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November 19, 2009 By Troy
Posted in MilBlogger Interviews
8:10:22 PM: We are talking with LTG Ben Freakley
8:12:19 PM: LTG Freakley’s bio is at http://bit.ly/3pWQre
8:13:29 PM: New blog entry: Nov 19th You Served Radio Live Blog http://www.vamortgagecenter.com/blog/?p=3637
8:14:59 PM: LTG Feakley is the CG of the US Army Accessions Command
8:19:04 PM: LTG Freakley says every year of his 34 years is the Year of the NCO
8:22:05 PM: the LTG just said TIVO was one of the best inventions ever
8:22:39 PM: LTG Freakley is talking about twitter, facebook, yahoo, myspace and ArmyStrongStories.com
8:29:14 PM: LTG Freakley is talking about impressive young troops he has led
8:32:38 PM: LTG Freakley is talking about the lack of MoH live award recipients
8:36:55 PM: LTG Freakley is talking about the current situation in Afghanistsan
8:42:07 PM: Now listening to James Hooker’s song
8:48:22 PM: Talking to James Hooker
8:50:12 PM: Here is the link to James Hooker’s website, http://bit.ly/zdwqO
8:51:49 PM: James met Pres. GW Bush in March 2011
8:51:56 PM: I mean March 2001
8:54:13 PM: For 20 years James was the music director for Nancy Griffin
8:59:19 PM: James’s new album is free for download on his site. He only asks for donations
9:02:50 PM: James considers the new media outlets help him get his music out.
9:16:58 PM: We are talking with Larry Pratt from Gun Owners of America, http://bit.ly/2vRF11
9:28:31 PM: Larry is talking about the Veteran’s Disarmament Act which Pres. Bush signed into law that keeps soldiers with PTSD from having guns
9:30:43 PM: We are now talking about Ft. Hood with Larry
9:37:34 PM: We are talking about how the Act to take guns from soldiers contradicts the Army’s no-stigma message
9:47:11 PM: Larry is the Exec Director of Gun Owners of America
9:52:43 PM: Just wrapped up with Larry and now Marcus is talking to Emily about the school board issue
10:46:00 PM: Listen to Episode #65 – LTG Freakley, James Hooker and L… on You Served anytime on BlogTalkRadio. http://tobtr.com/s/745809 #BlogTalkRadio
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November 17, 2009 By Troy
Posted in MilBlogger Interviews, Video
This interview is with another expo booth floor member. She was at a booth behind the milblog lounge. I wanted to see what her knowledge was of milblogs in general.
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November 12, 2009 By Troy
Posted in MilBlogger Interviews
8:00:23 PM: New blog entry: Veteran’s Day Special You Served Live Blog http://bit.ly/2KvGRr
8:01:53 PM: CJ is back tonight after being gone for two weeks
8:07:42 PM: Listening to Mark Wills say the pledge of allegiance
8:18:12 PM: Talking with Ben Steele who is a WWII survivor and a survivor of the Bataan death march
8:19:07 PM: Learn more about Ben Steele at http://bit.ly/4F1G8D
8:20:29 PM: Ben was in the Army Air Corps
8:21:07 PM: On April 9, 1942, after ninety-nine days of battle, he was captured by the Japanese
8:21:53 PM: Ben was captured by the Japanese and spent one thousand two hundred and forty-four days as a prisoner of war.
