Pin-Up Girl Works for Ill and Injured Veterans

PIN-UP GIRL WORKS FOR ILL AND INJURED VETERANS

Pin Up for Vets Puts Out New Calendar

by Frederick S. Meessen, American Legion Post 492, West Lafayette, Indiana

To honor her grandfather, Louis, who served in the United States Army for four years during World War II and to help with the effort in aiding military service veterans in hospitals and active duty soldiers overseas, a stunningly attractive brunette from Southern California, Gina Elise,  has created a website www.PinUpsforVets.com with a 1940’s theme in music and content.

Gina’s story begins with her grandfather who served in the Army during World War II.  After settling down to raise a family, he took his daughters out to the local cemetary each Memorial Day to honor deceased veterans and family members.

Gina grew up to be a beautiful and patriotic young woman.  She is not only beautiful, but smart, graduating fourth in her high school class and Phi Beta Kappa from the University of California at Los Angeles.  She read about and learned of the problems of wounded Veterans in Veterans Hospitals throughout the United States, with underfunding, lack of visitation and difficulties of rehabilitation.  So, combining her love of patriotism and music of the 1940’s "greatest generation,"of which her grandfather was a part, she created a website for people to enjoy and to make them aware of Veterans health care issues, while raising funds for American Legion Post 360 of Lake Arrowhead, California to donate to programs supporting hospitalized veterans.

In 2007, Gina was voted the "Outstanding Young Californian" by the California Jaycees Foundation and the California Jr. Chamber of Commerce for creating this unique project to support hospitalized Veterans and deployed troops.

Gina got her academic start with the help of a college scholarship from American Legion Post 360, that co-sponsors her 2008  "Pin-Ups For Vets" calendar, that proudly displays the American Legion emblem on its cover, with Gina throwing a snappy salute in a 1940’s style sailor suit.

Gina has attracted sponsors from various places in the United States, the most well-known of which is Wal-Mart Foundation, and her calendar is dedicated, in her words, to "all of our ill and injured Veterans who are hospitalized in facilities all over the U.S. and overseas, to their hard-working caregivers, to our retired Veterans  who have honorably served our country, to the military families who have made so many sacrifices, and finally to the courageous troops who are currently serving in the United States military."

The "Pin-ups for Vets" website shows the very positive response to Gina’s calendar from the troops overseas, as well as from the hospitalized Veterans, as they pose  with the calendar opened to their favorite picture.  Gina Elise has received four American flags from military units posted in Iraq. Gina Elise recently visited Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. and Bethesda Naval Hospital to cheer up our recovering Wounded Warriors and to deliver donated calendars and posters inscribed with personal  get-well messages of support from the donors.

Gina Elise is asking for the public’s support.  She is making many more visits to Veterans and military hospitals this year, and she invites the public  to visit her website ( www.PinUpsForVets.com ) to order a calendar or a poster for themselves, for a hospitalized Veteran, or for a deployed soldier.  Once again, the calendar project’s proceeds will be delivered by American Legion Post 360 to a program to support hospitalized Veterans.

Gina Elise can be contacted at  [email protected]