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Honoring Our Veterans - Lewis-McChord

by on ‎05-02-2014 03:26 PM

Every year, about this time, we take a virtual Road Trip on ITKWD. We make “virtual stops” in different cities around the country and get inspiration from all the local dishes. Then we put a “David-spin” on each of our favorites. Last year, we went to Ypsilanti, Michigan and we had a blast getting to know the great people, sample the amazing food, and we got to meet YOU (the BEST part).


Crew at Haab's Restaurant


This year, we are adding in a special element: we’re making stops at military bases across the country. We received your suggestions via e-mail (thank you!) and we have planned out our route! It is my honor to be a part of honoring our Veterans this month on In the Kitchen with David. I was raised in a military family. My Dad was an Army helicopter pilot, his Dad was in the Army, his Mom was a WAC nurse in WWII (pictured below), and his brother, Fred, was an Army helicopter pilot. My Mom was no stranger to service herself—she was raised in a Navy family. Her Dad was a Navy officer, and for a time, was the Superintendent at the Maine Maritime Academy. I’ll go into my family history more, later on this month!


WAC Nurse, WWII


Our first virtual stop this month? Heading to the West Coast to “visit” the joint-base Lewis-McChord! Big thanks to Carrie for writing to us, and congratulations to her for being our first finalist! ONE of the finalists in May will receive a visit from David and me – can’t wait to see where we go! I did some research on Lewis-McChord, since it’s not one of the bases I’ve ever lived on (surprised face). Looks like U.S. Army base, Fort Lewis, and the U.S. Air Force’s McChord Air Force base combined in 2010 to form the Joint-Garrison Lewis McChord. The base is home to I-Corps, the 62nd Airlift Wing, and they put a lot of focus on making sure families are taken care of while soldiers are being trained.


Every town outside of a base is connected to the soldiers and the military families they are near.  The strength of that community bond is like no other and it’s unmatched in its strength, care, and generosity. The nearby town of Tillicum, WA, is no different, as Carrie let us know. One example of this community support can be seen through the yellow ribbons placed on Freedom Bridge (the bridge that links the base to nearby Camp Murray. Yellow ribbons have become a symbol of remembering a soldier while they are deployed. Hundreds of yellow ribbons were tied to Freedom Bridge, signifying the remembrance of hundreds of deployed soldiers. There’s a group of local residents that go out on the weekends to pick up trash in the area and re-attach any detached ribbons, making sure the remembrance is the focus.


I love public displays of honoring our Veterans. Are there any in or near your town? I sure would love to hear about them. Also, if you are on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, I would love to see them too. Please feel free to post a photo on any of those platforms – I’m Mary QVC on all of them.


Thank you, to all the soldiers and families at Lewis-McChord. We appreciate what each of you does, every day, for all of us. You'll be hearing me saying that a lot this month.