A while back we had artist Phil Taylor on You Served Radio. Phil uses his awesome talents to create highly-valued sketches of fallen soldiers to give to their families. On Sept. 11th, he did the presentation of SSG Christian Engeldrum’s print to the family of SSG Engeldrum about the USS Intrepid in NYC. Gary Sinise and the Lt. Dan Band was there also.
If you missed last night’s 1 year anniversary special show of You Served Radio then you really missed out. Lucky for you that you can still catch it by going to www.blogtalkradio.com/youserved or via a podcast on iTunes. We had a mis-communication with Mac Eric Egland and missed him, but we have already worked up a re-schedule date. However we had SFC Mac who is in pretty bad health right now and really fighting with the VA to get that fixed. We also had author Gary Winkler on the show, who wrote the only authorized biography of PFC Lynndie England and his discussion with CJ was very intriguing.
However I think the highlight of the show was the last 45 minutes when we had Country recording-artist superstar Mark Wills on the show. We talked with Mark about how he started out in music, his dad’s service in Vietnam with the 101st Airborne Division, the USA Cares charity that he is a spokesperson for, shooting guns, and all sorts of other great things. Mark is as down to earth as your next-door neighbor. He is really a great guy. He was so great that he also did a pledge of allegiance for us near the end of the interview that we will use in the rotation of different pledges that we play at the start of every show. To demonstrate how down to earth and what a good person he is, we sort of had a “after the show” show (sorry Fox-n-Friends for borrowing your term). Mark called me five minutes after the show ended and he, I, CJ, and Marcus talked amongst ourselves for just shy of 30 more minutes. He has invited the three of us to Georgia to go shooting with him and we talked to him about some other great organizations that he can get involved with, our families (to include his), where we grew up, etc. I mean after five minutes you forgot you were talking to a guy that has released a dozen albums, and really felt like you were talking to your hunting or army buddy. I have a feeling that not only will we see more of Mark on the country music airwaves, but we will also see him again on You Served.
One thing that Mark told us about was the fun he had making his latest music video, “Crazy White Boy”. As he told us, all he did was get some friends together, head out to the farm and do some shooting. That has probably got to be the cheapest video to make in production costs, if you ask me. I mean his .50 cal bullets were probably the costliest thing in the video. Anyway, in honor of our one year anniversary guest and how kind he was to talk with us for so long not only on the show, but after the show I would like to give you a chance to watch Crazy White Boy here on the You Served Blog. Oh, in case your asking yourself, what does this have to do with the military? Uhhh, it has guns in it, big ones.
As a registered member of Great Americans, I get emails from time to time highlighting some of their best videos. This video was recently waiting for me in my inbox. Great Americans founder, Dr. Matt Daniels, had this to say as an introduction:
Greatness of character is inseparable from adversity. Many of the stories on Great Americans reflect this enduring truth. One of those is the story of Marine Corporal Aaron Mankin and his wife Diana.
Corporal Mankin was badly burned from an IED attack during an operation to stop insurgents flowing into Iraq form Syria. His vehicle was blown over 10 feet into the air. Afterwards, Mankin recalls, “I opened my eyes and I realized I was on fire”.
Mankin was so badly burned that it was six weeks before he could even bear to look at himself in a mirror. But the turning point came when his sweetheart Diana accepted his marriage proposal from his hospital bed. “At that moment, I realized that I was still the same man inside,” he recalls.That realization – and Diana’s consistent love for him — sustained him through 30 reconstructive surgeries.
Aaron and Diana Mankin are now the proud parents of a beautiful baby girl. Of his injuries, Mankin says they help him appreciate what he has been given. “I work harder at loving my daughter because of my injuries. I want her to see my scars as an advantage”.
We all have a lot to learn from the story of Aaron and Diana Mankin.
I’m so glad that the producer of this video contacted me. What an awesome thing that this WWII does for his fallen comrades. Like all great videos, I uploaded this to Great Americans to be included along other, similar videos honoring our armed forces and first responders. I hope you enjoy this one as much as the “1,2,3 Curahee” video I posted at A Soldier’s Perspective.
Sean Dunne, a filmmaker from Brooklyn, NY recently notified us about his 10 minute film of Frank Buckles, the last living US WWI Veteran. Watch and listen as Frank recounts his recollection of World War I.
