Lessons from DC

This was written while waiting for my flight...

I've spent nearly five days in Washington, DC and sleep deprivation has taken hold and I lack the cognitive abilities to do more than make a list. So here's a list of lessons learned (in no particular order)...

1. Interacting at the fringes of the DC power/money culture leaves me feeling like an Amazon adventurer meeting the tribes he's only read about.
2. I know enough about the above to be only a minor but inoffensive curiosity to that culture at worst, or at my best manage to convince them for a couple hours that I belong--the latter of which is a frightening thought on many levels.
3. 4-star admirals apparently appreciate being introduced to Gold Star fathers.
4. Former soldiers, a giant-sized gay choreographer, and a right-wing radio producer (and little ol' me) can all get along famously at "8th & I" with drinks in hand (young Marines out with their girls for the Birthday Ball, however, can be a little bit touchy).
   
5. Floor-length ballgowns are worth the hassle because you can stash your shoes in a corner and no one will know you're walking around barefoot.
6. 4-star admirals' wives can be unflappable when you approach in a ballgown with spike heels in hand... unless you happen to thank them for their decades of service and sacrifice, too (whereupon they turn into a somewhat startled pile of goo and kiss your cheek).
7. I've spent enough time in DC in the last four years to be irritated by tourists on the Metro.
8. I may have to start carrying a purse on a regular basis. At the very least it's useful for leaving at expensive restaurants so that VIPs remember me and our dinner together because we have to turn the car back to pick it up.
   
9. I have now met the kinds of people about whom jokes regarding Republicans and sex were written. Yes, they really exist.
   
10. Apparently I have to start wearing lipstick because to do otherwise offends Greta's sensibilities, and Macy's makeup artist, too--"people pay for those kinds of lips and you're hiding them??!!!"
11. Guys sitting in a bar telling stories about SF and parachute jumps attract surprising numbers of short, soft idiots who want a fight.
12. Watching those guys winding up the idiots until they have to either take on someone one-and-a-half times their size and trained in hand-to-hand combat or else back down is perversely amusing (they back down).
13. Reminder: Wars are fought collectively and suffered individually... and that sucks beyond words. We owe them. Bigtime. [Note to self: next visit, plan for exercise time to do something about that urge to assault the nearest wall with your fist.]
14. DC Airport conversations these days are absolutely fascinating--apparently some people think that having worked for someone who was considered for Assistant to the Assistant Undersecretary for Nothing at the Department of Meaningless Governent Work for the New Administration gives you "pull" and entitles you to be an arrogant ass to someone on the phone even if you are only about 26 years old.
    
15. Other conversations are equally fascinating. On the topic of a career in entertainment law: "It's great because you get to meet celebrities. That's what I want to do with my life."
    
16. Rituals of the elite must be observed even among "friends."
17. Standing in the flight path of Flight 77 at the Pentagon will give you chills... and then make you ragingly angry all over again.
18. Pentagon tour guides can walk backwards for miles.
    
19. It's almost frightening how much I can enjoy just a little luxury and access to power. I could really start to like this if not for the queasy feeling it all gives me...

This little country mouse is definitely very tired of pretending to be a city mouse.

UPDATE: Sleeping in one's own bed and being able to sit around in sweats helps with equilibrium. This morning (Nov. 10), I asked a friend who does a lot of consulting for DC people and organizations how he handles operating in that millieu, after he admitted it was draining. His response? "Living in California helps." Absolutely. I'm beginning to suspect it wasn't necessarily a bad thing that job in DC I was up for awhile back fell apart... This kind of work is fun and rewarding, but only in small doses.

Read More......

Angels at Work

**tissue alert*

This is what a homemade blanket and kind words can do to wounded veterans (and the people supplying the blankets and the words, too).

Can you make a no-sew blanket? Do you know someone else who can?

Read More......

Podcast Cat

The podcast that includes my interview at BlogWorld Expo about Soldiers' Angels and Valour-IT is up on Military.com. Ward Carroll did a great job of asking questions--it was probably the easiest interview I've ever done, and lots of fun.

Ward, thanks so much for giving Soldiers' Angels a platform!

Your motivation for listening? You get to hear what I sound like after shouting over the "ambiance" at Planet Hollywood until 2:00 in the morning (while smoking a pack of cigarettes secondhand).

And unlike the Bloggers Roundtable the day before, I actually sound like I know what I'm talking about. Hah!

