SAN ANTONIO — A local military child who persevered through tough times including losing her mother during a terrorist attack while abroad in 2016 is awarded a recipient of the 2024 Military Child of the Year Award, according to a press release.
The 16-year-old, Noelani Martinez, is a junior from Brennan High School and is the youngest recipient out of seven students awarded across the country by Operation Homefront. The award goes to students who have made an impact on their military families, schools and communities.
Noelani's father is a Purple Heart recipient who retired from the Air Force in 2021 and her mother tragically died during a terrorist attack at the Brussels airport in 2016, according to the release. The attack left Noelani, father and three siblings seriously injured with Noelani as the only one able to walk at the hospital while her entire family was being treated.
According to the press release, Noelani's father said she assumed the role of caregiver for him and younger sister after Noelani's older brother and sister started their respective careers in academia and government civil service.
“She continues to bear both the physical and emotional scars of that tragic day, but rather than allow it to defeat her, she uses the pain to fight on and honor her mother’s love,” Noelani's father said.
Noelani has achieved numerous accomplishments in her life as a student and in ROTC leadership including Outstanding Cadet of the Year in 2021, Led JV Unarmed Drill Team to first place at Somerset Drill Competition in 2022, currently in the top 2 percent of graduating class and more.
Noelani says she wants to study music after high school at either the Berklee Conservatory of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, or the SJA Music Institute in South Korea.
“I’ve always wanted to evoke specific emotions through music and show how magical it can be,” Noelani said.
The release says, Noelani is a lead drummer at the School House of Rock Band and she dreams of composing music for movies, video games, and musicals.
