UNIVERSITY, Pa. — Penn State’s 12th annual Military Appreciation Week honors all active and veteran service members, and this year’s event highlighted military families with members who serve or have served in the U.S. armed forces.
Military Appreciation Week features a series of events beginning on Nov. 3 and concluding at the Veterans Day Ceremony on Nov. 10. Throughout the year leading up to Military Appreciation Week, Penn State community members were invited to submit “Profiles of Service.” These profiles are all available online at militaryappreciation.psu.edu.
This year, Penn State community members also were asked to share their military family stories. Below, a Penn State employee, alumnus and their family share their story for Military Appreciation Week.
An Army family
Holly and Scott Nusom married a few months before he would leave for Army basic training. Holly knew the military would impact their life, but she had no idea what it would look like or how long it would last.
“I didn’t know I would find a community that would inspire me, support me and push me to become a better version of myself,” she said.
Eighteen years and four children later, Scott Nusom is now a lieutenant colonel stationed at West Point in New York. He earned a master’s in educational leadership in 2016 through the College of Education at Penn State.
“As a child, I was captivated by serving in the military. As an adult, I believe service (in any capacity) keeps our nation strong. That is why I continue to serve,” Scott explained.
Holly works for the Clearinghouse for Military Family Readiness at Penn State, an applied research center created to help professionals create and improve programs that strengthen military service members, veterans and their families.
Tight bonds and relationships are some of the most important and rewarding elements of a military lifestyle. Scott said he is grateful for all of the people he’s met in his career, including service members, veterans, family members and civilians.
“In each assignment, I am always amazed by the talented, caring and supportive people I encounter,” he said. “The Army has afforded me opportunities to grow personally and professionally in ways no other career or profession could.”
Holly said they are continuously surrounded by strong, caring and supportive people. It can be difficult as the Nusoms move a lot, Holly said, but it’s important that they do the same things as civilian families. They often live in civilian neighborhoods, the kids are involved in local school activities and athletics, and they attend local events. But for the Nusoms, the Army comes first, so Scott may have to miss events or Holly may need to lean on friends and neighbors to help get the kids to their activities.
“We have never had extended family nearby, so we have to build support networks wherever we go. We are familiar with change and encountering new people and situations,” Holly said, adding that being familiar with change doesn’t mean it isn’t hard, but they know the discomfort and have the tools to work through it. “We focus a lot on what’s ahead instead of dwelling too much on what we’ve left behind.”
Growing up in a military family
The four Nusom kids have spent years living the military family lifestyle. While they may have to move or deal with their father’s deployment or work schedule, they expressed gratitude for the experience.
Brock and Scarlett Nusom enjoy seeing new places. Brock’s favorite place is their current duty station in West Point, New York, because it is so close to New York City. Scarlett likes it because she’s met cadets at U.S. Military Academy West West Point who have inspired her to be in the Army.
They also enjoy the special moments with their father, like Brock pinning his dad’s rank at a promotion ceremony, and coming together with other families in their unit for holiday parties, a favorite of Chloe’s.
The Nusoms are seasoned pros when it comes to living the military family lifestyle, so they had some advice to younger kids growing up in similar circumstances.
Eighteen-year old daughter Ella encouraged other children of servicemembers to find activities to pursue wherever they go.
“Get involved with things you are interested in when you go somewhere new and let your interests guide you to find new friends and a sense of normalcy in an unknown place,” she said.
Thirteen-year-old Scarlett said it can be hard when a parent is deployed or working away from the family for long periods of time. She recommended kids keep in touch by talking about their activities and having their parent at home send their servicemember lots of pictures if they can.
Brock and Chloe, both 11 years old, said it’s likely that kids in other military families will have to move around a lot.
“It’s sad to have to leave friends when you move, but it allows you to meet new people and see new things,” Chloe said.
Because the Nusom family moved around so much, Ella said, she had the opportunity to attend summer soccer camps at colleges around the country.
“I don’t think I would have had those opportunities if we’d stayed in one place,” Ella said.
About Penn State's Military Appreciation Week Committee
The Penn State Military Appreciation Week Committee is composed of Penn State and community volunteers dedicated to honoring the military community and celebrating Penn State’s military history and support for service members, veterans and military families. For more than a decade, the committee has organized Penn State Military Appreciation Week in collaboration with the community, student organizations, Penn State Athletics, and local veteran organizations. To help support annual events organized by the committee, visit this link.
For the latest Military Appreciation Week event information, visit the Penn State Military Appreciation website.