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Working Together to Support Our Troops

By Deanna M. Linz and Marci McNair

(Click here for photogallery)
Posted: October 20, 2007

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During this past summer, I was reading the blog of Deanna M. Linz and learned the Armed Forces Foundation was looking for celebrities to visit our military members at the McGuire Veterans’ Hospital in Richmond, VA.

Using the email contact Deanna posted on her blog, I got in touch with “Uncle Joe” (Joe Finch), a wonderful man, who is truly committed to making a difference for our soldiers. After a flurry of emails between Uncle Joe, myself, Deanna, and many other pageant sisters, a visit was scheduled for September 22, 2007.

On Saturday, September 22, 2007, ten (count them TEN) queens showed up at McGuire Hospital and started greeting patients. Between the ten of us, we spoke to everyone – from the patients taking a stroll down the hall to visiting patients in their rooms.

Words cannot express what a wonderful journey we shared as pageant sisters!

Here is the commentary that Deanna posted on her blog (www.deannamlinz.blogspot.com):

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.

McGuire 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 fiancé. 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 fiancé 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, he will never live again. I found myself wondering how does someone find this strength at such a young age. Humbled is the only way to describe 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.

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

If you would like to visit with the military patients at McGuire Hospital in Richmond, VA, please contact
Marci (mrsmarcimcnair@aol.com)or Deanna (deannamlinz@aol.com) for further information.

Marci McNair is a practicing attorney in Wilmington, Delaware. She has been competing in pageants since 1997. Currently she holds the title of Ms American Renaissance 2007. In addition to pageants, she enjoys volunteer work, spending time with family, and playing with her two dogs.

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