The story below came to me from the 13th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) Public Affairs Office. For those that are fans of Sons of Anarchy, this should make you smile, and unless you are at Taji, you are probably jealous.

JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq – Cast members from the television series “Sons of Anarchy” visited service members March 14 to March 16 at Joint Base Balad, Iraq, and Contingency Operating Base Taji, Iraq.

Mark Boone Jr., who portrays “Bobby Elvis,” Theo Rossi, who portrays “Juice”, Dayton Callie, who portrays “Chief Unser,” and Kim Coates, who portrays “Tig”, all took part in a weeklong United Service Organizations tour, making stops in Kuwait and Iraq.

“Sons of Anarchy,” which airs on FX, is currently between its second and third season, with filming slated to begin again when the actors return to the U.S.

The actors came to Iraq to show their support for service members overseas, said Air Force Staff Sgt. Darlene Gaskill, the noncommissioned officer in charge of entertainment with the Expeditionary Force Support Squadron, 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing.

“They’re doing an autograph session to shake hands and let them know they appreciate what the troops are doing,” said Gaskill, a Hammond, Ind., native.

She said most of the service members and civilians that attended the public events have been big fans of the show.

The actors held meet-and-greet events at both the East and West Morale, Welfare and Recreation centers, and one at Ciano’s restaurant at JBB over the course of thee days. During the tour, cast members also stopped at COB Taji, Iraq, for three days and three days at Ali Al Salem Air Base, Kuwait.

Cast members made several public appearances and took every opportunity to pose for photos with service members, said Gaskill.

“The cast is very impressed and very grateful for everthing the troops do,” she said. “This is their way of giving back to them. It means so much to them to have that individual thank you with each troop.”

Gaskill said the turnout for the meet and greets were some of the largest of any celebrity event at JBB. In three days, the cast members met with more than 1,000 troops at JBB and 500 at COB Taji, she said. They visited different units and squadrons, and met with patients currently receiving medical care at the Air Force Theater Hospital at JBB, said Gaskill.

“They have been all over the base, and at every location there are literally hundreds of Airmen and Soldiers who are just waiting to tell them how big of fans they are,” she said. “In return, (the cast members) tell them how much they appreciate what they do to protect their freedom.”

It has been amazing to see and interact with the service members, said Coates, who was born in Canada and now resides in Los Angeles.

“We give back in a tiny way for what all you men and women do for us back home,” said Coates. “What you guys do is very important; we all want you to come home safe soon.”

Meeting the cast members from “Sons of Anarchy” is a great opportunity for service members, said Sgt. Scott Voigt, the noncommissioned officer in charge of operations with the 102nd Quartermaster Company, 80th Ordnance Battalion, 15th Sustainment Brigade, 13th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary).

“There isn’t anything better than having them come out and boost the morale of Soldiers,” he said.

Voigt, a Peoria, Ill., native, said the cast members visited his company and spent time with the Soldiers.

“They loved seeing these guys, absolutely loved it,” he said. “They see these guys on TV and … when one of them comes up and shakes your hand and says, ‘Good job,’ that’ll boost anyone’s morale.”

Cast members of the FX show “Sons of Anarchy” sign autographs for service members during a meet and greet March 16 at Joint Base Balad, Iraq (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Michael Camacho)

This is the last of my three posts on the Houston Rodeo. I hadn’t been to a rodeo in probably 20 years and it was awesome to see one again, especially one as large as this one! I believe it’s the largest and longest lasting in Texas (and probably the United States), lasting nearly a month.

My favorite parts of the rodeo is the Calf Scramble and Bareback Riding. In the Calf Scramble, the line of distinctive red-and white-shirted competitors files into Reliant Stadium in grim determination. With the drop of a hat, 14 calves race away from 28 youngsters armed with only a rope halter and a dream. Spectators look on in awe as the group of Texas 4-H and FFA members pursue their dream. With kids and calves scattered about and darting in every direction across the Reliant Stadium floor, the Calf Scramble becomes one of the most chaotic, unscripted events of the Rodeo. Each of the students who catch a calf is awarded a $1,500 certificate to purchase a registered beef heifer. Raising and showing this heifer becomes a yearlong project as the scrambler sees to the grooming, feeding and care of the animal.

After the rodeo, we were treated to a concert by country band Rascal Flatts, one of my favorite (though not my MOST favorite) country bands. Prior to singing a song from their latest album, Unstoppable, the band sent a shout out to the troops:

I love the song “Me and My Gang” from the album with the same name. The live version was even better than the CD version:

All the Soldiers had to be out to the buses at 2230, so we missed about 15 minutes of the concert. However, once everyone started pouring out of the stadium, Soldiers were treated like celebrities. I was in awe of all the support the people of Houston showed to these troops and they loved it.

I only have a couple minutes here, but this went on for over an hour!! To see more videos and read about the rest of the rodeo, click HERE and HERE.

In honor of St. Patrick’s Day I wanted to post this blog entry about this song/video that the Celtic Rock band Flogging Molly created and released. The song is titled “Punch Drunk Grinning Soul” and is intended to raise awareness of PTSD and depression. It does it with animations of a hurt rabbit dealing with what appears to be his rabbit family. Singer Dave King wrote this song in memory of an Irish friend who struggled with PTSD and eventually committed suicide.

