AMERICANPATRIOT VIEW IN

FULLSCREENCLICK ABOVEFEBRUARY 4, 2010

THE MOTHER OF AMERICAN

VALENTINE’S DAYMEDAL OF HONOR SERIES

ANDERSON SAVESHIS BUDDIES

LINDSEY VONNSKIING FOR GOLD

AMERICANPATRIOT

THE CENTER OF THEUS OLYMPICMOVEMENT

46

THE MOTHER OF

AMERICANVALENTINE’S DAY8

MEDAL OF HONOR SERIESANDERSON SAVESHIS BUDDIES

14

Contents

TIFFANY LAMPSAN AMERICAN ART FORM

1012

THIS WEEKIN AMERICANHISTORY

LINDSEY VONNSKIING FOR GOLD

QUOTE OFTHE WEEK1416 17

VETERANS GROUPA BEACON OF LIGHT

4 AMERICAN PATRIOT

THE CENTER OF THE

US OLYMPICMOVEMENT

Once an Air Force Base and the headquartersof the North American Defense Command, thecampus officially became USOC administrativeheadquarters in 1978. In the late 1990s, theUSOC officially dedicated and opened facil-ities that included a state-of-the-art sportsmedicine and sport science center, and anathlete center, which includes a dining halland two residence halls. The USOC is now ableto provide housing, dining, recreational facil-ities and other services for more than coachesand athletes at one time on the complex.

The Olympic Visitor Center is a popular touristsite, providing information about the USOC,U.S. Olympic Training Centers across the coun-try, and the Olympic Movement in general. The$8million building includes a Hall of Fame andindoor reception area, a store and audito-rium. There are free public tours that includea film and a walking tour of the complex.

Sites to see include the Sport Center Gym-nasiums where athletes train for gymnastics,volleyball and basketball, as well as boxing;the recently refurbished weightlifting facilitywhere you’re likely to see some serious chis-eled athletes; the USA Shooting Center, where

athletes are training to control their bodiesto allow them to shoot between heartbeats;and the Aquatics Center whose pool has a ca-pacity of 1 million gallons of water and lots ofcameras to help the coaching process. Life-sizefigures with narrative panels adorn the IrwinBelk Olympic Pathway and provide informationabout Olympic and Pan American Sports.

After the tour, you can visit the Olympic Hallof Fame Rotunda, enjoy the memorabilia, andpatronize the Olympic Spirit Store — one ofonly seven stores in the country selling officialgear — all of which are located in the mainVisitor Center.

And don’t forget the rest of Colorado Springs,a community rich in highlights. Named by Out-side Magazine as the 2009 Healthiest Cityin the U.S., it is home to the 14,000 foot PikesPeak, 260 miles of multisport trails, quickaccess to nearly four million acres of RockyMountain wilderness and a dozen world-classski resorts, as well as headquarters for the AirForce Academy, Focus on the Family, andhistoric Colorado College.

AMERICAN PATRIOT 5

The U.S. Olympic Complex in Colorado Springs is the headquarters for

the U.S. Olympic Committee administration and the Olympic Training

Center programs. More than a dozen USOC member organizations have

their national headquarters on the complex, and a dozen more member

organizations and international sports federations located nearby.

FREE OLYMPIC COMPLEX PUBLICTOUR HOURS AND INFORMATION

6 AMERICAN PATRIOT

One billion valentine cards are sent each year, making Valentine's Daythe second largest card-sending holiday of the year. So says the GreetingCard Association. In the United States, this phenomenon is not the resultof Cupid but can be traced to a single female entrepreneur named EstherAllen Howland. Howland, who lived from 1828-1904, is known as theMother of the American Valentine’s Day card.

Here is the love story and a uniquely American

one at that. The Howland family operated a

book and stationery store in Worcester MA. As

a young student at Mount Holyoke seminary,

Esther had been exposed to the annual Valen-

tine celebrations. After graduating at the age

of nineteen, she received an intricate English

Valentine from one of her fathers’ business

acquaintances, and felt confident that she

could make a better one. Howland persuaded

her father to order paper and supplies, she

whipped up a dozen samples, and her brother

included them in a catalog for his next sales

trip. Hoping to recoup their investment, the

family was shocked when the brother returned

with thousands of dollars in advance sales.

To fulfill these sales, Howland hired four female

friends to assist her, setting up shop in her

parents house. An assembly line was set up:

seated at a long table one person would cut out

small colored lithographs of sentimental ob-

jects, the next person in line would lay them

onto a glazed paper background, the third

person assembled the layers of lace paper that

framed the central design, and the fourth per-

son pasted down a printed sentiment, normally

AMERICA’S Cupid

AMERICAN PATRIOT 7

inside the card or underneath a flap where only the recipient

could see it. Howland was in charge of quality control and get-

ting them to the store.

By the end of 1849, Esther Howland was firmly launched in the

valentine business. As the years passed, the business flourished.

