The ThanksUSA gala show us just how much we should treasure our troops.
Michael Jack, Natalie Morales, Mark Whittaker at the ThanksUSA Gala. Photograph by Betsy Spruill Clarke
ThanksUSA, founded by teen sisters Kelsi and Rachel Okun, has awarded over 1,750 scholarships valued at more than $5 million to the children and spouses of active-duty American troops since 2005. This year’s ‘Treasure Our Troops’ gala, co-chaired by Wendy Adeler Hall and John Engler, featured ‘Today’ co-host Natalie Morales as the emcee and Scott Sturla singing “8 Days,” a popular song based on the experiences of his brother James after he was wounded in Iraq.
