The Girls Come Marching Home Blog

Veterans' organizations

2010-01-07T11:28:00.003-05:00

I am doing some research and was wondering if you could help me out. I'm interested in knowing what your favorite veteran's organization is and why. It could be one of the older organizations, one that came out of this war, or one that is being formed. Thank you in advance for your time.

regards,
kirsten

2009-08-14T17:48:00.001-04:00

Middletown Barnes & Noble

2009-08-12T09:26:00.003-04:00

Yesterday CJ Robison, Elaine Snavely, and I had a signing at the Barnes & Noble in Middletown, RI, near Newport. The audience was great. I think it was the best question and answer period I've experienced during my two+ years on the book tour. The questions included whether CJ and Elaine would recommend the military as a career for women, what it's like as a mother to come home from the battlefield, and should the law excluding women in combat be revised since they are in combat.

Included in the audience was a man whose son was killed in Iraq. His son worked in maintenance and he said it didn't matter what your gender. If you're over there, in Iraq or Afghanistan, you're in combat. One woman's son is in Iraq and is coming home for two weeks of R&R. She asked Elaine and CJ for advice. What could she, the mom, do for her son. CJ said he'll need sleep, TV, food, and beer. I and the audience appreciated CJ and Elaine's candor and honesty when responding to questions. One couple called the reading an "inspiring" evening. A Vietnam vet described it as "profound."

For me the day and evening were emotional. We spent the day in Newport, eating lunch at the Mooring. CJ ate a lobster; Elaine and I ate lobster rolls. We drove by the mansions and sat on a wall overlooking the water. It was fun for me to listen to them share stories and connect. It was also humbling. These women have been through so much physical and emotional pain, yet here they are with me on the book tour educating the public about what they went through on the battlefield and when they returned home. They continue to be my heroes.

Today we are going to the University of Massachusetts Law School at Andover to film an educational documentary about The Girls Come Marching Home. The school filmed a documentary about Band of Sisters that won national and international awards. They are hoping for a repeat!

New England

2009-08-11T09:54:00.002-04:00

every woman needs a band of sisters ...

I arrived in CT on Sunday. Monday morning went to breakfast with Linda Schwartz, the commissioner of the VA for the State of Connecticut. Much of the discussion revolved around Linda VanDermeer (sp?), Vietnam vet, Army nurse, who wrote a memoir about her experiences returning home.

CJ Robison and Elaine Snavely arrived safely from Iowa and California, respectively. This was the first time I had seen them since I interviewed them for The Girls Come Marching Home. Both look great. And it was the first time they had met. They had read each others' stories in the book but over margaritas and coronas they recounted their experiences in Iraq and returning. They liked the fact that they didn't have to elaborate. They spoke the same language and "got" it. Sisters in arms. Off to Newport!!!

New England Trip

2009-08-08T07:49:00.003-04:00

Every woman needs a band of sisters ...

Super excited about this upcoming week. I'm flying from North Carolina to Rhode Island on Sunday, just in time to celebrate my niece, Sarah's, 21st birthday. On Monday, I'm having breakfast with Linda Schwartz, the commissioner of the VA for the State of Connecticut. Later in the day, I will be picking up CJ Robison (former Army Master Sergeant) and Elaine Snavely (Navy corpsman) at the airport. Robison is flying in from Iowa and Snavely from California. Both are featured in The Girls Come Marching Home.

On Tuesday, Michelle Wilmot former Army sergeant who is also featured in TGCMH) will join us and we will have a signing at the Middletown Barnes & Noble near Newport, RI, at 6:30 p.m.. Hoping we can hang out in Newport for the day. The next day, Wednesday, we will film an educational documentary at the University of Massachusetts Law School at Andover. They did a documentary on Band of Sisters and it won all sorts of awards.

Thursday night we will be at the La Grua Center in Stonington, CT, at 7 p.m. If you're around, come out and support our female veterans!!!

Okay, have to get my iphone fixed and pack.

