4 // COASTWEEKEND.COM
Visual
arts, literature,
& more
theater,
music
Uniform dedication — to others
Astoria woman featured
in new book saluting
military spouses
By PATRICK WEBB
FOR COAST WEEKEND
M
ilitary spouses rarely earn recogni-
tion. But anyone who has served will
readily acknowledge they make a
difference.
“Behind the Scenes: The Tales of Military
Spouses Making a Difference,” a book pub-
lished this summer, seeks to highlight some of
those 1.1 million unsung heroes.
Those featured include Stacey Benson, a
new resident of Astoria whose husband, Petty
Officer First Class Larry Benson, has joined
the crew of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Stead-
fast as a maritime law enforcement specialist.
The book was coordinated by Cara Loken,
2016 Armed Forces Insurance National Guard
Spouse of the Year. Its stories highlight 30
spouses in all the Armed Forces, husbands as
well as wives, some of whom are civilians who
had prior service careers.
They were selected because they all had
another common theme to their lives: helping
others.
“I kept hearing story after story of the
life-changing things that spouses everywhere
were doing, in addition to meeting and con-
quering their own day-to-day challenges,” said
Loken, a craft store owner based in Nebraska
who encourages veterans to explore the arts to
alleviate post-traumatic stress.
While some of the writers have specific
“helping” occupations — like life coach, medi-
ator, counselor and clinical psychologist — the
book’s stories include those of an artist, a real
estate salesman, a broadcaster, an attorney,
an author, and teachers at middle school and
university levels.
“When these women and men see a need,
they fill it,” Loken said. “It was important to
me to put these stories together so all Amer-
icans know just how very remarkable the
people behind our service members are. I’m
sure the tales will inspire others to find their
own way to have a lasting impact.”
PHOTO COURTESY WINEGEART PHOTOGRAPHY
Continued on Page 15
Stacey Benson and her husband, Petty Officer First Class Larry Benson, a law enforcement specialist
who has just begun serving aboard the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Steadfast, homeported in Astoria.
THE BOOK
“Behind the Scenes: The Tales of
American Military Spouses Making a
Difference”
CreateSpace Independent Publishing
Platform
July 2017
222 pp
On sale via Amazon
$13.95
All proceeds benefit charities nominated
by segment authors; Stacey Benson’s
group is the Semper Fi Fund.
For more details, see www.semperfifund.
org
For more details about the other contrib-
utors to the book, see www.facebook.
com/amilitaryspouselegacyproject
