Academy cadet honored during White House ceremony

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Zachary Vucic
  • Defense Media Activity
WASHINGTON (AFNS) --  An Air Force Academy cadet who cofounded a non-profit organization that supports daughters of military members was honored during a White House ceremony on April 11.

Cadet Staff Sgt. Moranda Hern spoke at the White House during ceremonies marking the first anniversary of "Joining Forces," a national initiative established by First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden to ensure military families have the support they have earned.

Hern was one of 20 finalists in the Joining Forces Community Challenge, recognizing citizens, communities, schools, non-profit organizations, faith-based institutions, philanthropic organizations and local governments for their efforts in supporting military families with several, non-monetary, national prizes.

Hern's program, The Sisterhood of the Traveling BDUs, aims to support daughters of military members, ages 13-18, through organized gatherings, speakers, sharing experiences and encouraging them to lead in their own communities. Part of the reason the sisterhood is important to Hern, she says, is that it hits close to home. Her father served in the Air National Guard for years, and although she understood the lifestyles of military families, she said her father's deployment to Afghanistan hit her fairly hard.

Hern spoke on the south lawn of the White house to an audience that included fellow speakers the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff U.S. Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey; Dr. Jill Biden, the vice-president's wife; First Lady Michelle Obama; and Tom Brokaw, a television journalist.