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.
Blog World Expo (BWE) this year was something else. I was amazed at how much I got out of it, but kind of wish I would have gotten a chance to get to more of the other panels and keynotes besides the milblog track. I flew in on Wednesday night with my wife and we eventually got to our hotel (the Luxor). Thursday was the day for the milblog track and I knew where I would be for the entire day.
One thing about either BWE or the milblog conference in D.C. is that it gives me a chance to catch up with many of my friends in the milblog world. All year long I exchange phone calls, emails or (private milblog group) postings with my friends and fellow milbloggers, but it is always nice to see them in person and give them a hug or handshake.
CJ and I were both at BWE to represent the You Served Blog and Radio show and were both very thankful for VA Mortgage Center’s support for us and this event. Besides making sure that CJ and I got to the conference, VAMC also sponsored the refreshments during the milblog track. I know that does not sound like much, but in fact it is and was a lifesaver. All day we had drinks, coffee, water, pastries, snacks, cookies, etc. catered to the room for anyone attending the track to partake in. Rather than having to go and search and buy food and drinks, the panelists and observers of the milblog track only had to stroll to the back of the room.
The panels went great despite having some last minute cancellations by some members. CJ and I were live blogging the best we could during the panels either by writing tweets on the You Served Twitter account at www.twitter.com/youserved or by blogging here. We conducted some interviews and just did some networking with different milbloggers. CJ and I were on the same panel with Scott Henderson from www.mediasauce.com and thanks to Rick Calvert from BWE, we took a last minute idea and performed a first. We broadcast our panel live on the first hour of the You Served Radio Show. With Marcus running the show and switchboard from his home, CJ and I were able to call into the show and make the first hour the entire panel. This allowed our normal listeners the chance to virtually be there for at least one panel. As the panel ended, Marcus took back over the show and ran it for the 2nd half.
Over the next couple of days we hung out on the expo floor, mostly at the US Army Accessions Command sponsored Milblog Lounge. Unlike the other booths on the floor that were normal booths, USAAC had their table of SWAG to give away along with several nice leather couches that anyone could come and relax on, get on the Internet, snack on pastries or enjoy some other refreshment. This was a great place for milbloggers to drop their computer bags, relax and just congregate. Not far from the milblog lounge was a booth by the National Guard Bureau, The Bob Woodruff Foundation, and of course Soldiers’ Angels.
During the next two days CJ and I were very busy, which kept at least me from making many other panels. Besides walking the floor and getting my free SWAG, and enjoying the company of friends and milbloggers, we also conducted several interviews. CJ and I were both armed with Flip-up HD video camera and voice recorders walking around interviewing people. We also were both interviewed several times by different media outlets. I have a great interview with the guys behind Chad Vadar, interviews with non-milbloggers like Zac Johnson, and several others that will go up over the following weeks.
Besides getting free stuff from the booths, I must say I learned a lot about multiple opportunities for milbloggers or bloggers in general by talking with the vendors. There were multiple booths who’s focus was on soliciting bloggers to write for them and paying the bloggers to do so. I think 100% of the ones I talked to expressed deep interest in mibloggers as they don’t have many filling that genre. Some pay by the word, and some pay by the posting. There were also many booths that dealt with doing more podcasting and video in blogs. Personally I think that is where blogs are maturing to. We are an instant gratification society and many people would rather watch a video blog than read a normal blog.
One person who was there pushing podcasting an that I got the opportunity to meet was TV talk show host, Crank Yankers voice person and overall comedian Adam Corolla. Besides meeting the Chad Vadar guys, the chance to meet Adam was great. There were several other famous folks I met, but will save that for my blog at www.bouhammer.com.
VAMC has committed to sponsor the milblog track in the future and I am very glad of that. I think the You Served Blog and Radio show has become a major force in the new media space and the milblog space in general.
Since I did so many interviews with people during the time there, I will wait and post those interviews and let them speak for themselves. Again, look for them over the next week or two now that I am back on a permanent laptop.
We have several on-loan guest bloggers coming up here on You Served as a result of BWE and our next big event will be the milblog conference in Apr/May timeframe. Stay tuned and stay informed.
Tonight on You Served Radio, we are very lucky to have my old Company Commander and current Commander of the National Training Center in Ft. Irwin CA, BG Robert “Abe” Abrams as our first guest. Rather than me trying to explain what a warrior he is, I have included his official BIO below. Be sure to join us on You Served Radio tonight at www.blogtalkradio.com/youserved at 7:00 PM EST to listen in.
Brigadier General Robert B. “Abe” Abrams is the Commanding General of the National Training Center, Fort Irwin, California. He is an Army Brat who received his commission from the United States Military Academy in 1982. His initial duty assignment was with the 3d Armored Division’s Cavalry Squadron, the 3d Squadron 12th Cavalry Regiment headquartered in Budingen, Germany. He served in successive assignments as an Armored Cavalry Platoon Leader, Troop Executive officer and as the Squadron Adjutant.
Following attendance at the Armor Officer Advanced Course, he was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas. He served as the Battalion Maintenance Officer; Commander, Delta Company; and Commander, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, where he deployed the company in support of Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm.
Following redeployment from Operation Desert Storm, he was reassigned to the Armor School at Fort Knox, Kentucky where he served in successive assignments as a Platoon tactics instructor for the Armor Officer Basis Course, doctrine writer and Armor School subject matter expert for the M1A2 Tank Program, and Chief of Training Development.
Following attendance at the US Army Command and General Staff College, he was assigned as the Squadron Operations Officer, 1st Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Bliss, Texas. He was later selected as the Regimental Operations Officer, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, and moved the Regiment to Fort Carson, Colorado. He was than selected to serve as a CJCS Strategic Planner in the Conventional War Plans Division, J7, the Joint Staff, Washington, D.C.
