**Post a comment to this blog post with your name, email address, mailing address, phone number, and the American Idol contestant you think will get voted off this week (Joshua, Phillip or Jessica) for your chance to win an electric guitar autographed by Adam Lambert. Your personal info will NOT be published and will be kept only to contact you if you win. You must post between now and when the elimination show starts airing this Thursday (post between 0001 hrs CDT 15 May 2012 and 1900 hrs CDT 17 May 2012). Good luck! Full contest details below.

Calling all American Idol fans—we’re counting down to the finale! Season 11 is down to its top 5 contestants, and we’re giving away an Epiphone SG Special Electric guitar (Ebony) autographed by Adam Lambert to one lucky winner! For your chance to win, post a comment to our blog every week between 0001 hrs CDT Tuesday and 1900 hrs CDT Thursday with who you think will get voted off American Idol next. The person with the most correct answers by the end of this season’s finale wins! Please see below for full details.

Exact submission periods and to which blog posts are as follows:
• Week 4 Submission Period: 0001 hrs CDT 1 May 2012 to 1900 hrs CDT 3 May 2012; must be submitted on “American Idol Contest: Week 4” blog post
• Week 3 Submission Period: 0001 hrs CDT 8 May 2012 to 1900 hrs CDT 10 May 2012; must be submitted on “American Idol Contest: Week 3” blog post
• Week 2 Submission Period: 0001 hrs CDT 15 May 2012 to 1900 hrs CDT 17 May 2012; must be submitted on “American Idol Contest: Week 2” blog post
• Week 1 Submission Period: 0001 hrs CDT on 22 May 2012 to 1900 hrs CDT on 23 May 2012; must be submitted on “American Idol Contest: Week 1” blog post

 
HOW TO ENTER: This week’s submission period opens on 15 May 2012 at 0001 hrs CDT and ends on 17 May 2012 at 1900 hrs CDT. Post who you think will get voted off American Idol this week as a comment to this blog post “American Idol Contest: Week 2” on this blog site www.salutetoyourservice.com.Your post must include the name of the contestant along with your name, email address, mailing address, and phone number. This personal information will be kept for our records to contact you in the event you are a winner and will not be published on this blog site for the public to see. Limit one entry per authorized Exchange customer each week. The American Idol finale airs 22 and 23 May; the “American Idol Contest” winner will be announced on the blog after 30 May 2012. Prize may not be exchanged or traded and will be sent to the winner’s nearest Army or Air Force Exchange for award presentation. One Grand Prize Winner will receive (1)  Epiphone SG Special Electric guitar (Ebony)  autographed by Adam Lambert, a past contestant on American Idol. In the event of a tie, a random drawing will occur from the pool of candidates who are tied. For individuals who for any reason are not able to access/post to our blog site, please submit your entry form with the detailed information above to [email protected].

 
Please note that this blog is moderated and all comments will be reviewed and each entrant’s personal information will be removed prior to approving the comment to be posted publicly on the blog. Content must not include any provocative, crude or foul language. Any comment that contains any of the afore mentioned language will be subject to immediate disqualification. Please keep in mind that your post will be published for all to see and our Terms of Service must be adhered to. For a complete list of our Terms of Service please click here.

 
ELIGIBILITY: All authorized exchange customers are eligible to participate except employees of the Exchange (including military personnel assigned to the Exchange and Exchange retirees), its concessionaires, contractors or representatives providing in-store service or working in an Exchange facility, the firm(s) sponsoring the contest, and the immediate family members of the above. Immediate family includes spouse, children, parents, persons in loco parentis and resident members of the employee’s immediate household. This contest is subject to all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations.

 
DISCLAIMER: Each entrant agrees and grants the Exchange permission to make available and display/perform and otherwise distribute entrants’ names and submission in all media in perpetuity without compensation. All entries must be the original creation of the entrants and/or must not infringe upon copyrights, trademarks, rights of privacy, publicity, or other intellectual property or other rights of any person or entity. The Exchange reserves the right to remove any entry for any reason without notice to the entrant. Sponsor is not responsible for entries that are incomplete, lost, late, misdirected, or not received due to transmission defaults, computer server failure and/or delayed, garbled or corrupted data transmissions. In the event of a dispute over the identity of an online entrant, entry will be deemed submitted by the “Authorized Account Holder” of the e-mail address submitted at time of entry. Authorized Account Holder means the natural person who is assigned to an e-mail address by an Internet access provider, online service provider, or other organization that is responsible for assigning e-mail addresses for the domain associated with the submitted e-mail address. Entry materials/data that have been tampered with or altered, or mass entries or entries generated by a script, macro or use of automated devices are void. The Sponsor is not responsible for: (i) lost, late, misdirected, damaged or illegible entries; or (ii) error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operations or transmission, theft or destruction or unauthorized access to or alterations of entry materials, or for technical, network, telephone equipment, electronic, computer, hardware or software malfunctions of any kind, or inaccurate transmission of or failure to receive entry information by Sponsor on account of technical problems or traffic congestion on the Internet or at any web site or any combination thereof; or (iii) any injury or damage to entrant’s or any other person’s computer related to or resulting from participating in this Contest. By participating in the Contest, you (i) agree to be bound by these official rules, including all eligibility requirements, and (ii) agree to be bound by the decisions of Sponsor and the independent judging organization, which are final and binding in all matters relating to the Contest. Failure to comply with these Official Rules may result in disqualification. Sponsor reserves the right to: (i) permanently disqualify from any Contest it sponsors any person it believes has intentionally violated these Official Rules; and (ii) withdraw the online method of entry if it becomes technically corrupted (including if a computer virus or system malfunction inalterably impairs its ability to conduct the Contest), and to select winners from among all eligible entries received prior to withdrawal.