Flogging Molly “Punch Drunk Grinning Soul” with PSA

Flogging Molly | MySpace Music Videos

GEN Dempsey talking about Risk and how to accept/mitigate it from You Served Radio & Blog on Vimeo.

This video is from a private session that a few media reps had with TRADOC Commander, GEN Dempsey. This one focuses on a question to the General about risk and how it is accepted, mitigated and dealt with.

In the last post, I talked about the initial part of the Rodeo. I had a GREAT time and the troops and their families loved it too!

While at the Rodeo, all the troops were treated to a free BBQ dinner. They set up a huge tent that held about 500 troops at a time. Dozens of volunteers served the troops with smiles and words of thanks and appreciation. All the troops there were simply glowing at the attention they received and respect being shown to them. Along with the free food was some of the best Apple Pie I’ve had in a LONG time and all the soda we could drink. Naturally, we were also the ONLY service that was forbidden from drinking alcohol on the trip.

(Click on the photos for better view)

After eating, Soldiers were permitted to pretty much do whatever they wanted in the park. But, at 1700, they had to be back at the food tent for movement to a stage near Reliant Stadium for a special presentation. We all massed – all 1500 of us – and moved as a group to the stage (see photo above). The Mayor of Houston read a proclamation that the day, 10 March, be designated military appreciation day and then introduced three Medal of Honor recipients in attendance. I didn’t get video of this, but did take video later at the rodeo of who these heroes were.

After the MOH recipients were introduced, a special group of individuals was marched to the stage. They were young boys and girls, about 30 of them, and obviously didn’t know their left from their right yet as evidenced by the “left, face” order and half went the wrong way. But, these young men and women were there to be sworn in by Major General William Grimsley, acting commanding general of Fort Hood.

After the swearing in, I took the time to shake as many hands as I could and welcome them into the Army. I also thanked them for their service, sacrifice, and courage.

Once the ceremony was over, most of the Soldiers moved into Reliant Stadium for the start of the rodeo and Rascal Flatts concert. Others went into the Livestock show where numerous vendors were set up selling everything from boots to Gator 4-wheelers. There was also a hot tub vendor who was shocked that I began taking off my uniform for a nice dip. My embarrassed aunt and cousins quickly pulled me away. Before the official start of the event, the announcer introduced the Medal of Honor recipients – the video above – and the the colors were unveiled!

More to follow in part III.

One thing I noticed last week while attending the TRADOC Sr. Leader Conference last week was that TRADOC is working hard to embrace the higher level of technical knowledge that today’s young soldiers bring to the table. Back when I came in and for several years after I came in, the soldiers that came into the Army knew a lot about cars, BMXing, sports, etc. Today soldiers know about setting up wireless networks, Bluetooth technology and first person shooter tactics. The leaders of the Training and Doctrine Command recognize this and realize they need to build upon this higher level of technical knowledge.

Guys like GEN Dempsey, LTG Valcourt and many of the other leaders of TRADOC are old dogs, but they are coming up with new tricks. One of those tricks is looking at creating a private “app store” that would be hosted within the AKO (Army Knowledge Online) portal. Even though they are borrowing the name from the iPhone App Store, they are not looking at just creating apps for iPhones. They are looking at Google-based devices, and other web-based PDA/Phones that are popular on the market today.

TRADOC is also not only evaluating the possibility of opening this up to 3rd party companies or even private individuals to make apps for the Army, but also using soldiers with the skills to build applications for mobile devices. This is where TRADOC recognizes they have a new base of soldiers that bring skills and talents with them when they walk into basic training or officer training. Their talk was not of making soldiers build apps, but motivating them to do so. Creating competitions, even paying some private people and soldiers to build apps.

This is why this posting is called “Old Dogs, New Tricks” because the old dogs get it. They are adapting to today’s time and they know they need to embrace the talents that the young 18-something soldier bring to the table. Personally that speaks volumes as many older soldiers just look at younger soldiers and think the younger soldier hasn’t really earned their way or have had it easy.

Like any major change in the Army, it doesn’t come fast or perfect the first time, but it gets there. There are many attitudes that need to be changes and some culture changes too, but I would guess that before this year is over we will see an “App Store” on AKO or Army Command websites for soldiers to download apps from.

Interview with Ellen Helmerson from TRADOC from You Served Radio & Blog on Vimeo.

This video is an interview with the G1/G4 of TRADOC, Ms. Ellen Helmerson. In this interview, Ellen sits down with Troy from You Served Blog and Radio to talk about what BRAC means to TRADOC and the issues they are dealing with as the BRAC transition happens.

On Wednesday, March 10, Reliant Park in Houston, TX, hosted a “Salute to the Troops” day. Over 1,500 troops from Fort Hood were invited guests to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. I was lucky enough to be among them. I took many videos and photos of the day’s events, which began at 0730 at Hood Stadium on main Fort Hood. Responsible for over 100 Soldiers from my unit, we formed up and took accountability before joining the rest of the units and loading up into 28 tour buses destined for Houston. We had the best driver – NOT! He only got lost three times before we even made it out of Belton!