Read More......

How it All Started, Part III

[Significantly revised. Explanation here.]

Conclusion of the story of Valour-IT and how this civilian became a milblogger...

Previously:

That very week I had been toying with the idea of blogging, going so far as to have set up an as-yet-unpublished first post...I decided [the blog] would be largely fluff and it would be in my Fuzzybear persona, complete with a cute little Anime avatar. And I had a name to suit: Fuzzilicious Thinking.

Oh, if only I'd known... I might've been more circumspect...

On July 25, 2005 a random, high-strung, anonymous music teacher in Arizona dipped her toe into the blog world. Of course, once one starts blogging, one must have content. Within a week that problem was solved, though the subject matter was not what I'd had in mind when I created my fluffy (fuzzy?) little blog...

Chuck made his first injury-encumbered post the same day I started blogging, tapping with his two or three functional fingers that peeked out from the cast and bandages and severed nerves of his hands. Three days later he put up a post that changed my life:

I could really use voice to text software
http://www.scansoft.com/naturallyspeaking/preferred/

Or I could keep up the two line posts.

I have so much I want to blog but can't. maybe someone could cajole them into helping a wounded soldier...

working hard, chuck

The response from his readership was overwhelming, and he and I apparently had an idea at the same time: this should be available to all the wounded who can't type, and there are a lot of people who want to help!

Just over 5 weeks from being wounded, Chuck was of course living in a haze of surgeries, painful therapies, and mind-fogging painkillers. So I ran with it. It became my instant obsession; everything I had learned about our warriors in the last year drove me to find a way to make our dream happen. A year before, I hadn't even known anyone in the military. Now I was on a mission for the men and women to whom I'd learned I owed so much. My eyes would pop open at 4 a.m. and my mind would do an instant "zero to sixty" on the subject. My fluffy, light little blog became all-wounded, all the time. I brainstormed constantly, writing quick notes to myself between the music classes I was teaching--my desktop became a sea of colorful sticky notes covered in scribbles.

By email, Chuck and I formulated our plans for how we thought we could make voice-controlled laptops available to others. But the issue was money, and we had two options: try and do it ourselves or find an existing charity to run it with us funneling all these supporters their direction.

Wracking my brain for people who could help, I replied to John Donovan's offer for assistance. "Do you have ideas who we could approach to sponsor this project?" The reply: Soldiers' Angels. I'd heard about them, but all my troop support had been through AnySoldier. I scoped out their website, formulated my pitch, and called the number given. A woman answered the phone and I said, "I have this crazy idea and someone suggested SA might be able to help, but I don't know who I need to talk to."

It was several days before I understood that I had been talking to the founder of Soldiers' Angels. She had apparently been thinking along the same lines, but grilled me about why I wanted to do it and what level of seriousness I possessed. She wanted to know how I was going to raise the money required--hundreds of thousands of dollars, she said.

Wide-eyed and innocent but on a mission, I told her, "I don't know exactly how we will do it, but I am committed to doing whatever it takes. This must be done, so we'll find a way." Looking back I know I had no idea what I was setting myself up for, but ignorance was bliss; I thought I was just handing off an idea, but next thing I knew she said, "You'll lead this, and we'll handle the money and distribution."

What?! I'd never led anything more mature than a class of 15-year-olds in my entire life. And now she was trying to put me in charge of a charity project?! I was both excited and terrified.

But here's where it all came together, and where I later realized that it was a series of amazing coincidences. All those coincidences led to something wonderful. I don't hold myself up as something special because I had a role in making it all happen (in fact, I kept trying to get other people to make the decisions, haha!). Simply, I was lucky and blessed enough to be in the right place at the right time.

Patti put me in touch with Holly Aho, and within 9 days of talking to Patti, we had a professional-looking website, corporate sponsors giving us discounts, contacts on the ground at Bethesda and Walter Reed, and a team of people covering everything from PR to graphics to an official blog. And the Castle--a place uniquely positioned to lead the way, but which I'd hardly known six months before--became Internet Central for Project Valour-IT.

As for me, I soon felt like I'd grabbed a tiger by the tail--I didn't know where it was taking me, but I didn't dare let go.

