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Sophia Pinero, 2025 Military Child of the Year for the Air Force, has learned to embrace life following the death of her father in 2023 after he served his country for 17 years.
Sophia, now 17, was 15 years old when her father, Master Sgt. Anthony Pinero, passed away tragically. She lives at Ramstein Air Base with her mom, Sheena Pinero, an executive services specialist and her younger sister.
As a military child, Sophia experienced 37 months of her father’s deployment and five changes of station. Moving most recently to Germany meant leaving friends and family even farther away than usual, but Sophia responded with resiliency, helping plan trips around Europe with her mom and sister.
“Of all of the bases that I have been stationed at, Ramstein Air Base has been the best,” Sophia said. “I have never felt as connected to the people around me as I do here. Whether it is pitching mail at the post office with active-duty personnel or recognizing volunteer excellence in the community, Ramstein Air Base has always felt like one big, connected family.”
Ramstein High School and Air Force JROTC have offered abundant opportunities to get involved. Sophia is a member of the school marksmanship team and assisted in breaking the all-time school record at competition in 2024. She participates in Model United Nations, National Honor Society, and was president of the Junior Science and Humanitarian Symposium. She has commanded more than 10 Color Guard and formations in her role at Air Force JROTC, where she also volunteers for activities such as retirement ceremony ushering, color guards for sporting events, manning POW-MIA tables for retiree appreciation events, and base-wide events such as 5k runs and toy drives for Ukrainian children.
Sophia is considering pursuing a career in engineering or medicine. She wants to attend the United States Air Force Academy or a university with a strong Air Force ROTC program, and she hopes to become an officer in the Air Force.
“Having a parent who served in the military has given me a deep sense of pride,” Sophia said. “Witnessing the hard work that my dad put into his career inspired a sense of strength in my own work and also in him.”
“The overwhelming support and love that I received from my friends, family, and community around the base and school helped me keep moving forward,” she said. “They pushed me to continue succeeding while also reminding me that it was okay to take breaks and grieve. The support I receive from the people around me motivates me to keep striving for success.”
