FORT RILEY, Kan. - "I'm just a really nice person with a big heart," Michele Bradfield, wife of Capt. Jakob Bradfield, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, said. "I'm really ambitious and I have lots of goals."
Bradfield was selected as the Armed Forces Insurance Spouse of the Year for Fort Riley. This is her second year in a row winning the title after being at Fort Riley for a little more than two years. She said she was very humbled and honored to have won, but feels everyone nominated was just as deserving.
"(I'm) really excited to be selected as the winner, not only once, but twice," Bradfield said. "There are really so many deserving candidates. I truly wish everyone nominated could win."
Army life presented Bradfield with opportunities she would not have expected, she said. She found a number of aspects of military life she enjoys, but her favorites focus on the people she meets and the places she lives.
"It's the opportunity to live in all the unique places we wouldn't necessarily choose for ourselves," Bradfield said. "And the ability to make friends wherever we go all over the world … It seems like everywhere we go, we know someone or someone who knows someone."
Schweinfurt, Germany, was Bradfield's first duty station as a military spouse. She said it was her favorite because of the small installation and living off-post allowed her to immerse herself in the local culture.
However, she was also new to military life and didn't know anyone in the area, she said. It was her time with the Family Readiness Group that taught her and helped her to settle in.
"I had a lot of event planning experience and when I got there (Schweinfurt), our FRG steering committee was looking for an events coordinator and I volunteered to do that," Bradfield said. "It was probably the best decision I made because it really exposed me to the military life that I didn't know."
Bradfield helped plan an Army ball her first year with the FRG. She said she was also actively involved in her company's FRG, as well.
At Fort Riley, Bradfield was FRG leader for Company C in 2nd Battalion, 70th Armor Regiment, 2nd ABCT, 1st Inf. Div. She was also FRG leader for Headquarters and Headquarters Company for the same battalion.
She encourages every spouse to participate in the FRG. She said it is an excellent way to put out information and a resource for spouses to use in creating friendships and connections.
"It's really important that they (spouses) get involved, so they stay in the know and they're able to connect because you don't know who you're going to meet and if you don't show up, then you might be missing out on a good friendship," Bradfield said.
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