Ft. Drum teen nominated for national award

FORT DRUM — One of the easiest ways to get a long response out of military children is to ask them where they’re from. That line of questioning would definitely apply to Alexis Stamm.

At 13 years old, Alexis has lived in 12 different homes, with her family stationed across the country, including Fort Sill, Okla., Fort Bragg, N.C., Fort Jackson, S.C., Fort Benning, Ga., Fort Riley, Kan., and now Fort Drum.

Alexis is one of 20 Army dependents around the world to be selected in the 2012 Military Child of the Year competition, run by the nonprofit Operation Homefront. The competition will name one winner from each branch of the military. She is the first Fort Drum semifinalist since the contest’s inception in 2009.

She was entered in the competition by her father, Chief Warrant Officer 2nd Class Heath A. Stamm, a targeting officer with Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, 10th Mountain Division. He entered his daughter, without her or his wife’s knowledge, after looking through a list of previous winners’ accomplishments.

“I thought Lexi does at least that much,” Mr. Stamm said. He described the entry as a “fire and forget type of thing.”

Alexis’s list of activities is impressive. In addition to being part of two cheerleading teams, NNY All-Starz and the Indian River varsity basketball cheerleading squad, she plays softball and helped her mother, Darlene B. Stamm, when she led the battalion’s family readiness group. Before arriving at Fort Drum, she danced competitively and placed fifth in a national competition.

She has also maintained straight A grades in school.

Her loaded schedule of activities has been helpful, especially during the times that her father is deployed. Since 2001, Mr. Stamm has been deployed four times, once to Iraq and three times to Afghanistan.

“We just try to stay busy so you don’t think about him being gone,” Alexis said.

An eighth-grader at Indian River Middle School, Alexis is hitting a milestone: this is the first time she’s been at the same school for two years in a row.

She said the help her family has received through her life was a big inspiration for her wanting to give back to others.

“If I needed help, somebody would probably help me,” Alexis said. “So I should go out and help others.”

That message of service is shared within her family. Her older brother, Adam Lee, is preparing to go to Army basic training in May.

Alexis, who completed a phone interview with contest judges last week, will find out March 8 whether she won. The winners of the competition will receive $5,000 and a trip to Washington, D.C., for a ceremony April 5.