Hey dude, that's me........!
It's not too unusual these days, but very thoughtful, when someone sends you a YouTube video on a subject he knows you're interested in. What is cool is that while watching you find yourself not only interested.....but actually in the video.
George at Sleepless in Midland sent me a video filmed at Chaparral Racing a couple of years ago. This was the day that owner Jim Hall drove the last remaining car from his garages to it's new home at the museum which house these wonderful machines. I was invited out to photograph some of the events. I'm the guy in the tan shorts, white shirt and tan vest appearing about half way thru this short video. Cool, thanks George.
Thursday, March 29, 2007
I'm now an investor in a clothing business in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. And here I thought I'd never have that opportunity!
After reading an editorial in todays paper about an organization that gives microloans to deserving businesses in third world countries, I thought I would check them out. What an amazingly simple, cheap and efficient way to directly help someone who is willing to help him/herself out but needs a little financial assistance. $100 here in the U.S. is, nowadays, small folding money.....in Tanzania, it's a huge amount. The power of the internet at it's best.....
I'm thinking that perhaps I'll get a "deal" on some clothes, help someone in need and probably get my money back. Amazingly, at this point, almost 100% of the loans have been paid back. Check them out.....
After reading an editorial in todays paper about an organization that gives microloans to deserving businesses in third world countries, I thought I would check them out. What an amazingly simple, cheap and efficient way to directly help someone who is willing to help him/herself out but needs a little financial assistance. $100 here in the U.S. is, nowadays, small folding money.....in Tanzania, it's a huge amount. The power of the internet at it's best.....
I'm thinking that perhaps I'll get a "deal" on some clothes, help someone in need and probably get my money back. Amazingly, at this point, almost 100% of the loans have been paid back. Check them out.....
Sunday, March 25, 2007
Hopeful.....
I spoke on the phone today with an army Lt. General, one of the former commanders of all ground forces in Iraq. He told me he loved our idea for The West Texas Troop Salute and said that if he can clear one item from his schedule he will be here as one of our featured speakers. I won't divulge his name in case he can't come, but he'll be a great addition to our lineup. See you there on April 21st.
I spoke on the phone today with an army Lt. General, one of the former commanders of all ground forces in Iraq. He told me he loved our idea for The West Texas Troop Salute and said that if he can clear one item from his schedule he will be here as one of our featured speakers. I won't divulge his name in case he can't come, but he'll be a great addition to our lineup. See you there on April 21st.
Friday, March 23, 2007
Busy....
I been bery, bery busy lately as have several others on this project. Things are shaping up nicely, we've had tremendous support. It should be an exciting event. Hope you'll put April 21st on your calendar...
West Texas Troop Salute
West Texas Troop Salute
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Go directly to jail.....
On April 26th I'll be going to jail. I know several people will say, "it's about time". Perhaps, but I'm going for a worthy cause, to help support the Muscular Dystrophy Association and their annual fund raising. A sheriff's deputy will make the "arrest" at the Bedford estate around 10 a.m.; I'm sure many of the neighbors will say to themselves, "what's he done now?" Good question but the scorn of my neighbors will be worth the effort. I'll be escorted to the jail inside the Texas Roadhouse where I think visitors are welcome and can throw rancid vegetables at the "prisoners"...for a price.
My goal is to raise $1300 dollars and bust myself out of the hoosegow. I hope you'll help and to that end there is a personal website set up to help you make your donations online if you choose. Please visit the Free Bubba website and help out.
On April 26th I'll be going to jail. I know several people will say, "it's about time". Perhaps, but I'm going for a worthy cause, to help support the Muscular Dystrophy Association and their annual fund raising. A sheriff's deputy will make the "arrest" at the Bedford estate around 10 a.m.; I'm sure many of the neighbors will say to themselves, "what's he done now?" Good question but the scorn of my neighbors will be worth the effort. I'll be escorted to the jail inside the Texas Roadhouse where I think visitors are welcome and can throw rancid vegetables at the "prisoners"...for a price.
My goal is to raise $1300 dollars and bust myself out of the hoosegow. I hope you'll help and to that end there is a personal website set up to help you make your donations online if you choose. Please visit the Free Bubba website and help out.
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Good dog.....!
I've been busy in my spare time with the April extravagnza [it's gotten to that stage] that we are now calling, "West Texas Troop Salute" and in doing a couple of websites for paying customers. No Eric not as good as yours...but they get by and maybe for a tad cheaper. Nothing much going on except the usual like; my Mom had an MRI today, my sister had an MRI today and my brother is going in to M.D. Anderson to have some things checked out...just the usual. Usual for me it seems over the last months and years.
But heck, life goes on, and in this brief moment I just wanted to compliment D. Daphne Dog. Besides being a special pal when I needed one, after my trip to Washington away from her, she's acting like she was in obedience school in my absence. She's learing to walk quite nicely without pulling me down the street and she even has caught on to the command "hold" when we cross the street....stops dead in her tracks and waits for me to say, "OK" before she moves again. This is quite amazing if you'd seen her just last year.
