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WASHINGTON D.C. (July 2, 2008) - The cast of the Lifetime cable
network drama "Army Wives" graced the red carpet at Walter Reed
Army Medical Center here yesterday to help kick off the July Fourth
week and salute servicemembers' often-forgotten spouses.
"We wanted to hold a screening at Walter Reed because we feel so
strongly about honoring the strength and sacrifice of the real
military families who inspire our show 'Army Wives' and our
nation," Maria Grasso, senior vice president of series for Lifetime
Networks, said in a news release.
The United Service Organizations, the Army and other
organizations organized the red-carpet event, where cast members
Sally Pressman and Brigid Brannagh, and Tanya Biank -- author of
"Army Wives: The Unwritten Code of Military Marriage," the book
upon which the series is based -- joined dozens of real military
spouses in a tribute to their everyday roles in military life.
"I'm here because it means a ton," said Brannagh, who plays
Pamela Moran in the series.
"It just means a lot to be here," she said. "All the soldiers,
and the Army families and military families, what they do on our
behalf is just so unbelievable." She added that it's an honor to be
able to bring more attention to military spouses.
Also strolling across the red carpet were Army Chief of Staff
Gen. George W. Casey Jr. and his wife. Although the general
confessed he hasn't seen the show, his wife, Sheila, said she
hasn't missed an episode.
"Right prior to its debut, I traveled around talking to Army
families," Mrs. Casey said. "They were peppering me with questions
about this, because there's great concern about how we would be
depicted. And so I did start to watch from the beginning, because I
knew I was going to be asked questions."
Military spouses and families had the opportunity to have their
pictures taken with the stars and to talk with them and share their
stories.
"I don't go through a day without an Army wife coming up to me
and really opening up and telling me a story -- like an intimate
story -- about their life, about their day-to-day," said Pressman,
who plays Roxy LeBlanc on the show. "And I'm speechless and so
unbelievably honored and so grateful."
Mitja Ng-Baumhackl, husband of a Navy officer, also attended the
red carpet event. "It's actually been a real adventure,"
Ng-Baumhackl said of being a military spouse. "And there certainly
have been a lot of challenges. The 'Army Wives' show actually is so
great because it's very authentic at raising those challenges."
Ng-Baumhackl said some of his challenges as a husband have been
a little different from those a wife faces. But, he added that he
still faces the same challenges that military wives have faced for
years, such as finding steady employment and packing up and moving
across the country, all the while making sure the kids have an easy
transition as well.
After the red carpet arrivals had concluded, the crowd joined
Deborah Spera, "Army Wives" executive producer, and Lee Woodruff,
wife of ABC News anchor Bob Woodruff, who was injured in Iraq, for
a panel discussion. The Woodruffs are co-authors of a book titled
"In an Instant: A Family's Journey of Love and Healing."
Lee Woodruff described her experience as an "army wife."
Although she is not the spouse of a servicemember, she said, she
has experienced some of the same things military spouses
experience, especially after her husband was seriously injured by a
roadside bomb while he was embedded with troops in Iraq.
"I want to honor all of you," she said to the military spouses
in the audience. "You are my heroes, all of you. I didn't know a
lot about the military before Bob got injured, but I do know some
of what you go through."
Woodruff spoke about her experience when her husband was in
Iraq, hoping she would not get the dreaded phone call learning of
an attack that either injured or killed her husband. Indeed, on
June 29, 2006, a roadside bomb nearly took his life.
Bob Woodruff spent weeks in the hospital suffering from
traumatic brain injuries. During his recovery, the Woodruff family
created the Bob Woodruff Family Foundation. The foundation helps
ensure that servicemembers with combat-related injuries receive
quality long-term treatment.
Lifetime also launched a postcard drive during last night's
event. Network officials are encouraging fans to write and send
postcards showing their support not only for servicemembers, but
also for the families that allow their husbands, wives and children
to serve for their country.
Operation Homefront, a nonprofit group that tries to bring a
better quality of life to military families, will distribute the
postcards to military families. Operation Homefront is a supporter
of the Defense Department's America Supports you program. America
Supports You connects citizens and companies with servicemembers
and their families serving at home and abroad.
An advance screening of "The Hero Returns" -- the "Army Wives"
episode that will air July 6 at 10 p.m. Eastern Time on Lifetime --
capped off the evening at Walter Reed.
"I really think what all the Army wives go through -- and
military wives in general -- is so much bigger, so much more than
what anyone goes through in a marriage anyway," Brannagh said. "But
I would still say that the same skill set that works in a marriage
works with the Army and works with your husband -- or your
wife."
Editor's Note: Military families can also avail
themselves of the Defense Department's America Supports You
program, which highlights home-front groups across the nation that
are providing a variety of services and support to troops and their
families. A listing of these groups and information about their
efforts is available at www.AmericaSupportsYou.mil.
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