8:24:37 PM: Ben said they were starving on Bataan. They ate their horses and all the domestic live stock
8:26:04 PM: pics from Bataan death march, http://bit.ly/23xZb0 http://bit.ly/12iF0k http://bit.ly/12iF0k
8:34:10 PM: Ben is talking about the march itself and how the Japanese would drive down the road and just run people over
8:38:01 PM: Ben said to get through life you have to have a sense of humor and learn to forgive. He said he has forgiven the Japanese
8:38:27 PM: He was a professor and he had Japanese students that helped him get over his past
8:39:12 PM: Ben has become good friends with several Japanese students that have all helped him get over his anger
8:45:12 PM: Ben is one of the last remaining Bataan death march surivors
8:49:40 PM: Listening to Because a Hero Fell from the In Rememberance Tribute CD
8:50:26 PM: You can learn more about the CD and purchase it at http://bit.ly/1h6XPD
8:54:08 PM: The song Becuase a hero fell was written by Thad in 2006
8:57:37 PM: USA Cares gave out $18,000 of their own money last week
9:01:55 PM: Amanda’s grandfather was in WWII and was bit by a shark when his ship sank
9:05:52 PM: U can listen to You served radio at http://bit.ly/youserved
9:09:24 PM: The CD will be available in all Walmarts soon
9:21:19 PM: Thad is in talks with the USO to tour around the world for troops
9:22:21 PM: We are now talking with Kurt from Survival Straps http://bit.ly/3L2eT0
9:24:41 PM: If a person uses their survival strap for something, then can send in the story and Kurt will send the person a new one
9:27:01 PM: Survival Straps has a soldier appreciation drawing that people can put a soldier’s name in a drawing to get free products
9:27:01 PM: Survival Straps has a soldier appreciation drawing that people can put a soldier’s name in a drawing to get free products
9:29:44 PM: Survival Straps donates $3 from every soldier gift box purchase to the Wounded Warrior Project @Wounded_Warrior
9:41:53 PM: Talking to James F. Christ who is writing 10 books about famous Afghanistan ETT battles
9:42:07 PM: He has two books completed so far
9:54:01 PM: James has never been to Afghanistan but writes like he has
9:59:24 PM: James relies on trust and word of mouth to get interviews
10:06:55 PM: You Served Radio is now off the air
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November 9, 2009 By Troy
Posted in Charities/Contests, Life in the Military, Spouse and Family, Veteran Benefits
Troops to participate in virtual visits over Thanksgiving dinner for free with Skype
SAN JOSE – (Nov. 9, 2009) Skype today announced the Holiday Military Connection program, which will allow hundreds of American servicemen and women stationed overseas to have the unprecedented opportunity to join their families stateside for virtual visits this holiday season, thanks to a partnership between Skype and the USO.
The Holiday Military Connection program will connect troops in the Guam, Yokosuka, and Camp Hansen (Okinawa) USO centers with their families stateside, through live, face-to-face Skype video call conversations during Thanksgiving dinner. For the first time, deployed men and women will virtually share a holiday meal with the ones they love most, but from whom they are farthest.
In addition, the USO and Skype’s Holiday Military Connection program will enable the estimated 140,000 troops visiting the 18 Pacific Region USO centers to make free Skype-to-Skype voice and video calls home to loved ones all season long. Troops can also make unlimited[1] calls to family and friends’ cell phones and landlines free of charge through the donation of Skype’s Unlimited World subscription plans.
For some troops, many of whom will be returning from deployments on submarines or aircraft carriers, the live calls will mark the first time seeing their families in more than a year.
Skype’s partnership with the USO and the launch of the Holiday Military Connection program expand upon a successful trial program that started in May 2009, in which Skype donated calling plans to USO Pacific centers.
“The USO is focused on lifting the spirits of America’s troops and their families; we are proud that Skype can play a pivotal role with the USO in helping connect military families and in turn make a season that is often challenging for them that much less difficult,” said Don Albert, VP and GM of Skype Americas. “Skype is committed to removing barriers and helping to foster meaningful connections that make a difference in people’s lives. Through the USO and Skype’s Holiday Military Connection program, we are doing just that for thousands of military families.”
As part of the Holiday Military Connection program, Skype is also giving away 2,000 holiday gift sets consisting of a headset, plus Skype calling credit or a Webcam to servicemen and women who visit a participating USO center during the week of Thanksgiving. The gift sets will allow troops to continue making memories with their families even after the holiday season is over.