But my pride of dog was at an all time high today. The boy scout whom I bought my super-duper W. Texas fertilizer from came by to deliver the goods today. He came in while I wrote the check and while patting D. Daphne he asked if she could do any tricks. Don't ask Daphne and me that question twice. D. Daphne was in rare form running through her whole repretoire. First I said, "where's your toy?". Like she was shot out of a gun she ran to where she'd left it, nearly knocking the poor scout down when she ran back into the living room. Then it was, "where's your bone?" Bingo, drop the toy and she's off to fetch the rawhide we call a bone. She's a smart cookie, she knows the difference between bone, toy and ball and usually right where she left each one, even a day ago!
Next came the difficult numbers in her program. "Daphne, lie down....now roll over". She didn't miss a beat, even throwing in the rare double roll. Then a new one we're working on..."sit up". She's just catching on to this but I'll be darned if she didn't sit right up on her haunches at the first command. This one makes even me laugh because she gets this dumb looking grin on her face, ears back and looks very much like a prairie dog sitting outside it's hole. Good dog. The scout was so impressed that he went and got his Mom from the car so we could run through it all again. Really good dog.
So after that performance I gave her, what has become a preferred treat, an oatmeal cookie. We go through a lot of oatmeal cookies Daphne and I.
I've been busy in my spare time with the April extravagnza [it's gotten to that stage] that we are now calling, "West Texas Troop Salute" and in doing a couple of websites for paying customers. No Eric not as good as yours...but they get by and maybe for a tad cheaper. Nothing much going on except the usual like; my Mom had an MRI today, my sister had an MRI today and my brother is going in to M.D. Anderson to have some things checked out...just the usual. Usual for me it seems over the last months and years.
But heck, life goes on, and in this brief moment I just wanted to compliment D. Daphne Dog. Besides being a special pal when I needed one, after my trip to Washington away from her, she's acting like she was in obedience school in my absence. She's learing to walk quite nicely without pulling me down the street and she even has caught on to the command "hold" when we cross the street....stops dead in her tracks and waits for me to say, "OK" before she moves again. This is quite amazing if you'd seen her just last year.
But my pride of dog was at an all time high today. The boy scout whom I bought my super-duper W. Texas fertilizer from came by to deliver the goods today. He came in while I wrote the check and while patting D. Daphne he asked if she could do any tricks. Don't ask Daphne and me that question twice. D. Daphne was in rare form running through her whole repretoire. First I said, "where's your toy?". Like she was shot out of a gun she ran to where she'd left it, nearly knocking the poor scout down when she ran back into the living room. Then it was, "where's your bone?" Bingo, drop the toy and she's off to fetch the rawhide we call a bone. She's a smart cookie, she knows the difference between bone, toy and ball and usually right where she left each one, even a day ago!
Next came the difficult numbers in her program. "Daphne, lie down....now roll over". She didn't miss a beat, even throwing in the rare double roll. Then a new one we're working on..."sit up". She's just catching on to this but I'll be darned if she didn't sit right up on her haunches at the first command. This one makes even me laugh because she gets this dumb looking grin on her face, ears back and looks very much like a prairie dog sitting outside it's hole. Good dog. The scout was so impressed that he went and got his Mom from the car so we could run through it all again. Really good dog.
So after that performance I gave her, what has become a preferred treat, an oatmeal cookie. We go through a lot of oatmeal cookies Daphne and I.
Monday, March 12, 2007
Some family time...
I spent the day Sunday with the only family I have left in Midland, my Mom. I was glad that she had decided that she wished to go visit the Scotch/Irish Festival and grateful that she was able to have such a good time revisiting our heritage. My Dad's family is what is known as Ulster-Scots, Scotsmen who transplanted to Northern Ireland. By the luck o'the Irish, there was an Ulster-Scots Assn. booth at the fair where Mom was able to recount the family history...something she knows well after having done extensive geneologic investigation with two trips to County Antrim N. Ireland, the Craig family homeland after they came from Scotland. My first two names, Wallace and Howard, are derived from ancestoral family ties in Scotland. The director of the Assn. was interested in talking with my mom, we have some interesting relatives, including my Great Uncle, the first Prime Minister of N. Ireland when it was known as The Irish Free State.
While at the fair and talking family history, my mom told me she had opened a box that had belonged to my dad's sister. She apparently had been in possession of this box of memories since my aunt died over a decade ago, but had only recently opened it after my dad's death. In it was a big album entitled, "His Service Record" which I had never seen before. The album had been supplied by the Department of the Army to families of service members so that they might save service records, pictures and memories of their loved ones while away. What a treasure drove of memories of my dad. Many pictures of my Dad as a teenager and a soldier, notes on his whereabouts and biographical data of his family.
What stirred my sentiments the most were pictures of my dad and his buddies on the liberty ship Rensselaer Victory on their way to landing in Italy in 1943. My dad never wanted to talk much about his experiences fighting in Italy, saying that his best buddy was killed in action they day they landed. I wonder which one of the guys in these pictures it was...? I wish I'd had these images while he was alive to ask him. Aboard the Rensselaer Victory
I spent the day Sunday with the only family I have left in Midland, my Mom. I was glad that she had decided that she wished to go visit the Scotch/Irish Festival and grateful that she was able to have such a good time revisiting our heritage. My Dad's family is what is known as Ulster-Scots, Scotsmen who transplanted to Northern Ireland. By the luck o'the Irish, there was an Ulster-Scots Assn. booth at the fair where Mom was able to recount the family history...something she knows well after having done extensive geneologic investigation with two trips to County Antrim N. Ireland, the Craig family homeland after they came from Scotland. My first two names, Wallace and Howard, are derived from ancestoral family ties in Scotland. The director of the Assn. was interested in talking with my mom, we have some interesting relatives, including my Great Uncle, the first Prime Minister of N. Ireland when it was known as The Irish Free State.
