Naval Air Station Kingsville

NAS KINGSVILLE – (News Release) Jennifer Cross says she never seeks or expects recognition when

volunteering – but she’s getting it.

Cross, the Naval Air Station Kingsville administrative officer, is being recognized for her dedication to service members, past and present, as the sole recipient of the Navy’s 2021 Spirit of Hope Award.

The Spirit of Hope Award is named for famous comedian Bob Hope, who entertained and supported troops from World War II through the first Gulf War and was the first recipient in 1997.

The award characterizes the values Hope embodied in serving the men and women in uniform:

Duty, Honor, Courage, Loyalty, Commitment, Integrity, and Selfless Dedication.

Since 2000, the award has been presented annually by the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the individual military services, and the U.S. Coast Guard to individuals or organizations that epitomize selfless service and dedicated commitment to the U.S. military.

Each of the recipients receives a citation and a bronze medallion bearing Hope’s likeness.

“I was very humbled, very appreciative to be nominated because I know there are lots of other people doing great things for our sailors out there,” she said.

Capt. Thomas Korsmo, NAS Kingsville commanding officer, said when the opportunity arose to nominate someone for the Spirit of Hope Award, he knew exactly who to nominate.

“Jennifer Cross exemplifies the attitude that takes care of our sailors and morale,” Korsmo said. “She goes out of her way to ensure that every person, no matter the rank or position, is well taken care of.

“She shows up every day at work with the ‘Spirit of Hope’ that this award signifies.”

Besides her work for members of the command, Cross is active with the San Antonio Honor Flight program, serving as a guardian to a veteran who is flown to Washington, D.C. to visit memorials in honor of veterans of various wars.

She has made six flights since 2017 and is scheduled for another later this year.

“A guardian is responsible for that one veteran the whole time – help the veteran get on the plane whether it’s wheelchair, walking, whatever,” she said.

“For the most part, we don’t go more than an arm’s length away from them at all times.”

Donations fund the flights for the veterans, but guardians and other volunteers pay their own way.

“Part of the challenge is getting sponsors for these flights,” Cross said.

While most flights now are for veterans of Korea or Vietnam, Cross said her last flight she was guardian to a World War II veteran.

“It’s amazing to me. He is in his 90s and still vibrant, still able to travel to D.C. to see the sights and memorials honoring his generation and the contributions of veterans like him,” she said.

“We’re friends today. I go to him on Veterans Day, drive to his church and they honor him.

“You make friends and family with all of them.”

She also hopes to take on some administrative duties with the Honor Flight program, while remaining a guardian.

Volunteering has been part of her life since she was a child, Cross said. Her parents are now deceased, but they instilled in Cross a lifelong drive to volunteer.

“My parents both volunteered,” she said. “My father – every weekend we would help people.

“We would go cut grass for someone who couldn’t cut grass. We would help around this synagogue.

“On Thanksgiving, he would invite everybody to the house; people I didn’t know.

“He always believed in helping the community and the same with my mom.

“My mom did insurance claims. In retirement, she would help people fill out Medicare claims because it was so complicated.”

Cross also has volunteered with a prison visitation program and is looking to get involved with CASA, a national program of Court Appointed Special Advocates for abused or neglected children.

But she has a special place for the veterans.

“I’ve seen them literally crying when we take them,” she said.

“We make sure we roll out the red carpet. It’s very humbling.”

The veterans are affected in other ways as well, she said.

“You know, we talk a lot about veterans’ suicide,” she said. “And I think it’s from the isolation they experience, going from a military life that’s very structured, very family oriented, to being retired and not having all that structure around.

“When you bring those veterans together, they're unruly, they're fun, they come alive. They

find friendship again, they find camaraderie again, and most of them are just beyond grateful.”

Cross married her husband, Mark, who is retired from the Army, in May 2021.

“When we first met, he though Honor Flight was some sort of hoax – he didn’t think it was real,” Cross said.

She was scheduled for a flight shortly after they met and told him to follow them on Facebook.

“He was really impressed,” she said. “We’re hoping to get him to be a guardian soon –

veterans love other veterans.”

Cross also leads efforts to support sailors from the command who have been deployed or sent on temporary assignments.

“I try to learn what their favorite things are,” she said. “I try to get everybody to pitch in, because I know it means a lot to that sailor to get something from us.

“I make sure the skipper puts a little hand-written note in there.

“I want to make sure that sailors who leave here know that we remember them.”

Her efforts also serve as a way to honor her father and grandfather, who both were veterans, she said.

“Jennifer is an amazing example of selfless service to our sailors and civilian team members,”

said Cmdr. Joe O’Brien, NASK executive officer.

“She goes above and beyond to make people feel special and cared for, whether it is a care package to a deployed sailor, a cake on someone’s birthday or leading the charge for an after-hours airport welcoming party for a sailor returning from (a temporary assignment).

“Jennifer’s infectious enthusiasm permeates our command and contributes significantly to the morale and camaraderie within our organization.”