The valentines were beautiful — and successful. The work force

kept increasing and had tomove to larger quarters on the Howland’s

third floor. Among her ingenious innovations are the “lift-up”

design, which combined several layers of lace paper to give a

sense of depth to the central picture, and the use of small pieces

of folded paper that acted like an accordion pleat, lifting up the

lace from the main body of the valentine and holding it there.

This growing cottage industry touched a responsive chord in

sentimental nineteenth-century Americans and became increas-

ingly popular. In 1880, Howland sold out to the George C. Whitney

Company, which became the largest valentine factory in the world.

She lived until 1904 —unmarried, ironically — but with an

enormous legacy of having spread the gospel of romance and

Valentine’s Day to her countrymen.

8 AMERICAN PATRIOT

MEDAL OF HONOR SERIES

JUMPING ON A GRENADEEach story of a winner of the Congressional Medal of Honor,the highest award for valor in action against an enemy force,amazes and inspires. In our continuing series spotlighting thosebestowed this rare honor for individual bravery, the focus thisweek is on a man who jumped on a grenade to save his friends.

AMERICAN PATRIOT 9

After recruit training, he served in the SanDiego area, receiving promotion to PrivateFirst Class. In 1943, Anderson was trans-ferred to Company E, Second Battalion,Twenty-Third Marines, Fourth Marine Divi-sion. In 1944, he departed from the U.S. withCompany E, landing in the Marshall Islands,on Roi Island, the first pre-war Japaneseterritory to fall to the Marines.

A member of the invasion force, Anderson’sjob was to hunt snipers. One day, he foundhimself in a foxhole with three of his buddies,and there he met his destiny. He hurledhimself on a live grenade that had fallen intothe hole though he had to know that deathwas almost certain. Anderson was evacuatedto a ship, where he later died of his wounds.For this act of "conspicuous gallantry andintrepidity," he was posthumously awardedthe Medal of Honor.

Other honors followed. In 1945, the U.S. Navydestroyer USS Richard B. Anderson wasnamed after him and in 2008 a government

building in Port Angeles WA was renamedthe Richard B. Anderson Federal Buildingin his honor.

Harry Pearce, who was with Anderson in thefoxhole, wrote a moving eyewitness accountafter the war. He concluded: “E Companywith all of its replacements now totals about100 men remaining. About 20 of the original246 remain alive that made all four inva-sions. All are Purple Heart owners. Severalwon the Silver Star, several the Bronze Star,the Navy Cross, Legion of Merit and oneMedal of Honor given posthumously to PFCRichard B. Anderson. They were all good menand I am darn proud to have been one ofthem all the way. I've always regretted I wasunable to meet the parents of RichardAnderson. I have always felt he made theultimate sacrifice for his comrades, and thatI have been on loan from God to witness thehorrors of war and the supreme sacrifice ofyoung men for their country.”

LEARN MORE ABOUT THECONGRESSIONAL MEDAL OFHONOR SOCIETY

Richard Beatty Andersonwas born on June 26, 1921 in Tacoma WA.He enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in 1942.

10 AMERICAN PATRIOT

TIFFANY LAMPSAN AMERICAN ART FORM

AMERICAN PATRIOT 11

By chance, Tiffany collaborated with Thomas Edison on design-

ing one of the first movie theaters and it was Edison who sug-

gested that they make electric fixtures together. Very soon Tiffany

began to create electric lamps, making them as small versions

of his exquisite windows, and introducing a new art form.

The first of the Tiffany lamps were very geometric, using basic

shapes like squares, triangles and circles in their mosaic designs.

These first few lamps were referred to as Favrile, meaning hand-

crafted. By the end of the nineteenth century many of Tiffany's

lamps had become more intricate in design. His bronze casting

department created bases with leaves, feathers and wildlife.

The colorful leaded glass shades particularly reflected Tiffany's

love for flowers, fauna, vines, trees and shrubs, and wetlands.

As Tiffany Lamps became increasingly popular during the early

1900s, Tiffany hired on workers who became known as the

“Tiffany Girls,” unmarried women who worked on design and

glass cutting. One of them, Clara Driscoll, worked her way up

to director and was responsible for many of Tiffany’s most pop-

ular designs. Dragonfly, Wisteria, Peony, and Daffodil were among

her most remembered contributions.

By the late 1920s, Tiffany Lamps fell out of favor as too ornate

for the newmodern era. Tiffany Studios eventually closed its doors

in 1930 and Louis Comfort Tiffany passed away soon after.

Although the popularity of Tiffany lamps waned for around 20

years their beauty was rediscovered by collectors in the 1950s.

They are now important — and often extremely valuable—

collectors’ items.

EXPLORE THE CHARLES HOSMER MORSEMUSEUM OF AMERICAN ARTHOME OF ONE OF THE LARGEST COLLECTIONS

OF LOUIS COMFORT TIFFANY’S WORK

People these days collect many things, ranging from baseballcards to vintage cars, but if beauty is on your agenda considerTiffany stained glass lamps. Known for their colorful lead glassshades and bronze bases, Tiffany Lamps originated in the

New York studios of Louis Comfort Tiffany.

