Freija Hamann

Freija served in the United States Army for 22 years as a Flight Medic, deploying twice to Afghanistan, Iraq, Germany, Korea, and domestic bases. She was a member of the USARJ Sergeant Audie Murphy Club, a private nonprofit comprising the top two percent of noncommissioned officers in the Army. Freija consistently demonstrated leadership, professionalism, and robust military knowledge to receive the honor of being in the club.

Since retiring as a Sergeant First Class, Freija has worked two jobs as a single mother to pay bills and provide for herself and her two daughters. She works in a recycling warehouse and as a realtor. Freija also is a passionate advocate for mental health and the importance of community.

Freija's home was built in the 1940s and is incredibly inefficient, with several telltale signs of being underinsulated, including different rooms and floors with varying temperatures, an HVAC unit that constantly runs, high energy bills (she remarked that her energy bills are between $200 and $400 monthly!), and the home being generally uncomfortable. Freija shared that her upstairs is "unbearable" in the summer and winter due to the temperature.