By Katie Doolittle
Grace, poise, beauty, service: the Ms. Veteran America competition honors these qualities in military women from all ages and stages of life. On October 18, Tenino resident Kerri Turner will participate in the 2015 competition. It’s just one of the many ways in which Turner lives out her passion for and commitment to both community service and the U.S. military.
Residents of Tenino will likely recognize Turner’s name. In addition to working for Blush Day Spa, she’s the president of the Tenino School District’s Parent Teacher Association (PTA). Turner also coaches various kids’ sports and serves as a fitness coordinator for mothers.
Says Turner, “I get involved because I firmly believe in being the good, stepping up to encourage others to be their best self. I believe in making a difference, a real impact, and serving others. It is a balancing act to pour myself into so many programs, but if I am able, I will do what I can to leave this world better than I found it.”
Turner’s high visibility within the community is all the more impressive given that she’s a relative newcomer to the Pacific Northwest. Two years ago, Turner was living in Maryland while her boyfriend was stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord. “We had our own Sleepless in Seattle plot developing,” she laughs. When they married on October 10, 2013 she moved out here to join him.
Turner has been grateful for the home Tenino has become for their family. “Honestly, after deployment, I felt alienated and unappreciated. It seemed like my time away meant nothing to anyone. But once I moved to Tenino, I instantly felt welcomed and I got a strong sense of community from everyone I met.”
Military service is a huge part of Turner’s identity. During her stint with the United States Army, she rose to the rank of captain and now serves as an instructor for the Washington Army National Guard. She’s been deployed as far as the Middle East for Operation Enduring Freedom and as close to home as Oso during the mudslide disaster. Turner elaborates, “I am so honored to serve our great nation and state. I have been a part of some really remarkable adventures and have cultivated lifelong bonds with fellow soldiers.”
Participating in Ms. Veteran America is a powerful way of honoring those lifelong bonds. As part of the competition, all contestants raise awareness and money for Final Salute Inc., an organization that seeks to provide homeless women veterans with safe and suitable housing as well as education and career assistance. According to Swords to Plowshares, women veterans are the fastest growing cohort of the homeless population. Though a number of factors contribute to this troubling statistic, Turner highlights one in particular that would tug the heartstrings of any parent. “Seventy percent of female veterans are also mothers with custody,” she says, going on to explain that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs cannot legally reimburse for minor children in transient housing. “Women warriors are forced to choose between shelter or their children. It is unacceptable, appalling.”
With her can-do attitude and big heart for others, it’s no surprise that Turner is doing her part to reverse this troubling trend. She is thrilled to raise funds for Final Salute, an organization founded and fostered by “other women veterans stepping up to answer the need. We are a real program helping real women in a real way.” She adds, “My dream would be to have a home here. I would love to provide my local sisters-in-arms some hope right here in Washington.”
Advocacy is a key component of Ms. Veteran America. Contestants will also be evaluated based on their interviews, talents, and military service. On a lighter note, the competition also involves several additional award categories that highlight special aspects of military life. Contestants seeking the title of “Push-Up Princess,” for instance, compete live on stage to see who can do the most push-ups in two minutes. A special “Mr. Mom” category honors husbands who handle the home front in order to help their servicewomen spouses.
Turner has nominated her husband, a Fort Lewis Apache pilot, for Mr. Mom. “He is so full of life and adventure – our kids are better for him,” says Turner. “He is more than my best friend and husband. He is my battle buddy, too, which takes our relationship to a whole different, special level.”
Ms. Veteran America 2015 will be held on October 18 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Hoping to support Turner and her cause while staying close to home? Your direct donation to Final Salute Inc. will help provide safe and suitable housing for homeless female veterans and their children.
You can also come to Turner’s “Hope For Women Warriors” event, 7:00 p.m. to midnight on October 9. It will be held at the Olympia Eagles Lodge, 805 4th Avenue E. Tickets are $20 for the general public, $15 with military ID. Lodge members may attend for free, but pay $5 to eat.