When I look back, here's the progression, the reason why I say it was an amazing chain of coincidences, each dependent on the previous:

1. Adopt through AnySoldier
2. Find milblogs in a search for better information about the people I was adopting (meet people and learn from them)
3. See Sergeant B's comment
4. Write to Sergeant B and become friends
5. Join Castle at B's encouragement—getting to know the Denizens and continuing my military education
6. Discover Chuck's blog
7. Ask John for advice after Chuck is wounded
8. Brainstorm with John, leading to the Valour-IT competitions (our solution to the way people’s generosity had been tapped out by Hurricane Katrina)
9. The Milblog community makes it all happen--the skills, the PR, the contacts, etc.

Lots of people had the skills to make it happen, but they had lives. I was stuck in the middle of the desert, living with two cats and craving adult conversation after spending the day with elementary school students. It was a great way to fill my time and has been such a blessing and brought about such changes in my personal and professional life that I almost feel guilty—I’ve gained far, far more value from all this anything I’ve supposedly given.

Now I work in the military support field full time and find that after all these experiences I am neither civilian nor military, but some kind of bizarre hybrid. When I’m at the USO I often get the question (especially if I demonstrate significant military-related knowledge), “So you’re prior service or a dependent, huh?” How do I explain my answer? I get the weirdest, disbelieving looks from people when I tell them I'm not, and I sit there wondering how int he world I can explain all of this to someone who has never heard of milblogs, or who didn’t know me four years ago and thus cannot comprehend how astonishing I find my situation today.

I am so blessed.

Read More......

Alone at Graduation Day?

Volunteering at an airport USO near one of the two USMC Recruit Depots, I see the before and after of boot camp, the tremendous changes that happen after just 13 weeks of rigor and discipline. The new Marines arrive at the USO on Friday after graduation with such a mixture of pride and nerves after having overcome the biggest challenge of their young lives. Backs are straight and communication is somewhat clipped, but the dichotomy of their feelings is written all over their faces in the grins they unsuccessfully try to hide: "I'm so proud to be a Marine!" and... "God, I hope I don't mess up!" That earnest pride is frankly charming, and you can spot their parents' joy a mile away.

But not all arrive at the USO with parents in tow on this proud and wondrous day. I'm sure the reasons vary, but without a doubt money is a factor for some families; when you're from Wisconsin or Hawaii or Massachussetts, the two recruit depots on opposite coasts are awfully far away. Imagine what it must be like to stand alone on graduation day as your fellow newly-minted Marines are joyously greeted by family and friends exclaiming how proud they are and how good their new Marine looks in uniform, amazed at the changes they see in bearing, address and confidence...

But today, thanks to famous author JoaAnn Ross (she's a Soldiers' Angel!), I found out about an organization that helps make sure each Marine has family to celebrate with: Marine Graduation Foundation. For each graduating boot camp class, they sponsor about a dozen or so families to attend their Marine's graduation. How cool is that?!

Their current goal is to sponsor sixteen families for the September 19 graduation. But they are behind and have only three days left to raise over $5,000. I can't imagine what it must be like to be 18 or 19 and not to have a hug and congratulations from a loved one on the proudest day of your life. It reminds me of this story.

I guess I'm going to be spending a bit less on the milblog conference than I thought...

Read More......

A Marine Goes to War as a Soldier

It would take a book--and far more personal revelations than I care to make--to explain what a dear friend Sgt. B is, and the impact of that friendship.

And now he's heading off to war. It's what he has wanted and what he has worked very hard for, even before he signed up two years ago. So I'm proud of him, happy for him, and...

That's the thing about grown ups, we manage to hold conflicting feelings and use our minds to choose which ones we will feed and build on. And every day is looking better over there.

So... smiles, hugs and cheers for Sgt. B! We've proudly got your back.

Read More......

Milblogs and Baby Showers

Update: Blackfive emails that he just found out it's expected to be a girl and the latest doctor's visit went very well.

Last year in a happy coincidence, a severely wounded Marine the milblogs had been following became a new father at about the same time as the conference, resulting in MOABS.

This year, we have the chance to do it again.

Carla reminds me that we have the opportunity to throw a baby shower for another deserving couple this year. If you don't know the story of Jayme and Joey Bozik, you should study up. Jayme is due Christmas Eve. We'll continue the tradition this year with Baby Bozik as our inspiration.

Gifts were easily transportable last year as Bethesda was just up the road from the MilBlog Conference, but the logistics this year are a bit tricky, so we're asking that you purchase gift cards, which can easily be mailed to the Boziks, and they can use them for whatever they need. There will be a basket at the 2008 MilBlog Conference for you to leave your gift cards, and a [greeting] card that everyone can sign. Feel free to bring a [greeting] card of your own, too.

