thedrifter
10-18-02, 02:57 PM
http://www.mca-marines.org/Leatherneck/marFrench1.jpg
Miss America 2000 Is Still Dedicated to Serving Those Who Served Our Country
Story by J. B. Walker
Heather French Henry's reign as Miss America 2000 ended Oct. 14, 2000, but she still has her work cut out for her. Never one to back down from her ideals, she plans to continue drawing attention to the needs of America's veterans—the men and women she calls "forgotten heroes."
Married to Kentucky's Lieutenant Governor Stephen L. Henry last fall, Heather was crowned Miss America in September 1999 while still bearing her maiden name of Heather Renee French, by which she is still more commonly known. But more importantly, she is known for the platform to which she has lent her name.
In the arena of Miss America, the topic of veterans' issues is definitely a unique cause. While many Miss Americas have rallied support for such relatively high-profile issues as finding cures for AIDS and diabetes, or for supporting women's issues—all of which Heather has lauded as very worthy platforms—she has taken on a national problem so grand in scale that most people just choose to forget it exists.
With a hint of her native Kentucky accent (she's the first Miss America to hail from Kentucky) and a warm smile for everyone she meets, the 26-year-old has no problem getting her message across. In an interview last November prior to a Toys for Tots banquet, where she was a guest speaker and supporter, she explained the why's and how's of her work with America's veterans.
Heather's love of veterans has always been with her. It was passed on from her father, Ronnie French, a disabled Vietnam veteran.
"Dad's a very special man," she explained. "He and my uncle, Jerry French, went into boot camp at the same time and then went to Vietnam at the same time."
During that period, brothers weren't allowed to serve together in a combat theater of operations.
"An officer looked at them and saw their name patches and said, 'If you're brothers, one of you had better hightail it out of here.' So Jerry, being the younger [brother], got sent to Guam. Dad stayed in Vietnam, got wounded and served 13 months in his tour. When Dad got wounded near the end of his tour, they sent him to a hospital in Guam … so they got to be together.
"When they came home, they both went through a very rough period. My father wound up with a prescription drug addiction."
Her uncle had his share of problems as well.
"Jerry wound up missing in Florida. He left his family, left his job—which is not uncommon among veterans. We found Jerry at a VA hospital in Gainesville, Florida. He was sent to a homeless veterans facility called the Serenity House."
Heather said that after her uncle managed to turn his life around, he returned to the Daytona Beach facility where he is now employed as a counselor.
"At the same time Jerry was going through all of his rehab, my dad actually went through his at a homeless shelter in Cincinnati because they had a substance-abuse program there that a lot of veterans were attending. Dad had been in and out of rehabs that were institutional that just didn't work for him because there were no veterans there. He needed that camaraderie."
And thus began Heather's quest to end the plight of homeless veterans. Having seen the potential for success in such cases, she decided to make a difference.
After becoming Miss Kentucky in 1999 she learned that her father was not receiving the disability benefits he was due. He had suffered a through-and-through gunshot wound to the wrist, which has resulted in degenerative arthritis and crippling effects. By working with the VA, she was able to have his disability increased from 30 percent to 80 percent with retroactive pay for 28 years of misrepresentation. She feels there are numerous veterans who may also be misrepresented and don't even know it.
"We did a study in Kentucky, and in just the eastern part, $3 million in benefits are lost each year because veterans don't know what they're entitled to," she said. "If that's just a piece of the pie, imagine how much money is left out there unclaimed. We want to make sure that every veteran who is entitled to disability and benefits gets the proper disability and benefits."
Since being crowned Miss America she has seen her role as a veterans' advocate steadily grow to encompass nearly every aspect of veterans' affairs.
"I started out with homeless veterans' initiatives; however, when you're dealing with one military or veterans' issue, you quickly learn that you're going to become a multifaceted advocate," she said.
Some of these facets include providing veterans with the information they need to apply for benefits, finding counseling for those who have experienced traumatic circumstances, and screening for hepatitis C, a deadly disease affecting the liver—which is rampant in the homeless community.
