Chelle McIntyre-Brewer is the 2008 Military Spouse of the Year.
FORT BRAGG, N.C. -- A Fort Bragg soldier's wife was chosen as this year's national military spouse of the year.
Military Spouse magazine picked Chelle McIntyre-Brewer because of all the volunteer work she does on top of taking care of a young daughter with a heart defect.
"I had no idea I had been nominated for the award, and so I had no clue and when she called, it was Babette Maxwell called, she was like 'Hi, I just wanted to let you know you're one of the top 10 finalists for military spouse of the year' and I was like, ‘That's funny’ and then she was serious,” McIntyre-Brewer said.
McIntyre-Brewer is still in shock that a national magazine chose her as the military spouse of the year but she feels it's quite an honor.
Military Spouse magazine picked Chelle McIntyre-Brewer because of all the volunteer work she does on top of taking care of a young daughter with a heart defect.
"Chelle really stood out because her commitment to altruism and charity have really stood the test of time,” Maxwell explained. Maxwell is co-founder of Military Spouse magazine.
McIntyre-Brewer started "Soldier's List" in 2002. The group provides care packages and support to soldiers from all over. She also works with the USO, March of Dimes, the American Heart Association and anyone else who needs help.
Chelle does all this while taking care of a daughter with a serious heart condition. Sometimes she has to do it alone when her husband is deployed with the 18th Airborne Corps.
"One of the things about her though is, she wouldn't be her, she wouldn't feel complete unless she were doing something for somebody else,” said her husband, 2LT Steven Brewer.
The award is currently hidden from sight because McIntyre-Brewer would rather have the focus be on the volunteers, the people who need help and the thousands of other military spouses like her.
“It's not just me,” McIntyre-Brewer added. “It's me and the next door neighbor and frankly, I couldn't have gone to D.C. [for the awards ceremony] if Nadia hadn't taken care of my dogs. I wouldn't have been able to go there and take care of my family if Stacy and her husband hadn't come up to help me. We're all in it together."
McIntyre-Brewer and a friend also run a website with articles and resources for military spouses. Visit marriedtothearmy.com for more information.
To see pictures from the Military Spouse of the Year Luncheon honoring Chelle Brewer, click here.