The Girls Come Marching Home

2009-07-20T11:29:00.004-04:00

Hi everyone!

This past weekend was AWESOME. Kicked off The Girls Come Marching Home book tour at the Barnes & Noble in Jacksonville. Marine Captain Bessie Bernstein, a recruiter, drove in from Raleigh. She is pictured in the book. Marine Captain Angela Nelson, whose photo also appears in the book, drove in from Quantico. We went out to eat Friday night at Nikki's in downtown Wilmington. On Saturday we signed books in Jacksonville. That afternoon, the two captains went their way and Rosie Noel, retired Marine gunnery sergeant, and I went to Yolanda Mayo's wetting down. Yolanda is featured in Band of Sisters and was recently promoted to sergeant major. ooh rah! congrats Yolanda!

At the wetting down, I met Kellie Noble, a former Marine sergeant who served two tours in Iraq. I invited her to the book signing at the Barnes & Noble in Wilmington the next day. Later Rosie talked to Kellie and discovered that she was Kellie's DI at Parris Island. Small, small world.

Sunday morning, Rosie drove down to Wilmington and met me and the captains for breakfast at Cracker Barrel. Rosie gave them each Band of Sisters t-shirts, and cookies she had made that morning. Always the gunny--always taking care of everyone. (In fact, as I'm writing this I'm eating a bag of m&ms that she gave me.) After breakfast, the captains headed back to Raleigh and Quantico.

That afternoon we had a signing at B&N in Wilmington. Not only did Kellie show up, but she brought her roommate, Sam Fletcher. It was cool. The young ladies joined me and Rosie on the panel and we had an engaging conversation with the audience. Thank you Kellie and Sam for speaking up. I know you said it helped you to speak but it also helped the public learn more about the challenges and needs of our female warriors.

The audiences were decent sizes but I was disappointed that they weren't even larger. I don't think enough people can hear these stories. I had four Marines (Jude Eden, a former Marine sergeant who served in Fallujah also joined us at B&N in Wilmington) with me. What a treat. I want the world to hear their voices--their pain and their pride. If I don't reach the masses, I will feel like I have failed our female service members. Please help me get their stories out to the public, businesses, colleges and universities, and military installations.

... every woman needs a band of sisters ...

A Reader says "Thank YOU"

2008-09-27T16:00:00.002-04:00

Please check out the following e-mail that a sixteen-year-old high school student wrote to me on Thurs., Sept. 25

Subject: Thank you!

My god-dad (whom I call dad) is a Lieutenant Colonel in the Army and is currently serving in Iraq with the 82nd Airborne Division. After I graduate from high school, I want to follow in his footsteps and join the Army through ROTC at William and Mary. Someday I even hope to be Airborne myself! I am sitting here typing this e-mail in a pair of ACU pants, combat boots, a Nat'l Guard t-shirt that says "Real Action Heroes" and dad's beret.

It is homecoming week at our school, and today is "Hero day."

The choice was clear.

I had to be dad!

Anyway, I am currently taking an Advanced Placement English class. Our teacher is having us do research projects on current and controversial subjects. I chose to do my project on whether women should be allowed to participate in front line combat. I found your book by chance and knew immediately that it would be perfect for the project.

Let me say this. No book has ever affected me so much! And I’m only on page 96! Since I started reading Band of Sisters, I have cried and laughed. I have also felt very proud; proud that these brave women are out there protecting America; proud that they are not in the military just to make a point about being a "woman."

I cannot thank you enough for composing such a wonderful book! If you would, please tell all the women that you have worked with "Thank you" for me.

Thanks, and God Bless!

Sammie

Please send encouragement to this sister in arms

2008-08-20T16:37:00.002-04:00

So, I was in Beaufort, SC, this past weekend interviewing a young female Marine for my next book, When the Girls Come Marching Home. I want to tell you a little bit about her in the hopes that you will shoot off an e-mail to her with a word or two of encouragement. She's a good person who has had it rough. She has a beautiful smile and can light up a room with it. Amidst great sorrow, I saw that smile this past weekend. Incredible!