While at the fair and talking family history, my mom told me she had opened a box that had belonged to my dad's sister. She apparently had been in possession of this box of memories since my aunt died over a decade ago, but had only recently opened it after my dad's death. In it was a big album entitled, "His Service Record" which I had never seen before. The album had been supplied by the Department of the Army to families of service members so that they might save service records, pictures and memories of their loved ones while away. What a treasure drove of memories of my dad. Many pictures of my Dad as a teenager and a soldier, notes on his whereabouts and biographical data of his family.
What stirred my sentiments the most were pictures of my dad and his buddies on the liberty ship Rensselaer Victory on their way to landing in Italy in 1943. My dad never wanted to talk much about his experiences fighting in Italy, saying that his best buddy was killed in action they day they landed. I wonder which one of the guys in these pictures it was...? I wish I'd had these images while he was alive to ask him. Aboard the Rensselaer Victory
Saturday, March 10, 2007
Spring clean up.....
Today was the day I dread, to some degree, every year. The first mowing and real yard cleanup since Fall. Apparently, if by signal, many others in the neighborhood had the same urge.
It was the day for mowing up the dead grass, blowing the dead leaves from the flower beds and picking up the multitude of sticks dropped from the trees due to winter ice storms, wind storms, dust storms and rain storms. Not too bad this year and I was gratified to see that by watering the back lawn almost every day over the winter, that it is in better shape than it has been in years. Everything is ready to apply my Boy Scout high nitrogen fertilizer.
The work is not done however thanks to the variety of trees on the estate. They're always dropping something; the pecan trees are preparing to drop "lint" and the insidious live oak trees shed their leaves this time of year. Good trees, green all year, but a real pain in the keester now. Now for a shower. I'm always amazed in West Texas that after having soaked the lawn yesterday in preperation for the mowing, still a cloud of coughing sneezing dust is raised from the lawn. Why I'm amazed, I don't know, I've been mowing lawns out here off and on for 47 years.
Today was the day I dread, to some degree, every year. The first mowing and real yard cleanup since Fall. Apparently, if by signal, many others in the neighborhood had the same urge.
It was the day for mowing up the dead grass, blowing the dead leaves from the flower beds and picking up the multitude of sticks dropped from the trees due to winter ice storms, wind storms, dust storms and rain storms. Not too bad this year and I was gratified to see that by watering the back lawn almost every day over the winter, that it is in better shape than it has been in years. Everything is ready to apply my Boy Scout high nitrogen fertilizer.
The work is not done however thanks to the variety of trees on the estate. They're always dropping something; the pecan trees are preparing to drop "lint" and the insidious live oak trees shed their leaves this time of year. Good trees, green all year, but a real pain in the keester now. Now for a shower. I'm always amazed in West Texas that after having soaked the lawn yesterday in preperation for the mowing, still a cloud of coughing sneezing dust is raised from the lawn. Why I'm amazed, I don't know, I've been mowing lawns out here off and on for 47 years.
Thursday, March 08, 2007
Connected...
As mentioned a week or more ago, I'm involved in organizing a salute to the troops in conjunction with a Rockhouds game on the 21st of April. Now officially known as "West Texas Troop Salute", much has happen since my last mention with a whole lot more to be completed.
Since I knew that I was going to be in Washington around some interesting people, I borrowed a Video Cam and did interviews with several Medal of Honor winners, Army Generals and actors with the idea of incorporating these shorts into our longer DVD program to be shown on the stadium JumboTron. Mission accomplished. One of my other missions was to find some influential "boots on the ground" at the Pentagon who would support our efforts. Among those I met was a deputy secretary of the Army whom I've talked to since; he was supportive and helpful. But sometimes the "doers" with the connections are lower down the totem pole and I found one of those in LTC. Lisiane M.Y. Valentine. Yes those are her real middle intials.
LTC Valentine, as luck would have it, is a graduate of Trinity University ROTC, as I'm I so it was a great stroke of fortune to have run into her at one of our receptions. I talked with Lisiane today and though promised support from higher up the chain of command, I got action with her. She assured me that our plans to transmit our program to all interested military units worldwide could be accomplished, and also that my other "dream" to have live feeds to the stadium from Iraq is something that can be arranged. I asked her if she would mind giving me the phone numbers of people I should contact. Her answer was, "don't worry, I'll set it up for you....I have friends". This among many other things she's going to help us with indeed do make her M.Y. Valentine!
As mentioned a week or more ago, I'm involved in organizing a salute to the troops in conjunction with a Rockhouds game on the 21st of April. Now officially known as "West Texas Troop Salute", much has happen since my last mention with a whole lot more to be completed.
