UMGC Global Media Center Author: Carole Mahoney

Scott Lynch, one of ten members (and one of the first four males) to receive the Pillars of Strength scholarship, said: “I was overwhelmed with joy and the feeling that somebody’s on your side and there’s a group of people that hear you, see you, recognize you and are rooting for you.”

Michelle Stoltz spent the early part of her career as teacher, having earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education. She suddenly had to give that up when her husband’s injuries, sustained during his military tours in Iraq, required her to take on full-time caregiving duties.

Claudia Escobar’s marriage to Army Staff Sgt. Justin Langdo had barely started when he was given a cancer diagnosis that would turn their lives upside down. Among other things, the medical news meant they might have to live on Claudia’s salary alone.

Trevor Donnatien had already left the Army by the time he met Rachel. The man she describes as “the rock of our family” embraced her children when they married, and the couple has a 7-month-old girl and another child on the way.

Being a man taking care of a wounded veteran woman often takes some explaining, said Michael Vyas, one of the four men who were awarded Pillars of Strength scholarships for the first time this year.

When Melissa was introduced to Edward O’Connell in 2005, he was a highly decorated petty officer first class, who served as a Cryptologic Technician Network specialist for Naval Information Warfare Activity at the Office of Naval Intelligence at Fort Meade. He was one of the first 100 cryptologic technicians in the U.S. Navy and a man in demand.