Stacy is a young black woman from Detroit. She joined the Army reserves. Served two one-year, back-to-back tours in Iraq. In other words, she was in Iraq for two years straight. She lost a couple of buddies over there. By the middle of her second tour, she didn't have much left to give. She came back to the States, got out of the Army, and spiraled into drugs and alcohol. When she hit bottom, she joined the Marine Corps to save her life. So far so good.

This past weekend, the night before I met her, her Marine boyfriend was at a party. Another male Marine, thinking his gun was empty, put it to Stacy's boyfriend's head and shot him. When I met Stacy, she had just come from the hospital. They had taken her boyfriend off life support. He died soon after.

You can reach Stacy at ---
litediamond21@yahoo.com

Please reach out to her. She needs your thoughts, prayers, and kind words.
She has a light within her. Help her keep it lit in these tough times!!

thank you!
kirsten

Female Service members -- Is the Price to High??

2008-08-20T16:25:00.002-04:00

I just received an e-mail and wanted to get your input.

The writer acknowledges that women are capable of serving in combat, but wonders if the price is too high? "I think about their priceless children and the sacrifices they are forced to make while their parent(s), sometimes both of them, are in Iraq. We have not yet seen how children are affected and if they will ever heal from it all. What will surface in later life for the children? I have seen the effect of an abusive childhood. Will the stress these children are in be even more devastating?"

The writer goes on to say that while the legacy of the Iraqi war will be that women are very able to do whatever they are called to do, it will also show that sending women off to war is just too devastating on the children.

Finally, she notes that women are 40 percent more likely to experience the devestating ramifications of combat than men. I don't know where she got this figure and whether it's true. But it raises the question of whether women are more vulnerable and less resilient to the horrors of war.

Hope you will weigh in on this discussion. I don't have the answers but I think it's interesting and important to explore.

Are you a mom who served in combat? How did your deployment positively or negatively impact your children?

And do you feel that you suffer from your experiences on the battlefield more than your brothers in arms who have had similar experiences.

Take good care!
kirsten

Her body came home but her mind didn't

2008-07-29T00:56:00.002-04:00

I got an e-mail recently from a young female soldier who served in Iraq from 2005-06. She writes that since returning from Iraq she has had a major breakdown which has cost her her career in the service. She takes at least six pills a day to control her anxiety and mood shifts and the pain in her leg and back. She takes pills to sleep through the nightmares. Her son was five months old when she deployed. He was a year and a half old when she returned. She still can’t relate to him, her husband, and her extended family after being back for two years. Mentally, she says she’s a mess from the war. She feels alone and doesn’t know who to turn to. She says a lot happened over there in Iraq while she was patrolling and transporting military supplies up and down the roads in Iraq. Sometimes being the only female on missions was a challenge in itself. She goes on to list other challenges ... rape, assaults, suicide, and the death of her battle buddy. Her body came home but her mind didn’t.

“I go to the VA for help but they just give me medications and really don't talk to me or listen to how I am feeling. I wish I could just be normal again or have that part of me whole and complete again.”

“Everyday is a struggle for me. I have to put on a fake smile and act like everything is okay when really it's not. I'm fighting a daily war within myself.”

Anyone listening????????????????????
Please post your suggestions.

Onslow County Public Library

2008-07-12T20:32:00.002-04:00

Thank you to the Onslow County Public Library (Karen Moore) for hosting a Band of Sisters reception in June and to Camp Johnson (LtCol Mike Cordero) for their support of women Marines.

kah

San Diego--MCRD, the USS Midway, and more

2008-07-10T12:40:00.002-04:00

Hi everyone,

Just back from a wonderful visit to southern California. As usual, the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego put on a fantastic reception for me and Band of Sisters. Sorry I don't have any photos from that event. I was too busy talking to take photos.

I spent July 4 on the USS Midway. July 4 was also the one-year anniversary of Band of Sisters, so I had a couple of things to celebrate that day.

