I wanted to share a personal story I recently discovered that I thought was interesting, and also chilling and heartwarming at the same time. Please read this entire entry (even though it is long), because I feel strongly about reminding people that we still have great, brave men and women overseas fighting for us. In order to understand the story, though, I need to explain the history of how I got involved.
As most of you know, I’m an actor, not a model. However, occasionally I am asked to do some print work for different clients. One of these, Dillon Precision, is a large company that provides guns, ammunition and supplies to our military, as well as law enforcement, etc. For the past four or five years I’ve been honored to be on the cover of their calendars and many of their magazines. These are distributed worldwide to hundreds of thousands of people, a large number of whom are in military service, law enforcement and firefighting, both at home, and in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Sometime after 9/11, when the U.S. went into Afghanistan and then Iraq, the photographers at Dillon created a poster from one of my photo shoots that somehow ended up in Afghanistan, and I started receiving letters from many of our military families, thanking me for keeping them inspired and encouraged. For some reason, the poster took on a life of its own and struck a chord with people. This surprised me, because I’m not convinced I really did anything very noteworthy. My poster seems so insignificant to what they have to do every day out in the field.
Even so, I was flattered because they flew a flag in my honor over the base there, and sent it to me with all their signatures, and then named me an honorary member of their troop and attached the poster to one of the Humvees they drove. Since then, I have felt a great loyalty, pride and duty to these brave men and women. I am completely humbled, because I know that what I do is meaningless and petty compared to what they do, risk, and live with every day, all in the name of our great Country.
This leads me to today. Out of the blue, I received another email a few weeks ago that sent chills up my spine. Apparently, there was an insurgent attack in Iraq in June. The terrorists involved blew up a building, which ironically enough, happened to be a theater of all things. The building was destroyed, competely burned out and full of rubble, and we actually lost some of our men. But inside, on a burnt, blackened wall, was one item that somewhow remained intact - a current 2008 Dillon Calendar hanging there, with burnt corners and all. Most of the pages had been melted away, but clear as day, the month of October, which happened to feature a picture of me, was still there, and completely recognizable.
Someone, I have no idea who, took a picture of the outside of the building, and then the calendar that is still hanging inside. I don’t know who hung the calendar there either. Once again, here were these brave soldiers, fighting the most horrible situations, and this simple little calendar picture somehow represented something so American to them. I can’t begin to understand how and why this comforts them, but somehow it does, and I am beyond honored and humbled to think I contribute to that in whatever small way.
Maybe it is just me who gets chills, but I feel such a connection and obligation to these service men and women. I cannot tell you how many times I have sat at my computer reading their emails with tears in my eyes and goosebumps on my arms. I’ve had parents thanking me for a silly calendar, when they have lost children in the war. They are always grateful, respectful, positive and so genuine in the face of such tragedy.
I have such ENORMOUS respect for all of them. I am so grateful, and I save every email and letter I receive in a scrapbook, along with the flag, their pictures and the army and marine t-shirts they send me! The only thing I can do to even remotely show my appreciation to these families, is to promise to remind people of what they do, and why we should still care and support them in EVERY WAY POSSIBLE.
No matter where you stand politically, no matter what you agree or disagree with, we are all still Americans, ABOVE ALL, and our guys fighting overseas deserve our respect, our gratitude and our gratefulness. They see things we don’t. They get the real stories, not the ones we get from the media. They know what they are fighting for and they believe in it and sacrifice for it without hesitation. We can all learn from them. But, it is the simple American things that we send over there that keep them motivated, comforted and reminded of home. It means more than we can comprehend.
- Cathy Rankin
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