CLAREMONT – Award-winning nonprofit, Pin-Ups For Vets, completed production on its 19th annual calendar that will raise funding to support VA Hospitals, ill and injured veterans, homeless veterans, deployed troops and military spouses.
The 2025 Pin-Ups For Vets calendar features 13 women veterans from across the country with a combined 117 years of military service in the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and Coast Guard, who have traded in their military gear for 1940s era fashions and hairdos.
Murrieta resident and US Marine Corps veteran Shannon Umana is featured in the calendar along with 2 Purple Heart Recipients, a pilot who flew Seahawks in the Navy, and an Army Lt. Colonel who served 39 months total on 3 Iraq deployments.
Umana is a 25-year veteran, serving 21 of those years as active duty and 4 in the reserves. Her interest in the military began in her youth while watching airshows at El Toro Base in Orange County. She enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1998, fresh from her college soccer season.
Umana shares, “Throughout my career, I embarked on critical missions, including a deployment to Egypt in 1999 for Operation Bright Star and a significant role on the USS Tarawa in 2000 with the 13th MEU, where I assisted the USS Cole survivors following their ship’s bombing off the coast of Yemen. These experiences deepened my understanding of the tangible stakes of our duties. My post-deployment period was marked by an honor to represent the Marine Corps on the All-Marine Women’s Soccer Team in 2001, which was slated to play against the Air Force when the tragic events of September 11th unfolded, redirecting our energies from competitive sports to national solidarity.”
Umana concluded her service in 2005 due to the death of her mother, but was drawn back to serve as a career recruiter, where she mentored potential Marines and attained satisfaction from helping others fulfill their aspirations to serve the country.
“It’s not immediately apparent in photographs, but I am also an arm amputee, a physical testament to the resilience forged during my Marine Corps service,” Umana said. “Being selected to appear in the Pin-Ups For Vets calendar is not just an honor; it’s a dream come true, allowing me to embody the classic and timeless style of the 1940s. I extend my heartfelt thanks to Gina Elise and the entire Pin-Ups For Vets organization for this incredible opportunity to continue serving by giving back to my fellow veterans.”
Pin-Ups For Vets has donated over $120,000 to purchase new rehabilitation equipment for VA Hospitals nationwide, and Pin-Ups For Vets volunteer Ambassadors have personally visited over 20,000 ill and injured Veterans on their 50-state VA Hospital Tour to deliver gifts of appreciation.
The 2025 calendar can be purchased at: www.PinUpsForVets.com or by check to: Pin-Ups For Vets, PO Box 33, Claremont, CA 91711.
Submitted by Pin-Ups for Vets.
