Pentagon Memorial Dedication Ceremony
This is Part II of the Pentagon Memorial Dedication Ceremony. For Part I, check out A Soldier’s Perspective.
Archive for September, 2008
9-11 Memorial Show
Folks, if you missed the You Served podcast live tonight, you missed a GREAT show. Not because I was on it, but because of the other people that were on it: David Bellavia, author of “House to House” and Medal of Honor nominee; 1SG Troy Steward, New York National Guardsman, military blogger at www.bouhammer.com and Afghanistan veteran; and Retired Marine Corps Major General Fred Haynes, author of “Lions of Iwo Jima”.
While it was an honor to have ALL of my guests on there, you simply have to listen to the interview with General Haynes. I interviewed the highest ranking survivor of the Iwo Jima Campaign from WWII. Then a Captain in the Marine Corps, General Haynes led and planned much of the combat on the island. His stories and insight are amazing and simply inspiring.
I also really enjoyed speaking with David Bellavia. David is a busy guy. He works so hard to help get out the Soldiers’ stories all the while pushing off his own heroic contributions in Iraq. Like most heroes, he takes it all in stride in utter humility. His work with Vets For Freedom put him back into the same country he fought for with his life. He was able to go back somewhere that many of friends didn’t come back from alive.
Finally, I also got to speak with my friend 1SG Troy Steward. Troy is a military brat and has been in the military for over 21 years. We spoke about his experience in NY during the events surrounding September 11th, his deployment to Afghanistan, and his son’s current deployment to Afghanistan as well. His blog has offered an experienced point of view about the conflict in Afghanistan and follows his son’s current deployment.
The show will swell a sense of pride within your heart and make you proud to be an American, knowing the kinds of people protecting this country. To listen to and download the show, visit our podcast page at www.blogtalkradio.com/youserved.
Okay, I just listened to the show and there is a strange and suspicious silence when one of the callers asks him a question. I was hoping that it wouldn’t come through in the archive, but it does. The caller and I both heard the answer, but it didn’t come through over the air. He basically said that there is no difference between his Marines and today’s Marines (though General Haynes was much more eloquent).
Milbloggies Voting Opens
Thanks to everyone who voted for A Soldier’s Perspective in the Milblogging.com Milbloggie award competition. We came in a clase second in nominations, but now the real fun begins – winning!! Please visit the voting page (http://milblogging.com/votestandings.php?mode=branch) and vote for A Soldier’s Perspective under the Army category. Voting closes at 11:59PM (2359 for you military types) on Sunday, September 14th, so time is of the essence.
So, what do we get out of it? Actually, not much but a plaque. But, the real winners are the Soldiers who benefit from Project VALOUR-IT, an organization that gets special computers into the hands of injured troops who have lost limbs in combat. Donations are made in the winners’ names to this organization and it would be an honor to be a part of that.
Please go to milblogging.com and do a simple registration to vote. I know JP (milblogging.com webmaster) personally and can promise you won’t be spammed or placed on any Nigerian Scam email list! Please spread the word and vote in each category for the best blog. If it’s not us, then vote for someone else. The bottom line is that this is about change. Not words, not phrases, not blog posts. We’re not putting lipstick on pigs here, we’re changing the world!! And we need your help. You don’t even have to send $5, just register and vote. It’ll take less time to vote than to read what I won’t shut up about here!!
Iraqi President Praises Troops
President Bush met today with Iraqi President Talabani. During a joint press conference, Talabani openly praised American actions to free the country and our military’s successes.
“I think it’s clear that we are in Iraq looking to you as a hero of liberation of Iraq from worst kind of dictatorship,” Talabani stated during the conference. “I think you know very well that you and we in Iraq achieved very good successes on terrorism. Now I can say all parts of Iraq liberated from terrorist control and activities.”
He went on to clarify that there are still terrorists pockets located throughout the country, but for the most part they have been defeated or are on the run.
Just two short years ago, no one would have thought that there would ever be peace in places like Sadr City, Ramadi, Fallujah, and Mahmudiya. However, these places are all under the control of Iraqi security forces with support from our troops. Thanks to the efforts of the surge and the never quit attitude of our troops, the Iraqi government can focus on much needed reconstruction.
Many countries are opening up embassies in Iraq. Jobs are being created practically every day. The market is booming. These jobs and opportunities are available to ALL Iraqi citizens, not just the privileged few who belong to a repressive party under Saddam. And, the truth is that the Iraqi people recognize who made this all possible.
President Talabani ended his meeting by saying, “we will never forget what you have done for our people.”
National Guard Corn Maze
Hobson’s Farm is the ultimate destination for fall-themed, family-oriented fun! Home to Parke County’s Original Corn Maze, they have been creating family fall tradition since 2004. Visit them in the fall of 2008 to tackle their newest corn maze creation, a tribute to all of the Indiana National Guard members serving our country here and abroad.
If you’re in the area:
2301 W Strawberry Rd
Rockville, IN 47872
(765)569-5655
hobsonsfarm@joink.com
Am I an idiot or uninformed?
