Aloha, mai ka Nowemapa
puke (for) SOS America!
Welcome, here is the November book for SOS America!
Every day I see a rainbow, reminding me how
fortunate I am to live in paradise. So let’s
celebrate November …
November 4 – Literary Salon: I am starting
a new program at the Hickam Air Force Base Library
to bring readers together and learn more about
authors, genres, and writing. The Literary Salon
is open to all military families.
Authors – I welcome your bookmarks and
promo items! Please send them to the Literary
Salon, 236 Mercury Street, Honolulu, HI 96818.
Readers – I welcome your book recommendations!
Please send to sos.america@yahoo.com.
November 10 – Happy 234th Birthday, USMC!
On this date in 1775, Captain Samuel Nicholas
established two battalions of Continental Marines
in the Tun Tavern, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,
to serve as Naval Infantry. These new Marines
conducted their first amphibious assault on
a British ammunition depot in New Providence,
the Bahamas. Following the Revolutionary War,
the Continental Marines disbanded but it was
recreated as the United States Marine Corps
in 1793 in preparation for a Naval War with
France. Since then, the Marines have fought
in every American conflict despite being the
smallest force in the Department of Defense.
John Philip Sousa enlisted at age 13 as a Marine
apprentice and later became the leader of the
USMC Band. Sousa composed many of the military
marches we hear in parades today. The USMC March
is aptly named Semper Fidelis, “Always
Faithful”. It is the iconic photograph
of the Marines raising the US flag at Iwo Jima
that reminds of the faithful service of the
few, the proud, the Marines.
In Hawaii, the USMC headquarters is located
in Kaneohe Bay on the Mokapu Peninsula. You
can view the sweeping vista of Kaneohe Bay from
the Nu’uanu Pali – a lookout on
the Ko’olau mountain. The USMC have the
billion dollar view in the Pacific!
The radar station at Kaneohe Bay was bombed
9 minutes before the Japanese attack on Pearl
Harbor on December 7, 1941. The base has several
historcial markers to recognize its role in
WWII. We’ll learn more about the attack
on Pearl Harbor in next month’s newsletter.
To celebrate the USMC’s birthday, I offer
you books from authors with USMC family members:
- Angie Fox, www.angiefox.com, The Accidental
Demon Slayer
- Julie Miller, www.juliemiller.com, Out of
Control
- Julia Quinn, www.juliaquinn.com, The Duke
and I, The Lost Duke of Wyndham, and Mr Cavendish
I Presume
- Melody Thomas, www.melodythomas.com, Beauty
and the Duke
And NYT’s best selling author Robyn Carr,
www.robyncarr.com, shows us how Marines can
love in her Virgin Rivers series:
- Paradise Valley
- Second Chances
- Temptation Ridge
Mahalo (thank you) to the Semper Fi authors
for their support of SOS!
November 11 – Veteran’s Day: This
solemn day is also known as Rememberence Day
in Europe. It marks the end of WWI at the 11th
hour on the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918
when Germany signed the Armistice Agreement.
We honor all Veterans with poppy flowers, a
federal holiday, and a moving memorial at Arlington
National Cemetary. I offer you a Veteran’s
Tribute from George Small, WWII Army veteran:
It is my opinion the greatest heroes in war
(or for that matter in life) are not those who
can dish it out but those who can take it. One
of the greatest of theses was a boyhood friend
of mine, a big husky fellow who played football
in high school and was very popular with the
girls. He wound up in an engineering battalion
and landed on Omaha Beach on the third day of
assault. He was with a detail removing land
mines when one of them exploded, blowing off
his right arm and one leg and badly mutilating
his face. Medics patched him up as best they
could, shot him full of morphine, and left him
on a stretcher outside the aid station, expecting
him to die in the night. In the morning when
they came to bury him, he was still alive. Subsequently
he was moved to a hospital ship and from there
to a hospital in Atlantic City. I went down
to see him just before I shipped out and found
him very upbeat and good natured although he
was undergoing extensive surgery. When I came
back from the war he was getting around on artificial
limbs and was surprisingly jolly and optimistic.
