June celebrates King Kamehameha, Trooping of the Colors, Army's 235th Birthday, and US's Flag Day

Aloha, mai ka Iune puke SOS America!
Aloha, here is the June newsletter for SOS America!

Before we discover what June brings us, I remind you of Wednesday Wanderings:

- Each Wednesday, we travel to a new place! Last week, we ventured over to a fabulous review site, Coffee Time Romance, whose staffers have military connections:

http://sosaloha.blogspot.com/2010/05/wednesday-wanderings-coffee-time.html

- Next Wednesday, we’ll travel to another review site, The Season, celebrating London's social season during Regency England:

http://historicalromancereleases.com/wordpress/

I discovered both blogsites after Karenne (from Coffee Time Romance) and Beverley (from The Season) chatted with Cathy Maxwell about summer reading at Romance Radio:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/romanceradio/2010/05/06/sizzling-summer-romance-reads--recommenations-from

In June, we will have special Wanderings on Friday, June 11, Saturday, June 12, and Monday, June 14 – read on to learn why!

June is named for the Roman Goddess Juno. She is the daughter of Saturn and sister of Jupiter. Juno is also the mother of Mars, Minerva, and Vulcan (she is quite busy in Roman mythology). Since she is the patron goddess of Roman Empire, Juno is also called Regina (Queen). June brings us several “royal” holidays:

June 11 – King Kamehameha Day:  The State of Hawaii honors King Kamehameha the Great who united the Hawaiian Islands in 1810. He is known as the Napoleon of the Pacific for his achievements in welfare and diplomacy.

King Kamehameha The Great is larger than life – prophecies about his birth and achievements came true as he demonstrated his military prowess. To learn more about upcoming celebrations, log onto:

http://www.kamehamehafestival.org/

Join me on Friday, June 11, to commemorate King Kamehameha the Great. I will address how a “primitive native” set the standard for human rights during warfare (I’ll give you a hint – Māmalahoe).  I have fun prizes for randomly selected commenters, including copies of HelenKay Dimon’s Your Mouth Drives Me Crazy. HelenKay has a personal connection to Hawaii – she has written a series of books set in Hawaii to capture the romance of the islands.

I salute HelenKay for her selection as RWA’s PRO Mentor of the Year. She will be honored at the RWA National Convention in Orlando on July 30. To learn more about HelenKay, log onto

http://www.helenkaydimon.com/

June 12 – Trooping of the Colors:  On the second Saturday of June, the British Army salutes the official birthday of the British Sovereign. This tradition dates back to 1748, so it is inconsequential that Queen Elizabeth’s actual birthday is April 21.   The ceremony pays tribute to the battlefield tradition whereby the command staff would carry the colors through the ranks so every solder would see that the colors (and unit) were still intact.  Today, it’s a national celebration of Britain’s military and a tourist attraction. I am a sucker for Pomp and Circumstance … and perhaps that is why I enjoy reading historical romances.  To learn more about the Trooping of the Colors, log onto:

http://www.trooping-the-colour.co.uk/

Join me on Saturday, June 12, to commemorate the Trooping of the Colors. I have fun prizes for randomly selected commenters including ARCs from historical author Cara Elliott’s Circle of Sin series – To Sin with a Scoundrel and To Surrender to a Rogue. Her books convey the Pomp and Circumstance of the Regency Era. To learn more about Cara, log onto:

http://www.caraelliott.com/

June 14 - US Army's 235th Birthday:  On this date in 1775, the Continental Congress authorized the Continental Army to fight Great Britain and appointed General Washington as its commander. It is difficult for me to find the words to express my gratitude for those men and women in the US Army who have sacrificed so much for my freedom. Perhaps General MacArthur said it best on May 12, 1962 at West Point, “Duty, Honor, and Country.”

To learn more about his speech, travel with Wednesday Wanderings to West Point:

http://sosaloha.blogspot.com/2010/05/wednesday-wanderings-west-point-new.html

But it is not just the soldiers who have sacrificed – their families are the unsung heroes and heroines. As we learned in the Wednesday Wandering to Coffee Time Romance, many military spouses and brats are part of the romance world.

Join me on Monday, June 14 for a special tribute to the Army veterans, spouses, and brats. I’ll also have patriotic prizes for randomly selected commenters, including Diane Gaston’s first Soldiers’ Book, Gallant officers, Forbidden Lady. Diane has a special connection to the Army.

To learn more about Diane, log onto:

http://www.dianegaston.com/

June 14 – US Flag Day:   On this day in 1777, the Second Continental Congress adopted the flag created by Betsy Ross – 7 red and 6 white stripes guarding a blue field with 13 stars. It remains a symbol of our independence from Great Britain (who has since become our ally in promoting democracy). Must-see places related to our beloved “Stars and Stripes”:

- The Betsy Ross House in Philadelphia, http://www.betsyrosshouse.org/

It offers an informative exhibit of how our first flag came to be made.

- The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History (NMAH)

http://americanhistory.si.edu/starspangledbanner/

The NMAH houses the US flag that flew over Fort McHenry during the British bombardment in 1812, thus inspiring Frances Scott Key’s “Star Spangled Banner.” The over sized flag used to hang from the museum’s rafters, battered from years of tourists snipping pieces of American History. But the NMAH has restored the flag and displayed it in a light controlled gallery.

Book Giveaway – Available books are listed at:

http://sosaloha.blogspot.com/2010/05/post-rt-and-pre-rwa-book-giveaway.html

To request books, send me an Please send your top three choices to sos.america@yahoo.com NO LATER THAN Friday, May 28, 11:59 EST so I can mail books to you before I depart for the mainland on May 31.

In July, we’ll celebrate Canada’s Birthday, the US Independence Day, and France’s Bastille Day … plus a visit to RomCon in Denver and the RWA National Convention in Orlando.

Happy reading!

Kim Adams
SOS Military Liaison

SOS is Support Our Soldiers (SOS) America Inc. – a 501(c)(3) charity registered with DOD’s “America Supports You” network. To learn more about SOS, log onto http://www.sosamericainc.org/