Emily Baldeosingh Named 2025 Military Child of the Year for National Guard
When Emily Baldeosingh was born, her father looked at her and said, “She is special. She is going to be something someday.”
He was right. In addition to being a leader, athlete, and honor student. She is also the Operation Homefront 2025 Military Child of the Year® for the National Guard.
Emily, 18, is the daughter of Rebecca and Juan Carlos Baldeosingh, an Army National Guard sergeant who made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation.
Her stepfather, retired Marine Sgt. Maj. Skip Amaker, served 26 years. His tenure included five deployments to Iraq and one to Afghanistan. The family lives in Havelock, North Carolina, where Emily is salutatorian and president of the senior class at Havelock High School.
Emily was 2 when her mother received the news on June 29, 2009, that Juan Carlos was among four North Carolina guardsmen killed in Iraq when an improvised explosive device detonated near their vehicle. He first served in the Marine Corps but transitioned to civilian life and, in 2008, joined the Guard.
Being part of a Gold Star Family has shaped Emily.
“I have grown up with the utmost respect for our country and those who serve to protect our freedom,” she said. “My family has always made it a top-tier priority to stay hopeful and stay positive through everything.”
Staying positive was a struggle when she was diagnosed with hearing loss at age 8. Other children’s teasing made her self-conscious, and she hid her hearing aid under her long hair. When she began participating in track and soccer in middle school, she ignored the cruel kids, pulled her hair back, and got fitted with a bright blue hearing aid.
“My hearing aid is a part of me, and I am okay with that,” she said. “It helps me hear.”
Now, she is varsity cheer captain at her school, a two-time NCA Top All-American cheer team member, and recently joined the NCA staff as an instructor. She also founded an Instagram account to drive school spirit, and she’s worked with the local chamber of commerce. Her volunteer service in the 12 months before her nomination as Military Child of the Year totaled 389 hours.
Emily plans to study international business at High Point University in North Carolina.
She aspires to a career in real estate in the Fort Lauderdale, Florida, area. She fell in love with the area during her first Gold Star sailing camp, and she has dreamed of helping others find their forever homes.
Though Emily was too young to know her father well, she strives to make him proud.
“I do everything for my dad because I feel like it’s my duty as his daughter to carry on his legacy and make him proud,” she said. “I’ve always wanted to dedicate my life to him, like he did, giving up his life for the American people. I’ve always wanted to be special like he always said I was going to be.”
She urges other military children to value the camaraderie and appreciate the adventures of new duty stations, new cultures and new experiences.
“Being a military child is so rewarding, yet unpredictable,” she said. “You never know what the next chapter of your life will hold, but with that, it is always best to keep an open mind and be willing to talk with others about what is going on because there are kids that are feeling the same as you in that time.”
Operation Homefront’s Military Child of the Year program, now in its 17th year, recognizes outstanding teens in each branch of the armed forces for criteria that include their scholarship, volunteerism, leadership and extracurricular involvement while facing the challenges of military family life.
Collectively, the seven 2025 recipients logged 3,488 volunteer hours in the 12 months before nominations. Altogether, they have experienced 34 permanent changes of station and lived through 283 months of deployments.
The Military Child of the Year Award recipients will be recognized at a gala in Washington, D.C., in April, during which senior leaders of each branch of service will present the awards. Award recipients also will receive $10,000 each, a laptop computer, and other donated gifts.
Service/Leadership Highlights
- Gold Star Sailing junior counselor
- Two-time NCA Cheer All-American and Top All-American
- Varsity letter athlete in cheer, lacrosse, soccer, and track and field
- Havelock Chamber of Commerce 2024 Volunteer of the Year
- Senior Class President