One of the main reasons for my visit to San Diego was to interview women for my next book. That went very well. I interviewed two female Marines (Sgt. Shannon Evans from Miramar) and SgtMajor Irene O'Neal from Camp Pendleton) and two Sailors (Commander Lenora Langlais and Corpsman Elaine Snavely) who will be featured in When The Girls Come Marching Home.

Our female servicemembers continue to inspire me on a daily basis.

Talk soon!
best,
kirsten

Gunny (Rosie) Noel Goes to Washington

2008-06-08T07:35:00.004-04:00

This past week (June 4-8) I traveled to Washington and Annapolis to sign books at the Pentagon and do research for my next book. Initially, I was going alone. While talking to Gunny (Rosie) Noel the week before I left, I told her it would be nice to have her at the Pentagon signing. Next thing I knew she was spending the week with me. I couldn’t have been happier.
June 4—We signed for a few hours at the Pentagon. As usual, the staff in the clothing store were great hostesses, and Rosie and I met a lot of awesome service members. Then we got on the metro and rode it for one stop to Arlington National Cemetery. We were on our way to the Women’s Memorial. Before we got to the Memorial we stopped inside the building that houses the visitor’s area at Arlington Cemetery. While we were there, the sky opened up. The rain and wind were intense, and we were trapped, along with hundreds of teenagers. It was a fieldtrip gone bad, and we were right smack in the middle. By the time we left, Noel had a migraine from the teenagers talking loudly and fooling around. Exacerbating her headache was the lack of respect that the teenagers seemed to be showing for the deceased service members. The Gunny did her best to shut them down but was outnumbered. However, she and the guards were on the same page and the guards did their best to control the crowd. Fortunately, the storm let up and we high tailed it to the Women’s Memorial. At the Memorial, I especially liked looking at the photos of the American female service members throughout the years and the memorabilia from previous wars.
June 5—Noel and I went to Walter Reed. I had scheduled interviews with members of the medical staff who treated Major Tammy Duckworth’s war wounds. The staff spoke so highly of her. She sounds too good to be true. Most people know that Duckworth is a highly motivated individual. How else could she have gone through what she went through and serve as Director of Veteran’s Affairs for the State of Illinois? But what many may not know is how generous she is when it comes to motivating others, i.e., not only the wounded but also the staff of Walter Reed. So what motivates Duckworth? How did she get from the ICU at Walter Reed to her current role? What’s her passion? Stay tuned. Thank you to Pat C, Bunny, Kristi, Harvey, and Mike for all you do and for spending time with me. One other tidbit—I had the pleasure of meeting two peer volunteers who visit the wounded at WR. In order to visit an amputee, you have to be an amputee yourself. The gentleman who visited Tammy a day after she arrived in the ICU is 79 years old and lost both legs in Korea. God bless him and peer volunteers everywhere. You know when this man walks into the room of an amputee, he is a source of great inspiration.
While I was doing my interviews, Noel met Commander Necia Williams for the first time. Williams is the anesthesiologist who gave the order to anesthetize Noel after she was wounded at Al Asad by an indirect fire. They hadn’t seen each other in several years, since that day in triage in Iraq.
That evening, Noel and I went to dinner with Nancy and Virginia in Shirlington. Nancy and Virginia were both Marines who now work for the protocol office for the Commandant of the Marine Corps and in supply admin, respectively. Noel shared her story .., There I was riding my Bike. And Nancy and Virginia talked about their days in the Marine Corps.
June 6—Bethesda—I had another interview for my next book. This time I interviewed Ciara Cook, an E5 in the Navy. Any guesses as to her occupation? Culinary Services. Cook worked as a guard in a detention facility in Iraq.
Noel met up with Commander Williams again and was introduced for the first time to Lieutenant Commander J. Hernandez, a certified registered nurse anesthetist, and Captain William Liston (doc). Williams gave the order to anesthetize Noel. Hernandez actually gave her the juice. Liston is the doctor who removed the shrapnel from Noel’s face in Al Asad. Liston took a moment at Bethesda to examine Noel’s scar and was impressed with how it had healed. Williams, Hernandez, and Liston all recall the Gunny arguing with them because she just wanted them to stitch her up and send her back to her troops. They wanted to (and did) send her onto Balad. However, within 24 hours Noel was back with her troops. Liston recalled that even while she was on lying down on a bed in triage, Noel was worried about everyone else except for herself. It was moving to see all of these folks meeting for the first time back in the States. It’s not every day that a surgeon gets to see a patient he worked on in Iraq—nearly three years later.
June 7—Play day in downtown Annapolis. Gunny goes crazy buying gifts for everyone. She did get a very cool gift from me, though. It’s a T-shirt that reads—Scars are tattoos with better stories. She should know. 

