| Gold Star Wife named Army Spouse of Year |
| [6/27/2010] |
Source: Army News Service |
Back to Personal Life
By J. Elise Van Pool
“It’s very humbling,” said Military Spouse Magazine's Army 2010 Spouse of the Year, “and it makes me feel good about the work I have done."
Nicki Bunting was named the magazine’s Army spouse of the Year for her work in organizing a memorial run in honor of her late husband, Capt. Brian "Bubba" Bunting, who was killed in Afghanistan.
Called “Bubba’s Belly Run,” the Sept. 27 event on the grounds of Bullis High School in Potomac, Md., raised more than $56,000 for military charities including Flat Daddies, Fisher House and the American Widow Project.
“It’s nice to know where that money goes,” said Bunting. “Part of that money went to the American Widow Project and that money essentially went to the entire remaking of their website.”
Bunting’s husband, a member of the Individual Ready Reserve, was assigned to the 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team when he was killed in Kandahar, Afghanistan. His vehicle hit an improvised explosive device Feb. 24, 2009, shortly after he returned from R&R at home in the states. He and three other Soldiers died in the attack.
About a week after her husband’s death, Bunting found that she was pregnant with their second child. “His greatest wish in his life was to have a large Family. So keeping me pregnant really made him happy. So we are going to keep it Bubba’s Belly Run forever," Bunting said.
Last year, in addition to the run, her foundation accepted donations to purchase flags. The American flags were placed along the route of the run, one for every servicemember killed in Iraq or Afghanistan.
“The morning of the race we lined the streets with at that point it was almost 5,200 flags. That was quite a sight to see,” Bunting said.
Bunting said she wants to continue getting the word out and help other military spouses deal with the stress of deployments and military life. “I like to be able to remind people that no matter life’s biggest obstacles, you can stand tall with a head on your shoulders and keep going."
Bunting plans to make the 5k run and annual event with the next race being planned for Sept. 26. For more information about the run, please visit Bubba's Belly Run.
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