Archive for September, 2008
September 30, 2008 By You Served Editorial Staff
Posted in Charities/Contests, News
As of October 1st, You Served and its “parent” VA Mortgage Center.com is once again accepting submissions for our popular Military Education Scholarship Program.
This will mark our 4th set of scholarships to be awarded since the program’s inception in May 2007. Students who have previous military experience or who are family members of military personnel are eligible to compete. 5 scholarships of $1,500 each will be awarded shortly after the application period ends on November 14th.
As always, to apply, write a 2-3 page essay response to our current prompt: “General Colin Powell said – ‘There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, learning from failure.’ How has the Military taught you to succeed?”
Visit the Scholarship Guidelines page to learn more and apply. The program is funded 100% by donations from the fantastic employees at VA Mortgage Center.com! We’d also like to take this moment to draw some attention to our charity partners, the PVA. If you for some reason are not familiar with their programs, give their site a look.
Spread the word!
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September 25, 2008 By CJ
Posted in Military News
Reflections of the Conference
Well, I’m not going to rehash what has been written about the events of the Milblog Conference. Instead, I’m going to talk about MY time in Vegas and how Marcus and I spent our time as representatives of the You Served Blog and Podcast. By the way, congrats to VAMC for obtaining the YouServed.com URL. That will go a long way in making it easier for people to find us. Let’s begin where we left off.
Continue reading this post…
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September 24, 2008 By Troy
Posted in MilBlogger Interviews, Video, Why We Serve
This is the video that was sent to us at the milblog conference. This video is what opened the conference for us. LTG Caldwell is truly blazing the way in the US Army in the way of blogging. I think his actions have made a huge impact on the Army being the most tolerant and supportive of bloggers within its ranks.
Click Here to watch the video
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September 23, 2008 By CJ
Posted in Uncategorized
I haven’t forgotten about the Conference wrap-up. I’m just super busy in DC and want to write a quality product. Please be patient.
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September 22, 2008 By CJ
Posted in News
Here are a few pictures from the 2008 Milblog Conference in Vegas.
Handing out You Served t-shirts at the opening of the milblog conference.
Matt, from Blackfive, and I after we ambushed him with our “Paratrooper of Blackfive” fan t-shirts! We actually brought him to his knees.
Marcus trying to figure out the extremely complex task of opening a package of DV tapes. Notice the Marine lanyard around his neck. BWAHAHA. I’ll hear about that comment, for sure.
Setting up the camera equipment for the conference.
Here I am on the first panel of the conference, “Are Milblogs Still Relevant?”
From left to right: Troy, Travis from How to Kill People, and me at the Mirage hotel after the conference.
Here I am sporting the one of a kind You Served Official t-shirt!
Okay, you’ll have to wait for the next post for an explanation of this photo…
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By CJ
Posted in Military News
Bane, from Bane Rants, passed away this morning. He will be missed sorely by those who followed his quick wit and, at times, frustrating writing. Check out my other blog if you’d like to donate to the family, who is in a financial bind with his loss.
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By CJ
Posted in MilBlogger Interviews, Uncategorized
Sorry I didn’t have anything to post over the weekend. You can check A Soldier’s Perspective for a liveblog minute by minute roll-up of the Milblog Conference. The schedule was so packed, I had no time to write anything.
Anyway, the trip started off simply enough. I got to the Huntsville Airport on time with no issues en route to Dallas. Then, the fun began. Our plane was delayed. Then delayed again. Then changed completely for mechanical issues. I got to Vegas about two hours later than scheduled. Thankfully, I still hadn’t missed the really important event on Friday night – the Blackfive party at the Penthouse Club.
Marcus and I checked in at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino and headed to our room. We had a nice 16th floor, double queen bed room facing east. Yes, we had TWO beds. We would realize at sunrise what an annoyance this could be. What good is having the sun rise over the mountains of Vegas into your room each morning if you can’t share it with your spouse? It just wasn’t as romantic seeing the sun rise and then looking over to see Marcus scratching his crotch and waxing his chest.
We quickly unpacked to get ready for the B5 part at the Penthouse Club. Now, those of you that understand my standards may be asking yourself why CJ is going to the Penthouse Club. I was promised there would NOT be any entertainers. For the most part, that was correct. The Penthouse Club people are great Americans who wanted to show their support for military bloggers and offered their space and an open bar (for those that drink) for FREE! So, I sheepishly attended to hang out with all the drunk bloggers and document their embarrassing moments (who’s the naive one now?). Bloggers are funny to begin with, but add an open bar, Uncle Jimbo, and Jack’s constant request to be pinched and you get a situation worthy of the trashiest tabloids. Being the intelligent guy I was, I opted NOT to bring a camera for fear of completely trashing the high esteem in which I hold my fellow writers. [dramatic pause for laughter to complete]
Religious convictions aside, let me tell my why I never go to strip clubs. Back when I was a teenage dependent of my Navy father, we took a flight from the states back to Japan (or vice versa – see what I mean about my memory?). We had a layover in Hawaii as our military aircraft was worked on. It was a C5 aircraft, one of the largest in the military inventory and there were only about ten people total on the mostly cargo-laden flight, not including the crew. I was about 16 and got along great with the pilot. I was able to “fly” the plane during the trip, which really only meant I sat in the seat while the autopilot kept us on track. Those were the days when you could actually meet the pilot in flight and he’d give you a set of wings. Damn terrorists!!
