UK Wives Raise Eyebrows for Troops

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UK Wives Raise Eyebrows for Troops

August 27, 2009
Military.com|by Bryant Jordan




The idea was simple enough.

The wives of British military men would pose for a calendar and sell it to the public with the proceeds going to non-profit groups dedicated to helping veterans of the Iraq and Afghan wars.

Sarah Bennet Thurston, who spearheaded the plan, thought something along the lines of “Calendar Girls” -- a movie about middle-aged women posing tastefully nude to raise money for cancer research.

But then Thurston contacted photographer Mick Payton and “Calendar Girls” became "Garrison Girls" ; And Payton suggested his own version of “tasteful” – one some might liken to soft erotica.

That was more than a year ago, and Thurston and Payton are now collaborating on the 2011 edition of the “Garrison Girls” calendar, which they expect to release in March 2010.

They’ve managed to raise money for their soldier-oriented charities without drawing fire from the British Defense Ministry or their husband’s commands, Thurston told Military.com.

“We’re representing forces wives in general. … It’s not about individual wives trying to boost their husband’s career – or ruin their husband’s career,” she laughed.

The wives-turned-calendar-models pose with British flags, military caps or the odd combat boot, their faces generally in shadow or away from the camera, arms and legs mostly positioned in semi-discreet angles.

Money raised from the sales – they’re hoping to pull in 62,000 pounds (about $124,000) with the current calendar – goes to “Combat Stress,” Britain’s leading charity devoted to caring for vets with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and “Help for Heroes,” which raises funds to underwrite programs and projects to aid wounded veterans.

In U.S. currency, the calendars cost about $20 each and may be ordered from garrisongirls.com, where they also sell Gallery Girls T-shirts, coffee mugs, wristbands and more.

When photographer Payton got the call from Thurston, he was out walking his dog and could barely hear much of what she was saying, he told Military.com in an interview. But it sounded interesting enough, so he agreed to the shoot.

But then Thurston explained she wanted a calendar along the PG-rated lines of “Calendar Girls,” he explained.

“And I said, ‘well, you’ve got the wrong photographer. But if you want to do something different I’d be interested,’ ” he recalled. “So just off the cuff I came up with the idea of photographing girls’ body parts with different military equipment.”

Thurston’s friends liked the idea, so they agreed to the shoot.

“He is a complete genius,” Thurston, who became one of the “Garrison Girls,” said of Payton. “I have no artistic vision whatsoever. I just knew I wanted this calendar to work.”

The calendar shoot turned out to be cathartic for both subjects and photographer. The women – who always saw themselves as wives and mothers – suddenly saw themselves in a different light.

“Obviously the main goal for the girls is to raise money for the charities and support our husbands and the forces,” Thurston said, “but it is a very liberating and personal thing for the girls, because the majority have had children or are older now. …You don’t have the 18-year-old body you used to have.”

At one point, Thurston rushed into the room after hearing one of the women cry and found her spilling tears of joy at seeing herself in the photos. “That’s me! That’s me!” she exclaimed.

For Payton, “Garrison Girls” opened his photographer eyes to something he wasn’t seeing before.

“That’s when I found out what it’s like to be among military wives,” he said. “They were good fun but they were absolutely mental.”

But during the shoots he noticed that whenever a wife’s cell phone rang everyone became quiet. It made no sense to him until he pulled Thurston aside and asked what gives.

“Oh, it’s because you don’t know who’s dead,” she told him, meaning that any call could be news of a loved one killed in Iraq or Afghanistan.

“And I thought, ‘Oh, my God!’ And it sort of changed my outlook,” he said. “I don’t’ know if it’s like this in the States, but in the U.K. if we don’t look at something it doesn’t exist. If we don’t listen to stuff about the war and we don’t read the news articles, it doesn’t exist.”

Payton paused and then finished his thought: “Unfortunately, I was in the same frame of mind without realizing it. But it came to exist for me.”

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