Year award recipient was chosen for each service out of more than 900 nominees. Emily’s teacher Jennifer Wandzel nominated her for the award. Although Wandzel taught Emily in 10th and 12th grades, she was surprised by the recognition and that her teacher even knew she was a military child.
“Knowing people recognize all the work I’ve put in and my story — it’s a super significant moment in my life that I will never forget,” she said.
Military Child of the Year award winners are flown to Washington, D.C., for a gala where senior leaders from each service branch present the awards, including $10,000, a laptop computer and other donated gifts. It’s just what Emily needs to begin life after high school graduation. Over the summer, she’ll teach cheer as an NCA instructor, and then start at High Point University as an international business major in the fall.
She’s already reached out to her adviser to see how she can be active in the military community and campus and is planning to continue her education at HPU for her graduate degree in business, communication and leadership. Ultimately, all of this will lead Emily to another life goal: to sell water-front properties as a realtor in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Read more about Emily on the Operation Homefront blog.
