Pinups Angels’ event will buoy troops

Published 11:14 pm Thursday, November 8, 2007

EVERETT — “Hot Rod” Heidi Sawdon lays across a pile of feather boas and vintage dresses, wearing leopard-print shorts and a white corset.

Robyn Kendall, nicknamed “Miss Kitty Baby,” stands on the railing of a ship wearing a one-piece bathing suit, platform heels and white bows in her hair.

Paige Teak, also known as “Cherry Lane,” stands against a blue backdrop, wrapped in an American flag.

In the spirit of the posters that troops hung in their barracks during World War II, more than a dozen women from Washington, California and elsewhere in the country are selling pinup-style portraits of themselves to raise money for care packages for U.S. troops in Iraq.

Their group, Pinup Angels, has raised enough money since July to send 55 care packages to soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“I’ve always been about supporting morale and spirit for the troops,” said Sawdon, 31, who owns The Sunken Ship tattoo parlor in Everett with her husband, Matt Sawdon.

Sawdon said she’s always been inspired by the pictures of women painted on the noses of World War II airplanes.

Kendall, 36, a former Marine, helped start Pinup Angels because she understands the importance of having support from home after having served during the Gulf War. She founded the group with Teak, an Army wife who lives at Fort Lewis in Tacoma, and Southern California resident Laura Dunn — nicknamed “Lola Dee” — who has two brothers in the Marines. Sawdon’s father served in the U.S. Navy in Vietnam, the Philippines, Thailand and other countries.

Many of the women came to know each other through shared interests in vintage clothing, hot rod cars and rockabilly music. Several of the women are heavily tattooed.

From noon to 9 p.m. Saturday, members of Pinup Angels plan to be at The Sunken Ship Tattoo Shop at 3408 Everett Ave. to collect items and cash donations for care packages. Items can include anything from DVDs and CDs to socks, books and toiletries. Photos of the women can be purchased online for $5 each at thepinupangels.com.

“You have to respect your military and do everything you can to support them, and I grew up thinking that way,” said Teak, who comes from a military family. “That’s why we started Pinup Angels, because a lot of soldiers weren’t getting that support.”

The group is aiming to send more than 200 packages to Iraq during the holiday season. Along with the usual supplies, the group also includes pinups with their care packages. They don’t send photos to married men without prior consent, Kendall said.

“We are inspired, and we are following in the footsteps of people who have been doing this since World War II and before,” Kendall said.

In their pictures, the Pinup Angels never appear nude, Kendall said. They pose in vintage lingerie, bikinis and dresses.

Sometimes, amused servicemen mail back their own pictures. In one, a shirtless Marine looked back over his shoulders at the camera, his lips puckered for an imaginary kiss.

“It’s a morale booster,” Sawdon said. “It’s something the guys might not necessarily need, but it’s a comfort.”

Pinup Angels is planning to use The Sunken Ship in Everett for its future donation drop-off days. It’s a fitting location because it’s not far from Naval Station Everett, Sawdon said.

Not everyone in Pinup Angels agrees on the merits of the Iraq war, but the women rally around each other to support their loved ones in battle.

“I believe supporting the troops really shouldn’t be about whether you’re pro-war or anti-war,” Sawdon said. “I felt I could put my name on that. It’s very neutral.”