Last night, I was pleased to join my friend, Tanya Biank at a very special viewing of Army Wives. The event was hosted by Chief of Staff of the Army, General Casey and Mrs. Sheila Casey at the Ft. Belvoir community center. They were using the viewing as an opportunity to recognize Dr. Jill Biden for her work on behalf of military families. The episode that will air on August 15th features a cameo of Dr. Biden playing herself paying a visit to Ft. Marshall. About 200 of us were lucky enough to have been invited to join them for the festivities.
After reading the invitation, I knew that we were expecting Dr. Biden to be in attendance, but I don’t think anyone expected that the Vice President would show up to introduce her! So, I’m sure there will be lots of blog posts and articles about the event, but what can I tell you that the cameras may have missed?
- One of the most touching moments came when General Casey visited with the row of AIT soldiers sitting behind us. He coined each one of them as a “down payment on the great service I know we can expect from you in your careers”. What you may not know….General Casey also coined Tanya in appreciation of her work and contributions. She was thrilled!
- If you looked hard enough, you may have recognized some faces in the audience who went by unnoticed by the majority of the star struck folks in attendance. In the front row, you would have seen the Chief of the Army Reserve, LTG Jack Stultz and his wife, Laura chatting with the new DUSD/MCFP, COL (USA, Ret) Rob Gordon.
- Behind the Stultz’s and COL Gordon was LTC Gregory Gadson who just took over command of the Army Wounded Warrior Program. LTC Gadson understands the issues of those he serves because he himself is a double amputee. You may remember reading about him back in 2008 when he was dubbed the “Giants’ honorary co-captain” during their Super Bowl season.
For someone who could make a professional sport of people watching, it was a lot to take in. Everywhere you looked, there was another little story unfolding. The most remarkable part of the evening though, it was genuinely fun. Everyone was incredibly relaxed. The folks in charge did a great job in setting out movie style snacks and as the lights dimmed, everyone settled back to watch Dr. Biden’s acting debut. The illustrious company seemed to fade into the background as the show unfolded. Reactions were honest, vocal and pronounced. As far as acting debuts go, Dr. Biden did a good job, as did the real Army wives who played cameo roles in the episode. After the viewing, the VIPs stayed for a long time, shaking hands and posing for pictures. All in all, it was a great evening.
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- It was a great opportunity to visit with Tanya and her dad.
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- Meeting the young privates – you know she made their night!
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- General Casey introducing HIS Army wife, Sheila
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- Mrs. Casey asking the Lifetime folks why the 4 star’s wife on the show is so mean.
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- Speaking about what he and GEN Casey have in common – both married waaay up!
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- Dr. Biden stressing the importance of military family support and uneasy about having her debut in front of such a big crowd.
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- The crowd – there’s LTC Gadson in the front.
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- Tanya’s fans had her signing the strangest things….
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- LTG and Mrs. Stultz with Brian McNamara and his son
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- We had just seen Brian and Tyler in Charleston a few weeks ago, so it was nice to visit with them in DC.
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- With Dr. Biden
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- With Vice President Biden
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- 2 University of Denver alumni – 1 of us has done very well for himself!