For the millions of Americans experiencing dysphagia — the medical term for having difficulty swallowing or chewing — finding food that is equally nutritious, flavorful, and easy to eat can often seem impossible. Continue reading A New Type of Cookbook Focuses on Celebrating Good Food for All
Navy Veteran Wins 52 Million, Creates Company to Transform Sistrunk and Downtown Fort Lauderdale Areas
Continue reading Miguel Pilgram: A Man of Honor
A Garden Grove, California native is serving on one of the world’s largest warships, the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt. Continue reading Sailor Spotlight!
NICEVILLE, Florida – April 5, 2017 is Gold Star Wives Day, which is a day dedicated to those widows/widowers whose spouses died while serving in the Armed Forces of the United States, or as result of service-connected disabilities. On this day Gold Star Wives come together to support one another, and to raise awareness of the incredible sacrifice that their spouse, and entire family made as a result of their military service. It’s a title and organization that many people are not familiar with, but is one that as Americans we should all recognize and appreciate.
“Being a Gold Star wife, I am grateful for the many people who have reached out to me to offer their support and words of encouragement,” says Tasha Sprovtsoff, ambassador for the EOD Warrior Foundation. “It’s especially important for people to support each other through such charities and movements when tragedy strikes. We all help one another to get through things.”
Sprovtsoff is a board member for the EOD Warrior Foundation,
Here are some things everyone should know about the Gold Star Wives:
“We are honored to have Tasha Sprovtsoff as an EOD Warrior Foundation Board member,” explains Nicole Motsek, executive director of the EOD Warrior Foundation. “She’s a wonderful asset to our organization, has helped to raise tremendous funds in support of EOD Warriors around the world, and knows first hand the tremendous sacrifices that EOD families go through.”
For the 7,000 members of our military who are Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) technicians, the rate of those veterans needing assistance may even be higher than other areas of the military, because their job is so dangerous. EOD technicians are highly trained military members serving in the Army, Marines, Navy, and Air Force and are responsible for disarming, rendering safe, and disposing of bombs. When EOD technicians are wounded, they sustain some of the most severe and often life-changing injuries including loss of limbs, burns, paralysis, blindness, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and traumatic brain injury (TBI).
The EOD Warrior Foundation helps this elite group by providing financial relief, therapeutic healing retreats, a scholarship program, care of the EOD Memorial Wall located at Eglin AFB, Fla. and more. Their work is supported by private donations and the generosity of those who support the organization. To learn more about the EOD Warrior Foundation, or see their fundraising events calendar, visit their site at: eodwarriorfoundation.org.
About EOD Warrior Foundation
The EOD Warrior Foundation is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to improve the quality of life for the EOD family by providing emergency financial relief, scholarship opportunities, physical, social, and emotional support. Specific programs include financial grants, hope and wellness retreats, scholarships, community support events, and care of the EOD Memorial Wall located at Eglin AFB, Fla. To learn more about the EOD Warrior Foundation, or see their fundraising events calendar, visit their site at: www.eodwarriorfoundation.org.
Providing Critical Resources to Military Caregivers Continue reading Tom Hanks joins Elizabeth Dole in the Hidden Heroes campaign
From the Directors of Award Winning and Critically Acclaimed Films, The Hornet’s Nest and Citizen Soldier and Alex Quade Films comes DANGER CLOSE. Continue reading DANGER CLOSE– A Powerful Story About a Fallen Soldier
NICEVILLE, Florida – (March 22, 2017) – This Earth Day, April 22, 2017, is a special day for the families and friends of the 326 fallen EOD technicians who were killed in action, while carrying out an EOD mission.
On our planet, more than 70 percent of which is covered by water, being there means having the ability to act from the sea. The Navy is uniquely positioned to be there; the world’s oceans give the Navy the power to protect America’s interests anywhere, and at any time. Your Navy protects and defends America on the world’s oceans. Navy ships, submarines, aircraft and, most importantly, tens of thousands of America’s finest young men and women are deployed around the world doing just that. They are there now. They will be there when we are sleeping tonight. They will be there every Saturday, Sunday and holiday this year. They are there around the clock, far from our shores, defending America at all times. Continue reading Sailor Spotlight– Nester Contreras
When director and producer Lysa Heslov heard about the 55,000 homeless women veterans currently in the United States, she knew she found the inspiration behind her next film.
“When I always thought of homeless veterans, mistakenly, I had always thought that it was a man pushing a shopping cart,” Heslov tells PEOPLE.
For two years, she entrenched herself in the company of many of these veterans and created the documentary, Served Like A Girl, which focuses on five women who are competing for the crown of Ms. Veteran America, and the struggles they have faced since returning home from war.
“To be able to tell their stories and hopefully have some impact with these women — it became a mission for me,” she says about the film that debuted at South by Southwest on Monday. “We became a family.”
The more Heslov got to know the women in the film — Jaspen Boothe, Nichole Alred, Hope Garcia, Rachel Engler, Andrea Waterbury, Marissa Strock and Denyse Gordon — who she describes as “warriors who have overcome adversity,” the more she “fell in love with them and the “easier it became to tell their story,” she says.
Heslov exposes the reality that female veterans face at home and during the competition, including PTSD, divorce, serious illness and military sexual abuse. Ms. Veteran America is more than a competition. It’s main mission is to raise money and awareness to support and advocate for homeless women veterans.
Continue onto PEOPLE to read more about Lysa’s journey in making this documentary.
On our planet, more than 70 percent of which is covered by water, being there means having the ability to act from the sea. The Navy is uniquely positioned to be there; the world’s oceans give the Navy the power to protect America’s interests anywhere, and at any time. Your Navy protects and defends America on the world’s oceans. Navy ships, submarines, aircraft and, most importantly, tens of thousands of America’s finest young men and women are deployed around the world doing just that. They are there now. They will be there when we are sleeping tonight. They will be there every Saturday, Sunday and holiday this year. They are there around the clock, far from our shores, defending America at all times.
Aviation Ordnanceman 2nd Class Cameron Aguilar, from Anaheim, Calif., creates a ground wire in the miniature-micro shop aboard amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6). Bonhomme Richard, flagship of the Bonhomme Richard Expeditionary Strike Group, with embarked 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, is on a routine patrol, operating in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region to enhance warfighting readiness and posture forward as a ready-response force for any type of contingency.