We got to the rodeo about 30 minutes late. The 1st Cavalry Division’s ceremonial horse detachment was supposed to open the day’s activities at 1500, but since we were late, they delayed the start to allow us time to watch the show. They did an awesome job, as you can see in this video.

1st Cavalry Division Horse Detachment from You Served Radio & Blog on Vimeo.

After the show, all the troops were treated to a free lunch (or dinner as we call it in Texas) of delicious BBQ. We got to mingle with troops from other services and it was at this point I became acutely embarrassed for the Army.

The uniform for the event was the Army Combat Uniform – basically our camouflage uniform. Meanwhile, the Marines were in their B and C uniforms, looking spiffy. The Navy, likewise, was wearing their Navy Service Uniform and Air Force was wearing their blue uniforms as well. The Army was the only service sporting camouflage and that just doesn’t sit right with me. The city of Houston wanted to honor our troops and show off how proud they are of us. And yet, none of them knew our accomplishments because we were wearing a utility uniform. The Marines looked spiffy with all their ribbons and I observed on more than one occasion where someone would walk right past a bunch of Soldiers to have their picture taken with someone from another service because they had on a nice uniform.

I’ll have more about the rodeo, as well as some more video, up later.

We had GEN Chiarelli on You Served radio last year in the summer to talk about the suicide rate in the Army and the impact that had on the soldiers in the units, the command and the Army as a whole. The Army, under the direction of GEN Chiarelli, has been working hard to counter this and turn around the sad trend of suicide rates in the Army.

I am not sure what else they can do. I know the suicide rate is a huge concern and the Army is working everything they can, but I am not sure what the solution is. What else can they do? Any ideas from you, leave a comment.

Army Releases February Suicide Data

The Army released suicide data today for the month of February. Among active-duty soldiers, there were 14 potential suicides: one has been confirmed as suicide, and 13 remain under investigation. For January, the Army reported 12 potential suicides among active duty soldiers. Since the release of that report, two have been confirmed as suicides, and ten remain under investigation. During February, among reserve component soldiers who were not on active duty, there were five potential suicides: all five remain under investigation. For January, among that same group, there were 15 potential suicides. Of those, seven were confirmed as suicides and eight are pending determination of the manner of death. “In our continuing efforts to sharpen our current focus on suicide prevention, we are conducting a comprehensive review of existing programs Army-wide, related to health promotion, risk reduction and suicide prevention,” said Col. Chris Philbrick, director, Army Suicide Prevention Task Force. “We will use the results of this review to increase the effectiveness of our efforts.” “Because suicide affects every member of our Army family and no one is immune to depression, anxiety and stress; we are also expanding our training resources and support programs to address these issues with our Department of the Army civilians and family members,” Philbrick said.

The Army’s comprehensive list of Suicide Prevention Program information is located at http://www.armyg1.army.mil/hr/suicide/default.asp .

The TRADOC Senior Leaders Conference really kicked off with a great speaker this morning. It was Mr. John Rendon from The Rendon Group. The Rendon Group is a consulting firm that works with government and military clients to provide Strategic Communications. Last year they were in the news when it came out they were profiling bloggers and embedded journalists to rate them and see if they were considered favorable or not to the military.

The Rendon Group has been around for a long time and John Rendon is a very smart guy who knows what he is talking about and can and did provide very thoughtful comments to military leaders in order to make them think. Last night at the icebreaker social, GEN Dempsey explained how much he values John’s input an perspective.

On of the first things that John did was show the video titles Do You Know 4.0. I have seen this video in the past and it does a great job at highlighting what a technology-connected society we have become. Some may question the relevance at this conference, but I can see that as these leaders in the Training and Doctrine Command meet and talk about the future’s training. The video also shows not only how much technology has changed the world, but more so how much the new media and Web 2.0 has developed and matured.

John then went around the world talking about different counties and how their actions and culture effect what we do in our country both in the areas of technology but also in military practice. He talked about some of the obvious like Russia, India and China but also others like Brazil. In fact he emphasized Brazil and how much we need to pay attention to Brazil and what they are learning from us, compared to what we are not learning from them.

John Rendon had some great quotes that I want to highlight in this blog. Some of them were:

1. “nobody in this room is going to win this war” By that he meant that this war we are fighting today against Terrorism will outlast the careers of many of the leaders in the room. He was demonstrating that it will be the replacements of these leaders or even later replacements that will be in the job when this war ends.

2. “we should reward risk and not punish failure” The point of this quote was to highlight the downfall of the risk adverse culture that has been over-emphasized in the Army today. He was trying to point out that taking risks is a good thing and that those leaders whom do should be recognized and rewarded for doing that.

3. “the adversary is defining our intentions, goals, and outcomes and we are not” When I heard John say this, it reminded me of the old military saying of “the enemy always has a vote”. In other words, too many times we are reactive and respond to the enemy versus being proactive and having us shape the battlefield and what happens on it.