Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category
November 6, 2009 By CJ
Posted in Uncategorized
The Way We Get By, the awesome documentary that we publicized on our radio show a few months ago, will have its national premiere on PBS Veterans Day November 11th at 9pm.
On call 24 hours a day for the past five years, a group of senior citizens has made history by greeting nearly 900,000 American troops at a tiny airport in Bangor, Maine. The Way We Get By is an intimate look at three of these greeters as they confront the universal losses that come with aging and rediscover their reason for living. Bill Knight, Jerry Mundy and Joan Gaudet find the strength to overcome their personal battles and transform their lives through service. This inspirational and surprising story shatters the stereotypes of today’s senior citizens as the greeters redefine the meaning of community.
You can view the trailer here: http://www.pbs.org/pov/waywegetby/
This film already has support from a number of organizations, including Serve.gov, the USO and Operation Homefront. The film demonstrates how important it is to support our troops, and puts a very human face on those who are deployed and returning. I hope that you will tune-in to the PBS broadcast or watch the film online. You won’t be sorry!!
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October 31, 2009 By LL
Posted in Uncategorized
I have CJ’s permission to post my review here because Captain Chesley Sullenberger has military piloting experience and it coincides with the military content of this website. ~~Thanks, CJ, for your indulgence.
I was recently offered the opportunity to read “Highest Duty: My Search for What Really Matters” by Chesley Sullenberger with Jeffrey Zaslow. If you are unaware of who Capt. Sullenberger is, he is the airline pilot, known as Capt. Sully, who put that airplane down in the Hudson River in January 2009. We all saw the stunning images of this huge airplane floating on the water with passengers standing on the wings and ferries gathered around like sheep herding dogs, nosing in to save people.
So I want to start off asking you a question.
What kind of pilot would you like to have in the cockpit if things go squirrelly on you?
Words that come to MY mind are calm, deliberate, fast-thinking, analytical, experienced.
The passengers of US Airways Flight 1549 had all that in spades. Capt. Sully is well versed in many previous air accidents and has many years experience as a pilot. He understands the whys and whats of what happened in a lot of cases. He saw firsthand, with his military experience, some accidents and how easy it is to panic or to lose situational awareness. So he is a very self-contained man.
But that analytical, dry breakdown of facts and scenarios bleeds through in his writing. I had a hard time reading this book.
There were interesting tidbits of information scattered throughout the book. But the overall pace, language, and feel of the book was very hard for me to deal with. I prefer fiction to non-fiction to begin with. Fast-paced, action-oriented. That’s the style and kind of person I am anyway. But Sullenberger is very stolid. He comes across as impervious to feather-ruffling.
From beginning to end, we get very little feel for his emotional state. I thought his first solo flight would be one of those “woo-hoooooooo” things, ya know? With him being so young, age 16 I believe, I thought he’d let that youthful enthusiasm leak through and draw the reader in. But that was nowhere to be found.
Capt. Sully is very honest about his admiration of previous pilots, the man who taught him, his wife, the passengers, and his crew. He very much downplays his “heroism,” and comes across as uncomfortable with, but accepting of his current status as That Amazing Pilot Who Saved 155 Lives By Landing a Freakin’ Jetliner in the HUDSON.
Despite the writing style, I was interested in some details left out of the public stories. Capt. Sully has access to the cockpit voice recorder, so he can fill us in on what was happening between himself and his First Officer, Jeffrey Skiles. He takes us through the incredibly short timeline, literally seconds, of how he made the decision to put the plane down in the river. He talks about the letters from strangers or witnesses or even family members of those on his plane. All of this stuff is interesting and gives us a view of the lives he’s touched.
If you enjoy reading a first hand account of an amazing feat of piloting, go ahead and get this book. It is filled with stories of previous piloting successes and failures and could give you a glimpse of how fantastic his landing was, in the big picture. One thing he points out is that pilots are not even trained on how to land on water because 1–it is so rare and 2–it has only been done successfully a few times so there is little data on the “right” way to do it. Capt. Sully did his landing only on instincts and a general knowledge of those who had gone before and those who had done it. That right there is a good reason to go through the exercise of reading his account.