Over the weekend I wrote a posting about me calling this week Patriotism week and how I called for people to ask for September 11th to be called Patriot Day. Well I am not sure if I am an idiot or just uninformed, because September 11th is already called Patriot Day. You can read about it here, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patriot_Day
I am not sure if my subconscious knew this already when I typed it or if I had heard it somewhere and did not remember it. I do not ever remember hearing that this was declared an official holiday. Don’t get me wrong, I am so glad that it is, but what is really concerning out of all of this (besides the fact that maybe I am getting old and forgetting things), is that it is not formally recognized. Why isn’t this a day off for people to reflect on the day, what it means, maybe to take time on that day to do something kind and unselfish for our country and fellow citizens? The more I think about it, the more I am starting to realize maybe becuase the whole 9/11 moment just overshadows it. Maybe that is the reason why nobody really says, “Hey it’s Patriot Day” or “Happy Patriot Day”.
According to the wikipedia link above, “On this day, the President directs that the flag of the United States be flown at half-staff and displayed from individual American homes, at the White House, and on all U.S. government buildings and establishments, home and abroad. The President also asks Americans to observe a moment of silence beginning at 8:46 A.M. (Eastern Daylight Time) marking the first plane crash on Sept. 11, 2001.’”
I am glad that those actions are recommended, but it bothers me that it is listed as a “It is a discretionary day of remembrance“. I don’t think it should be discretionary, it should be formal and mandatory or whatever the proper term should be.
Needless to say I have gone back and edited the original posting, by taking out the parts where I called on people to stand up and request this be a holiday. If you have already wrote a letter to a newspaper or your Senator or something, well I am sorry that I just made ya look dumb. But not as dumb looking as me.
In closing, I would hope all who read this accept my apologies for posting something before I had done my research. However I hope that maybe this is a wakeup call to anyone who reads this blog that we do have a holiday on September 11th, and it is a day for remembrance, a day to fly your flag at half-staff, and a day to maybe wear something really patriotic and let anyone that you run into that you ARE a Patriot, that you ARE an American and that you ARE damn proud of it.
Collateral Tragedies
When you look at these pictures, what do you notice about them?
Patriotism Week, Honor it with me
I refer to this week as Patriotism week and I hope all of you will join me in doing the same. I refer to this week as Patriotism week and I hope all of you will join me in doing the same. September 11th is Patriot Day (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patriot_Day). It was the day that this country bonded together tighter then it probably ever has in history. There were no political parties, there was no race, there was no religion, there was no “you look different than me”. We were all Americans on that terrible day and for quite a while after that. So I am calling this Patriot week. In honor of this week, the week hosting the date of September 11th, I am going to have multiple videos of Patriotism posts going up on my personal blog at http://bouhammer.com/wordpress/ highlighting some of the most patriotic videos I can find on the web.
I will run one a day or several a day, depending on how many I get time to scrounge up. I hope you enjoy these as much as I do.
This week is special to me for some other reasons too, and I will talk about those later on in the week.
Responsibility & Accountability
I have no doubt that in the future, people will do a Google search and end up reading this post and immediately say, “who does this guy thinks he is?” Or, “I expected more from a First Sergeant or NCO.” To those who leave this post with such thoughts in your mind, I really don’t care what you think about me. My actions speak volumes. Keep in mind that when you read something on the internet or in an email or in a letter, you lack a fundamental element necessary to gain true meaning: intonation and intent. With that said, let’s kick this baby in high gear and offend some people. Continue reading this post…
Exclusive Interview
CBC Radio has produced a new series called The Nerve. I was recently interviewed for the program. Being a lover of music and and in light of what my duties were in Iraq, I was asked to contribute to the show. Here’s a brief description:
Jowi Taylor surveys the entwined histories of war and music. Military music is meant to stir the blood. In order to achieve this, some instruments, some compositions, some sounds are more favoured than others. The Israelites used trumpets to bring down the walls of Jericho. Coppola’s Apocalypse Now helicopters played Ride of the Valkyries, which was based on an actual practice used during the Vietnam War – and is used today as part of the “Thunder Run” strategy in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Scots went to war with bagpipes. And every army has a band. And music can also be an instrument of torture, as happens today, when the U.S. Army uses music to “forcibly interrogate” its prisoners.
From pipes, to drums, to thunder runs, The Nerve 3 takes a serious look at the dark side of music.
To be fair, I don’t believe that music is “an instrument of torture” by any means. It’s a MEANS to achieving results, but not torture. I do understand that torture means different things to different people. If I had to listen to Puff Daddy for hours at a time, I’d feel tortured too. I’m sure listeners of the YouServed podcasts on BlogTalkRadio.com feel tortured listening to my heavy metal!
I haven’t listened to the show yet, so I can’t say how the interview will be used. I do have a copy of the entire raw interview on disc in case I get misquoted or taken out of context. I don’t expect that to happen, but I think I’ve become skeptical of just about everyone – especially if they’re interviewing ME!
The Nerve: Episode 3 The Pipe, the Drum and the Thunder Run (Music & War), airs on Sat. Sept. 20 at 12 PM (1:00 AT, 1:30 NT) on Radio 2 & Sun. Sept. 21 at 8 PM (8:30 NT) on Radio 1 at CBC Radio. If you’d like to listen to a part of the exclusive interview, click HERE and scroll down to my photo. You’ll see a link to the interview. It’s about 28 minutes long so grab a Hot Pocket and Diet Dr. Pepper and relax.
Read along with Claire in YouServed's Mil Spouse & Family Section
You Served's Claire talks about the life of a military spouse - the hardships, the joys, and everything in between.
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