A 1000 Flag Salute to our Vietnam Veterans. The American Legion Auxiliary's 2007, DC at The Wall Healing Field. This display pays tribute to all veterans and to allow healing for those who served in Vietnam and the current war in Iraq and Afghanistan.







With Jack Tilley, Former Sergeant Major of the Army and Co-Chairman of the event.



On this Veterans Day, THANK YOU TO ALL WHO SERVED AND ARE SERVING IN OUR MILITARY COMMUNITY.

Yesterday Andy & I attended the American Freedom Festival.

The American Freedom Foundation, Inc. is a 501(c)3 public benefit corporation organized to honor veterans of America's armed forces and raise money and awareness for various veterans' organizations with special emphasis directed to welfare and educational issues facing those wounded in action, those disabled and families and children of veterans killed in action during Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.

American Freedom Festival is a concert event that features country music performers, actors, athletes, dignitaries and other supporters, joining together to help support and fulfill the mission of the American Freedom Foundation, Inc.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!!!

Future International Queen! Jordyn!

Sometimes there are just pictures worth posting

It is funny that no matter how many times you visit a monument or even walk by a picture, that inevitably one day something looks or reads differently. Today at the Lincoln memorial I stopped and read the Gettsburg address. Yes, we all have read or learned about it in school but for the first time today I really got it.

It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us. . .that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion. . . that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain. . . that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom. . . and that government of the people. . .by the people. . .for the people. . . shall not perish from the earth.

In light of the war and the elections pending, I was reminded that this great country is run by a government of the people and for the people. I can only hope that this phrase is one that holds true and reminded to all of the politicians running or serving in office. I spoke with a friend of mine yesterday who is still in Germany. Her husband deploys again soon and others that came back with us last year already have. My heart and prayers are with them. They are heroes but most of all Mothers, Fathers, Son's and Daughters....I pray that the humantarian side is never forgotten as to the true sacrifices that are made daily...by the people and for the people.

Please read the email below and let me know if you have a school that might like to be involved!

I hope this email finds you well. Currently we are working on our national
school initiative, Operation Caring Classroom. On September 21 the U.S.
Secretary of Education, Margaret Spellings, officially announced the program
at Andrew J Brown Academy in Indianapolis, IN. The event was a huge success!
Our motto this year is "50 States, 50 Schools." We are currently looking to
find one elementary school in each of the following states:

Hawaii
Idaho
Mississippi
Washington, DC
Iowa
Kansas
Maine
Missouri
Montana
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New York
North Dakota
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington

The program is as follows:

Goal: Help elementary students to remember and support kids in military
families during the week leading up to Veterans Day.

We have put a twist on Veterans day so that kids not only remember the
Veterans, they also remember the kids who have given so much. Many kids
don't realize that there are kids just like themselves who have been going
through the stresses of having a parent deployed (sometimes for over a
year).

The AFF will send a free school kit that includes goodies for all students:
flags, magnets, bookmarks, and activity books to all teachers. The activity
books include a range of activities for students to do. Activities include
writing letters to military kids, connecting with a classroom on a military
base to form pen pals and offer support, making strength chains, reading
letters from military kids, learning about their lifestyle, participating in
a crossword puzzle, writing what freedom means to them, etc. I have attached
the activity book so that you can see what it is that the kids will be
doing. The teachers can pick and choose to do certain activities and by no
means should feel obligated to do certain ones.

The Operation goes from November 5-9. Veteran's Day is on November 11. We
will be shipping out school kits mid October.

We have been selecting schools from greatschools.com, both public and
private, large and small as well as any that are recommended to us.

We would like to find out if any of our volunteers know of an elementary
school in any of the states listed above that may be interested in receiving
a free school kit. This school would be the official ______ state school,
which is a great honor to have! Your help would be GREATLY appreciated! A
simple phone call to the principal telling him/her about Operation Caring
Classroom would be a HUGE help. If anybody can dedicate themselves to any of
the states above please let me know. Thank you so much for your time.

Thank you to Team Queen, Andy, Halo & SKINN COSMETICS!!!!!!Nikki, what an inpiration.....

Saturday we visited McQuire hospital in Richmond, Va. Thank you so much to all who shared the journey.

This weekend started out with a visit to McQuire Hospital in Richmond, Va. Thank you to all of my sister queens for sharing the journey and touching so many people lives. I was truly amazed at the courage, strength and truly internal beauty that was in each and every one of the ladies. Thank you to Joe Finch and the Armed Forces Foundation for arranging this. You are an inspiration.

McQuire hospital specializes in spinal chord injuries. Although a veterans hospital,many of the wounded were wounded in the Iraq war and were there due to the severity of their injuries in the spinal region. Many of the wounded showed such courage and spirit. Some were young, some old. There were a few that I think we all were particularly touched by. One was Josh and his fiance. Josh is 23 and has been there since January. He was tubed and could not speak. His body was clearly emaciated from having been in this state for quite a few months. His fiance was by his side. She is all of 21 and has never left his side. The walls of his room were covered in pictures of a life that in all likelihood, they would never live again. I found myself wondering how does someone find this strength at such a young age. Humbled is the only way to descibe how I felt.

There is a picture that was taken with Josh and many of the queens. He looks like he is smiling...I hope so.

The other was Daniel. He has been in coma for a year and is 22. His mother was by his side and showed such strength in spirit and pride in her young son. When you walked in the room it was not initially obvious that he was in a coma as he was blinking. The walls were covered in Army banners. You could feel his Army pride.


Perspective is a funny thing and there are days that I forget just how precious each moment of each day is and just how special family and friends truly are. We all hear life is short but when you see just how short it can be for a 22 or 23 year old who just wanted to make a difference. It puts everything in perspective. These are our heroes and the one's who talked, just wanted to go back. I pray that the heavens will shine down on them and each day I will remember Josh and Daniel. That to me puts everything in my life in perspective.

