Troops To Get Coffee And Bikini Poster
Tucked into each box packed by local members of Soldiers' Angels is a poster of a bikini-clad model.
The donation from New Jersey model-turned-motivator Gail Kasper is meant to boost the morale of troops in the war zones.
To show troops how appreciative she is for their service, Kasper, 45, spent more than 40 hours autographing each of the 12,000 movie posters.
"I know I could have just sent them out as postcards, but they've given their heart to this country, so I wanted to share something from my heart," Kasper said in a telephone interview.
The poster depicts Kasper in a red bikini, standing with wind-blown hair in front of a blue backdrop with white stars. The words "Courage is Beautiful" are shown across her toned midsection.
Kasper wrote a short message with each autograph encouraging troops to contact her for inspiration and motivation.
"So, it becomes so much more than just a poster," she said. "I get to be a person behind the photo."
While this is not the first time Kasper has given away posters to soldiers, it is the most she has donated. In 2009, during her reign as Miss Continental America, she teamed up with the USO to support 12 missions sending more than 4,000 troops to Iraq.
During those missions, she autographed and gave out posters of her that were created as a charity drive in support of troops. Soon thereafter, Kasper's efforts caught the attention of the national newsmagazine show "Inside Edition," which termed her the modern-day pinup girl for troops, following in the footsteps of Marilyn Monroe, Raquel Welch and more recently, Pamela Anderson.
"There's a strong motivation in what she does and the passion that she has," said Toby Nunn, operations manager for Soldiers' Angels.
Nunn said the national nonprofit's veteran-run warehouse in San Antonio was tasked with putting together the care packages.
August 29, 2010
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