The Army Scholarship Foundation announced today the award of eights scholarships to children of United States Army soldiers and veterans and to spouses of active duty enlisted soldiers. Scholarships for the upcoming 2010-2011 academic year were awarded to deserving Army family members as follows:

Zidisha Dambuza, head and shoulders 

The Captain Jennifer Schafer Odom Memorial Scholarship was awarded to Ms. Zidisha Dambuza of Grovetown, Georgia, who is attending the University of Georgia. She is the daughter of Master Sergeant Mumbuutuoo Dambuza, U.S. Army retired.

Jennifer Shafer Odom grew up on a dairy farm in Knoxville, Maryland. After graduating first in her class at Brunswick High School, she entered the U.S. Military Academy and graduated as a member of the Class of 1992. She became an Army aviator and served tours of duty in both the United States and Europe, where she supported both the Kurdish refugee and Bosnia missions. While serving with the 204th Military Intelligence Battalion at Fort Bliss, Texas in 1999, her aircraft was reported missing while flying intelligence and counter drug missions over Columbia, South America. She and her crew were lost.

The Lieutenant Scott Love Memorial Scholarship was awarded to Mr. Trent Brock of Fort Campbell, Kentucky, who is a sophomore at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, Kentucky. His father is Chief Warrant Officer Jonathan Brock who is assigned to the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment at Ft Campbell. Trent is majoring in broadcasting and performance arts.

First Lieutenant Scott Love was killed in action in 2006 while serving in Iraq. Scott Love was an ” Army brat” who was born at Fort Campbell, Kentucky and graduated from high school in Huntsville, Alabama. He graduated from Florida State University in 1996 and enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1999 as a military intelligence specialist. In 2003, he attended Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning and was subsequently assigned as a platoon leader with 2nd Battalion, 6th Infantry stationed at Baumholder, Germany. His unit deployed to Kuwait in November 2005, with Scott’s platoon assigned as part of Task Force 1-35 Armor. He was killed at Ar Ramadi, Iraq.

The Sergeant James J. Holtom Memorial Scholarship was awarded to Ms. India Graden of Fayetteville, North Carolina. Her mother served as a corporal at Fort Carson. India was valedictorian at Seventy-First High School in Fayetteville, and is a sophomore at Howard University in Washington, DC, majoring in Nursing.

Sergeant James J. Holtom of Rexburg, Idaho served in the Idaho National Guard. He was assigned to Company A of the 321st Engineer Battalion when he was killed in action in Iraq in February 2007. The son of David and Reyne Holtom, Sergeant Holtom was also the elder brother of Ben, Lee, Jacob, Calvin, John, Anna and Laura Beth Holtom. Sergeant Holtom joined the Army in 2003, and deployed to Iraq in September 2006.

The Sergeant Andrew Topham Memorial Scholarship was awarded to Ms. Ashley Wright of El Paso, Texas. Ashley is a senior at the University of Texas at El Paso studying criminal justice and military science and is a member of the Reserve Officer Training Corps. Her mother is a single parent who served as a specialist in the Army.

Sergeant Andrew Topham grew up in Randolph, Massachusetts near Boston. He was a highly decorated soldier, awarded the Bronze Star for service in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. In addition he earned the Army Commendation Medal, Achievement Medal, Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon, Army Service Ribbon and the Overseas Ribbon.

The KBR Honorary Scholarship was awarded to Mrs. Nichole Wilson of Traverse City, Michigan. She is the wife of Specialist Mathew Wilson who is assigned to Delta Company, 125th Infantry and is an Iraq veteran. She is a senior at Baker College of Cadillac, Michigan, majoring in nursing.

KBR is headquartered in Houston, Texas. KBR is a leading global engineering, construction, and services company supporting the government services, energy, petrochemicals, and civil infrastructure sectors. The company employs over 50,000 people worldwide in locations that include Australia, Africa, the UK, Asia, and the Middle East. KBR has built a proud history and a leading market position in the government infrastructure (G& I) sector by being a low-cost, high-efficiency, and absolutely reliable provider. Not only is KBR the largest contractor for the United States Army and a top-ten contractor for the U.S. Department of Defense, it is currently the world’s largest defense services provider.

The Hamilton Sundstrand Honorary Scholarship was awarded to Ms. Valene Bummara of Spring, Texas. Ms Bummara is a senior at Texas State University in San Marcos majoring in sociology. Her father retired with disability at Ft Lewis, Washington.

Hamilton Sundstrand, a United Technologies Corporation, employs over 18,000 people worldwide and is headquartered in Windsor Locks, Connecticut. Among the world’s largest suppliers of technologically advanced aerospace and industrial products, the company designs, manufactures, and services aerospace systems and provides integrated systems solutions for commercial, regional, corporate, and military aircraft. It also is a major supplier for international space programs. Hamilton Sundstrand is a strong supporter of Army families and is proud to sponsor this annual scholarship for Army family members.

The BAE Systems Honorary Scholarship was awarded to Ms. Megan Gill of Sylacauga, Alabama. She is a freshman at Troy University majoring in pre-medical studies. Her father served as a sergeant at Fort Hood and was deployed to the Middle East.

BAE Systems is headquartered in Rockville, Maryland. The company provides support and service solutions for current and future defense, intelligence, and civilian systems, and it designs, develops, and manufactures a wide range of electronic systems and subsystems for both military and commercial applications. BAE also designs, develops, produces, and provides service support of armored combat vehicles, artillery systems, and intelligent munitions.

The MTSI Honorary Scholarship was awarded to Mrs. Betty Johnson of Grovetown, Georgia. She is the spouse of Staff Sergeant Lawrence Johnson, who is stationed at Fort Gordon, Georgia. She is a sophomore at the Georgia Military Academy, majoring in behavioral sciences.

Modern Technology Solutions, Inc (MTSI) is a professional engineering services and technology company in Alexandria, Virginia. MTSI serves a variety of governmental and industry clients in aerospace, defense and security arenas. It was one of only three companies that received a Future 50s Hall of Fame Award from Smart CEO Magazine, and was recognized by the Association for Corporate Growth as top a top Emerging Growth Company in 2010.

The Army Scholarship Foundation was founded in 2001 by concerned Army veterans who desired to continue their service to the Nation and to support and assist families of Army soldiers. The Army Scholarship Foundation provides scholarships to deserving sons and daughters of U.S. Army soldiers and Army veterans, as well as to spouses of serving active duty enlisted soldiers. The Foundation is sustained by the generous donations of its supporters. Tax deductible donations can be sent to the Army Scholarship Foundation, 11700 Preston Road, Suite 660-301, Dallas, Texas 75230.