Band of Angels
Mary Ann Bernal, Busy Angel and Leader
Growing up in Yonkers with a father who was a WWII veteran and parents who met on Pearl Harbor Day, it’s not surprising that Mary Ann supports the troops. During Desert Storm she wrote 100 “Any Soldier” letters a week, then joined Soldiers’ Angels in 2006 through a friend. Now she serves on the Letter Writing, Cards Plus, Wounded TLC and Mentor Teams, and currently has six soldiers who are “letter adoptions.” Her tremendous support is fueled by gratitude: “Our military is the reason that we are free today,” she says.
As could be guessed from her list of teams, writing is Mary Ann’s gift. Her first book, The Briton and the Dane (2010), mentions Soldiers’ Angels and was dedicated to the fallen son of a woman in her church, as is the sequel she’s currently writing. As a Mentor, Mary Ann constantly reminds her Angels to keep it up. “This organization does work, and our military does need our support,” she says. “I’ve gotten letters that say, ‘Your letter got there exactly at the right time.’”
What beautiful ways these are of showing love with real meaning that can change lives! From the warm gratitude of a gift of Thanks a Bunch, to life-giving blood in honor of those who shed theirs, to the love of Mary Ann who pours herself out in words…. I hope this week you get a taste of the love all around us!
Wingtip to Wingtip,
Patti Patton-Bader
Soldiers' Angels Founder and CEO
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