Those of you who will not be attending have several options to participate. You can have a friend who IS attending bring along a greeting card and gift card so that you can be a part of the Milblogs Baby Shower, or you can use the Bozik's gift registries at the following stores to send a gift directly to them (you should probably stick to these stores for gift cards, too).

For Registries:

Babies R Us
Walmart
Simple Wonders
Baby Supermall

So... let's get shopping!

Read More......

Batwings or Angel Wings?

Okay, so it was part of a crazy dream. But still, this description of Soldiers' Angels from an army wife made me grin:

And then I went to the hospital with the woman who taught me to knit and Erin. Erin and I shared lunch: a loaf of italian bread filled with a footlong hotdog and chili mac. (Happy birthday, Erin; hope you like crap.) And the Soldiers Angels were there in the cafeteria -- I know I recognized MaryAnn -- playing cards and waiting to be summoned like Batman.

Just too cool. :D

Read More......

Guitars for Wounded Soldiers

I knew about this event in the planning stages (even helped edit the press release), but I hadn't seen the pictures until now.

What am I talking about? Through Soldiers' Angels, Epiphone/Gibson Guitar donated 30 guitars to wounded soldiers at Brooke Army Medical Center as part of the 4th of July festivities at the hospital this year.

Maybe I'm just feeling extra sentimental tonight, but I this picture made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.


Details (and a picture of the recipients) here.

Read More......

Thanks for the Day

I've been talking about Moment of Thanks and how excited I am about it. Here's just one reason why:

Don't forget to scroll down on the Moment of Thanks site to see picture and text messages of support, too.

Read More......

Life with Patti

UPDATE: You may be wondering why the national/international USO hasn't provided us the necessary funds. Not all USO locations are directly connected to the wider organization. Some (including the one I volunteer at) are locally-controlled and locally-dependent, functioning as a kind of "franchise" and receiving no funds from above.

Happily, I received some unexpected money recently and decided I was going to use some of it to get the basic kitchen equipment that's sorely needed at the airport USO where I volunteer. Unfortunately, I made the "mistake" of excitedly mentioning my intentions to Patti (founder of Soldiers' Angels) this morning.

Why was that a mistake? If you know Patti, you know what happened next...

"No, no, no! Let me take care of that. Have them make a wish list and we'll get them what they need. Oh, and where can we set up an account for fresh fruit and pastries for them to buy every day? And we have lots of anti-bacterial supplies and condiment packets and such! Let me call Joan and see what I can do!"

Etcetera, etcetera...

I finally got our actual needs (vs. Patti's suggestions) clarified, and I'm excited about the results.

But so much for my philanthropic plans... Guess I'll have to go and find some other deserving group to spend it on, heehee. Next time, I'm not telling Patti, so I can still have some fun of my own. :P

But in the meantime, I can't wait to tell our Director what we're getting!

Read More......

Of Mothers and Soldiers

I've had a secret since last night... It was a hard secret to keep. This afternoon as I sat next to my mother at the baseball game (my team won!), I kept smiling as I suddenly remembered once again:

Patti was voted "America's Favorite Mom!"

Humbled by the honor, Patti is thrilled to be able to use it to continue the Soldiers’ Angels mission of “May No Soldier Go Unloved.” As the grand prize winner, she will receive $250,000, a set of household appliances, and other valuable items. Patti hopes to apply the winnings to her plans for a small ranch that will allow newly returned soldiers to relax with their families after deployments.

“I really am lucky to know so many heroes in my life,” said Patti, who herself has two sons in the Army, one currently deployed to Iraq. “Whether they are the troops who serve our country or the amazing mothers here on this America’s Favorite Mom program, I am honored to be in the presence of such inspirational people and also am humbled to know that America thinks the same of me.”

There are so many wonderful mothers out there (including my awesome, incredible, fabulous mom!), but there are few out there who positioned to do as much as Patti will with the gift of being recognized as such.

Because Patti has been recognized for being "mom" to hundreds of thousands of soldiers and thousands more Angels, even more people are going to be drawn into her wake as her energy, inspiration and enthusiasm connect people across the country with the men and women of the U.S. military who need our nationwide love and support.