 
TAX INFORMATION: All taxes, fees, and surcharges on the prize won are the sole responsibility of the winner(s).

 
LEGAL WARNING: ANY ATTEMPT BY AN INDIVIDUAL, WHETHER OR NOT AN ENTRANT, TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE, DESTROY, TAMPER OR VANDALIZE THIS WEB SITE OR INTERFERE WITH THE OPERATION OF THIS CONTEST, IS A VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS AND SPONSOR RESERVES THE RIGHT TO SEEK DAMAGES AND DILIGENTLY PURSUE ALL REMEDIES AGAINST ANY SUCH INDIVIDUAL TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW.

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By Sharon, a Military Spouse & Salute to Your Service Blog Reader

Sharon wrote the below in honor of Mother’s Day, and it touched our hearts in a way that we just had to share with you. Thanks for sending, Sharon. We wish everyone the Happiest Mother’s Day yet!

“Mom, thank you for teaching me that ‘everyone is equal in this world.’ That not one person is better than another. That we are all human and that we all make mistakes.

Mom, thank you for teaching me to ‘never go to bed angry at someone.’ That there is always tomorrow to discuss it over and come to some kind of agreement. To love the person anyway because we never know when they will be taken from us.

Mom, thank you for teaching me that ‘you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.’ That you should be kind and soft spoken instead of using harsh words. That anger just makes things worse.

Mom, thank you for teaching me that ‘if you haven’t got anything nice to say don’t say anything at all.’ That it is much better to remain silent than to say something that you will regret later on and cannot take back.

Mom, thank you for teaching me that ‘patience is a virtue.’ That in this world you will need to wait sometimes and that instant gratification just makes your heart want more.

Mom, thank you for teaching me that ‘good things come to those who must wait.’ That if it is meant to be it will happen. That if it is not meant to be, then there is a reason even though we do not know why. That someday we will understand when the time is right.

Mom, thank you for teaching me to ‘treat others as you would like to be treated.’ That ‘putting yourself in someone else’s shoes’ will open your eyes to how they must feel.

I honor you, Mom, with my love and gratitude because of these things that you have taught me in life. I will never forget them. Because of you, Mom, I have become a person who tries to be nonjudgmental, kind, patient, fair, loving and compassionate. I only hope that I can pass these same characteristics down to my child, so that he will be as proud of me as I am of you. I love you, Mom. May you be blessed always.

Happy Mother’s Day with Love.”

Happy Mother’s Day, from our Exchange family to yours!

The opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of the Army & Air Force Exchange Service.

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By Ingrid, Exchange Associate

I have to say, this is the film everyone’s been waiting for! Who wouldn’t want to see Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, Hawkeye, Black Widow, and the Incredible Hulk team up to save the world?

I was excited to see this movie with my friends, and I was not disappointed. Iron Man, with his passion for advanced technology and modern living, can’t resist picking on Captain America for wearing an “old-fashioned unitard”, which continally brings laughs to the audience. Captain America adds your all-American-hero flavor (which a good film can’t do without), while the beautiful Black Widow spices things up with her most clever ways of deceit. The Hulk’s unpredictable mood keeps you on the edge of your seat, while Hawkeye’s arrows continue to impress you by never missing their target. And Thor? His brother is the evil Loki who’s threatening the world’s security, and Thor’s emotional struggle between convincing his brother to turn from his ways while fighting against him adds the tug to your heart that seals the deal for a box office hit.

If you haven’t seen it, you’re missing out! Click here to see when it will be playing at your Reel Time Theater, and watch the cast below as they give a shout out to you!

Interviews with the Cast

Shout outs from the Cast to You!

Love Nicholas Sparks? Click here to see our interview with Zac Efron and the cast from “The Lucky One”!

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In 1984, President Ronald Reagan initiated “Military Spouse Appreciation Day,” designating the celebratory observance to take place annually on the Friday before Mother’s Day. Every year since, presidents and military leaders have taken the time to recognize and show appreciation for these unsung heroes who have long played a key role in the morale of our military forces. Both wives and husbands of service men and women nationwide deserve our admiration.

Military Spouses: We are so proud and honored to serve you every day.  A big THANK-YOU from us at the Exchange, and warm wishes for a day filled with love, laughter and joy for you and your families!

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