Air Force veteran Lindsay Gutierrez is not only a model for the 2026 Pin-Ups for Vets calendar.
She’s also one of 280 people in the United States who are double organ donors.
Originally from Maryland, Gutierrez, 42, moved to California in 2009 with dreams of becoming a special effects makeup artist. When that didn’t pan out, another thought came - why not join the military?
Gutierrez credits her paternal grandfather, Ralph, an Air Force veteran himself, with planting the seed in her mind about joining the military. That led her to join the Air Force in 2010.
Describing herself as a faith-based person, Gutierrez said she believes that God closed the doors on her dreams of becoming a makeup artist because that was not what she was supposed to do with her life.
While in the Air Force, Gutierrez served as a security forces member at RAF Lakenheath in the United Kingdom. She deployed once to Qatar and once to Djibouti, where an on-duty traffic accident in 2014 left her with a traumatic brain injury that was diagnosed by a VA neurologist nearly four years later.
“I thought there was something wrong, but couldn’t figure it out,” she said. “That diagnosis eventually led to healing.”
Gutierrez would go on to be crowned Ms. Veteran America in 2017, got an internship at her congressman’s office, went to school for social work, and climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro.
One day at work, Gutierrez said her office got a copy of the Military Times with an ad for DOVE - or living kidney donations for veterans.
“We had never gotten the Military Times the whole time I’d been there,” she said. “I’m O+ (universal blood type), so I decided to look into it.”
And look into it she did. On May 25, 2022 – Memorial Day weekend - Gutierrez donated one of her kidneys to a veteran. On April 30, 2024, she donated 40% of her liver to an anonymous recipient.
“It’s an extension of my military service and wearing the uniform,” she said of being an organ donor.
Gutierrez said while transforming into a 1940s bombshell for a day for Pin-Ups 20th annual calendar was an experience she wouldn’t trade, being in it allows her to shine a light on the importance of organ donation.
Proceeds from the calendar support care packages for deployed troops, donations of rehabilitation equipment to VA hospitals, visits to hospitalized veterans and donations to homeless veterans and those transitioning into housing.
"It lets me share my story and to hopefully connect with someone who is on the transplant list who is in need for hope,” she said.
Pin-Ups for Vets Founder Gina Elise said Gutierrez’s modeling debut as a pin-up is a tribute not just to her own strength, but to all those who continue to serve their communities long after their military careers end. Through vintage-inspired imagery, she’s part of a nationwide movement to challenge stereotypes and raise funds to support veteran healthcare, morale, and recovery
“This calendar is about strength, service, and celebrating the power of women veterans,” said Elise. “Lindsay is the embodiment of that mission. She didn’t just serve her country—she saved lives. And now she’s showing the world that veterans are vibrant, resilient, and proudly feminine.”
Since it began 20 years ago, Pin-Ups for Vets has donated over $120,000 to purchase new rehabilitation equipment for VA hospitals across the country. Its volunteer ambassadors have personally visited over 20,000 ill and injured veterans during a 50-state VA hospital tour to deliver gifts of appreciation.
“My service didn’t stop when I left the Air Force,” Gutierrez said. “This lets me keep connecting with other veterans.”
Reach Julia LeDoux at Julia@connectingvets.com.