In the September of 2001 when it became clear what kind of war lay ahead of us, my mother and I talked on the phone about what war can do to those caught up in it. I was soon in tenderhearted tears at the thought of what others might be enduring on my behalf. When I commented that our warfighters were going to be fundamentally changed by their experiences, having voluntarily given a piece of themselves to our ultimate benefit, she said something I've never forgotten: "And that's exactly why we must welcome them back with open arms when they come home, always make sure they have what they need, always be there for them."

Patti has become the embodiment of that ethic my mother voiced that day:

May no soldier go unloved,
May no soldier walk alone,
May no soldier be forgotten,
Until they all come home.

The more I have gotten to know Patti and to see how Soldiers' Angels operates, the more amazed I am at what motivated, dedicated and open-hearted people can accomplish. To call Patti "America's Favorite Mom" is to highlight an army of men an women who are mothering our warfighters. 'Cause even soldiers need an army of Moms at their backs...

Read More......

Disturbing

If you have no capacity for violence then you are a healthy productive citizen, a sheep. If you have a capacity for violence and no empathy for your fellow citizens, then you have defined an aggressive sociopath, a wolf. But what if you have a capacity for violence, and a deep love for your fellow citizens? What do you have then? A sheepdog, a warrior, someone who is walking the hero's path. Someone who can walk into the heart of darkness, into the universal human phobia, and walk out unscathed. - Colonel David Grossman.

J.D. Johannes has created an excellent short film on the Vets for Freedom visit to Kansas City, contrasting how military heroes are received today versus years past.

The part of the film that stuck with me was David Bellavia talking about the response he received from parents of the children's soccer team he was coaching when his book about the first Battle of Fallujah came out. The parents were horrified to discover the violent things Bellavia had done while fighting in Fallujah; they acted as if they expected his capacity for lethal violence would burst out again at any moment.

As Bellavia points out, the parents' responses are indicative of the discomfort many civilians feel with what warriors do in wartime, and how that affects their interactions with and opinion of veterans. The sheep-sheepdog-wolf allegory addresses this: the sheepdog, though protective of the sheep, is a little too much like the wolf for some sheep's taste. We sheep can't imagine ourselves having to kill someone, or finding satisfaction in physically destroying an enemy. We don't think we have in us the same spirit that causes an old war dog to strain against his age when he hears and smells the distant battle. Thinking on such things confounds us, makes us a little uncomfortable, makes us wonder... reminds us of what we don't understand.

But frankly, we don't have to understand in order to appreciate the service the sheepdogs render. The problem is, the self-centered, weak and morally arrogant among us tackle that sense of discomfort and ignorance by deciding that if the sheepdogs are different than us in some way and we can't integrate their battlefield experience into our life experience, then there must be something wrong with them; we're "normal/good/sane," so they must be "abnormal/evil/insane." Like the protesters who recoil at the idea that others are killing on their behalf, such people calm their fears of the unknown and incomprehensible by reassuring themselves of that unknown's "separateness" from them.

I don't know how it feels to have to kill someone, to watch them die, or to know that my decisions and actions resulted in the death of some faceless person I will never meet. And because of those who serve in our armed forces, I fortunately, most-likely never will.

Neither do I pretend to fully understand how having to do such a thing changes a person--changes how he sees the world, how he sees himself, what he thinks about in the predawn hours before he (hopefully) finally lays the battlefield ghosts to rest. But I do know some people who have experienced those changes. Arms that wrestled with and dispatched a man on the battlefield have enveloped me in tender affection; powerful hands trained to kill even when empty have gently "spoken" to me with a touch when words were inadequate; minds that planned and executed actions that ended the lives of people simply unlucky enough to be forced into military service under the wrong country's flag have formed words to me reflecting the best of humanity--kindness, perceptiveness, inspiration, and wisdom. Bodies trained for war have been put to the business of cooking my food, protecting me as I walk down the street, making me laugh, and holding me close.

To me it sometimes seems a conundrum that people of great gentleness and goodness can also accomplish feats of ferocity and violence; but they do. I don't pretend to understand how the sheepdogs harness any wolfish tendencies to the protective ends of the sheepdog's calling rather than the wolf's predations. But having had the opportunity to know some sheepdogs, I know that's exactly what they do.

