Virginia Dosedel, a financial analyst at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, received the Air Force’s annual Spirit of Hope Award on Oct. 27 during a ceremony in the Pentagon. She was recognized for her work with “Sew Much Comfort,” a non-profit charitable organization that she founded to provide adaptive clothing to cover the prosthetics of wounded warriors. The organization, which has grown to more than 1,000 volunteer seamstresses, has created more than 100,000 garments. The Spirit of Hope Award is named in honor of Hollywood legend Bob Hope, who entertained troops for decades, including in combat zones. “I think Bob Hope had a vision that the military needed something other than combat, like the intangible spirit of home and comfort,” said Dosedel upon receiving the honor. The garments, she added, help the wounded service members “recover from their injuries with comfort and dignity.” (Air Force report by MSgt. Stan Parker)
The U.S. supports “a stronger and more capable” European defense, Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III said during an Oct. 22 press conference in Brussels—but that defense should not duplicate the functions and capabilities of the NATO alliance.