American Legion Auxiliary Girls Nation

Honoring Those Who Served

This week, the Government staff will be very busy. We will copy bills and resolutions, hold elections, throw a two party rally, brush up on our Parliamentary Procedure, eat far too much ice cream, laugh, cry, and inevitably call senators out of order…but we will also be making sacrifices in honor of those who have served. 

Jane Thurston, Government Director extraordinaire and Federalist Party Leader, joined the Auxiliary through the service of her mother, who was a veteran from an era in which many women were not. The love and respect Jane has for her mother is apparent to anyone who knows her.  Jane’s parents actually met through their service - her father was a medic and her mother was a nurse at Fort Campbell in Kentucky.  Her father served in Pearl Harbor as well as in Okinawa, Japan in a MASH unit.  Jane honors her parent’s service by serving at ALA Hoosier Girls State (28 years!), ALA Girls Nation, and countless other auxiliary functions throughout the year. 

Lauren Hillebrand, the Assistant Federalist Party Leader, joined the Auxiliary through her stepfather who served in the U.S. Air Force. Lauren serves as the government director of Flickertail ALA Girls State staff. She can remember going to ALA meetings with her grandmother years ago. Her grandmother instilled in her the desire to help others and to volunteer whenever possible and that dedication led Lauren to join the ALA almost twenty years ago. 

Kelly Circle, Assistant Nationalist Party Leader, joined ALA through the service of her mother, Twila, who served in the Navy. She was an assistant to the photographer for the Blue Angels and a librarian. It was through her military service that she met Kelly’s father, while stationed in Pensacola. Kelly has always looked up to her mother for being an incredible woman and a trailblazer. 

That leaves me, Katie Hendricks, Nationalist Party Leader and Senate Parliamentarian.  My membership is through my father who served in the army during the Vietnam era, my maternal grandfather who served in Europe during WWII, and paternal grandfather who was a Marine.  Had it not been for ALA Hoosier Girls State, I never would have joined the Auxiliary and I credit that program, and ALA Girls Nation, for molding me into the lady I am today.  

In honor of their service, we try to serve our veterans, our communities, and our youth, when and where we can. We dedicate the next ten days of our lives to providing what we feel is one of the most enriching programs imaginable for high school students. The long days and short nights are nothing compared to what so many of our veterans experience. We hope we honor our family who have served in the military and that they are as proud of us as we are of them.

Raising our gavels to a great week! 

Katie Hendricks 

Indiana / Missouri