They've told me how their training made them master the human tendency to violence rather than let it restlessly lurk in the unacknowledged shadows of their psyche, like the rest of us who would rather play the odds that the beast in us will never be activated by random experience. They've taught me that being face-to-face with what humanity is capable of can shatter some people, and that it takes time for many warriors to find their equilibrium again. But they have also been the proof that the majority of those who go face-to-face with the darkness come back more self-aware and more wedded to the good in their world--with fierce tenderness for the naturally weaker or defenseless, joy in the blessings of a loving family, and a level-headed knowledge that the "big issues" aren't really that big after all.

Hearing Bellavia talk about those parents made my heart hurt, made me angry. Kudos to him for obviously having the sense and the support system to not let such treatment get him down. But shame on those who use a misplaced sense of moral superiority to mask their own weakness, ignorance and fundamental lack of humanity.

[cross-posted at The Castle; h/t to Jimbo of Blackfive for the video]

Read More......

Vets for Freedom

I went to the American Heroes Tour kickoff ostensibly to cover it as a blogger-journalist. I was going to interview people, take notes, have lots to report to readers here and at the Castle. But for many reasons, that didn't happen. I did make some good contacts who will hopefully sit down for an interview, so you may see their stories here soon. And besides, Jimbo is doing a great job capturing video of the powerful speeches.

So, instead, I'll try to tell you what I saw behind the scenes. I say try, because I still haven't sorted out the experiences and feelings of the evening.

The mood for the party was rather unique--both celebratory and somber, with attendance ranging from junior enlisted military personnel, to families, upperclass civilians, politicians and the recently-wounded, and ordinary folks like me. We proudly cheered people who had performed heroic acts, and soberly listened to Marines perform a heavy-duty rock song about having killed. I watched one man with an above-the-knee amputation walk around on his computerized leg. How did I know it was above-the-knee? He was wearing shorts; and nobody was staring at him. There was laughter and tears and smiles... anger and pride... and hope for the future--hope that all will not have been in vain, hope inspired in part by the leadership of the amazing people who spoke.

Maybe it was because they knew they were among "friends," but I got reactions I didn't expect. One seemingly reserved veteran hugged me when I thanked him for both his active-duty service and his service-leadership in being a part of the event. Another veteran looked at me with an unreadable expression when I thanked him for standing the line in my place... only to much later approach me and wordlessly rub my back with his hand before walking silently away.

Marine veteran Duncan Hunter threw me for a loop, too. A brain cramp had led me to greet him with indifference, so I later apologized and we conversed a bit. I told him he already looked the part with his khakis and blue sports jacket, and closed with, "Good luck. Just don't let Washington eat your heart out, okay?" The music was blaring and he leaned in over me to cheerily respond, "Don't worry. I won't." He paused for a perfect beat before unleashing a wicked smile... "I'm a Marine; I don't have one." It's an old joke, but the last one I expected a man running for political office to make. I grinned and replied, "Sorry, but I have a couple Marine friends, so I know that's a load of bull!" He busted up, laughing as I walked away.

Actor Jon Voight was another person there who didn't behave as I expected. Until I heard about him in conjunction with the Tour, I'd had no idea he was a strong "supporter of the troops." But he is a full-throated advocate and admirer. I had taken my Soldiers' Angels coin with me, not knowing if or to whom I would give it, but after hearing Voight speak on Hugh Hewitt's show at the event, I knew where it would go. I walked up to him and shook his hand while thanking him for "going against the grain in Hollywood by supporting the troops." Then taking his left hand in mine, I turned it over as I held up the coin. "This is from a group of people who support the troops like you do." I closed his fingers over it and added, "Thank you so much for bucking the rest of Hollywood; I know it can't be easy. So, thank you." To my surprise, his face suddenly softened. He reached out and cupped my cheek in his free hand as I held his left in both of mine, his voice a little rough, and (I could've sworn) his eyes moist. "Thank you. Thank you so very much," he said. It took me a few minutes after that to remember that he was supposed to be a big-shot, a star, an Academy Award winner. Because in that moment he was so very real, so very human. I was completely disarmed.

Upon later thought, I remembered that Voigt had said on Hewitt he wasn't suffering in Hollywood for his support of the military. Considering his reaction to my small compliment, I must classify his radio statements as simply being gentlemanly.