Since I knew that I was going to be in Washington around some interesting people, I borrowed a Video Cam and did interviews with several Medal of Honor winners, Army Generals and actors with the idea of incorporating these shorts into our longer DVD program to be shown on the stadium JumboTron. Mission accomplished. One of my other missions was to find some influential "boots on the ground" at the Pentagon who would support our efforts. Among those I met was a deputy secretary of the Army whom I've talked to since; he was supportive and helpful. But sometimes the "doers" with the connections are lower down the totem pole and I found one of those in LTC. Lisiane M.Y. Valentine. Yes those are her real middle intials.
LTC Valentine, as luck would have it, is a graduate of Trinity University ROTC, as I'm I so it was a great stroke of fortune to have run into her at one of our receptions. I talked with Lisiane today and though promised support from higher up the chain of command, I got action with her. She assured me that our plans to transmit our program to all interested military units worldwide could be accomplished, and also that my other "dream" to have live feeds to the stadium from Iraq is something that can be arranged. I asked her if she would mind giving me the phone numbers of people I should contact. Her answer was, "don't worry, I'll set it up for you....I have friends". This among many other things she's going to help us with indeed do make her M.Y. Valentine!
Monday, March 05, 2007
I feel ill........
Things are going swimmingly.....especially in the photo business. We're selling our We Were Soldiers photos by the droves. People are buying multiple sets, including a dealer in Dallas who orders photos summing up to four figures in each order. Therefore I email and talk to my partner, Joe Galloway, in that part of my photo business several times a day. Life was seeming to go so well lately that I knew something was up.
In an email tonight Joe had to add this tidbit......
Things are going swimmingly.....especially in the photo business. We're selling our We Were Soldiers photos by the droves. People are buying multiple sets, including a dealer in Dallas who orders photos summing up to four figures in each order. Therefore I email and talk to my partner, Joe Galloway, in that part of my photo business several times a day. Life was seeming to go so well lately that I knew something was up.
In an email tonight Joe had to add this tidbit......
ps: you heard that 2 days after we all left washington they shut down the crystal gateway marriott for total decontamination. damn place was infected with the 3 NORA virus--the pukin and shixxxx disease that affects all them cruise ships. glad we didn't get it. think ol chip did.Someone needs to be taught a lesson over this...I think I'll sue. But whom, ah yes, the reservations were made in the name of the Secretary of the Army. I'll sue the Secretary, oh yeah, he was fired two days after we left. Some days you just can't win!
Saturday, March 03, 2007
Trip Tidbits....
Some final thoughts and obeservations......
Though it's never occured to me, probably the last thing I ever thought I would do in my life is to ride all over Washington D.C. in an actual by-gawd "motorcade" with motorcycle cops front and back, sirens wailing. "Motorcades" for two days delivering us to the front doors of the White House, Pentagon and Arlington National Cemetery. I tried to remember my humility during these rides; I once actually waved at a peasant when we slowed at an intersection! I have to say that "motorcading" gets in your blood and will, I'm sure, rank right up there in my most memorable experiences in life.
It is a crushing blow to ones ego to get home, have to drive your own car back to your modest home and discover that in actuality you are nothing more than a peasant yourself.
I'm continually proud of the quality of men and women we have in our armed forces today; enlisted, sergeants and officers. All of the officers and most of the sergeants have college degrees, are bright, intelligent, dedicated and capable. These young people could be advancing rapidly in the corporate world but instead chose to serve their country. For this we all should be deeply indebted.
Being from the "old army" I'm continually surprised at the large number of women serving in the army; and at the jobs they do. In talking to the diminuitive, very young appearing, warrant officer who was the bagpiper who played at our Arlington reception, I asked her how she got a "cush" job like being a bagpiper in the army, she replied, "oh no sir, bagpiping is part time, I'm a Ch-47 helicopter pilot in my real army job". A Ch-47 is a big two rotor cargo chopper. I wanted to ask her if she was old enough to drive a car.
There is a cost for so many women in the army. I had a long chat with another attractive and intelligent young woman who is a captain in the army. She lost her right arm to a roadside bomb in Iraq last year. She's in the photo spread, but I won't tell you which officer she is...if you can't tell it doesn't matter
When I was a lieutenant in the army the very sight of a full colonel was enough to start me quaking. As I grew older I ended up with two close friends were four star generals. At our event their were several four stars, many three stars and down the list. A full colonel was like a private. Funny how perceptions change.
I met many interesting people with some surprising results. One of our close group receieved the Medal of Honor in 1968 for actions in the same battle as Bruce Crandall. His daughter-in-law is a Major in the US Army and was born in Vietnam. I met another women, a Lt. Colonel who I also learned was born in Saigon. I introduced the two at the Pentagon reception and watched as they almost wept as they conversed in Vietamese. How strange, two American field grade officers, one the daughter in law of a Vietnam Medal of Honor awardee speaking Vietnamese in the Pentagon. Both were born in 1965, the year in which Bruce earned his award.