It’s no secret I’m a huge fan of the online video site, Great Americans. It’s one of the most patriotic places I’ve found that is dedicated to those in this country who seek to do something greater than themselves. It’s about service, sacrifice, patriotism, and love for our fellow citizens. They don’t focus singularly on the military, but include ALL manner of service from the DEA to the local police department and volunteer firefighter.
Site creator and executive director, Matt Daniels, recently answered the question posed in the title of this post that I want to share with you:
Did you know that volunteer fire companies are a uniquely American tradition? In Europe, it would be unthinkable for anyone but the government to engage in the dangerous work of firefighting. But in America, the majority of firefighters are still volunteers. Ordinary Americans save the lives of others in countless communities across America — simply for love of neighbor.
This fact speaks volumes about what has always made America great. As a nation, we have a tradition of ordinary people caring for one another – even to the point of risking their lives. We sometimes forget that in many other societies this would seem absurd. But when we forget that, we forget who we are. That is why I love this video portrait of one volunteer fire company in Maryland. It captures the greatness of the ordinary Americans who volunteer to serve as firefighters in every community in our country:
Notice how most of the firefighters interviewed say that they serve because they saw someone else in their family do the same. That is the power of positive role models – and the reason that that Great Americans exists.
I can’t say it any better. Are you looking for more great videos that will inspire and motivate? Check out Great Americans.
I was cleaning off my camera from our vacation to Chattanooga and found some photos I took a few months back that I wanted to blog about and just got busy.
In May, Roush Racing visited Redstone Arsenal. The purpose of the visit was to talk about the meshing of racing technology with the needs of the Army. Many safety features used in NASCAR have been incorporated into Army equipment and vice versa. Roush landed on the base in his own P-51D Mustang plane.
While at the Arsenal, he set aside some time to have lunch with the troops, sign autographs and answer questions. Many of the troops are avid NASCAR fans and ecstatic about the opportunity. Mr. Roush signed over 600 autographs during his visit to Redstone for both Soldiers and civilians. He signed everything from pictures, to T-shirts, to die-cast cars, and even dashboards.
Mustang fans were so happy to hear he was there that an impromptu car show started in the parking lot with over 30 Mustangs showing up during the session. One Soldier even asked Mr. Roush to sign his brand new 2008 Ford Mustang.
Here are some photos of Mr. Roush interacting with the troops at the dining facility.
I also took a moment to interview some of the Soldiers that had an opportunity to meet with him and get an autograph using my handy-dandy You Served Flip Camera. This first video is just a simple video of Jack Roush signing a Soldier’s new Mustang (how do they afford these things?)
After the signing was complete, I interviewed the owner of the Mustang. I apologize that the video is unedited. I also should apologize for asking him about “Mr. Fenway”! What was that all about?!
Back in February, Troy and I interviewed Aron Gaudet, Director of the stunning documentary, “The Way We Get By.” When I redeployed, I came through Bangor, Maine. These people are true patriots and they deserve this recognition.
The movie opens in New York City at the IFC Center on July 17th, 2009 and I wanted to take a moment to remind you a little about it if you didn’t catch the interview.
The SXSW Special Jury Award winning The Way We Get By is a deeply moving film about life and how to live it. Beginning as a seemingly idiosyncratic story about troop greeters – a group of senior citizens who gather daily at a small airport to thank American soldiers departing and returning from Iraq, the film quickly turns into a moving, unsettling and compassionate story about aging, loneliness, war and mortality.
When its three subjects aren’t at the airport, they wrestle with their own problems: failing health, depression, mounting debt. Joan, a grandmother of eight, has a deep connection to the soldiers she meets. The sanguine Jerry keeps his spirits up even as his personal problems mount. And the veteran Bill, who clearly has trouble taking care of himself, finds himself contemplating his own death. Seeking out the telling detail rather than offering sweeping generalizations, the film carefully builds stories of heartbreak and redemption, reminding us how our culture casts our elders, and too often our soldiers, aside. More important, regardless of your politics, The Way We Get By celebrates three unsung heroes who share their love with strangers who need and deserve it.
This documentary will bring tears of joy, sadness, and patriotism to your eyes! The hardest thing in the world to hear is when that gentleman says, “My life doesn’t mean a whole lot to me, but if I can make it mean something to somebody else…that’s my endeavor.” He sort of sums up the entire movie right there.