The elder son of Charles Lewis Tiffany,

the legendary founder of the silver and

jewelry firm, Tiffany and Co., Louis chose

to pursue his love of art instead of con-

tinuing the family tradition. Initially, he

had success with oil and watercolor works

during 1860s and 1870s. However, in

the 1880s he turned his attention to

interior design and that was where his

unique talents truly shined.

Tiffany’s belief was that the decorative arts

could someday hold the same status as

fine arts. While making stained glass win-

dows as part of his interior design work,

Tiffany came up with the idea to arrange

bits and pieces of discarded glass to

form decorative lamps.

Itonlytakesa

moment.Make a difference in the lives of the men and women who protect our freedom.

VOLUNTEER. DONATE. REMEMBER. USO.ORG

US01-1452_8.5x11_Layout 1 11/30/09 10:28 AM Page 1

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VETERANS GROUPA BEACON OF LIGHTAs appreciation for the U.S. military ebbs and flows,one group has been consistently serving blinded vetsfor 65 years now.Begunby a groupof recently blindedU.S. soldiersmeeting in an army convalescent facil-ity at the end of World War II, the Blinded VeteransAssociation (BVA) has been guided by statement ofpurpose: “We cannot expect much help or coopera-tion in our fight unless we prove ourselves worthy ofit. If we do not wish to be considered helpless, wemust begin to produce.”

Today, the BVA has more than 11,000 members and

works actively to locate veterans who need services and

to help them make contributions to society. The group

also guides veterans through the rehabilitation process,

advocates for them and their families before Congress

and the Department of Veterans Affairs, participates in

veterans events and parades, and helps provide access

to tools and technologies might help with vision loss.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUTTHE BLINDED VETERANS ASSOCIATION

But perhaps the biggest

contribution is to provide role

models who have proved that

the challenges of blindness

can be overcome, by pairing

veterans of past wars with

newly blinded veterans to

help them adjust to new

challenges. The program is

called Operation Peer Support.

Similarly, representatives are

also available to give advice

and help with claims, and

regional groups offer chances

for recreation and socializing.

BVA’s services are available to

any vet who is legally blind,

regardless of whether the

cause of blindness is service

connected. The Veterans

Affairs estimates that nearly

7,000 veterans lose their

site each year due to age-

related macular degeneration,

glaucoma and more.

The group is largely funded by

donations. BVA will commem-

orate its 65th anniversary at

its 2010 national convention.

14 AMERICAN PATRIOT

LINDSEY VONNSKIING FOR GOLD

AMERICAN PATRIOT 15

Vonn was born Lindsey Kildow on October18,1984, in St. Paul MN and was raised in Vail CO,which has some of the best ski slopes in theRocky Mountains. She began skiing at age two.As a teenager, Vonn earned Junior World medalsand US titles. At 16, she made her World Cupdebut and at age 20, she earned her first WorldCup victory. In 2007, she married formerOlympian Thomas Vonn. She says that muchof her success has come from using men’s skisinstead of the lighter, softer women’s version.Something must be working because the now-25 year old has more World Cup wins than any

other American woman, as well as four WorldChampionship medals, including two Goldsfrom last year.

Vonn has had her share of battles. A hip injuryin 2003 and a sprained knee in 2007, bothforced her off the slopes for four weeks each.In 2006, Vonn endured a horrific spill whiletraining for the Turin Olympics. Astonishingly,she continued her season with a special splintand finished by reaching the medal podium inseven of the 12 remaining World Cup races, in-cluding four wins. Her bravery earned her theUS Olympic Spirit Award.

Interestingly, this past December, she crashedin a World Cup giant slalom race, bruising herarm. Vonn says she is healed now and is drawinginspiration from the positive energy and opti-mism of her fellow US Winter Olympians. USSki and Snowboard Association President andCEO Bill Marolt says that, not only is Vonn agreat athlete, she’s also a great person. “Sheunderstands that she is a role model,” he says.“She accepts that responsibility. She’s gonethe extra mile to create a link to the public.”

SEE LINDSAY VONN’S CRASH AT THE 2009 WORLD CUP

Few athletes are entering the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver withmore potential for a gold medal than Lindsey Vonn. One of the most successfulfemale alpine ski racers in US history, Vonn is the only Americanwoman to havewon two back-to-backWorld Cup overall titles. She also has two downhill titlesand a super giant slalom title. For Vonn, the 2010 Games could mean match-ing the biggest individual gold medal windfall at a single Winter Olympics, arecord of five gold medals set by American speed skater Eric Heiden in 1980.

QUOTE OFTHE WEEK

“The most important thing in the Olympic Gamesis not winning but taking part; the essential thingin life is not conquering by fighting well.”

— PIERRE DE COUBERTINFOUNDER OF THE MODERN OLYMPIC MOVEMENT

16 AMERICAN PATRIOT

THIS WEEK INAMERICAN HISTORY

AMERICAN PATRIOT 17

1848.The U.S. and Mexico ended their war with the signing of the Treatyof Guadalupe Hidalgo. In exchange for $15million dollars, the U.S.gained lands that today include all or part of California, Nevada,Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming and Texas.

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Visit www.OperationGratitude.com to learn how you can help.