TAPS Names Army Veteran Staff Sergeant Jay Hufford as 2025 Military Mentor of the Year
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – March 24, 2025
Arlington, Va. — Each year, the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) honors an extraordinary U.S. service member or veteran who goes beyond the call of duty, volunteering their time to support children and teens grieving a military-connected loss. This year, TAPS proudly announces that Army Veteran Staff Sergeant Jay Hufford has been selected as the 2025 recipient of the TAPS Military Mentor of the Year. Chosen from a dedicated group of over 700 volunteer Military Mentors, SSG Hufford’s commitment to surviving children is evident through his ongoing participation in TAPS events, like national and regional TAPS seminars and camps, and his lasting positive impact on each child he mentors.
Hufford’s military service began in 2011 when he attended basic training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, followed by Advanced Individual Training at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, in 2012. Throughout his career, he held key leadership roles, including team leader at Fort Bragg, North Carolina; recruiter in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and squad leader and operations NCO at Fort Carson, Colorado. In 2021, he deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Inherent Resolve as a Horizontal Construction Engineer, building vital infrastructure critical to mission success.
“Our Military Mentors are more than companions at TAPS events — they provide a lasting connection to a child’s military heritage and steadfast support through grief,” said TAPS President and Founder Bonnie Carroll. “Jay is a bright light for our young survivors, sharing compassion, enthusiasm, and a sense of belonging that will stay with them for a lifetime.”
Beyond his military service, Hufford has remained devoted to mentoring and supporting military-connected youth. His volunteer work began in 2014 while stationed at Fort Bragg, where he coached a 10U Little League Baseball team and was invited by a fellow soldier to assist at a TAPS event in Pinehurst, North Carolina. Since that first event, he has dedicated over a decade to mentoring bereaved military children, embodying the spirit of service and resilience that TAPS seeks to honor.
“Throughout my years with TAPS, I’ve learned that we don’t always have the answers to the questions these children ask, but what matters most is being there for them, walking with them through their grief,” said Hufford. “It’s an honor to stand beside these incredible young people and help them grow with grief.”
Hufford will be officially recognized as the 2025 Military Mentor of the Year at the TAPS Honor Guard Gala on March 25, 2025, at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C. His selection for this award underscores the enduring impact of mentorship and the power of presence in the lives of grieving children.
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ABOUT TAPS
TAPS is the national nonprofit organization providing compassionate care and comprehensive resources to all those grieving a death in the military and veteran community. TAPS was founded by military-loss survivor Bonnie Carroll, in 1994. TAPS – which, in the last 30 years, has become synonymous with 24/7, lifelong support for all grieving a military or veteran death — provides resources during each step of a survivor’s walk through grief with a combination of peer-based support, the 24/7 National Military Survivor Helpline, in-person events, community-based care, casework assistance, and grief and trauma resources. The TAPS mission has touched more than 100,000 survivors, casualty assistance officers, chaplains, and bereavement supporters since its founding. For more information, please visit TAPS.org or call 202-588-TAPS (8277).