Anyway, when he realized that we were going to have to stay overnight in Hawaii, the pilot asked my mom if he could take me out to “meet some girls.” Keep in mind I wasn’t a religious person at this time as I had given up on religion out of frustration. I was also already a heavy drinker, unbeknownst to my parents. My mother allowed me to go out and the pilot came by to pick me up at our hotel. At the time, I had no idea that the girls we were going to meet got paid to take off their clothes. He took me to a strip club and I actually got in.
It wasn’t quite the experience you’d think a 16-year old would have at such an opportunity. What 16-year old boy DOESN’T want to see hot women take off their clothes and dance inches from their faces?! Apparently me! I thought at the time i was going to love it, but I had the worst time of my life. I played it off really well, but I couldn’t escape the overwhelming feeling of pity and hopelessness I felt for those girls. Thankfully, the alcohol (yes, I got to drink too!) helped a little to dull my senses and not think so much about it. I never stepped foot into another strip club again in my life.
The Penthouse Club reserved a special room near the entrance separated from all the entertainers, but adjoined by the VIP section where there were entertainers. I stayed on my side, trying hard to ignore those repressed feelings I had as a teenager. After all, I had regained my faith and my strict religious morales forbade me from even the appearance of things like this. But, in spite of all that, I HAD A GREAT TIME!!
I got to meet many milbloggers I had never met: Sean from Doc In The Box (wait till you see our interview with him!), Greyhawk, Toby Nunn, Blackfive authors – Mr. Wolf, Grim, and Laughing Wolf (I’ve already met Matt and Uncle Jimbo many times), Travis from How To Kill People,Loopy Libertarian from Chromed Curses (other than JP and Troy, this my starstruck moment!), the writers of Spousebuzz, and so many others to include the supporters of Soldiers Angels I’ve come to know and love. I also got to meet Anna, Marcus’s wife, when I was in Savannah about a month ago. What does this have to do with anything? Nothing, but I didn’t want to leave her out of another post about meeting important people. She’d never let me live it down. Tops on my list, though, was meeting JP and Troy in person. JP and I have known each other more than four years and have never met face to face. We’ve tossed the milblogging world upside down, but have never had the opportunity to scheme in person. I met Troy in the past year through the You Served blog and we’ve become very close. As a seasoned, fellow 1SG, he’s a kindred spirit and mentor.
In addition to the friends I had never met, I got to hang out with good people that I have known for awhile and have already met. Obviously, Marcus was there. We met for the first time about a month ago (Anna was there too if I haven’t mentioned that yet!). It was good to hang with my Marine blogging buddy. I didn’t convince him to reenlist Army. He must have a good career manager!! Another wonderful Marine I got to hang out with was Concrete Bob. There are no words to describe my loyalty to Bob. This guy takes troop support and activism to new heights. He’s a Vietnam veteran and a wealth of history and information. He’s like a third father to me! We met at Walter Reed. I was excited to introduce him to Marcus at the party Friday night. Terri and Angel showed up a little later in the night. I’ve known them since way back during the days of Adopt A Platoon. Angel used to do a lot of hosting for ASP before we blew up and became mega-rockstars (CJ Note: I’ve just been informed we’re actually just mere peons in the milblogging community and nowhere near mega-rockstars). And Sherri, SK or Domestic Diva to some, was there too. Supposedly, I’ve successfully fooled her husband into trusting me with a key to the house!! Sucker!! hehe. Sherri, along with LL, Terri, and Angel, are poster children for taking care of troops. They do so much that isn’t in the public eye. They don’t broadcast their contributions for others to notice. But us troops do! They do it behind the scenes without fanfare, but out of a true love for our military servicemembers. I know I’m missing a million people in both categories, but I’m at an airport and want to finish this post before I fly out of here.
