2024 VOLUNTEER FAMILY OF THE YEAR 

2024 Annual Meeting Volunteer Family of the Year Photos

The AUSA Volunteer Family of the Year Award for promoting the well-being of soldiers and their family members is presented to the family of Lt. Col. Tony Messenger.

Messenger, his wife, Amy, and their four sons, Connor, Liam, Colin and Keegan, embody the phrase “Staying Ready Together” while “selflessly sharing their time and talents” in the Fort Jackson, South Carolina, community, Silvia Butler, vice president of Programs and Awards for AUSA’s Fort Jackson-Palmetto State chapter, wrote in nominating the family.

“They are true innovators and trendsetters that helped shape what family support looks like across Fort Jackson today,” Butler wrote.

Entering the Army as an enlisted soldier in 1998, Tony Messenger was a staff sergeant when he was selected for a Green to Gold scholarship. He commissioned as an infantry officer in 2005 and later became a Special Forces officer. He has deployed to Iraq and Syria and now commands 3rd Squadron, 2nd Security Force Assistance Brigade at Fort Liberty, North Carolina.

Before his current assignment, Tony Messenger commanded 1st Battalion, 13th Infantry Regiment, at Fort Jackson. During his tenure, the Messengers revived the battalion’s Soldier Family Readiness Group and began the 72-hour room initiative, which gives drill sergeants a chance to spend time with their families during one of the most critical and time-consuming periods of the training cycle, Butler wrote.

At the end of the first 72 hours, during which drill sergeants work weekends to pick up incoming trainees, the Messengers coordinate breakfast—usually consisting of 20 pounds of bacon, 15 dozen eggs, fruit trays and more—and lunch and a potluck dinner. “At every event, Mrs. Messenger participates in the cooking and feeding of families,” Butler wrote.

The Messengers spend their time and money on the event every cycle. “The room is used by over 150 soldiers, 75 family members and 36 kids on a nine-week cycle,” Butler wrote. “From 2021 to present, approximately 865 soldiers, 430 family members and 180 children have benefited, which resulted in more quality time with their loved ones.”

They also established a Readiness and Resiliency Meditation Room, equipped with zero gravity chairs, massage chairs and white noise machines, that’s used by about 150 drill sergeants every day. They also established a lactation room for new and expecting mothers in the unit.

Two of the Messengers’ sons, Connor and Liam, helped establish a partnership with Richland Northeast High School that improved ties between junior ROTC and Fort Jackson, and the family coordinated the first all-staff visit from the high school to the installation.

The Messengers initiated a junior ROTC family day, providing 40 families with the opportunity to meet and talk to more than 35 drill sergeants about serving in the Army, and coordinated a mentorship program between 30 drill sergeants and more than 50 at-risk teens from the high school.

“The Messenger family … always strives to give their best within their family and strives to give their best to others,” Butler wrote. “Through selfless service, dedication, volunteerism and talents, the Messenger family exemplifies the values of the Army family.”

2023 Volunteer Family of the Year 

2023 Annual Meeting Volunteer Family of the Year – Family Photos

The AUSA Volunteer Family of the Year Award for promoting the well-being of soldiers and their family members is presented to the family of Lt. Col. Robert "Jody" Shipley.

Shipley, his wife, Emily, and their three children—Grace, Gage and Hailey—also are the 2023 Volunteer Family of the Year for Fort Cavazos, Texas.

At Fort Cavazos, formerly known as Fort Hood, Shipley commands the troop battalion at Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center.

“This family makes a difference every single day in the lives of everyone they meet,” Nancy Patterson of AUSA’s Central Texas chapter wrote in a letter nominating the family. “As parents, they have taught their children the importance of selfless service, working together as a team, assisting those who might need a little pick-me-up.”

In the past year, the Shipley family has logged more than 1,000 hours supporting several events and organizations, including more than 560 hours supporting the troop battalion’s Soldier and Family Readiness Group in serving a unit with more than 600 soldiers and a hospital that employs more than 2,000 Army civilians and their families. They were instrumental in events celebrating Valentine’s Day, Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas, and they helped coordinate an end of summer bash.

The Shipleys also spent more than 360 hours volunteering at and supporting many events at Memorial Christian Academy. They also volunteered at Memorial Baptist Church, the Killeen Food Bank and Garden of Hope, a shelter for children entering the foster care system.

“They are the embodiment of giving from the heart, and their exceptional level of community involvement stands as an example for others to emulate,” Patterson wrote. “They have and continue to touch the lives of many. Their seemingly boundless energy and genuine desire and determination to make a difference is truly inspiring.”