These are the beauty queens who visited the troops on 22 Sep:
Mrs. D.C. International 2008 - Deanna M. Linz
Mrs Virginia United States 2007 - Jennifer Phillips
Mrs. Galaxy 2007 - Darlene Deeben
Mrs. Mercer County New Jersey United States 2008 - Mary Moulds
Mrs. Glen Allen Virginia United States 2008 - Allison Hubble
Mrs. Richmond, Virginia International 2008 - Joy Phister
Mrs. Southern Chesterfield Virginia United States 2008 - Maria Beall
Ms. American Renaissance 2007 - Marci McNair
Mrs. New Jersey International 2008 - Kimberly Meehan
Mrs. Piedmont Valley International 2008 - Rebecca Crossan



God bless to all who serve, their families, my family and my beautiful sisters in pageantry....

PS-Thank you to Andy for being there and taking our pictures. I LOVE YOU!!!!

I wanted to thank "TEAM QUEEN" for this Sundays walk in Annapolis for Breast & Ovarian Cancer Research. THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR PARTICIPATION!!!!!!

http://www.nbocc.org/

Nikki Karl you are a true inspiration and to Lois Lane...this one is for you! LOVE YOU!


TEAM QUEEN
Deanna Linz- Mrs DC International 2008
Mary Moulds-Mrs Mercer County US
Kimberly Meehan- Mrs New Jersey International 2008
Marci McNair- Ms American Renaissance
Yolanda Makle Rodriguez- Mrs Earth 2008
Ellie Teeson
Kristie Barlow- Miss Teen DC International

I hope you are able to join us!

Also, thank you to SKINN Cosmetics (www.skinncosmetics.com) for your continued sponsorship! I am blessed!!!!!

I will post pictures after the weekend.

United States Naval Academy, Annapolis, MD

Exhausting day!!!!!



War Memorial built in 2004
The burial site of John F Kennedy & Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis
Arlington National Cemetary

Good morning-

This past weekend was a busy weekend full of history & family. A special THANK YOU to Senator Bob Casey of PA for affording us the opportunity to tour the White House. No pictures (or purses etc) were allowed inside for security reasons. It was amazing to see all the history and the various roooms. The decor has been greatly preserved over the years but also refurbished with each new administration. The china patterns of each administration was something my husband thought I would like. I thought the paintings of all of our Presidents and First Ladies were amazing and made me realize how much I have forgotten about US history!!!!

I wanted to send a special thank you to Allison Hubble, Mrs Glen Valley, VA 2008, Jennifer Phillips, Mrs VA US 2007 and Marci McNair and for volunteering their time and support to the Armed Forces Foundation on September 22nd at McQuire Hospital. Check out www.armedforcesfoundation.com and America Supports You.mil to learn more.

If you are interested or able to help out, information is listed below.

Here is the info:

We are joining forces with VFW post 6364 and will have a Monte Carlo and
casino day, followed by dinner.

The location at H.H. McGuire on 22 September is the Spinal Cord Injury
unit (SCI) patio. There will be plenty of signs showing you the way to
volunteer parking etc and you will see us out there.
It is on the South West side of the hospital.
Turn right as you enter the main gate and follow signs to Spinal Cord
Injury unit.

Please mapquest for directions to the hospital.


Thank you Joseph R. Finch!!!!!! You support and dedication to our military personel and their families. You are amazing!!!!

Good morning-

Below is an email from Becky Campbell, the Founder/CEO of the CHildren of Fallen Soldiers Relief Fund. If you are able to help or want to become involved, please feel free to email me or Becky. Her email is listed below.

God bless and God Bless America!

Dear Friends and Associates,

Just a note to let you know that we are still here to help fallen service members families with financial hardships, college scholarships as well as severely wounded veterans affected by the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, however, we are slow in receiving applications and ask that you share our website with those that may have a need. Since 2005 our Grant Committee has approved a total of $133,542 in awards & scholarships and we are certain there are many more families in need of help.

Also, we have many members of the public that would like to help our troops by mailing items overseas, visiting them in hospitals and providing items during their medical stay and/or rehabilitation. If you know and can share information with us so that we can have items specific to a service members needs, unit, etc., please feel free to contact us.

Many of our inquiries come before the holidays and last year we managed to put together our "Adopt A Family" program where we matched surviving service member families with sponsoring families, classrooms, etc., it took several weeks of full-time effort to handle the incoming requests from sponsoring families and the matching, Xmas lists, etc., but time willing and with the help of volunteers we would like to do it again this holiday.

For updates on our progress, events that our wonderful supporters are planning and further information, please visit our website.

Thank you for your time and God Bless!

Becky Campbell, Founder/CEO

http://www.cfsrf.org
(301) 865-6327 (CFSRF)
Email: yellowribbon7@msn.com


"Giving a gift back to those who serve"

Hello-

My nephew, Jason Logan,just deployed to Iraq.

Logan, Jason T SPC
Delta CO, 1-168 IN
APO, AE 09342-1400

If you are able to send care packages to him or his Battalion, please direct them to the Chaplain. Don't FORGET THE LADIES!!! A Vogue(even back issues), personnel items or pajamas...always appreciated.

I wanted to send a special shout out to Jaime Estrada, Adrienne, Susan (DC) and Angela (DE) at Mrs America. Also many blessings & GOOD LUCK to Mrs Tennessee! She was bitten by a rattle snack and I understand is just an amazing lady!

Also to Kelly Pickens at GLOBE!!!!! Bring it home...!!!!!! Love you!


Deanna