Volunteers are just so awesome, aren't they? My latest video for the USO.

BOO! Happy Halloween, you spooky one, you ;)

When I was down in Ft. Benning a few weeks ago shooting a few stories for the USO, I had the wonderful opportunity to sit down and chat with the October Sesame Street/USO Moment Maker of the Month, Elizabeth Gasper.

In my line of work with the USO, I get to talk to a lot of amazing people: Troops who have been injured; Stay at home moms who hold down the fort at home while daddy protects America overseas; Even 60-year-old grandmas who spend their days volunteering for free at their local USO center; And yes, people like Elizabeth Gasper, who are just trying to do the little everyday things to make a difference in their local community.

While Elizabeth has not won any wars or ever worn a uniform herself, she's played a key role in the web of support for those that do chose to put their lives on the line for our country. Elizabeth works for the Ft. Benning MWR, or, for us laypeople, the Ft. Benning Directorate of Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation -- aka the people who help make sure troops and their families are happy and healthy participants their community.

While this might sound like any old desk job, the more I thought about the importance of Elizabeth Gasper's job to troops across Ft. Benning. Without people like Elizabeth, who would help plan fun family activities during the holidays? Who would ensure military families, and not just the troops, also receive the adequate care and entertainment they so desperately need during difficult times, like deployments?

It's for all these reasons that Elizabeth Gasper was awarded October's Sesame Street/USO Moment Maker of the Month Award, and the reason why I was able to do a video feature about her and her wonderful work with the Ft. Benning community.

A family's Sesame Street story: Tales from Ft. Benning

Remember a few weeks ago I mentioned that I was in Ft. Benning for work for the USO? Well, I finally finished the second story I shot from my trip!

It's a really special video about Samantha Curtis, mother of two, and her awesome family. Right now, Samantha's husband, Zach, is deployed, leaving her home with two kids under three.

While she does what she can to keep the kids busy while daddy's away, Curtis had the chance to go see the USO/Sesame Street show in Ft. Benning -- entirely for free -- and I got to tag along.

Here's their story:

Finding my way to Sesame Street... via Fort Benning, Georgia

Last week, I went to a place where the sun always shines and happiness fills the air. Nope. Not Narnia. But close. I went to Sesame Street (the Sesame Street/USO Experience for Military Families, to be exact)!

To help the USO mark 500,000 military family members entertained by the Sesame Street/USO show, I grabbed my camera gear and trekked down to Fort Benning, Georgia to capture the magical moment.

While I was there (working on 3 stories, mind you) I got to spend a significant amount of time talking to military family members in Fort Benning about life on base and how something so simple, like a Sesame Street show, can make a huge difference in their lives.

In particular, I spent quite a bit of time with Samantha Curtis (married to her active-duty husband, Zack, who is deployed overseas with the Army right now) and got an inside life at what it's like to be married to a military man. Look for a video all about her fab family and cute little kiddos to come!

I also got to speak to the USO/Sesame Street Moment Maker of the Month, Elizabeth Gasper, about how important USO programming is to the Fort Benning Community.

Pretty fun, eh?