Never once did I see him complain or indulge
in self pity. Much of his life he was in and
out of the hospital with related problems, often
in pain for months at a time. He is still pleasant,
humorous and upbeat. He made a decision back
then between an easy death and a life of pain
and in 50 years he has never given the slightest
indication that he regretted it. I am proud
to say he is my son’s godfather.
George is married to NYT’s Best Selling
author Bertice Small. Mahalo, George, for sharing
with us! In honor of Veteran’s Day, I
am giving away Tom Brokaw’s The Greatest
Generation.
How can you help veterans?
The Gumpathon, www.gumpathon.com. From the
website,
“On 1 April 2010 four runners will set
out from New York with the intention of reaching
LA by 6 June. In a unique challenge which stretches
3,630 miles, tfour brave guys will be running
to raise a substantial amount of money for injured
service men and women returning from current
conflict.” The Gumpathon is accepting
donations for the Injured Marine Semper Fi fund.
Mahalo to Scottish author Cait Miller, www.caitmiller.com,
for the info on the Gumpathon!
Operation Warrior Library,www.paulmalmont.com/warrior-library.
Blogger Paul Malmont has created Operation Warrior
Library (OWL) to deliver new books to military
personnel. From his website,
Authors: If you’re an author and you would
like to help out by donating a box of your books,
please email us at warriorlibrary@gmail.com.
And if you’re not an author, why not
email your favorite author and ask him or her
to consider donating? It’s a really rewarding
way to get a whole slew of super new fans.
Mahalo to Paranormal author Angie Fox, www.angiefox.com,
for the info on the Operation Warrior Library!
Write to a deployed service member: I have
new addresses of soldiers in Iraq and doctors
in Afghanistan. Send me an email to sos.america@yahoo.com
and I will provide you with the addresses.
Mahalo to RT volunteers Kelly and Kat for keeping
up with deployed personnel!
November 27 – Black Friday: The day after
Thanksgiving is the start of holiday shopping.
I offer you a few holiday treats to distract
you from the long lines:
Red Hot Santa (anthology) by Cherry Adair,
Leanne Banks, Pamela Britton, Kelsey Roberts
Robyn Carr, www.robincarr.com, A Virgin River
Christmas
Eloisa James, www.eloisajames.com, An Affair
Before Christmas
Julie Miller, www.juliemiller.com, Kansas City
Christmas
Rebecca York, www.rebeccayork.com, Christmas
Spirit
Mahalo to the holiday authors for their support
of SOS!
November 30 – St. Andrew’s Day:
St.Andrew is a medieval town, a crumbling ruin,
a historic cathedral, a princely university,
the Mecca of Golf, and the Patron Saint of Scotland.
Scotland is my favorite locale for a historical
romance. Sadly, Scotland is very far away from
Hawaii, so I have to settle for sand castles
instead of crumbling castles. Yet Scotland and
Hawaii share many attributes that make a great
romance:
Islands:
The country of Scotland includes 790 islands
The state of Hawaii spans 8 islands, 11 atolls,
and smaller inlets which extend 1500 miles.
Mountains:
Scotland is defined by its beloved Highlands
(more majestic than any description in a book).
Hawaii is built upon volcanic mountains overlooking
the sand beaches and blue ocean (it doesn’t
get any better than Burt Lancaster and Deborah
Carr in From Here to Eternity).
Palaces:
Scotland’s Palace of the Holyrood (Gaelic
for Holy Cross) is the Queen’s official
residence in Scotland. The Queen visits Holyrood
when she attends the opening of the Scottish
parliament, www.royal.gov.uk/TheRoyalResidences/ThePalaceofHolyroodhouse.
Hawaii’s Iolani Palace is the US’s
only Royal Residence. King Komehameha V named
it for his brother and predecessor. Today, the
Palace is open to the public for a glimpase
at Hawaii’s history, www.iolanipalace.org.
So celebrate St.Andrew’s Day by drinking
a shot of Scotch whisky with pinapple garnish,
wearing a Hawaiian shirt over your clan kilt!
