Today, we rejoice Military Spouse Appreciation Day and honor the contributions of spouses supporting our troops on a daily basis. A unique visitor visiting from California, 91-year-old Pat Mearns, made an have an effect on all the way through the Vietnam War that contributed to shaping insurance policies for army spouses around the country.
Back in 1969, Life Magazine featured Mearns, unaware that her legacy would proceed for many years to return. Mearns and her daughter, Missy, bear in mind the unsure 11 years when they did not know if their husband and father, fighter pilot Arthur Mearns, used to be alive or no longer, after he used to be shot down over North Vietnam.
Mearns, in conjunction with different army wives, began talking out and advocating for solutions. She wrote letters to every congressman and went to Washington to convey consideration to the plight of POWs and MIAs. Their efforts had been captured within the lately launched guide, “Unwavering,” written by way of authors Judy Gray and Taylor Kiland, with Gray hailing from Tampa.
“As girls, we owe them a debt of gratitude and as Americans, they changed the process historical past as a result of they took part of American policy and put it into motion, and that used to be go away no guy in the back of,” stated Gray. The authors, in conjunction with Mearns, are spreading consciousness in their tale via guide signings and occasions, together with a signing at Oxford Exchange in Tampa on Thursday night time.
“The book is instructive in that it tells us that those without a voice can really have a voice and make a difference,” said Gray. For more information on “Unwavering,” please seek advice from www.unwaveringbook.com.