Army Engineer Memorial Award

The Army Engineer Memorial Award (AEMA) is a nonprofit initiative established to honor the memory of Army Engineer Officers who lost their lives in Vietnam. It was started by the Army Engineer Spouses Club in 1973 and is designed to provide educational monetary awards to qualifying high school seniors.

Purpose and Eligibility

The primary purpose of the AEMA is to recognize and support the academic achievements of children whose parents have served or are serving in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Eligibility is open to high school seniors who are U.S. citizens and have a parent who is either an active-duty, retired, or deceased U.S. Army Corps of Engineers officer or a current Department of the Army employee. The applicant's parent or legal guardian must be a member of the Army Engineer Spouses Club.

Selection Criteria

The awards are based on the applicants' academic and extracurricular achievements during high school, as well as a written essay. The selection process does not consider letters of recommendation or professional certificates.

Use of Awards

Recipients must use the awards for tuition or scholastic expenses at a two-year or four-year college, university, technical school, or vocational school.

Associated Awards

In addition to the AEMA, the Army Engineer Spouses Club also offers the Geraldine K. Morris Award, established in 2006 to honor Mrs. Morris, a former Army nurse. This award is specifically for students pursuing a nursing degree and is renewable annually based on GPA and full-time enrollment in a nursing program.

Funding and Support

The AEMA is supported through a permanent fund established by the Army Engineer Spouses Club and contributions from its members and external donors. Contributions to this fund are tax-deductible and can be made as gifts or memorials.

Historical Context

The Army Engineer Spouses Club has a long history of community and charitable work. It initially began sponsoring activities to support wounded Korean War veterans in the early 1950s and later established the AEMA program in 1967.