"Every day is
a surprise. I wake up and I can't believe this
is my job and I get to do this."
— Hilary Duff |
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News |
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June
11, 2005 |
from
Defenselink.mil |
Duff Helps Kick Off
National Military Families
Week
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When teen actress and singer
Hilary Duff finally arrived
here after a rain-delayed
flight from New York, the
children -- and some parents
-- let out ear-piercing
screams.
The nearly 100 children of
several dozen military
families had waited for more
than three hours in a Cannon
Office Building meeting room
on Capitol Hill June 10.
Late afternoon had become
early evening.
The kids had nearly finished
off several cases of
refreshments, had turned on
and played with the
microphones in this
congressional meeting room,
and had rolled up colorful
posters on hand so they
could bop one another on the
head. So it was no surprise
the screams accompanying the
Duff's arrival were signs of
relief as well as joy.
She had come to help the
Armed Forces Foundation kick
off its National Military
Families Week. The
foundation began four years
ago to help servicemembers
and military families in
need. It is also a team
member of DoD's "America
Supports You" program, which
showcases how Americans are
supporting servicemembers
and their families around
the world. While here, Duff
read a story to the children
and afterwards took time to
smile for photographs with
and autograph posters for
them, embracing each child
after the pose and
signature.
During a Pentagon Channel
interview after signing
autographs, Duff said that
supporting the military is
something that "every
American" should do. She
added that servicemembers
are not only "saving lives"
but are also "helping our
country and keeping our
freedom and our liberty."
"So any little thing that I
can do to give back, I want
to be a part of," she said.
According to foundation
president Patricia Driscoll,
Duff has become a big
celebrity supporter of the
foundation and is always
willing to help military
families.
Driscoll said Duff provides
free front-row tickets and
backstage passes to her
concerts, and like the June
10 visit, takes time to meet
with families of service
members all around the
country.
The star said it feels so
"surreal" to see the
reaction she gets from kids
who have become her fans.
"It really inspires me to
keep working and to put out
positive stuff for our kids
to keep enjoying," Duff
said.
Trembling, Kate Pumplin, 11,
said meeting the star was
the chance of a lifetime. "I
can't describe my feelings
right now," she said
anxiously.
"I'm really, really, really
excited to be here today.
I'm her No. 1 fan. When I
heard she was coming, I knew
I had to find a way to get
here."
Antoher fan, Tiffani Henson,
12, came with her father,
Army Sgt. 1st Class Matt
Henson.
Tiffani said she likes
anything that's Hilary Duff.
"I like her music and I like
her movies," she pointed
out.
But it's Duff's character
that she likes the most. The
star's personality is what
makes her "so cool," Tiffani
said.
That "cool" is one reason
Tiffani's father was
present. He admits he knows
little about Duff, though
his daughter watches
television series "Lizzie
McGuire" almost daily. He
said he wanted to see in
person the star his daughter
most adored on TV.
"When you get involved in
your kid's life, you kind
want to see who they are
watching on television and
who they model themselves
after, and who they look up
to as role models," he said.
Henson was not disappointed.
He said what Duff is doing
for military families says a
lot about the type of person
she is.
"Many times the military is
not shown how much they are
appreciated for what we do,
the sacrifices we make being
away from our families, the
things that we do to keep
the country safe," he said.
"It really means a lot to
have someone like her to
take time out of her
schedule to come to say,
'Thank you and I appreciate
what you do.' That really
means a lot."
Prior to Duff's appearance,
the Armed Forces Foundation
held a private fund-raiser
at another location to kick
off National Military
Families Week, a
weeklong-event to show
support for troops and their
families.
Driscoll said the foundation
will use money from the
fund-raiser to buy laptop
computers with wireless
capability for soldiers
recovering at Walter Reed
Army Medical Center here.
The money will also help pay
for travel and hotels for
families visiting soldiers
at the hospital, she added. |
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