One of my four star general friends, Dick Cody, is now second in command of the army. When I introduced myself to the Commanding General, he said, "oh your Dick's friend he said to tell you he was sorry that he was out of town, can I give him a message for you." How good that made me feel. Later when a "mere" two star general told me he worked directly for Gen. Cody I asked if he would deliver a written message for me, "of course sir". I quickly wrote the message on a cocktail napkin and gave it to him. He opened it with a very surprised look on his face as I walked away. The message said, "Cody I'm gonna' kick you ass, Wallace". No telling what that two star thought. Cody emailed me later and said he'd had quite a laugh.
In the White House and Pentagon, no video equipment of any kind is allowed, however the general who briefed us on our Pentagon visit said that we were welcome to take our cell phones into the building. He also added that as soon as we stepped into the building they "mysteriously" would not work. Mysteriously was his exact word.
The Pentagon is one humongous building and if I got lost I would wish my cell phone would work so someone could find me. It is also actually quite nice inside with a floor of one leg of the building being a shopping mall with the same stores you'd see in any city. They have a good captive market, 25,000 people work in this one structure.
Houston Intercontinental aiport is one humongous building[s] and it sucks! Washington Reagan Airport is not humongous and is really one of the best airports I have experience with.
There were people I knew on the plane from Midland to Houston/Houston to Washington and from Washington to Houston/Houston to Midland. A nice feeling.
Military people, as a rule, are the finest group of people on earth.
Trip Photos
Some final thoughts and obeservations......
Trip Photos
Friday, March 02, 2007
Picture this.....
I'm still recuperating from 4 days of fairly continuous activity....and sorting through 500 photos culled down to 100 representative shots. Here they are in the link below. They follow the main events over two days starting with the actual Medal of Honor ceremony at the White House followed by lunch in the East Room with a marvelous and huge portrait of Lincoln over the fireplace. The next set of photos are in the "Hall of Heroes" at the Pentagon where every person who has been awarded the Medal has his name inscribed. Finally there was a fabulous reception given by the Secretary of the Army at Arlington National Cemetery. The reception was held in the visitors center which is currently displaying a series of art work, portraits of every single service member killed in action in Iraq and Afghanistan up until 2004. A number of women among them. There were over 1300 faces now gone....haunting. I viewed one from Odessa and one from Stanton. Here are my Medal of Honor photos.
I'm still recuperating from 4 days of fairly continuous activity....and sorting through 500 photos culled down to 100 representative shots. Here they are in the link below. They follow the main events over two days starting with the actual Medal of Honor ceremony at the White House followed by lunch in the East Room with a marvelous and huge portrait of Lincoln over the fireplace. The next set of photos are in the "Hall of Heroes" at the Pentagon where every person who has been awarded the Medal has his name inscribed. Finally there was a fabulous reception given by the Secretary of the Army at Arlington National Cemetery. The reception was held in the visitors center which is currently displaying a series of art work, portraits of every single service member killed in action in Iraq and Afghanistan up until 2004. A number of women among them. There were over 1300 faces now gone....haunting. I viewed one from Odessa and one from Stanton. Here are my Medal of Honor photos.
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Home again.....!
Honestly I have never been so humbled and honored in all my life to be around such men as my friends of the 1st Cav who fought in the Ia Drang and especially honored to be considered such a friend to the Medal of Honor recipient Bruce Crandall and his wife Arlene that I was invited to be one of their honored guests. So honored that I had an adjoining room to their family suite. A once in a life time experience puts it only mildly.
I took over 500 pictures of the events from the ceremony to the pentagon "Hall of Heroes" induction, to our private reception at Arlington National Cemetary. I'm putting together a CD for the Crandall's, Ia Drang Vets and other guests. Also I'll have a slideshow of the highlights on the web soon.
Coming home was made a little easier seeing D. Daphne Dog wagging her tail furiously when she saw I was home......!
Honestly I have never been so humbled and honored in all my life to be around such men as my friends of the 1st Cav who fought in the Ia Drang and especially honored to be considered such a friend to the Medal of Honor recipient Bruce Crandall and his wife Arlene that I was invited to be one of their honored guests. So honored that I had an adjoining room to their family suite. A once in a life time experience puts it only mildly.
I took over 500 pictures of the events from the ceremony to the pentagon "Hall of Heroes" induction, to our private reception at Arlington National Cemetary. I'm putting together a CD for the Crandall's, Ia Drang Vets and other guests. Also I'll have a slideshow of the highlights on the web soon.
Coming home was made a little easier seeing D. Daphne Dog wagging her tail furiously when she saw I was home......!
Sunday, February 25, 2007
Pullin' Pitch......
Pullin' pitch is a helicopter pilots term for flyin' out. That's what I'll have done by the time you read this. Zero early thirty flight through Houston and thence on to Reagan International in Washington. All ready to go tonight.
-Boarding passes printed: Check
-Clothes Packed: Check
-$28 in spending money on hand: Check
-Daphne in capable and glamorous hands: Check
-Johnny's Bar-B-Que sandwich for the President: Check
-Camera, lenses and video cam powered and loaded: Check
-Books, mats and photos for autographs packed: Check
Guess I'm ready to go. I'll be away for awhile unless the President wants me to help with the Mid-East situation or empty his trash in which case I'll stay longer. Should be fun with many friends and even two folks from Midland who live around the corner being in attendance. I have 3 Gb. of photo memory, which in medium format on my camera should be about 1500 photos. I'll post a few upon my return, or perhaps Dubya will let us use the computer in the Oval Office to add a few to Eclectic Photography. See ya....