Memorial Day--Remember the Fallen!!!

2008-05-26T15:28:00.002-04:00

Today I've been working on my next book, When the Girls Come Marching Home. It's a good day to be writing about women in combat. About 100 American women have been killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. We need to remember them as we honor all of the fallen today. We need to remember they are in the fight and they too are making the ultimate sacrfice on the battlefield.

I'm writing a story about a female JAG officer whose Humvee was hit by an IED. Three of the five soldiers in the Humvee were killed. It's a good day to remember CPL Coty J. Phelps, CPL Victor Fontanilla, and SFC Jesse Albrecht. And to remember those who survived and struggle with how to move on after they've been through such a traumatic experience. Another woman I'm writing about was in the Lioness convoy back in the summer of 2005 that got hit by a suicide bomber, killing and wounding male and female Marines. And yet another watched as an EOD tech was blown up by an improvised explosive.

Our service members are dying every day in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the ones who love them are dying a little, too. Remember those who have died, their families, and friends. Honor them. They deserve it!

Daily Lit launches Band of Sisters

2008-05-24T14:53:00.001-04:00

Exciting News

Band of Sisters is now available as a digital download from Daily Lit.
Daily Lit offers books digitally in installments, sending you a chapter a day, so in a sense it’s a serialized way to read a book.

Please see: http://www.dailylit.com/books/band-of-sisters.

Woman Gains Silver Star -- And Removal from Combat

2008-05-24T11:41:00.004-04:00

What do you think of this story--

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/30/AR2008043003415.html

This isn't about Brown receiving the Silver Star. That is awesome!!! It's about her being pulled from her combat unit.

Pfc Monica Brown received the Silver Star in March for repeatedly risking her life on April 25, 2007, to treat wounded comrades. She is the second woman since WW II to receive the nation's third-highest combat medal.

Within a few days of her heroic acts, the Army pulled Brown out of the remote camp in Paktika province where she was serving with a cavalry unit apparently because Army restrictions on women in combat barred her from such missions.

I guess what concerns me about this is that it makes what Brown was doing--supporting a calvary regiment--seem unique. I understand the soldiers were fighting against the Taliban in Afghanistan, the fighting intensified, and she became a line medic. As a line medic, she spent days on combat operations--constant combat operations.

Was she pulled from the unit because of the intensity of the fighting? Is it okay for women to be in a firefight every other day or once a week, but not continuous, back-to-back missions ... at least not until they are found out? Thousands of our female service members support combat operations and are in harm's way on a daily basis. Apparently someone (a politician?) read about Brown and her Silver Star achievement and complained about her being attached to a combat unit? I think that whomever that was is very naive.

Women serving in noncombat roles throughout Iraq and Afghanistan face danger all the time. If the military pulled every woman who was serving in these countries and in danger, the size of the military and the success of its operations would be greatly reduced.

Once again we are denying our brave and courageous female service members the credit they deserve. I wish people would wake up and give credit where credit is due!!!

