Happy Mother's Day
Send Deployed Mothers a Thank You This Mother's Day

	Coast Guard MST1 Sarah Vega and her daughter Izabella will be together this Mother's Day. She is now stationed in Florida but has deployed twice in the Global War on Terror. Photo Courtesy of MST1 Sarah Vega.

Nearly 122,000 mothers are among those serving in today’s US Armed Forces, the Department of Defense estimated in 2007. Of those, at least 7,000 are deployed in the Global War on Terror this Mother’s Day, May 11. Many, like Coast Guard MST1 Sarah Vega, hope that their service adds to the valuable lessons that a mother passes on to her children.

MST1 Vega is one of five US servicewomen featured on the Women’s Memorial Foundation’s 2008 Women’s History Month Poster and Kit. She says that her service and two deployments in the Global War on Terror “has allowed me to show my [6-year-old] daughter that being a strong woman has many rewards—and it proves to her that she, too, can be and do anything."

	The Women's Memorial is one of the many sending Mother's Day messages to troops through the Stars & Stripes message service.

You can join the Women’s Memorial Foundation in thanking mothers in military service, like MST1 Vega, by sending an online Mother’s Day card through the Stars and Stripes’ message service. The independent daily newspaper of the US military allows visitors to post free Mother's Day messages, with photo if desired. To post a message, visit the Stars and Stripes Web site.

	This message was posted to "Moms Protecting Freedoms" from the American Legion Auxiliary in Zion, IL.

Many Foundation members have already posted Mother’s Day messages, including Patricia “Trish” Teck of Zion, IL, who sent a message to “Moms Protecting Freedoms” from the American Legion Auxiliary Post where she serves as president. “We got the Women’s Memorial e-mail about it and there was a link. We have mothers and several Gold Star Mothers in our post, including the youngest whose son was killed in Iraq several years ago. We thought it would nice to send a message,” says Teck whose note reminds mothers that “the sacrifice you are making this year on this day is not overlooked by your family or your country.” The online message also includes a group photo of the auxiliary’s officers. You can click through messages submitted to date—a few of which are shown on this page (below)—on the Stars and Stripes Web site.

A Few Mother's Day Messages from Stars & Stripes

 

(May 2008)