If you weren't there, you'll definitely want to listen to this. A number of people on the tour were interviewed on the Hugh Hewitt Show, which broadcast from the hangar deck. I have heard them on the radio before, and came away thinking well of them. But seeing them in person adds the layer of body language, and restores the subtlety of tone and interaction that can be lost over electronic connections. Bellavia, Luttrell, Russell and others spoke on the radio and later from the platform with striking passion and clarity of vision. Not all are equally articulate, but all are possessed of a compelling earnestness that strips away obfuscation and moral ambiguity.

Another thing you won't want to miss is the speech LTC (ret) Russell gave. He's not some stuffed-shirt of an officer, but a true leader with medals for valor, and a history of being in the middle of the fight the last ten years. Listen carefully to his words from the heart about not just the war, but what America can be and what her soldiers ask of her:

And Marcus Luttrell's extemporaneous speech shone with honesty and passion. He stood on the stage backed by the SEALs who had parachuted onto the deck, all of whom he'd either served or trained with, and spoke of things that those of us who have never been in his shoes can barely wrap our minds around.

The adrenalin highlight of the evening was the SEALS parachuting onto the bow of the Midway flight deck. I was standing under the nose of the Crusader you can see in the video next to the drop zone, with most of the jumpers gliding in about 15-20 feet directly over my head. It was exhilarating!

Overall, a surprisingly emotional night. I expected flag-waving and patriotism, but came away with far more than that. Problem is, I really don't know how to express it all...

Jimbo says it well: It was amazing.

Read More......

Note from a Sheepdog

I still get a lot of visits to this old post, often from people who have found it and emailed it to a friend. But yesterday was the first time one of those visitors took the time to say hello.

Friend of mine sent me a link to the story about Franco Harris and the soldier heading back to the sand that is listed on your site.

I saw your site said "USO girl" - and in case that means you volunteer with the USO, I wanted to say a very sincere thanks.

I found the USO when stranded prior to my first overseas flight after advanced training more than 20 years ago. Not so long ago, when I landed at McGuire AFB after returning from some time in the sand, the USO was the ONLY group there to welcome us home. But it was all the welcome we could have asked for... home cooked goodies, friendly smiling faces saying "welcome home" and "thank you" - really meant a lot to all of us.

Anyway... the USO has always been there for me as a soldier, and I just wanted to say thank you.

It was sent via an army.mil address identifying him as an SFC in the military police, Army Reserves.

I was touched by his going out of his way to leave me a note. So I responded, telling him how much I enjoyed the USO as a small part of my reciprocal service, and one of the reasons I do it: "In recent years I've been acutely aware of the fact that I don't have a single warrior cell in my body, that I live in safety because others do what I am unsuited to accomplish in both skills and temperament."

Which led to this reply, a reminder that simple words and acts of gratitude carry a powerful message:

For those of you who don't have a single warrior cell in your body...

I am your guard dog... and when the wolves come, I will protect you.

When I get off the airplane after fighting the wolves, and you are there to greet me with smiles and snacks, that's all the thanks I need. Trust me, your part is not a small part to your guard dogs.

I am truly grateful to the support I have ALWAYS received (over 23+ years of service) from the USO.

Of course that reminded me of the words I have only recently found to explain why I do what I do (both at the USO and elsewhere)... "I'm not a sheepdog, but I'm a sheepdog caretaker."

Many of us "caretakers" spend a lot of time and energy raising money or trying to do big things that we hope will have a powerful effect on the lives/families of our warfighters. Those grand plans are a vital part of caring for our veterans. But in whatever form our caretaking roles express themselves, it's good to remember that little things like smiles and snacks can have a powerful impact, too.

Read More......

More than a Slogan

Those of us on the homefront "support the troops" for a variety of reasons. A powerful motivator for many is the feeling that we have to do something in the face of their courage and sacrifice. But how much does what we do really impact them? How much does it matter?

An about-to-return-home Command Sergeant Major tells us today at Blackfive:

Everything we have accomplished has been made possible by and through the support we've received from all back home. In ways too many to count, you lifted us each day, you sustained us; you encouraged us. You gave us something to set our sights on; the prospect of once again, coming home.

Read it all to hear what exactly they accomplished, and how they were impacted by their deployment and the accompanying homefront support.

Read More......

When sending care packages...

Don't forget the fun stuff.

One of the few things I've ever sent in a care package that got specific feedback was a miniature version of this, and it cost me only about a dollar so. I sent it to a bunch of UAV guys in Iraq and they told me they spent their days gleefully throwing it around the office and at each other.

