‘Entire Family Serves,’ Says 2026 Military Child of the Year for the Marine Corps
One member of Hannah Kirksey’s family wore the Marine Corps uniform for two decades. Each member of the household served proudly with him through relocations, deployments, and adjustments of military life. Hannah, 18, is Operation Homefront’s 2026 Military Child of the Year® for the Marine Corps.
Hannah is a senior at Dixon High School in Holly Ridge, North Carolina. She and her parents, Jacqueline and retired Marine Corps Gunnery Sgt. William Kirksey, live in Sneads Ferry, North Carolina. Her older brother, Kaleb, is majoring in military aviation at Liberty University.
William served 21 years and deployed 16 times, to countries such as Iraq, Afghanistan, Chad, Mauritania, Japan, and Korea. Deployments took him away from the family for a total of 37 months. The absences were hard for the family, especially Hannah, who is the youngest.
“I remember sitting in our kitchen as a child, looking out the window and wondering when my dad would come home,” she said. “It was hard to watch other families playing together outside or sitting down for dinner together when our family felt incomplete.”
It was even harder when her dad returned from combat a changed person.
“Rebuilding our relationship over the years was difficult not only because he had been gone for so long, but also because it felt like part of him was still at war,” Hannah said. “Through those experiences, I have come to understand that service does not belong only to the person wearing the uniform — it extends to the entire family.”
Hannah sometimes felt rejected when her father grew distant as he healed from invisible wounds. She also faced frustration at school as she navigated dyslexia. She persevered.
“As I grew older, I gained empathy and understanding for my father’s sacrifice and learned how to advocate for myself academically,” she said. “If I could go back, I would respond sooner with compassion and self-awareness, knowing that both challenges were rooted in things far bigger than me.”
Hannah draws strength from her mom, her best friend, her Christian faith, and laughter. She also finds inspiration in her father’s strength and resilience.
“Even in smaller moments, like when he wears his veteran hat in public and someone stops to thank him for his service, I feel an overwhelming sense of pride,” she said. “Knowing that he served to protect our country fills me with deep gratitude and pride in both my family and the values we stand for.”
Military life has relocated Hannah’s family to different parts of the country six times, and she is attending her seventh school. Each move introduced new cultures, new people, and fresh opportunity.
“No matter where we moved, there was always an understanding and support system among other military children who shared similar experiences,” she said. “Each move pushed me to connect with new people and embrace new experiences, which shaped my adaptability and perspective.”
In addition to being on the varsity cheer and swim teams, Hannah excels academically in honors, advanced placement, and dual-credit classes. She also volunteers through school and community organizations. In the 12 months before her nomination as Military Child of the Year, Hannah dedicated 1,202 hours to volunteer work.
Hannah founded the Military Community Support & Service club at her high school to recognize fellow military kids. She also established a lending closet to provide business attire for students competing in Health Occupations Students of America events.
She reminds other military kids to be courageous and explore new environments and step outside their comfort zones.
“Those moments of uncertainty are often where growth, confidence, and strength are built.”
Last summer, Hannah volunteered with the American Red Cross in the neonatal intensive care unit, emergency department, and labor and delivery unit at Navy Medical Center Camp LeJeune. She was inspired to put her compassion to work in the medical field and become a physician assistant.
Hannah will join other Military Child of the Year recipients in Washington, D.C., in April. The seven winners will be honored at a gala, during which senior leaders of each branch of service will present the awards. Honorees will each receive $10,000, a laptop computer, and other donated gifts.
Operation Homefront’s Military Child of the Year program, now in its 18th 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. This year marks the first time all the recipients are women.
Collectively, the seven 2026 recipients logged 4,849 volunteer hours in the 12 months before nominations. Altogether, they have experienced 35 permanent changes of station and lived through a combined total of 255 months of a parent being deployed.
Service/Leadership Highlights
- Military Community Support and Service Club, founder and president
- Business clothing lending closet for students, founder
- Health Occupations Students of America, vice president
- Fellowship of Christian Athletes, leader
- Varsity cheerleader
