During World War II, pinup girls with porcelain skin, scarlet lips and daintily arched brows offered troops reminders of the girls back home.
Gina Elise loved that glamorous look and decided to use the nostalgia to support contemporary troops. In 2006, she launched Pin-Ups for Vets, a nonprofit with a mission to raise funds for hospitalized veterans and to boost the morale of deployed servicemen.
“Each year, we create a calendar featuring female veterans from across the country,” she said. “The calendar fundraises for everything we do, from donating rehab equipment to VA Hospitals to shipping care packages to troops to our 50-state Veterans Hospital Tour.”
Pin-Up Vets have visited 20,000 veterans in 49 states, delivering gifts of appreciation.
This year, the organization released its 19th calendar, and Miss January hails from Spokane. Kodie Misiura served four years in the Marines and deployed twice to Iraq.
Misiura said she opted to enlist partly out of orneriness because her dad didn’t want his daughter in the military.
“My dad said, ‘Kodie, some guys can’t make it through Marine Corps boot camp. How are you going to?’ ” she recalled. “That’s all it took.”
Today marks the 249th birthday of the U.S. Marine Corps. Women make up less than 6% of the Corps.
She’s proud to be one of them.
“Being a Marine is special – being a woman Marine is even more special. The fewer. The prouder,” she said, riffing on the classic Marine slogan: The Few. The Proud. The Marines.
Misiura is also in rare company as one of approximately 500 women in the U.S. military to receive a Purple Heart.
On June 23, 2005, she survived one of the worst days for women in the history of the military when a suicide bomber attacked her convoy. Three of her fellow female Marines died, and 11 more were injured in the blast.
It’s a day she prefers not to discuss. Instead, she focuses on the friendships she formed and the experience she gained.
“The military afforded me every opportunity,” she said.
She currently works in veterans’ services for the state of Washington.
When a fellow Marine sent her the calendar casting call, Misiura was intrigued.
“I’m not a girly girl by any means,” she said. “But I love pinups and that vintage look.”
After reading how the nonprofit supports veterans and active-duty personnel, she decided to go for it.
Pin-Ups for Vets founder Elise said they receive hundreds of submissions from veterans across the country.
“This year’s calendar features 13 female vets with a combined 117 years of service,” she said. “Kodie is one of two Purple Heart recipients in the calendar.”
Misiura said the experience was a whirlwind.
“I flew down to California, and they did my hair, makeup and costume all in one day!”
Elise said the women revel in the process.
“They have a blast,” she said. “We turn them into 1940s bombshells.”
Misiura enjoyed every minute.
“It was cool, because I got to meet some of the other women veterans,” she said.
When the calendars are printed, the Pin-Up vets visit VA hospitals and veteran’s homes to deliver and sign them.
“They have an instant vet-to-vet connection,” Elise said.
But that connection isn’t always so instantaneous. Usually, the veterans don’t know the calendar girls are fellow vets.
Misiura recently visited a veteran’s home in Columbia Falls, Montana. She went from room to room chatting with the vets and offering to sign a calendar for them.
One vet wasn’t inclined to talk. She noticed his display of medals.
“I see you have a Purple Heart,” Misiura said. “Thank you for your service – I have one, too.”
He was shocked, and when she showed him her pinup photo in the calendar, he opened up and began to chat.
“It was a nice way to connect,” she said.
But those without an array of medals to show for their service also command her respect.
“A lot of veterans think if they didn’t deploy, they’re not a vet,” Misiura said. “I tell them signing up shows your courage. A veteran is a veteran is a veteran. It’s a humbling experience to visit them and share our stories.”
For more information or to purchase a calendar visit pinupsforvets.com.
Cindy Hval 