Deployed aircraft carrier Sailor "Southern" explains:

You never know exactly what they are sending when you get a care package. For example I received one from my mother and she found some little wind up dollar store toy. It was a dog holding a bone that would walk a little bit and then flip. I don’t know why, but for the better part of 3 hours while waiting for jets eight grown men spent playing around with that. We tried to see how high it could jump, how far it would waddle on how many turns of the knob. Then when the jets hit the deck we got busy and I lost it someplace. No big worries but, I wonder when it comes time to offload if I will find it.

'Cause when your daily work has life and death implications, it helps to have time to be just a kid again...

Read More......

"Death Blow" for AQI?

That's what Michael Yon suspects it is. In recent weeks we've heard of the terror being perpetrated on the people of Mosul and others north of Baghdad. That area has been described as the last "uncleared" area. Not anymore:

Major operations against al Qaeda have begun in northern Iraq. Al Qaeda is in serious trouble. These are not ad hoc operations, but are deliberate, systematic, well-planned and working. I’ve been watching this unfold for months but have not reported due to sensitivity, but the real shooting has started and Maliki has announced it. There is every indication that this series of operations could be the death blow for al Qaeda in Iraq. AQI can continue to murder people here and elsewhere for years to come, but their grip on Iraq is weakening faster than I can track. The Iraqis and Americans have seized the initiative. Al Qaeda is on the run. Due to these operations, I anticipate an increase in US casualties, but the operations are working.

Most you may recall... Yon was among the first to sound the warning when things went downhill in 2005/2006 (for which he received a lot of flack), so he's no shill for the Bush administration. For those of us watching from the sidelines, hope is not a strategy, but it's all we've got.

Here's to hoping Yon is right... and thoughts and prayers for the "good guys" of all stripes as this unfolds.

Read More......

Operation Santa

This year I had the pleasure and honor of being a small cog in the massive Operation Santa machine. Watching the expressions of people dying to ask why you're clearing the shelf of sports magazines at Barnes & Noble, and why you have seventeen boxes of Little Debbies in your cart at Walmart? Too much fun!

The original plan was for me to pack 85 stockings for the local military hospital, but lines got crossed and the hospital got double-covered. So... 85 empty handmade stockings and over $800 worth of stocking stuffers sat unloved in my living room.

Where to send 85 stockings?

The finger of fate finally landed on a special event for a local Marines, arranged by a group of Marine Corps Moms who ensure that those without Christmas leave and family nearby get a taste of the holiday. Each year, up 120 Marines enjoy a catered meal and a small gift on Christmas Eve. And this year they will also get an Operation Santa stocking!

But, there was a hitch. The Moms had managed to raise only enough money to host 22 Marines this time. However... Soldiers' Angels to the rescue! All Patti had to hear was "Would you like to help some Marines stuck on base have Christmas dinner?" End result: 77 hard-working Marines will have Christmas Eve Dinner, a giftcard, and a well-stuffed Christmas stocking courtesy of Marine Corps Family Fund, Soldiers' Angels, and some wonderful Marine Corps Moms.

Pretty cool, hunh?

And here's the finished product--85 stockings:


Don't you wish you could get your hands on one of these?


The only thing better than spending money that isn't yours? Spending it on newly-returned Marines at Christmas.

Read More......

Rationality

I am very familiar with the song "American Soldier," but I had somehow never seen this video:

Oh dear God, the song alone can make me tear up if I'm in a certain mood, but that video is just too much. I lost my father suddenly at age 11 (though not to war) so I know what that child of a similar age is going through. Watching the video hurt so bad that I nearly sobbed as I was once again reminded of what war means on an individual level. No wonder so many good-hearted people are so blinded to reality and honestly believe war is never justified!--That's not a new thought or topic for me, but it hit me with a gut-level empathy that it never has before.

Now to make this crassly political... Once I got my emotions under control I couldn't help but give an ironic laugh at something I'd read today: the idea that conservatives are irrational and reflexive, but liberals are oh-so-rational in their approach to the world. It seems many reflexively "anti-war" liberals are so overwhelmed by their emotions when confronted with war's effects (the kind of emotion I feel when I watch that video) that they can't think straight and will do anything and everything to make that feeling stop. The rest of us acknowledge that feeling, cry and wail in private, comfort and care for the orphans and widows as we continually carry them in our hearts... and press on with what we think must be done, recognizing that emotional discomfort is not the determinative indicator of morality or correctness.

Read More......