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The Seidl family takes a moment with Lt. Gen. Charles Luckey and his wife Julie Luckey before the Association of the United States Army opening ceremony Oct. 9. The Seidl family was honored as AUSA Volunteer Family of the Year. — Photo By Staff Sgt. Deidra Jackson
The Association of the United States Army Volunteer family of the Year Award recognizes volunteerism, annually highlighting a family whose efforts go above and beyond in promoting the well-being of Soldiers and their family members. This year AUSA recognized the family of Eryn Seidl, an Army Reserve civilian from the 7th Mission Support Command in Kaiserslautern. It is the first time an Army Reserve family has been selected for the award and the first time the family of an Army civilian has received the award.
“It’s a great accomplishment for someone to be the family of the year for the entire United States Army, and we’re really proud that this year’s family is an Army Reserve family,” said Lt. Gen. Charles Luckey, chief of the Army Reserve and commanding general of the United States Army Reserve Command
The Seidl family, headed by patriarch Sgt. 1st Class (ret.) Eryn Seidl of Kaiserslautern and his wife, Anja, have been consistently engaged in the planning, logistics, cooking and other support to the military community.
“It’s awesome to be the first Army Reserve/Department of Defense civilian family to win this award,” said Anja Seidl, cultural liaison and Family Readiness Group leader for the Army.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re in the reserve, active Army, active guard reserve or civilian. We are all one family,” she said.
Seidl has made volunteering a part of his life and had some advice for Army Reserve families.
“Start early and start young. … Also, get your children involved so that it’s a culture they get used to,” he said. “Make sure you track your hours, because you’ll do a lot more volunteering than you realize.”
For the Seidl family, volunteering is as common as walking down the road. They have done everything from organizing a family day for a unit with 150 people to volunteering as a firefighter during 9/11 to organizing a community festival for 3,000 people, such as the pre-Halloween Trunk-or-Treat festival.
“The Seidl family is a great example of how the entire team supports every single Soldier — the father, the mother to the two children and the grandmother. They’re all supported in every way and every mission,” said Julie Luckey, Army Reserve senior spouse. “We’re so appreciative of all their efforts and the efforts of all our family members.”
For more information on volunteering, call (844) 663-3269 or visit
www.arfp.org
