A little cheesecake is good for morale

I think most folks who know me know I appreciate beauty in all its forms. Such as the beauty of a sunset, the natural beauty of the outdoors, the beauty of the stars at night, the beauty found in the architecture of old buildings and in the design of old cars, the beauty in the art people create.

I appreciate the beauty in people, inside and out. Beauty can be found in most people, and not just physical. There's beauty in a person's spirit, a person's concern for others, a person's passion and love for life. It's great when all this comes together.

And, of course, there's nothing wrong with a beautiful lady. As a lot of folks already know, I appreciate the beauty in pinup art. I think I mentioned my appreciation of pinup art before, crediting it to spending too much time while growing up in garages and service stations where there always were pinup calendars from various companies. Plus, they often include old cars, old buildings and other objects of nostalgia that I like, too.

Besides being photos or paintings of beautiful ladies, pinups tended to have a sense of humor with the subjects, sometimes placing the lady in what's supposed to be an embarrassing situation, or with a wink she lets the viewer in on a joke. There's a bit of innocence in the classic ones, even when they tried to be a bit naughty. Pinups came of age during World War II as morale boosters for the troops, even providing nose art and names for aircraft. After the war, the pinup continued, often as a way to promote products, and it evolved into its own art form.

Besides, a little cheesecake is nice every now and then. (Or, for the ladies, a little beefcake.)

One of my favorite purveyors of pinup art is a group called Pin-Ups for Vets. I found out about it on Facebook, started following its page, and I have grown to truly appreciate this organization. A young woman named Gina Elise started it a few years ago. According to her, she'd seen the news about American troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as reports about problems with veterans' health-care programs and veterans in hospitals and homes who never had visitors.

Gina said her grandfather was a World War II veteran and she wanted to do something to honor him, too. So, she drew inspiration from what she called the romance of the 1940s and the pinup girls who helped boost morale during the war and started the Pin-Ups for Vets project, a non-profit charitable organization.

Pin-Ups for Vets(Photo: Pin-Ups for Vets)

It began with her, and soon other models, producing a calendar that was sold as a fundraiser to help hospitalized veterans. The ladies began visiting veterans' hospitals and homes, delivering free calendars to the vets and providing a morale boost. Free copies of the calendars also were sent to active-duty troops overseas. Pin-Ups for Vets has helped purchase equipment for veterans' facilities and provided care packages for troops and has done events for military families.

Since Gina started Pin-Ups for Vets, she and other models in the project have visited veterans' facilities in 27 states and Germany. The photos and videos of their visits are touching as they chat with the veterans, pose for pictures with them, even give the gentlemen a peck or two on the cheek.

They hand out T-shirts that say "Kiss a Vet" next to a picture of Gina. Sometimes one or two of the ladies will sing songs from a bygone era, and you can see a little twinkle return to old eyes and smiles as the men recall memories of younger days. You can see the boost their presence gives the veterans and how they perk up at having such lovely visitors who show they're cared about, appreciated and not forgotten.

It may seem a simple thing, but simple gestures can produce tremendous rewards.

I really like the Pin-Ups for Vets Facebook page. It features more than pinup shots. They share photos from veterans and troops deployed overseas, pictures of old cars and other vehicles, classic ads and other goodies. My favorite is the stories and photos they share of movie stars, celebrities and other well-known people who served in the military. (Did you know Bea Arthur and Don Adams were Marines?) There also are occasional stories about real heroes (such as Vernon Baker, the only living black Medal of Honor winner who was honored for his actions in Italy during World War II).

This is what I mean when I say it's great when the beauty of spirit, art, passion for life, concern for others as well as physical beauty come together. I salute Gina Elise and everyone with Pin-Ups for Vets for all they've done, and for all they will do.

(If you'd like to check out Pin-Ups for Vets, you can go to the Facebook page athttps://www.facebook.com/pinupsforvets.)