Pullin' pitch is a helicopter pilots term for flyin' out. That's what I'll have done by the time you read this. Zero early thirty flight through Houston and thence on to Reagan International in Washington. All ready to go tonight.
-Boarding passes printed: Check
-Clothes Packed: Check
-$28 in spending money on hand: Check
-Daphne in capable and glamorous hands: Check
-Johnny's Bar-B-Que sandwich for the President: Check
-Camera, lenses and video cam powered and loaded: Check
-Books, mats and photos for autographs packed: Check
Guess I'm ready to go. I'll be away for awhile unless the President wants me to help with the Mid-East situation or empty his trash in which case I'll stay longer. Should be fun with many friends and even two folks from Midland who live around the corner being in attendance. I have 3 Gb. of photo memory, which in medium format on my camera should be about 1500 photos. I'll post a few upon my return, or perhaps Dubya will let us use the computer in the Oval Office to add a few to Eclectic Photography. See ya....
Friday, February 23, 2007
Salute the Troops....
Mark Saturday, April 21st down on your calendar for what we anticipate will be an extraordinary event. I am involved with a small group of local citizens who wish to show that we do more than "support" the troops, we appreciate them!
On April 21st, in conjunction with the Rockhounds baseball team we will salute our troops and veterans. We have lined up a stellar group of speakers including Joe Galloway, author of the piece noted in the last post. Also, saying he is planning on it, is the Commanding General of one of the service branches [Sepmer Fi] and I am in contact with two other major military commanders who have personally led operations in Iraq, as in the whole show.
Through one of our members who is in the music business we are talking to two major recording artists, both showing great interest if they can arrange their schedules. Three high school bands, so far, have signed on, Jimmy Patterson will "live stream" the event to the world and I'm working on getting video interviews with area troops stationed in the Mid-East to say hell-o to the home folks via the "JumboTron" at the ballpark. Since Joe Galloway and I will spend three days next week with many of the notables featured in "We Were Soldiers", we have a good chance of snagging their participation including two Medal of Honor awardees.
Of course, the main focus of our salute will be on veterans and active duty troops involved in defending America and probably most importantly to recognize the area families whose sons and daughters have paid the ultimate price for our freedom. We are working on contacting them.
We met today with the general manager of the Rockhounds and not only did he give us the green light to proceed, he was more than enthusiastic in offering their support. Our event should start around or 5 p.m. with the baseball game starting at 6:30, although our events and tributes will also be running between innings. All this for maybe a buck or two more than the price of a regular baseball ticket. Oh yeah, did I mention Vietnam era helicopters landing in the outfield. I snagged permission to do that today too!
Mark Saturday, April 21st down on your calendar for what we anticipate will be an extraordinary event. I am involved with a small group of local citizens who wish to show that we do more than "support" the troops, we appreciate them!
On April 21st, in conjunction with the Rockhounds baseball team we will salute our troops and veterans. We have lined up a stellar group of speakers including Joe Galloway, author of the piece noted in the last post. Also, saying he is planning on it, is the Commanding General of one of the service branches [Sepmer Fi] and I am in contact with two other major military commanders who have personally led operations in Iraq, as in the whole show.
Through one of our members who is in the music business we are talking to two major recording artists, both showing great interest if they can arrange their schedules. Three high school bands, so far, have signed on, Jimmy Patterson will "live stream" the event to the world and I'm working on getting video interviews with area troops stationed in the Mid-East to say hell-o to the home folks via the "JumboTron" at the ballpark. Since Joe Galloway and I will spend three days next week with many of the notables featured in "We Were Soldiers", we have a good chance of snagging their participation including two Medal of Honor awardees.
Of course, the main focus of our salute will be on veterans and active duty troops involved in defending America and probably most importantly to recognize the area families whose sons and daughters have paid the ultimate price for our freedom. We are working on contacting them.
We met today with the general manager of the Rockhounds and not only did he give us the green light to proceed, he was more than enthusiastic in offering their support. Our event should start around or 5 p.m. with the baseball game starting at 6:30, although our events and tributes will also be running between innings. All this for maybe a buck or two more than the price of a regular baseball ticket. Oh yeah, did I mention Vietnam era helicopters landing in the outfield. I snagged permission to do that today too!
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Shameful....
By Joseph L. Galloway
McClatchy Newspapers
There’s a great deal more to supporting our troops than sticking a $2 yellow ribbon magnet made in China on your SUV. There’s a great deal more to it than making "Support Our Troops" a phrase that every politician feels obliged to utter in every speech, no matter how banal the topic or craven the purpose.This week, we were treated to a new expose of just how fraudulent and shallow and meaningless "Support Our Troops" is on the lips of those in charge of spending the half a trillion dollars of taxpayer's money that the Pentagon eats every year.