But, I’ve digressed SOOO freakin’ much. Back up to the hotel room. After arriving at the airport, Marcus and I unpacked our bags and got our clothes out. The Penthouse club had a dress standard that required more than my normal digs (t-shirt and shorts) would allow. I had packed a pair of black slacks and a bright blue polo with my unit logo on it. Marcus grabbed the ironing board and pulled out his outfit for the night – a pair of black slacks and bright blue button up! I started cracking up laughing and Marcus stared at me inquisitively. He asked what I was laughing at. “Dude, no one is going to believe we didn’t plan this,” I told him as I held up my matching outfit. They may have, had the stripper pole incident not taken place (I’m sure I’ll be “stripped” of my priesthood at the very least). After that, it took the rest of the conference to regain our masculinity. So, we dressed ourselves in what is now the official ASP uniform for future events and took off for the party.
It was a great time. As I said, I got to meet a lot of awesome people. Travis was by far the most interesting of the people I met that night. He’s an amazingly funny person. If you haven’t seen his comedy, you probably haven’t laughed lately. We played off each other quite well, which lasted into the Saturday night all-nighter at the Mirage (more on that later). Put him and his father in the same room together, and there question that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. I’ll leave the details to someone else, but I heard more than one blogger ask him for an adoption!
During the party, we were given a lot of cool swag – signed “pet” photos (I declined), free issues of Penthouse magazine (I declined), and a free 1GB Penthouse thumbdrive (I’d be crazy to decline!). I wish that I could support Penthouse in other ways other than saying that I went to a party. They truly do love our troops and proved it that night. In spite of their chosen profession, they’re good peeps! They get mad props from me.
From what I heard, the party lasted deep into the morning. Matt told me at the conference on Saturday that he didn’t even sleep that night. But, I’m an old man and I promised Anna I would take care of Marcus so I policed him up and convinced him to take off about midnight or so (I may be wrong). I couldn’t leave Marcus without parental supervision. Besides, we had to get all our gear ready for the next morning. We were both extremely hungry as we hadn’t eaten thinking that there would be food at the party. Angel and Terri asked us where we wanted to eat and we were ambivalent about it so we drove around. Then, someone either mentioned IN & Out or I saw a sign and the debate was over! I haven’t had an In & Out burger in years. Soooo delicious. Almost as good as Taco Bell!
We finally got to bed about 0200 and woke up around 0630 for breakfast. But, I’m going to save our Saturday activities for another post. As I said, I’m at the airport and they’re starting to board. Stay tuned for more. I’ll have photos tomorrow!
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September 19, 2008 By CJ
Posted in News, Video
The Air Force celebrates their 61st birthday today and I want to be the first Soldier to wish them a Happy Birthday!! It wasn’t that long ago that we decided we didn’t want you!! Just kidding, of course. Enjoy your day and thank you for taking care of me and my brothers on the ground with your big bombs and strafing runs!! No success is possible without you.
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September 18, 2008 By CJ
Posted in Life in the Military, Military History, Military News
The 2008 Milblog Conference is nipping at our heels. This year the Milblog Conference is taking place during the BlogWorldExpo in Las Vegas, NV. It begins tomorrow, Friday, September 18th, and yours truly will be there. So will his truly, Troy! I’m looking forward to meeting him.
Tomorrow is the day and I simply can’t wait. Tonight, I took me the daunting task of packing my bags – something inept at doing alone. I got married so that I would never have to do anything alone ever again. I got married because I have no idea how keep myself alive on my own. Usually when I take trips, she’ll pack my bags because if I do it, I tend to forget something important. Since I had so much stuff to pack tonight, she wanted no part of it.
Along with three days worth of clothes, I’m carrying a bag full of about 50 You Served t-shirts to pass out to the unsuspecting masses at the expo. I didn’t realize how much space it was going to take, but I should have known since it was shipped to me in a HUGE box. Additionally, I had to pack a tripod, a camera, DV tapes, clip on microphones, a mixing board, cables, batteries, headphones, voice recorder, power cords, my computer, books, and other note taking instruments. I think my bag weighs about 50 pounds.
Packing all this stuff means I can’t take much needed personal supplies. I may have to do without deodorant, toothpaste, fingernail clippers, and fresh pairs of socks. My mom would be proud though as I found a hidden pocket in which I was able to stuff clean underwear. Instead of all these needed supplies, I’m going to bathe in baby powder and rub up against street hookers to mask my odor. All in all, I packed two bags that will, without a doubt, send me into secondary screening at the airport. I’m tempted to sneak an unopened 20 ounce bottle of Diet Dr. Pepper – a full 17 ounces more of the lethal beverage than legally authorized. But, I really want to make it there without forcing some TSA rep to don rubber gloves and stare at me longingly.
I’m not supposed to be wheels up until 1200, but I’m going to the airport at 0500 in an effort to get on an earlier flight. The greedy airlines wanted nearly $400 to change my ticket to a day earlier. So, it’ll be standby for me. If I don’t make the 0630 flight, I’ve got a nice FIVE HOUR layover in the airport – plenty of time to get on the nerve of every passenger in the terminal!! I’m thinking of filming my own version of “The Terminal”. Can you even film in a terminal past security?