His book can be found here and it might make a good gift for those people in your life who enjoy non-fiction and who have an interest in flying or piloting.
For me, I learned a few things that I would never have known and so I don’t think it was wasted time to read Captain Sullenberger’s book. In the end, I know more about the airline industry (he makes some very pointed remarks about cost-cutting and potential effects of those measures) and I know that out there exists pilots who love what they do and with whom my life and the lives of my loved ones are cherished over the multi-million dollar cost of a jetliner. That actually gives me a lot of comfort considering how much I dislike flying and giving up my self-determining power to a stranger.
I feel weird ending this with a cheesy rating system, but out of 5 stars, I’d probably give it 3 for content alone. So that’s pretty good considering I’m a tough cookie to impress. 
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October 21, 2009 By CJ
Posted in Uncategorized
Thanks to those that donated to my effort in supporting the Semper Fi Community Task Force. I will be meeting with officials in a couple of days and passing off the money I have collected so far. Due to recent events, I am no longer able to attend the event in person as I will be on the road taking my children to live with their grandparents. I apologize for not being able to meet my goal or even take part in the event. But, at least we did SOMETHING!!
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October 19, 2009 By CJ
Posted in Military News, Uncategorized
If you haven’t seen this on Blackfive, you should:
Senators diverted $2.6 billion in funds in a defense spending bill to pet projects largely at the expense of accounts that pay for fuel, ammunition and training for U.S. troops, including those fighting wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to an analysis.
Among the 778 such projects, known as earmarks, packed into the bill: $25 million for a new World War II museum at the University of New Orleans and $20 million to launch an educational institute named after the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, Massachusetts Democrat.
Really… Taking money meant for bullets and fuel for soldiers risking their lives in battle so you can build monuments to yourselves…
Have you no shame?
Senator Kennedy lived a free and prosperous life that he had been able to achieve based upon the blood and sweat that everyone like me who has served have used as the currency to pay for that freedom; and yet members of his party feel it necessary to insult me, say that my sacrifices are in vain and that the cause of freedom is no longer something worth buying with the fluids of my precious life.
Read the rest at Blackfive.
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October 17, 2009 By CJ
Posted in Uncategorized
BWE09 is still in full swing as I write this. Day two opened up all the vendors and other exciting events.
Yesterday, Hugh Hewitt did his show live from BlogWorldExpo right next to the military lounge. During the first hour he featured Soldiers’ Angels and Greyhawk from Mudville Gazette. He talked about the upcoming Valour-IT that will raise money to purchase voice-activated laptop computers for wounded troops.
The Mudville Gazette was the first Milblog that Hugh ever read and talked about it on his website years ago, giving credibility and needed publicity to the blogging genre.
The Army is sponsoring a military lounge that is 20′x20′ and features refreshments, including coffee, peanuts, bagels, and danishes. They are also featuring their new website called Army Strong Stories. Real Soldiers from all different jobs and ranks within the Army blog at the site. We’ll be featuring the site in an upcoming You Served Radio Show. In the meantime, check out the site.
I had a chance to meet my favorite YouTube icon, Chad Vader. If you haven’t watched any of the videos, check out their channel. Yesterday, they did a world premier of the next episode. The cliffhanger leads to the series finale next month and features a fight to the death between Chad Vader and his new boss and former apprentice.
We’ve got some great video interviews that will be coming up shortly. I’ve been having connection issues, so will upload them when I get home.
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October 15, 2009 By CJ
Posted in Uncategorized
Sears invites all active military members to register for the Sears Heroes at Home Wish Registry program. The Heroes at Home Wish Registry allows America to thank our military heroes and their families by donating to the program. All donations will be evenly distributed in the form of Sears gift cards amongst all military families and members accepted into the program. Registration will be closing soon so register and review program details at www.sears.com/wish today.
Please spread the word. Last year’s effort was a wonderful success!