The Washington Post published an expose, complete with photographs, revealing that for every in-patient who's getting the best medical treatment that money can buy at the main hospital at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center, there are 17 out-patients warehoused in quarters unfit for human habitation.Some of the military outpatients are stuck on the Walter Reed campus, a couple of miles from the White House and the Capitol, for as long as 12 months. They've been living in rat and roach-infested rooms, some of which are coated in black mold.There was outrage and disgust and raw anger at this callous, cruel treatment of those who have the greatest claim not only on our sympathies, but also on the public purse. Who among the smiling politicians who regularly troop over to the main hospital at Walter Reed for photo-op visits with those who've come home grievously wounded from the wars the politicians started have bothered to go the extra quarter-mile to see the unseen majority with their rats and roaches? Not one, it would seem, since none among them have admitted to knowing that there was a problem, much less doing something about it before the reporters blew the whistle.
Within 24 hours, construction crews were working overtime, slapping paint over the moldy drywall, patching the sagging ceilings and putting out traps and poison for the critters that infest the place. Within 48 hours, the Department of Defense announced that it was appointing an independent commission to investigate. Doubtless the commission will provide a detailed report finding that no one was guilty-certainly none of the politicians of the ruling party whose hands were on the levers of power for five long years of war. They will find that it all came about because the Army medical establishment was overwhelmed by the case load flowing out of Iraq and Afghanistan. Meanwhile, brave soldiers who were wheelchair-bound with missing legs or paralysis, have been left to make their own way a quarter-mile to appointments with the shrinks and a half-mile to pick up the drugs that dim their minds and eyes and pain, and make the rats and roaches recede into a fuzzy distance.
All this came on the heels of my McClatchy Newspapers colleague Chris Adams's Feb. 9 report that even by its own measures, the Veterans Administration isn't prepared to give returning veterans the care they need to help them overcome destructive, and sometimes fatal, mental health ailments. Nearly 100 VA clinics provided virtually no mental health care in 2005, Adams found, and the average veteran with psychiatric troubles gets about a third fewer visits with specialists today than he would have received a decade ago.The same politicians, from a macho president to the bureaucrats to the people who chair the congressional committees that are supposed to oversee such matters, have utterly failed to protect our wounded warriors. They’ve talked the talk but few, if any, have ever walked the walk. No. This happened while all of them were busy as bees, taking billions out of the VA budget and planning to shut down Walter Reed by 2011 in the name of cost-efficiency. Among those politicians are the people who sent too few troops to Afghanistan or Iraq, who failed to provide enough body armor and weapons and armored vehicles and who, to protect their own political hides, refused to admit that the mission was not accomplished and change course.
But it's they who are charged with the highest duty of all, in the words of President Abraham Lincoln in his Second Inaugural in 1865: "to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow, and his orphan." How can they look at themselves in the mirror every morning? How dare they ever utter the words: Support Our Troops? How dare they pretend to give a damn about those they order to war? They've hidden the flag-draped coffins of the fallen from the public and the press. They've averted their eyes from the suffering that their orders have visited upon an Army that they've ground down by misuse and over-use and just plain incompetence.This shabby, sorry episode of political and institutional cruelty to those who deserve the best their nation can provide is the last straw. How can they spin this one to blame the generals or the media or the Democrats? How can you do that, Karl? If the American people are not sickened and disgusted by this then, by God, we don’t deserve to be defended from the wolves of this world.
By Joseph L. Galloway
McClatchy Newspapers
There’s a great deal more to supporting our troops than sticking a $2 yellow ribbon magnet made in China on your SUV. There’s a great deal more to it than making "Support Our Troops" a phrase that every politician feels obliged to utter in every speech, no matter how banal the topic or craven the purpose.This week, we were treated to a new expose of just how fraudulent and shallow and meaningless "Support Our Troops" is on the lips of those in charge of spending the half a trillion dollars of taxpayer's money that the Pentagon eats every year.
The Washington Post published an expose, complete with photographs, revealing that for every in-patient who's getting the best medical treatment that money can buy at the main hospital at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center, there are 17 out-patients warehoused in quarters unfit for human habitation.Some of the military outpatients are stuck on the Walter Reed campus, a couple of miles from the White House and the Capitol, for as long as 12 months. They've been living in rat and roach-infested rooms, some of which are coated in black mold.There was outrage and disgust and raw anger at this callous, cruel treatment of those who have the greatest claim not only on our sympathies, but also on the public purse. Who among the smiling politicians who regularly troop over to the main hospital at Walter Reed for photo-op visits with those who've come home grievously wounded from the wars the politicians started have bothered to go the extra quarter-mile to see the unseen majority with their rats and roaches? Not one, it would seem, since none among them have admitted to knowing that there was a problem, much less doing something about it before the reporters blew the whistle.
Within 24 hours, construction crews were working overtime, slapping paint over the moldy drywall, patching the sagging ceilings and putting out traps and poison for the critters that infest the place. Within 48 hours, the Department of Defense announced that it was appointing an independent commission to investigate. Doubtless the commission will provide a detailed report finding that no one was guilty-certainly none of the politicians of the ruling party whose hands were on the levers of power for five long years of war. They will find that it all came about because the Army medical establishment was overwhelmed by the case load flowing out of Iraq and Afghanistan. Meanwhile, brave soldiers who were wheelchair-bound with missing legs or paralysis, have been left to make their own way a quarter-mile to appointments with the shrinks and a half-mile to pick up the drugs that dim their minds and eyes and pain, and make the rats and roaches recede into a fuzzy distance.