"I set out a list of goals that I wanted to achieve during my year as Miss America. One of those goals was to have veterans' issues in the national media at least once a month. I thought that was important because the general American public was so unaware of what was facing our veterans and our military today."
Heather said the response from the media exceeded her expectations: "It was more than twice a month that we hit the national media. Throughout the year, I was surprised by how much media kept showing up at the events."
On a more personal level, she said she feels the coverage did a lot to ensure the credibility of Miss America, therefore making her a more valuable advocate to veterans.
"I got to hit 45 states. For veterans' issues, it's really a state-by-state issue, as well as national. There are a lot of people out there who still don't believe that their state has a problem. Everyone still wants to believe in that NIMBY theory: 'Not In My Back Yard—it's happening everywhere else, but not in my area.' "
Heather said her platform was met with skepticism at first, especially from the veterans themselves.
"Every person has to prove themselves to a military man or woman and rightfully so. Here comes this Miss America—this young woman who says she's going to be an advocate. I had to break down that barrier, and I would immediately start talking about my father. He had given me my first inspiration and experience to take veterans' issues as my main cause. By letting people know me personally, not just as this celebrity figure who comes in on stage, makes her speech and then leaves, as many celebrities do, I stayed. It was important for me to reach that veterans' audience to let them know that I was there for them, not just for the sake of the appearance."
Her dad worked hard as well, making many appearances either with his daughter or in her place.
"Everywhere I go I hear, 'Tell your dad hi.' They'd give me a T-shirt; they'd give me a sweatshirt for Dad. I always left with two identical presents."
Heather logged more than 20,000 miles each month, making appearances and speaking out on behalf of veterans nationwide. On an average, she was afforded only one day off per month.
But the past year has also drawn her closer to the Marine Corps and allowed her to see firsthand the organization that is still so meaningful to her father.
"I grew up seeing the dress blues in my father's pictures. My dad was very open about his service.
"I'm a little biased toward the Marine Corps. When I talk about 'military,' of course Marines are the first thing to enter my mind. I've seen more honor guards this year than I can count, and the ones that I remember most are the Marines."
http://www.mca-marines.org/Leatherneck/marhenry.htm
Sempers,
Roger
Miss America 2000 Is Still Dedicated to Serving Those Who Served Our Country
Story by J. B. Walker
Heather French Henry's reign as Miss America 2000 ended Oct. 14, 2000, but she still has her work cut out for her. Never one to back down from her ideals, she plans to continue drawing attention to the needs of America's veterans—the men and women she calls "forgotten heroes."
Married to Kentucky's Lieutenant Governor Stephen L. Henry last fall, Heather was crowned Miss America in September 1999 while still bearing her maiden name of Heather Renee French, by which she is still more commonly known. But more importantly, she is known for the platform to which she has lent her name.
In the arena of Miss America, the topic of veterans' issues is definitely a unique cause. While many Miss Americas have rallied support for such relatively high-profile issues as finding cures for AIDS and diabetes, or for supporting women's issues—all of which Heather has lauded as very worthy platforms—she has taken on a national problem so grand in scale that most people just choose to forget it exists.
With a hint of her native Kentucky accent (she's the first Miss America to hail from Kentucky) and a warm smile for everyone she meets, the 26-year-old has no problem getting her message across. In an interview last November prior to a Toys for Tots banquet, where she was a guest speaker and supporter, she explained the why's and how's of her work with America's veterans.
Heather's love of veterans has always been with her. It was passed on from her father, Ronnie French, a disabled Vietnam veteran.
"Dad's a very special man," she explained. "He and my uncle, Jerry French, went into boot camp at the same time and then went to Vietnam at the same time."
During that period, brothers weren't allowed to serve together in a combat theater of operations.
"An officer looked at them and saw their name patches and said, 'If you're brothers, one of you had better hightail it out of here.' So Jerry, being the younger [brother], got sent to Guam. Dad stayed in Vietnam, got wounded and served 13 months in his tour. When Dad got wounded near the end of his tour, they sent him to a hospital in Guam … so they got to be together.
"When they came home, they both went through a very rough period. My father wound up with a prescription drug addiction."
Her uncle had his share of problems as well.
