SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, Hawaii - Military spouses throughout the armed forces strive to support their families at home, pursue higher education, work and perform community service.
It isn't every day that a spouse gets recognized for outstanding service throughout the military and local community.
Andrea Disque, spouse of Command Sgt. Maj. Brian Disque, senior enlisted adviser, 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, "Cacti," 3rd Brigade Combat Team, was nominated for Military Spouse magazine's Military Spouse of the Year.
Disque, a native of Buffalo, New York, understood the military life; she had joined the Air Force right out of high school.
Her journey as a military spouse didn't start until she met her husband at Waikiki in 1999 while stationed on Oahu. Her husband was a Soldier stationed here with the 21st Inf. Regt., "Gimlets," 2nd Bde. Combat Team, 25th ID. She completed her enlistment, in May and married in August of the same year.
Role model
The Disque family moved back to Schofield Barracks in 2016, with Andrea becoming the Cacti family readiness group adviser.
"I volunteer time for 'Feeding the Hungry' in Wahiawa, with Surfing the Nations," she said. "I recently took on a position for the Joint Spouses Conference that occurs every fall as part of their board, and I'm their web master and email chairperson."
She is a graduate from the University of New England with a Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership (Ed.D.), and serves as a professor teaching Critical Thinking for the University of Phoenix.
She said she also recently took a writing internship with The Borgen Project, which is a non-governmental organization dedicated to ending global hunger.
Nicole Darnell, married to Staff Sgt. Benjamin Darnell, assigned to the 2-35th Inf. Regt., nominated Disque for Military Spouse of the Year.
"Andrea truly excels as a military spouse," Darnell said. "She is a role model for balancing education, work, family and volunteering, all while supporting the organization with meaningful and fun events."
Disque said she was extremely honored to be nominated.
"I was so impressed with reading everybody else's story ... it made me feel like it's such an inclusive and amazing group of spouses," Disque said. "One of the things I have been focusing on in the past few years is empowering military spouses to become better people."
Attitude can make such a big difference in your experience as a military spouse.
Darnell said Disque always has a smile on her face when helping families.
"She understands families' needs and always makes them feel welcome at events," Darnell said "She also helps to uphold military tradition by organizing traditional get-togethers and ways to volunteer in the community."
Disque's positive attitude made a tremendous difference for the military spouses of Cacti.
"We need more people like Andrea who fully embrace the military life and provide a positive example of how to enjoy the community within the unit," Darnell said.
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