When The Girls Come Marching Home

2008-05-24T11:35:00.002-04:00

As many of you know, I'm working on my second book, tentatively titled When The Girls Come Marching Home. The book will feature stories about women in combat and how they handle or don't handle their transition back home. The stories will take on PTSD, TBI, and wounds. They will show women who have been strengthened by their experieinces on the battlelfied and those who continueu to struggle. This is a book, for the most part, of survival.

If you know of someone who you think might be interesting for the book, please contact me at kaholmstedt@yahoo.com

Thank you!
kirsten

Catching Up

2008-05-24T11:08:00.004-04:00

Sgt. Chrissy DeCaprio (featured in Band of Sisters), Band of Sisters Author Kirsten Holmstedt,and SSgt. Tamara Velding, a drill instructor at Parris Island

Hi Everyone!

It's now approaching the end of May and I haven't blogged in a while. But I've had some great experiences that I wanted to share with you. The Marine Corps (Garden City Recruiting District) invited me to travel with educators from the northeast down to Parris Island in Beaufort, SC, to get a better understanding of our recruits and their training. The trip allowed me to spend a few days with Sgt. Chrissy DeCaprio, who is the MP featured in Band of Sisters. I also got to meet some female drill instructors from 4th Battalion who I hope to feature in my next book, When the Girls Come Marching Home.

Earlier in May, I traveled to Germany for book signings at Ramstein Air Force Base and Vogelwegh. While there, I had the good fortune of meeting some of the medical staff from Landstuhl Regional Medical Center. I didn't make it to Landstuhl on this trip. That is a source of great disappointment for me because many of the women featured in my next book were treated at Landstuhl. I will do better on my next trip.

I did have the pleasure of meeting many female service members on this trip, including --

Captain Cindy Bond, who works in critical care air transport

Tech Sergeant Kim Blaum, a civil engineer who helps planes land after they've been shot up

LtCol Anita Greenlee, an MP

LtCol Teresa Bisnett, who is the latest director of the ICU at the hospital in Balad

LtCol Carol Fox, TBI nurse coordinator at Landstuhl

Thank you all for your service and leadership!!!

Canadian Women Leading in Defence

2008-03-07T14:45:00.002-05:00

Hi Everyone!!!

This past week, March 3-5, I had the pleasure of meeting women in the Canadian Forces, our equivalent of the Band of Sisters.

My first evening in Ottawa, I ate dinner at Johnny Farina's with more than a dozen members of the Canadian Forces. It was great! The next morning, I spoke at a conference, Women Leading in Defence, sponsored by the Canadian Defence Academy. The entire day was fascinating. Met a couple of senators, as well as the first female general in the Canadian Forces, BGen (Ret) Sheila Hellstrom, CD, and many, many female service members.

If you didn't know already, the Canadian Forces are serving in Afghanistan and like our American servicemembers, they are making enormous sacrifices. You need only to visit the War Museum and its Afghanistan exhibit to get a glimpse of what the Canadians have been through. Thank you to Capt. Judy Emberson for driving me to the museum and spending the morning there with me. In addition to admiring the women in the Canadian Forces for their soldiering and leadership skills, I also now have great appreciation for their driving skills. Well, Judy's anyway. Judy drove me to the museum after an evening of sleet and snowfall. I woke that morning to the sound of the freezing rain pelting my hotel window and lingered over breakfast, certain that our visit to the museum would be cancelled. Either Judy wouldn't want to drive on the snow-covered roads or the museum would be closed, or both. Nothing could have been further from the truth. I, personally, would not have ventured out in such weather. But I have lived in North Carolina for the past 12 or so years. NC, where schools are cancelled at the mere mention of the word snow.

My flight that afternoon was cancelled but no need to feel sorry for me. I ate a mouth watering meal that evening at Mamma Grazzi's. If you haven't been there, I highly recommend it. The night before Karen Davis of the Canadian Defence Academy and I ate dinner at a Scottish restaurant. For me, the highlight was the Keith's beer. And afterwards, I ate a warm beaver's tail and washed it down with a hot cup of coffee. Just trying to get the full Ottawan experience.

