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Two Georgia Army National Guardsmen, First Sergeant Gladys Estrada Portwine, and daughter Specialist Lucretia Portwine, - mother and daughter - are featured in the July/August issue of Hallmark Magazine in a cover story about America, patriotism and faith. It is a story told by First Sergeant Gladys Portwine and Specialist Lucretia Portwine, their time together in the war zone, and of the crocheted cross that served to carry them through the tough times. In early March, Hallmark editors made nationwide appeal to the National Guard units across the country searching initially for a female Soldier who served overseas in the GWOT. A second request was for a Soldier whose mother may have also served in the military at one time perhaps during World War II or Korea. Finally Editors admitted that it was a stretch to try to locate a mother and daughter who may have served together especially in combat environment. Such an idea was not a stretch in the Georgia Army National Guard. First Sergeant Gladys Portwine, an 18-year veteran of the Georgia Army National Guard was part of the 48th yearlong deployment in 2005-06. Daughter Lucretia, a 5 ˝- veteran, actually preceded mom to the war zone by six months. For more than six months, both were deployed to the region, and as Spec. Portwine claims, “we talked on the phone all the time”. Shooting for the cover story took place in April at the Oglethorpe Armory. Famed commercial photographer Rob Howard, whose signature photograph of the first aircraft to hit the Twin Towers is widely seen as the most recognizable photograph of that tragedy, photographed the two Georgia Guardsmen. Hallmark Magazine has more than 500,000 subscribers and is part of the Hallmark Cards.
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