All this came on the heels of my McClatchy Newspapers colleague Chris Adams's Feb. 9 report that even by its own measures, the Veterans Administration isn't prepared to give returning veterans the care they need to help them overcome destructive, and sometimes fatal, mental health ailments. Nearly 100 VA clinics provided virtually no mental health care in 2005, Adams found, and the average veteran with psychiatric troubles gets about a third fewer visits with specialists today than he would have received a decade ago.The same politicians, from a macho president to the bureaucrats to the people who chair the congressional committees that are supposed to oversee such matters, have utterly failed to protect our wounded warriors. They’ve talked the talk but few, if any, have ever walked the walk. No. This happened while all of them were busy as bees, taking billions out of the VA budget and planning to shut down Walter Reed by 2011 in the name of cost-efficiency. Among those politicians are the people who sent too few troops to Afghanistan or Iraq, who failed to provide enough body armor and weapons and armored vehicles and who, to protect their own political hides, refused to admit that the mission was not accomplished and change course.
But it's they who are charged with the highest duty of all, in the words of President Abraham Lincoln in his Second Inaugural in 1865: "to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow, and his orphan." How can they look at themselves in the mirror every morning? How dare they ever utter the words: Support Our Troops? How dare they pretend to give a damn about those they order to war? They've hidden the flag-draped coffins of the fallen from the public and the press. They've averted their eyes from the suffering that their orders have visited upon an Army that they've ground down by misuse and over-use and just plain incompetence.This shabby, sorry episode of political and institutional cruelty to those who deserve the best their nation can provide is the last straw. How can they spin this one to blame the generals or the media or the Democrats? How can you do that, Karl? If the American people are not sickened and disgusted by this then, by God, we don’t deserve to be defended from the wolves of this world.
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Monday, February 19, 2007
Treasures from the past...
in fact my mom was Patsy's best friend, which is how they met. He spent as much time with the Roths as he did at home.
A remembrance from all those years ago arrived in the mail Saturday. A DVD of all the Roth family movies from the years 1934 to 1962! The Roths, being good Germans, had been technically minded and apparently owned a very good movie camera. I must have inherited my love of photography from those German genes, for these are not what you think of when you think of "home movies". Especially from the 1930's! Most are similar to documentary film quality I've seen from the era. There are even color films which must have been state of the art at the time.
Being a family of photographers, my dad included, we do have many old photos from the years in the films, some of which I have, but there is nothing like seeing your dad moving about when he was 12, 13 or 14 years old. And seeing all the relatives you've always known as "old people" magically in their prime again is an amazing if not emotional experience. I had never seen even still photos of my grandmother when she was in her 30's, so seeing her as a young woman was transfixing. She was quite a babe! Many of the movies were taken in my dad's old neighborhood so I got to experience what his life must have been like, even seeing him with his friend's pet monkey; something I had heard about many times.
Here are a few shots of my dad that I pulled from the hours of movies. I watched for 2 hours last night and am only half the way through. A truly amazing gift.
 | Sometimes amazing things just simply arrive. My Dad was raised in St. Louis. His mom was divorced when he was young and much of his childhood was spent with his mom's sister and her husband who lived in the same neighborhood. His Uncle Louis Roth was as much a dad to him as an uncle. His first cousin Patsy was like another sister and |
A remembrance from all those years ago arrived in the mail Saturday. A DVD of all the Roth family movies from the years 1934 to 1962! The Roths, being good Germans, had been technically minded and apparently owned a very good movie camera. I must have inherited my love of photography from those German genes, for these are not what you think of when you think of "home movies". Especially from the 1930's! Most are similar to documentary film quality I've seen from the era. There are even color films which must have been state of the art at the time.
Being a family of photographers, my dad included, we do have many old photos from the years in the films, some of which I have, but there is nothing like seeing your dad moving about when he was 12, 13 or 14 years old. And seeing all the relatives you've always known as "old people" magically in their prime again is an amazing if not emotional experience. I had never seen even still photos of my grandmother when she was in her 30's, so seeing her as a young woman was transfixing. She was quite a babe! Many of the movies were taken in my dad's old neighborhood so I got to experience what his life must have been like, even seeing him with his friend's pet monkey; something I had heard about many times.
Here are a few shots of my dad that I pulled from the hours of movies. I watched for 2 hours last night and am only half the way through. A truly amazing gift.
Thursday, February 15, 2007
The Intrepid Ones....
I finished making my plans today for my trip to Washington to witness my friend Bruce Crandall receive the Medal of Honor. It should be a great trip seeing many friends I've met through Bruce and Joe Galloway, including Gen. Hal Moore. Some people from the movie too, and some old army friends of mine.
But I'm reminded in the following slide show who the real heroes are....please take a look and remember too.
The Intrepid Center
I finished making my plans today for my trip to Washington to witness my friend Bruce Crandall receive the Medal of Honor. It should be a great trip seeing many friends I've met through Bruce and Joe Galloway, including Gen. Hal Moore. Some people from the movie too, and some old army friends of mine.
But I'm reminded in the following slide show who the real heroes are....please take a look and remember too.
The Intrepid Center
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