USO of NC Salute to Freedom Gala

"We need them, They need us, We need you, Its that simple" 

Friday, October 2, 2009 Salute to Freedom Gala in Cary at Prestonwood Country Club

This was a beautiful evening honoring these outstanding service members:

Staff Sergeant Andrew Harrison of the NC National Guard

Staff Sergeant Ryan Green of the US Army at Fort Bragg

Sergeant Austin Hilburn of the US Marine Corps at Camp Lejeune

Hospital Corpsman Second Class Guy Ambrose of the US Navy

Staff Sergeant Alejandro Soto of the US Air Force at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base

Petty Officer Christopher Key of the US Coast Guard 

They also honored with the Spirit of Freedom Awards to Terry Grimes and Kenneth Tigges

I want to thank all my friends at the NC USO-Al, John, Simone, Sherri, Erin, Katie, Michael and Dawn, and all the wonderful volunteers and helpers that I saw at the Gala that I have come to know and love over the past several months! Thank you for your dedication to the to troops and the USO!  You guys are all wonderful!  The USO has a vision to lead the way into enriching lives to America's military in North Carolina, their mission is to serve and support America's military and their families.  So this evening was to celebrate the freedoms and those who defend them.  I was honored to help with this evening, alongside these amazing honorees, distinguished service men and women, the 82nd Airborne Division "All American" chorus, Sloan Gibson, the President of the USO Arlington, the USO leadership, the bagpiper Robert White US Army (Ret), and of course my good friend, Miss USA Kristen Dalton!  I got to catch up with Kristen on all the wonderful things she is doing as Miss USA!  I am so proud of her, she is doing great things for this country and she looked beautiful!  We all came together for a great night for the USO of NC, and it was great!  Everything was absolutely beautiful, and I couldn't have been surrounded by more amazing, dedicated and kind individuals.  Thanks to everyone for a great night, and a beautiful gala!  It was great to see all of my USO NC friends and talk about future opportunities for helping the USO!