RT Message Board Chatter: Several readers contributed
to the recent topic, “Wonderful finds
at UBS”. I offer you some wonderful finds
from the Hickam Thrift Shop:
- 1999: The Night Before Christmas (anthology)
by Victoria Alexander, Sandra Hill, Dara Joy,
and Nelle McFather. Sandra writes about the
time traveling Viking Warriors who become Navy
Seals. But did you know that Victoria was an
Air Force Brat?
- 2001: The Officer’s Bride (anthology)
by Merline Lovelace, Deborah Simmons, and Julia
Justiss. Merline is retired from the Air Force.
Deborah’s books have been illustrated
and translated for sale in Japan. Julia is a
Navy spouse.
- 2003: On the Edge (anthology) by Heather
Graham, Carla Neggers, and Sharon Sala. Heather
generously sponsors the Vampire Ball at the
RT conventions. Sharon also publishes under
the name of Dinah McCall. Carla’s bio
is interesting – her father w as a Dutch
sailor who immigrated to the US after WWII.
- 2005: Going Overboard – The Misadventures
of Military Wife by Sarah Smiley. Sarah is the
daughter and spouse of naval aviators, sharing
her experiences in the spirit of Erma Bombeck.
Check out the RT Message Boards at www.romantictimes.com.
Book Giveaway: If you would like to receive
any of the above books, send your top three
preferences and mailing address to sos.america@yahoo.com.
If you receive a book, please send an email
to the authors (via their website) to thank
them for their donation to SOS.
Mahalo for the postcards! I appreciate the readers
who sent postcards for the Veteran’s Day
project. I placed them in a box and drew out
one winning card – Mary from Missouri
will receive a special Aloha treat. Again, mahalo
to the readers who supported this special project!
What’s next?
In December, we’ll remember the events
of December 7, 1941 and learn more about Hawaii.
In January, we’ll celebrate “Month
of the Historical Romance.”
Hau'oli lu'au me 'ohana (and) hoaloha.
Happy feast (Thanksgiving) with family and friends!
Kim Adams
SOS Military Liaison
SOS is Support Our Soldiers (SOS) America Inc.
- a 501(c) charity registered with DoD's "America
Supports You" network, www.ourmilitary.mil.
SOS was established by Kathryn Falk, Lady of
Barrow and CEO of Romantic Times. Lady Barrow
also created the SOS America Country Retreat,
including the Soldiers' Cabin, at her ranch
in Alvin, Texas. To learn more about SOS, log
onto www.sosamericainc.org.
Dear Readers, Authors, and Military Families:
1. From Operation Paperback:
We wanted to let you know that "The Way
We Get By" premieres tomorrow night (Veteran's
Day) on National PBS. The November 11th broadcast
will be at 9pm across the country. We strongly
encourage you to watch this critically-acclaimed
documentary film on the Maine Troop Greeters.
You can learn more about the movie by visiting:
www.thewaywegetbymovie.com
Have a safe and peaceful Veteran's Day!
Chrissy Honeywell and Andrea Hoshmand
Operation Paperback
www.operationpaperback.com
I've seen the trailer and it will be worth watching
on PBS.
2. From Operation AC:
Our Family has a soldier stationed at Ft. Hood.
We have contacted him and he is safe. Overnight
I have made contact with friends at the 1st
Cav and I am collecting cards and letters from
the public for those who were injured and for
the families of those who were killed. We will
collect your cards and letters of support and
get them to the correct individuals. Please
address your cards and letters as follows:
Ft. Hood Injured Soldiers or Ft Hood Family
Members
c/o OPAC
560 Peoples Plaza, #121
Newark DE 19702
Mrs. Frankie Mayo
Operation AC Inc. (a 501(c)3 non-profit troop
support company)
IRS # 02-0699201
www.operationac.com
3. Veteran’s Day will be a day of thanking
veterans for their service and remembering those
who sacrificed – at home and abroad -
for the freedom we enjoy today.
Kim Adams
SOS America Inc.
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