While I’m at BlogWorldExpo, I’ll be conducting interviews with attendees and covering the convention for You Served. I’ve got hours of tape to record meaningless dialogue and dull scenes. Somehow, I convinced the people at VAMC to have even a little bit of faith in me to partake in this project with little to no supervision. Marcus and I have a lot of fun stuff planned for podcasts and I’ll be writing now and then as I get time right here!! The bad news is that all the lights that were shipped to me never made it here. To be honest, I’m not that upset since I already feel like I’m back in Iraq humping combat gear into a FOB without any support, fully loaded with ammo, food, water, and other needed gear. The added weight of a light set would have forced me into contract negotiations I think!
So, if you’re going to be in Vegas for the Milblog Conference, look for me!! I’ll be the one in the navy blue “You Served” t-shirt. And if you say the secret phrase, “I support the troops, just not their smelly socks” – you get a free shirt!! And if you don’t say the secret phrase, you get one anyway. Just yell, “David Sneakers is my lovechild” really loud. I’ve also got some surprises in store for the panel I’m sitting on, so pay attention.
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September 15, 2008 By CJ
Posted in Charities/Contests, Military News
One of the things that wounded Soldiers have to deal with after and through recovery is figuring out how to tailor their clothing to fit them comfortably when they’ve lost an extremity. But now, Wounded Soldiers can now have their uniforms uniquely modified to address their needs. Walter Reed and Brooke Army Medical Centers are the first facilities to implement this program; Soldiers who receive treatment at other medical facilities can take advantage of the program through their local AAFES stores.
Several groups, including the non-profit organization “Sew Much Comfort,” AAFES, the Walter Reed Warrior Transition Brigade and the Walter Reed Garrison Clothing Issue Point, helped in the program’s development.
WASHINGTON (Army News Service, Aug. 4, 2008) — The Army recently began a new program that offers uniform modifications – at no cost to wounded Soldiers – through the Army & Air Force Exchange Service.
The Wounded Warrior Clothing Support Program officially began in May 2008 at Walter Reed Army Medical Center for Soldiers who have been injured in combat.
Wounded Soldiers can have their uniforms uniquely modified according to their injuries. This program not only makes the lives of injured Soldiers easier, officials said, but serves to restore a sense of pride and dignity they rightfully deserve when wearing their uniform.
“This program is great because it takes care of our Soldiers,” said Maj. Gen. Vincent Boles, assistant deputy chief of staff, Army G-4. “The team of individuals responsible for bringing this program to life saw a need and made it happen. Now our wounded warriors can wear their uniforms with pride, dignity and comfort.”
Walter Reed and Brooke Army Medical Centers were chosen to be the first facilities to implement this program because they care for a large percentage of Soldiers injured in combat, officials said. Soldiers who receive treatment at other medical facilities can take advantage of the program through their local AAFES stores.
One of the more common uniform modifications includes adding zippers to the seams of trousers and coat sleeves, giving a Soldier access to a prosthetic. Other modifications might include elastic blousing or Velcro closures on the bottom of trouser legs. Various modifications can be made to shirt sleeves and the knee area of trousers. Additional fabric can also be added inside the uniform where injuries are sensitive or prosthetics cause more wear and tear. Modifications can be made to any Army uniform.
The process of getting a uniform modified is similar to filling a medical prescription, officials said. A Soldier will work with his or her occupational or physical therapist, who will write a prescription for the changes. This prescription is written on a Personal Clothing Request, DA Form 3078. It will specify the measurements and describe what types of modifications need to be made. The Soldier will then take this prescription and his or her uniform to an AAFES designated location to turn in the items. The modifications will be made and the uniform returned within three to five days.
Through the program, Soldiers also have the opportunity to get commercial footwear designed specifically for prosthetics. The heel of a standard Army boot is too high for use with a prosthetic and causes amputees to lean forward. The custom boots this program provides minimizes that effect, allowing Soldiers to wear the full uniform as it is intended to be worn. Customized athletic shoes are also available.
Just like customizing their uniform, Soldiers need a prescription to obtain special footwear, and they also need their commander’s signature on the prescription. The boots and athletic shoes can be purchased by either the medical facility or the local commander.
Several groups played a role in bringing this program to fruition, including the Army G-4, the Clothing and Services Office, AAFES, the Walter Reed Warrior Transition Brigade and the Walter Reed Garrison Clothing Issue Point. The Marine Corps’ ideas and lessons learned from their Wounded Warrior support experience, as well as the selfless service of the non-profit organization “Sew Much Comfort” also played a role in the program’s development for the Army.
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