Diverse News 2008®

NEWS FEEDS
Military Spouse of the Year Award Now Accepting Nominations
         Nominate an Outstanding Military Spouse to Be 2009 Honoree

    PITTSBURGH, Aug. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Military Spouse magazine (MSM)
today announced that it is now accepting nominations for its 2009 Military
Spouse of the Year (MSOY) award, sponsored by USAA. The MSOY honoree
represents the millions of military spouses who are unsung heroes
maintaining the homefront, giving back selflessly to their communities, and
providing support to our nation's troops. Often, these spouses also have
full-time jobs and raise families.

    In recognition of their countless contributions, MSM will honor one
exemplary military spouse from each service branch and also select one
overall winner. The 2009 MSOY will be announced and honored nationally in
the June issue of Military Spouse magazine and at the second annual MSOY
Awards Ceremony to be held during the week of May 4, 2009 in Washington,
DC, in conjunction with National Military Spouse Appreciation Week. The
winner will make additional public appearances, write a monthly column to
appear in Military Spouse magazine, and maintain a blog during his/her
reign, which will last through May 2010.

    MSM and its readers will select the winner based on his/her
inspirational representation of all military spouses. Nominees must be the
spouse of a current member of the U.S. armed forces. Criteria for selecting
the recipient include: impact on community change, volunteerism, personal
sacrifice, education and career pursuits and other military spouse-related
efforts. Last year's award generated hundreds of nominations from across
the country, culminating in the selection of Army wife Chelle Brewer as
MSOY 2008 (http://www.milspouse.com/msoy2008).

    MSM encourages individuals to submit a nomination for either themselves
or an eligible nominee of their choice. To submit a nomination, individuals
must complete the nomination form online at http://www.msoy.milspouse.com . The
nomination period runs from today through October 8, 2008. Judges will
review all submissions and select ten finalists from each military service
branch, after which readers will select one branch winner. Judges include a
hand- selected portion of MSM's "Who's Who of Military Spouses," a list of
influential military spouses.

    "This award is MSM's opportunity to thank all military spouses for
their invaluable contributions, in addition to recognizing them for the
challenges they overcome every day," said Babette Maxwell, Military Spouse
magazine co-founder and executive editor.

    "The reason USAA exists is to help military families with their
financial security and the peace of mind that brings -- especially to the
military spouse who shoulders so much responsibility," said Joe Robles,
USAA's CEO and a retired major general. "I know I couldn't have done what I
did for the Army if my wife, Patty hadn't taken care of everything else.
Being the title sponsor of this award is a natural for us. We feel honored
to honor military spouses."

    About Military Spouse

    Military Spouse magazine and http://www.milspouse.com, published by Victory
Media, is the leading national magazine and online destination for the
nation's 1.1 million current and 20 million former military spouses. The
company also publishes G.I. Jobs magazine (http://www.gijobs.net) and Vetrepreneur
magazine (http://www.navoba.com). For more information, please visit
http://www.milspouse.com .

    About USAA

    USAA, a diversified financial services group of companies, is the
leading provider of financial planning, insurance, investments, and banking
products to members of the U.S. military and their families. Named by
BusinessWeek as No. 1 Customer Service Champ in 2007 and 2008, USAA
provides highly competitive financial products to its 6.4 million members.
For more information about USAA, or to learn more about membership, visit
http://www.usaa.com .
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