“The USO is thrilled to partner with Skype on this amazing program. Staying in touch with friends and family is truly the best morale booster for troops who have been deployed. With Skype, we can help troops stay in touch all season long at no cost to them or their families,” said Tom Kolstad, USO Vice President for Pacific Operations. “We cannot wait to see the looks on the faces of the troops and their families when they share their meals face-to-face on Thanksgiving Day.”
Those interested in learning more about the program and how military families can connect with Skype can log onto the Holiday Military Connection program Website: www.skype.com/go/uso. Visitors to the site can also submit their own story of how they use Skype to stay connected.
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By Troy
Posted in Military News, Wall of Honor
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Nov. 9, 2009 – Officials at Fort Hood, Texas, released the names of the 12 soldiers and one civilian employee killed in the Nov. 5 shooting incident on the post.
Dead are:
– Lt. Col. Juanita L. Warman, 55, of Havre De Grace, Md. She was assigned to the 1908th Medical Company, Independence, Mo.
– Maj. Libardo Caraveo, 52, of Woodbridge, Va. He was assigned to the 467th Medical Detachment, Madison, Wis.
– Capt. John P. Gaffaney, 54, of San Diego. He was assigned to the 1908th Medical Company, Independence, Mo.
– Capt. Russell Seager, 41, of Racine, Wis. He was assigned to the 467th Medical Company, Madison, Wis.
– Staff Sgt. Justin Decrow, 32, of Plymouth, Ind. He was assigned to the 16th Signal Company at Fort Hood.
– Sgt. Amy Krueger, 29, of Kiel, Wis. She was assigned to the 467th Medical Company, Madison, Wis.
– Spc. Jason Hunt, 22, of Tillman, Okla. He was assigned to the 1st Brigade at Fort Hood.
– Spc. Frederick Greene, 29, of Mountain City, Tenn. He was assigned to the 16th Signal Company at Fort Hood.
– Pfc. Aaron Nemelka, 19, of West Jordan, Utah. He was assigned to the 510th Engineer Company, 20th Engineer Battalion, at Fort Hood.
– Pfc. Michael Pearson, 22, of Bolingbrook, Ill. He was assigned to the 510th Engineer Company, 20th Engineer Battalion, at Fort Hood.
– Spc. Kham Xiong, 23, of St. Paul, Minn. He was assigned to the 510th Engineer Company, 20th Engineer Battalion, at Fort Hood.
– Pvt. Francheska Velez, 21, of Chicago. She was assigned to the 15th Combat Support Battalion at Fort Hood.
– Michael Cahill of Cameron, Texas, a Fort Hood civilian employee.
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November 6, 2009 By Troy
Posted in MilBlogger Interviews, Video
This is a great interview with someone who is a leading force in the financial blog world and has been a guest speaker at Blog World Expo for three years now. Even after being there three years, this was his first introduction to milblogging and his first time attending the milblog panels. Zac and I talked a lot about how bloggers and milbloggers could help educate each other.
