Photo By Sgt. John Ortiz | Staff Sgt. Melinda Gintilas removes her ear piece after doing a live interview with...... read more read more
By Spc. John D. Ortiz
4th Sustainment Brigade Public Affairs
CAMP ARIFJAN, Kuwait - In celebration of the century-old tradition of Mother's Day, a mom with the 4th Sustainment Brigade is a semi-finalist in NBC's America's Favorite Mom competition.
Staff Sgt. Melinda Gintilas, a native of Sweetwater, Texas, stationed at Fort Carson, Colo., is a top-three finalist in the category of 'Military Mom' in the competition.
Nominated by her husband, Adam, the primary care-taker of the couple's three children, wrote that his wife has "the courage of a lion, the meekness of a dove, the tenacity of a wolverine, and the dreams of an angel."
"She is the essence of today's mom," he said. "The most intoxicating thing about her is her unbreakable commitment to so many things, while still being the best wife and mother I could ever dream of."
After five months of competition, Gintilas has beat out more than 9,000 of America's moms to take her place among the top-15, who will compete against each other to be announced as America's Favorite Mom on Mother's Day.
"The best part about being a mom is somebody loving you no matter what," said Gintilas, "through thick and thin, you're always going to have that bond (with your children)."
Gintilas has been deployed twice, both times serving as a truck driver, delivering supplies
and equipment throughout Iraq and Kuwait.
"The hardest part about being (deployed) is being away and missing out on the small things in life with your children," she said, "everything is important to a mother."
"It's hard because you're missing out on the crawling phase and the cooing," she said. "I have my webcams and pictures, I see my kids everyday but I can't be there, I can't touch them."
Getting through her deployments, Gintilas looks toward her family, especially her children for a steady foundation and encouragement.
"The inspiration that I find in my family and in my kids are my support, they are my motivation and inspiration," she said.
Gintilas said that her son's classmates, who are learning how to write, send her mail, "I have all the letters they've written me stashed in my wall locker."
Being a mom and a Soldier often intermix with Gintilas.
"For me, I have to be strong because I know others are hurting. And for myself, I have to treat others like they are my children," said Gintilas.
"I want to be that backbone for everybody, even though I may be weak inside, I have to be strong because someone may be depending on me," she said.
A little known fact about Gintilas is her bout with breast cancer.
"I was diagnosed with breast cancer during an exam four years ago," she said. "It was operated on and I haven't had any problems since."
During that time, she relied heavily on her husband for support.
"He keeps me strong, he's the one that keeps me going," said Gintilas.
Through her two back-to-back deployments, Gintilas says that her children are the main reason she never slows down.
"(My kids) say, 'Mom I know you're coming home and when you do, we are going to do fun things.' they already have a list; they have my summer clothes ready because we're going to the park," she says.
The winner of the competition will have a rose named in her honor and will receive thousands of dollars in cash and prizes, including an 18-carat, gold heart-shaped America's Favorite Mom pendant trimmed with diamonds.
"I plan on giving (the money) to charity," she says, "I want to help injured Soldiers, cancer patients, and help Soldiers whose funds are limited."
| Date Taken: | 05.09.2008 |
| Date Posted: | 05.09.2008 10:13 |
| Story ID: | 19261 |
| Location: | CAMP ARIFJAN, KW |
| Web Views: | 250 |
| Downloads: | 153 |
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