05-12-2023 MAW - Flipbook - Page 8
8 Baltimore Sun Media | Friday, May 12, 2023
Hash wins the National Guard Spouse of the Year award
By Katia Parks
Allyson Sue Hash has been named the
2023 Armed Forces Insurance National
Guard Spouse of the Year. Hash is currently
stationed with her husband, 1st Sgt. Scott
D. Hash, who serves in the Maryland Army
National Guard 29th Combat Aviation
Brigade at Aberdeen Proving Ground in
Edgewood.
As a base winner, Hash was judged on
five core criteria: overall involvement in
the military community, leadership skills,
community building capability, communication skills and overall personal story.
She has more than 8,000 volunteer hours
and raised more than $50,000 in support of
the nation’s guardsmen, according to the
release. She also works as the executive
assistant to the Maryland adjutant general.
“I work and volunteer my time to the
Maryland National Guard 24/7,” Hash said
in a statement. “I am blessed that everything in my life allows me to support all
who wear or those who support our state’s
guardsmen. Working hard to build trust
with the guardsmen allows me to build a
deeper relationship with them as a soldier
and individual. This is essential and powerful. Although majority of my time is dedicated to those currently serving, it does not
stop at retirement. I know the extra time I
spend speaking to a retiree or their family
members is a privilege. And, one I do with-
ABERDEEN
PROVING
GROUND
THROUGH THE YEARS
Clockwise from top left: President
Franklin D. Roosevelt, Maj. Gen. Charles
Macon Wesson and Maryland Gov. Herbert
O’Conor at Aberdeen Proving Ground in
October 1940. Soldiers test new boots in
1981 at the obstacle course. Soldiers go
through drills in May 1952. Army soldiers
conduct a drill in 1961 on the leaders
reaction course. The pool represents
a minefield. The soldiers are trying to
transport a drum of high explosives across
a minefield with only two short pipes on a
rope. BALTIMORE SUN FILE PHOTOS
Allyson Sue Hash has been named the
2023 Armed Forces Insurance National
Guard Spouse of the Year. Hash’s husband,
Scott, is stationed with the Maryland Army
National Guard at Aberdeen Proving Ground
in Edgewood. COURTESY
out fail every day.”
An Illinois native, Hash received a bachelor’s degree in fashion merchandising
from Valparaiso University in Indiana.
After college, she moved to Orange County,
California, in 1991, where she designed
store layouts for major retailers.
Hash’s military connection began when
a simple hello and a smile from her future
husband, Scott, a Marine, captured her
heart, according to the release. After they
were married, the next chapter of his military service moved them across the country to join the Maryland Army National
Guard, where she joined the Family Readiness Group as a core volunteer, the release
said.
As a National Guard spouse, Hash
met soldiers from 18 other states while
volunteering at mobilization sites during
her husband’s deployments, earning the
mother of three the call-sign “Mama
Hash,” the release said.
After 24 years, Hash continues to
find solutions to challenges and ways to
support families in the midst of military
travel, drill weekends, annual training and
deployments. She has served one year as
a core volunteer for the 2-224th Aviation
Battalion; 15 years as a lead volunteer for
the 248th Aviation Support Battalion, 1st
Battalion, 224th Aviation Regiment, Aviation Depot Maintenance Round-out Unit
and 1100 Theater Aviation Support Maintenance Group; four years as the 29th
Combat Aviation Brigade Family Readiness Support Assistant; three years as the
Maryland and District of Columbia Military OneSource state consultant; and 23
years of fundraising and volunteering with
the school system, Gunpowder Wounded
Warrior Outreach, Operation Homefront
and United Through Reading, the release
said.
When not working at the armory or
volunteering, she visits businesses in the
community, allowing her to stay connected
with the organizations, businesses and
churches that assist the military, the
release said.
In its 13th year honoring the dedication
of more than 1.1 million military spouses,
Armed Forces Insurance recognizes the
sacrifice of military spouses from all six
branches of the Armed Forces, who are
advocating for others and having a tangible, measurable effect on their communities, according to a news release.
“Over the past decade, we have seen the
program grow and amplify the voices of
military spouses on a national stage,” said
Lori Simmons, chief growth and marketing officer at Armed Forces Insurance,
in a news release. “These spouses have
pioneered initiatives, founded organizations, started businesses, and advocated
for issues impacting the quality-of-life for
military families in the best ways imaginable. We are thrilled to welcome the 2023
base winners to [our] family and work
alongside them to make an even bigger
impact.”
Hash is now in the running for the 2023
national winner. The overall winner will be
unveiled at an awards luncheon on May 11
at the Hilton Arlington National Landing
in Arlington, Virginia in conjunction with
National Military Spouse Appreciation Day
on May 12.