"Jerry wound up missing in Florida. He left his family, left his job—which is not uncommon among veterans. We found Jerry at a VA hospital in Gainesville, Florida. He was sent to a homeless veterans facility called the Serenity House."
Heather said that after her uncle managed to turn his life around, he returned to the Daytona Beach facility where he is now employed as a counselor.
"At the same time Jerry was going through all of his rehab, my dad actually went through his at a homeless shelter in Cincinnati because they had a substance-abuse program there that a lot of veterans were attending. Dad had been in and out of rehabs that were institutional that just didn't work for him because there were no veterans there. He needed that camaraderie."
And thus began Heather's quest to end the plight of homeless veterans. Having seen the potential for success in such cases, she decided to make a difference.
After becoming Miss Kentucky in 1999 she learned that her father was not receiving the disability benefits he was due. He had suffered a through-and-through gunshot wound to the wrist, which has resulted in degenerative arthritis and crippling effects. By working with the VA, she was able to have his disability increased from 30 percent to 80 percent with retroactive pay for 28 years of misrepresentation. She feels there are numerous veterans who may also be misrepresented and don't even know it.
"We did a study in Kentucky, and in just the eastern part, $3 million in benefits are lost each year because veterans don't know what they're entitled to," she said. "If that's just a piece of the pie, imagine how much money is left out there unclaimed. We want to make sure that every veteran who is entitled to disability and benefits gets the proper disability and benefits."
Since being crowned Miss America she has seen her role as a veterans' advocate steadily grow to encompass nearly every aspect of veterans' affairs.
"I started out with homeless veterans' initiatives; however, when you're dealing with one military or veterans' issue, you quickly learn that you're going to become a multifaceted advocate," she said.
Some of these facets include providing veterans with the information they need to apply for benefits, finding counseling for those who have experienced traumatic circumstances, and screening for hepatitis C, a deadly disease affecting the liver—which is rampant in the homeless community.
"I set out a list of goals that I wanted to achieve during my year as Miss America. One of those goals was to have veterans' issues in the national media at least once a month. I thought that was important because the general American public was so unaware of what was facing our veterans and our military today."
Heather said the response from the media exceeded her expectations: "It was more than twice a month that we hit the national media. Throughout the year, I was surprised by how much media kept showing up at the events."
On a more personal level, she said she feels the coverage did a lot to ensure the credibility of Miss America, therefore making her a more valuable advocate to veterans.
"I got to hit 45 states. For veterans' issues, it's really a state-by-state issue, as well as national. There are a lot of people out there who still don't believe that their state has a problem. Everyone still wants to believe in that NIMBY theory: 'Not In My Back Yard—it's happening everywhere else, but not in my area.' "
Heather said her platform was met with skepticism at first, especially from the veterans themselves.
"Every person has to prove themselves to a military man or woman and rightfully so. Here comes this Miss America—this young woman who says she's going to be an advocate. I had to break down that barrier, and I would immediately start talking about my father. He had given me my first inspiration and experience to take veterans' issues as my main cause. By letting people know me personally, not just as this celebrity figure who comes in on stage, makes her speech and then leaves, as many celebrities do, I stayed. It was important for me to reach that veterans' audience to let them know that I was there for them, not just for the sake of the appearance."
Her dad worked hard as well, making many appearances either with his daughter or in her place.
"Everywhere I go I hear, 'Tell your dad hi.' They'd give me a T-shirt; they'd give me a sweatshirt for Dad. I always left with two identical presents."
Heather logged more than 20,000 miles each month, making appearances and speaking out on behalf of veterans nationwide. On an average, she was afforded only one day off per month.
But the past year has also drawn her closer to the Marine Corps and allowed her to see firsthand the organization that is still so meaningful to her father.
"I grew up seeing the dress blues in my father's pictures. My dad was very open about his service.
"I'm a little biased toward the Marine Corps. When I talk about 'military,' of course Marines are the first thing to enter my mind. I've seen more honor guards this year than I can count, and the ones that I remember most are the Marines."
http://www.mca-marines.org/Leatherneck/marhenry.htm
Sempers,
Roger