Brigadier General Abrams commanded the 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, “MUSTANGS,” of the 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood, Texas. He subsequently served as the G3 of the First Cavalry Division. Following attendance at the US Army War College, he commanded the 1st Brigade Combat Team, “IRONHORSE”, 1st Cavalry Division, at Fort Hood, Texas, and deployed the BCT to East Baghdad, Iraq, from March 2004 to March 2005. Following command of 1st BCT, Brigadier General Abrams served as the Chief of Staff, 1st Cavalry Division.
He was subsequently reassigned as the Executive Officer to the Commanding General US Army Europe and 7th Army. Prior to his current assignment, he served as the Deputy Commanding General, Combined Arms Center-Training, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
Brigadier General Abrams holds a Bachelor of Science Degree from the United States Military Academy, West Point, New York; a Master of Science in Administration from Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, Michigan; and a Master’s Degree in Strategic Studies from the United States Army War College, Carlisle, Pennsylvania. His military schooling includes the Armor Basic and Advanced Courses, Airborne School, Ranger School, the Combined Arms and Services Staff School, the US Army Command and General Staff College, and the US Army War College.
His awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star Medal, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Joint Service Commendation Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Achievement Medal, Joint Meritorious Unit Award, the Valorous Unit Medal, the Iraq Campaign Medal, National Defense Service Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Combat Action Badge, the Parachutist Badge, the Ranger Tab, and the Joint Chiefs of Staff Identification Badge.
Brigadier General Abrams is married to the former Connie Clevenger, and has a son Robert II and a daughter Carolyn.
The great crew at VAMC is stepping up again and showing how much they support the troops and more importantly showing how much they support getting the word out via milblogs. They are sponsoring CJ and myself at Blog World Expo in Las Vegas where both of us are speaking on a panel Thursday afternoon. We will be conducting a lot of interviews (both audio and video) with people, talking with many in the milblog community, and rubbing elbows with the who’s who of the blogging world (which I think will all be milbloggers or milblog fans, but I could be biased). I must say however that we will miss our “red-shirt” producer Marcus who won’t be able to attend this year. We will do our best to carry on the tradition of the You Served crew from last year.
In addition to getting CJ and myself to Blog World Expo, VAMC is also sponsoring the milblog track of panels which happen all day on Thursday. Through the contributions of VAMC, there will be refreshments available all day for the milblog track. This great contribution has earned VAMC publicity on at Blog World Expo and on their website. It has also earned VAMC kudos and thanks from the most popular milblog on the internet, Blackfive (http://www.blackfive.net/main/2009/10/thank-you-va-mortgage-center.html).
If you are in the Vegas area starting on Thursday, be sure to stop by or drop a line to blake@blakepowers.net and he can set you up with a free membership to the milblog track. This gets you in to the milblog panels and to the exhibit hall for the entire conference. If you want to see a schedule for the conference, go here.
The other day I wrote about the band Smile Empty Soul and the free download of the song This is War which they wrote in honor of the troops. Well they have given me both the original explicit version and the clean version for any and all troops or troop families to download. You can grab them from:
They were supposed to be on the You Served Radio show last week, but Sean Danielsen broke his leg last week and was laid up in the hospital. Well being the real trooper he is, Sean wanted to get back on the show and make good on his commitment to us. So he will be on You Served Radio this week (Oct. 1st) which airs from 7-9PM EST at www.blogtalkradio.com/youserved as it always does.
Not only is Sean coming on the show as a representative of the band and offering the download for free, they have agreed to send You Served some signed posters, CDs and a brand new signed Schecter guitar for us to auction off at our You Served Ebay Store in order to raise money for Soldier’s Angels.
So if you have not checked out our You Served Ebay Store lately, you better start keeping an eye there.
Well we were looking forward to having members of the band Smile Empty Soul on the You Served Radio show tonight, but one of the members got hurt and they had to postpone. So in the meantime I wanted to highlight the fact that they are offering a free download of two songs that they combined in one mp3. The first song is meant for the troops and is called This is War, the 2nd song if their very popular Don’t Ever Leave.
"This Is War" i’m just a normal man i wouldn’t hurt nothing at all but here we are our leaders have a plan i’d only kill if it’s for them now here we are i drove in a car and flew in a plane to come to your house and kick your door in now it’s down to this, it’s just you and me i’ll blow your fucking head off for my country i go to church and tithe i go to work in a suit and tie but this is war i’m really not sure why but the tv says that you are wrong now here we are [chorus] my feet hurt from the sand but still i march on gun in hand cause this is war this isn’t what i planned i wanted to be so much more but this is war [chorus]
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.
A few months ago CJ and I had the extreme pleasure of interviewing Geoff Tate of the hit band, Queensryche. Well here is their just released music video for the song. Hint, you may want a tissue handy.
On tonight’s show we are so honored to welcome as a guest Mr. Garry Trudeau. Garry is the acclaimed satirist and comic artist of Doonesbury. We are going to talk to Garry about his strip and some of the characters he has developed since 9/11. We will discuss BD’s role mentoring Toggle and the creation of Toggle himself. We will also talk with Garry about his creation and The Sandbox milblog website and book featuring milblogs from many popular bloggers and the efforts he has put forth in raising money for The Fisher House foundation. Last but not least we will talk with him about what it was like for him as a resident of NYC to live through the day of 9/11/01 and how he has seen the city change.
Garry will be the only physical guest on tonight as the rest of the night will be dedicated to honoring some of those lost on 9/11. We will read stories of the lives of some of those lost at The Pentagon, at the WTC, and in Pennsylvania. It will be a night to read and reflect on those lives that were taken from us as a country and more importantly from those who loved and knew them.
We really hope you can join us tonight for this momentous evening on You Served Radio.
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.
