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Posted on 04/03/2004 4:21:43 PM PST by rhema
Sarah Anello got the prom dress of her dreams this year.
The Forest Lake High School senior didn't want a glitzy $300 gown. She asked her grandma to make her a dress in a camouflage print to honor her uncle who is serving in Iraq. She'll be wearing it tonight at her prom in St. Paul.
"I decided I wanted to do something for him, and this just kind of popped into my head," Anello said. "I've always looked up to him. I was around him so much growing up."
Anello and her uncle, Jim Schaar of Ramsey, have had a special relationship almost since Anello's birth, said Jim's wife, Gina. Both are somewhat shy and have just clicked over the years.
Anello made sure she was at the Anoka Armory in December to see Schaar off before he left for training at Fort McCoy in Wisconsin. There he gave his niece one of his prized possessions — a black pullover jacket emblazoned with ARMY in bright yellow letters.
"I was actually shocked … but I was honored he gave that to me," Anello said.
Schaar, 40, has been in the National Guard for 22 years, but this is the first time he has been activated for an overseas mission. He left for Iraq in February and won't be back for about 18 months.
His wife said military service has always been an important part of his life.
"He's G.I. Jim all the way," she said. "He even volunteered for the Gulf War. He wanted to go. He's a soldier at heart."
Schaar has shared his passion for the military with Anello, agreeing to her request a couple of years ago to carry an American flag and march in his fatigues in a Walk for Peace she had helped organize.
Still, when Anello's grandmother, Jody Hornburg, found out what kind of material her granddaughter wanted for the dress, she couldn't believe it.
"She's so patriotic and loves her uncle," she said. "I just think it's so touching."
Anello picked up the pattern and material, and Hornburg created the dress within a day. The gown is long, tight-fitting at the top with a little bit of flare for the skirt. It's got thin straps and a V-neck.
The camouflage pattern wasn't what Anello's mother, Gyl, had in mind for her daughter's senior prom.
"At first, I was a bit nervous," she said. "But then, when I found out her reasoning, we were OK with it.
"It doesn't surprise me though. She does what she feels, and doesn't care what people think. Her philosophy is, 'You don't like it? Well, sorry.' "
Some might think it would be difficult to find accessories to match a camouflage gown. But Anello found silver jewelry with black stones and black shoes to dress up the ensemble a bit.
There will be no limousine or carriage to whisk this Cinderella away to her ball. Anello, who is attending the prom with a group of friends, will be riding in a cow-patterned bus.
"She's always been pretty shy, but she's coming out of her shell," said Gina Schaar. "And she's coming out with a bang."
I love cow-mouflage.
Kudos for her.
I'm in a northwest suburb, so I have to make it a point to stop at coffee shops or gas stations to get the daily and Sunday SPPP. It's worth the stop.
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