Thank you to all the women who met me for dinner at Johnny Farina's on Monday night. A special thanks to Karen Davis, Capt. Judy Emberson, and Commander Robert Edwards, Director of the Canadian Forces Leadership Institute, for YOUR leadership and vision.

While I love Ottawa and hope to return to that city and other locations in Canada, I am happy to be home. Ottawa is expecting two storms this weekend. It also anticipates breaking its record for snowfall in one year. The previous record--444.1centimeters in 1970-71. The city has already had 357 centimeters this year.

Merci, and bon chance with the storm!!!

A Canadian Band of Sisters

2008-03-07T14:40:00.001-05:00

San Antonio Book Tour

2008-02-27T07:57:00.003-05:00

Hi Everyone!

I spent Feb 20-25 in San Antonio and had a fantastic time. With the 80 degree temperatures, Riverwalk, Westin Spa and Resort, signings, and all the wonderful people I met, I couldn't go wrong.

Had signings at Lackland Air Force Base, Fort Sam Houston, USAA, and Barnes & Noble. A huge thank you to everyone in San Antonio who made the trip possible and successful.

A special thank you to Elena Marcum at Lackland, Patricia Krause, MCSS Manager at the Ft. Sam Houston Exchange (AAFES), Sasha at Barnes & Noble, and all the folks at USAA, including Mike Kelly, Gen. Robles, John Townes, David Bohne, Bob Lockett, Wendi Strong, LeVon Clark, and Rhonda Crawford. USAA is THE most impressive business I have ever visited. They're doing everything right. If you are in the military and need insurance, check out USAA. They will take excellent care of you! They took super care of me, providing me with all the comforts of home while I was away and much more! And I've been a USAA member for about 15 years.

Some other highlights--

Meeting Diane Cardile and April Payne for the first time. They will be featured in my next book, tentatively titled When the Girls Come Marching Home.

Spending time with Army medics Willi, Torres, and Stogsdill at Fort Sam Houston.

Meeting LtCol Kim Chaney, formerly of the 506th Regiment, and receiving his patches. I will treasure them.

Meeting the parents of three Marines--two female and one male--at the Barnes & Noble at San Pedro Crossing.

We need to keep ALL of our troops in our prayers. They're still in Iraq and Afghanistan, and they're still coming home with physical and emotional wounds.

Great trip all around!!

kh

Check out my Slide Show!

2008-02-16T15:42:00.001-05:00

U.S. Naval Academy

2008-01-27T14:04:00.000-05:00

Just back from the U.S. Naval Academy. Had a wonderful time. Major Amy McGrath, a '97 graduate of the Academy and one of the women featured in Band of Sisters, received an incredible reception from the young midshipmen. Thank you to Capt. Peg Klein--Commandant of Midshipmen, Lt. Kerri Chase, The Captain Joy Bright Hancock Organization, Ens. Mel Parrish, John Pasko, Bob Dupuis, and everyone else who helped make my visit with Maj. McGrath possible. When Major McGrath agreed to be in Band of Sisters, she said she would do it because she wanted to be a mentor to young women in the military. Well, the visit to the Naval Academy revealed to me and everyone else present that McGrath is a mentor and much, much more. McGrath takes her role of being a mentor seriously, and in my opinion represents all that is good about the Naval Academy and the Marine Corps.

Thanks everyone!
kh

Photos

2008-01-14T13:41:00.000-05:00

Here are two wonderful photos of women Marines of all ages and generations.

The first one is of women in the Marine Corps Combat Service Support School MCCSSS) at Camp Johnson in Jacksonville, North Carolina. The second picture is of members of the Tar Heel Chapter of the Women's Marine Association.

Congratulations to Chrissy DeCaprio

2007-11-05T16:13:00.001-05:00

Marine Sergeant Chrissy DeCaprio, who was featured in Band of Sisters: American Women at War in Iraq, is the female recipient of the 2007 Sergeant Major Peters award. This award is given out each year to the female and male Marine of the Year.