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By CJ
Posted in Uncategorized
Troy and I both made it safely to Vegas to speak at the Milblog track of the annual BlogWorld Expo. We are here representing You Served. It’s only 9:15, but already doesn’t seem as busy as last year. Thankfully, it looks like the main effort doesn’t kick off until tomorrow. I was getting worried until I looked through the directory.
The VA Mortgage Center is sponsoring refreshments for the Milblog track and I must say they are DELICIOUS!! Stay tuned here as the conference progresses for updates!!
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October 6, 2009 By CJ
Posted in Uncategorized
After deploying twice to work with the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC), Sgt. 1st Class Patrick McDonald helped coordinate the first and second democratic elections in Iraq. Having seen the progress in election procedures overseas, the Soldier knows the price of democracy and freedom, and it is a liberty that he does not take for granted.
“What we take for granted they often would give their life for,” said McDonald, who has voted in every election since he was eligible. Even while deployed to Iraq during the U.S. Presidential Election in 2008, he recalled voting for the next Commander-in-Chief beside a statue of Saddam Hussein.
While deployed to Iraq from August 2008 to August 2009, McDonald served as the Command Liaison to IHEC, the organization that coordinates all elections throughout Iraq. Similar to the role he played when he first deployed from May 2005 to July 2006, the Soldier was responsible for coordinating security missions surrounding the election and assisting with voter registration, as well as providing subject matter expert support to IHEC leaders. For his meritorious service during his first deployment, McDonald was awarded the Bronze Star Medal.
Reflecting on the change between his two deployments, the Soldier described the considerable progress in the Iraqi election process as “night and day.” He said that prior to 2006, Iraqis were unable to vote freely, and many voters were scared of repercussions. However, when he returned in 2008, McDonald said he witnessed a newfound confidence of the Iraqi citizens when voting.
During his most recent deployment, McDonald was the only Noncommissioned Officer (NCO) in his section and worked with many high-ranking officers, as well as Iraqi government leaders. Using his civilian job experience as the Assistant to Washington’s Secretary of State and his education, McDonald said he worked hard to represent the role of an NCO well. Committed to serving as an NCO and proud of the role he plays in the Army, he hopes to attend the Army’s Sergeants Major Academy in the future.
McDonald serves with the 448th Civil Affairs Battalion at Fort Lewis, Wash. He recently returned to his civilian job and is thankful for the support they provided him during his deployment, including frequently sending care packages and notes of encouragement.
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September 13, 2009 By CJ
Posted in Uncategorized
The morons in the peace movement are at it again.
Authorities say there were a handful of arrests as protesters and counter-protesters gathered at a Northeast Philadelphia mall over the presence of an Army recruiting center that features combat-simulating games.
Dozens of protesters marched into Franklin Mills mall on Saturday to demand the shutdown of the Army Experience Center, a military pilot program. And dozens of counter-demonstrators, many of them Vietnam veterans, also filled the courtyard outside along with about 90 Philadelphia police officers.
The two groups shouted and pointed at each other, separated by a line of police.
Bill Deckhart, coordinator of the BuxMont Coalition for Peace Action, says he doesn’t want his tax money used to expose teens to violence. But Capt. Jared Auchey, a recruiter who works at the center, calls it the modern equivalent of the “Uncle Sam” posters—and he says the same types of games are available at a nearby mall arcade.
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September 9, 2009 By LL
Posted in Uncategorized
The town of Whitewater, after some wrangling with the fear of liability issues, has voted and passed the motion to “donate” $3730.97 to the American Legion to apply towards LT Cull’s repair bill. As of tonight, the total bill was $13,320.97. $9600 of it was for repairing his foundation which the insurance gentlemen at the meeting said was not caused by the sewage backup (from previous experience and data).
LT Cull is still on the hook for $9600 and the local American Legion, Rotary Club, VFW, and other organizations are doing a fundraiser on October 24th.
In the end, this young man needs to focus on the mission, his men, and himself, not this issue. There have been a lot of emails from the city, his friends, and he has a lawyer. He should just come back from missions and worry about his team and decompressing. I hope that between the city’s “donation” and the fundraiser, this can be lifted from his back so he can do his job without distractions.
If there are futher updates, I will let CJ or Troy know so they can post it.
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