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November 5, 2009 By Troy
Posted in MilBlogger Interviews
8:20:07 PM: Talking with SFC Greg Stube, http://bit.ly/1Nd8JS
8:22:06 PM: New blog entry: 110509 You Served Show http://bit.ly/1Y6GmC
8:24:04 PM: SFC Stube was hit with an IED, and lost his intestine’s part of his leg and was severly wounded and shot up
8:24:35 PM: The medevac could not get him out for a couple of hours after he was wouded
8:29:43 PM: SFC Stube has had 17 surgeries over 3 years
8:38:37 PM: SFC Stube still hunts and fishes ever after wounded
8:41:45 PM: “Serve something greater than yourself” SFC Stube
8:49:15 PM: Now talking to Tom Neely from Bridge of Sighs, http://www.bosband.com
8:51:24 PM: Steven Crowder is a stand up comedian and is touring with BOS before the show
8:52:01 PM: Tom said he was prepared to drink with the Marines and soldiers this time
9:08:36 PM: Now listening to Bridge of Sighs song, Freedom Stain
9:22:56 PM: Troy and Marcus are chatting
9:31:43 PM: We are talking about the shootings at Ft. Hood
9:45:22 PM: Talking to @TammyMunson who is the current On Loan blogger at YouServed.com
9:45:49 PM: @TammyMunson is a army spouse blogger who’s husband is deployed in Afghanistan
9:59:33 PM: Listening to Mark Wills as the outro musi
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By Troy
Posted in Charities/Contests, You Served Radio
We here at You Served Blog and Radio are always auctioning items off on the You Served eBay store to help raise money for military charities. The great and popular band Smile Empty Soul who we had as a guest on the radio show a few weeks ago has donated many items to the show to help raise money from signed CDs to T-shirts to posters. The one big thing they donated, which is by far the biggest thing we have ever had on our eBay store is a Schecter Black Omen guitar signed by all the members of the band. This guitar lists for $399.00 retail, when it is not signed by such an awesome band. This one has a starting bid of $99.00 and we hope will go up from there.
The proceeds from this guitar are going 100% to the Valour-IT program which is run by Soldiers’ Angels.
Please check out http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=320445244585 to see the item and make a bid.
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By Troy
Posted in MilBlogger Interviews, Video
The video below is an interview that was conducted on the 2009 Blog World Expo show floor with the guys from the famous Chad Vadar Internet video series (http://www.blamesociety.net/chadvader/index.php). It may be somewhat hard to hear Troy at first, but the audio gets better. As you will hear, Chad’s voice is very clear. These guys are hilarious so be sure to check out their website and watch some of their videos.
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November 4, 2009 By Troy
Posted in Charities/Contests, Patriotism
Soldiers’ Angels Volunteers Vow to Shave Heads for $100,000
Pasadena, CA November 3, 2009 – Members of Soldiers’ Angels’ volunteer leadership have raised the stakes on this year’s online Valour-IT Veterans Day fundraising competition, which helps provide America’s wounded soldiers with voice-controlled laptops and other technology that supports their physical and psychological recovery.
Divided among four “virtual teams,” a wide variety of bloggers and other New Media mavens have been competing online since October 26 to inspire the most donations to help wounded troops by Veterans Day, November 11. If the teams of online fundraisers can blast through their collective goal of $140,000 and bring in an additional $100,000 in donations, founder Patti Patton-Bader and National Communications Director Shelle Michaels have promised to shave their heads in honor of the achievement.
In just over four years, Project Valour-IT has given 4,100 voice-controlled laptops to severely wounded Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines, and has supplied additional items that may be a surprising fit in a recovery regimen–Wii game systems and handheld GPS devices.
“This project changes lives,” says Patton-Bader. “Wounded heroes say that being able to use a laptop helps them feel whole again. Physical therapists are actually designing therapy sessions around Wii Sports! And something as normal as a handheld GPS reduces stress and helps a hero cope. With all that this project can do for our heroes, I’m happy to shave my head if it will motivate donations!”
Each of the devices Valour-IT supplies helps restore confidence and independence. Voice-activated laptops reconnect the wounded with the world and develop self-confidence by showing soldiers they can continue to be engaged and productive despite their injuries. Physical therapists report Wii Sports and similar programs are extremely beneficial when used in physical therapy settings. Wounded personnel with short-term memory loss due to TBI and severe PTSD use GPS systems to keep from getting disoriented when they move on to more independent living.
Details of the current fundraising competition are available at www.soldiersangels.org and www.valour-it.blogspot.com. Donations can be made online at Soldiers’ Angels, or by sending checks or money orders to Soldiers’ Angels, Valour-IT Fund, 1792 E. Washington Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91104.
Established in 2003, Soldiers’ Angels is a volunteer-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit providing aid and comfort to the United States Army, Marines, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard, veterans and military families. For more information, www.soldiersangels.org or 623-570-3903.
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