Saturday, November 15, 2008
Meet the team
I’ve talked with my team about the plan and not surprisingly, they're thrilled. These really are the most talented military journalists I have ever work with.
I’d like to use today’s entry to introduce you to them. For security reasons I have to keep it relatively generic.
Team 1:
Monica is from Minnesota and one of the best sailors I’ve ever met. She joined the Navy to earn money to pay for an expensive college education on the East Coast, but I think the Navy has taught her more than any college ever could. An outstanding writer and photographer, she’ll go very far in the Navy… or the civilian world. If she stays Navy, she’s definitely officer material. But her knowledge and ability is only surpassed by her kindness and good nature. This is one genuinely kind person. If my daughter turned out to be just like Monica, I’d be very proud.
Laura is my warrior. She’s a former Air Force military police officer turned photographer. On this most recent trip to the RCs, Laura came equipped with a 200 pound backpack full of everything you’d need in the field. Attached to her body armor were weapons and gadgets that would make MacGyver green with envy. And while she’s a killer, she’s such a girly-girl. She loves pink anything, kittens and the Italian soldiers because of their tight pants. Laura, Laura, Laura! Any while she oozes confidence in the field, she’s a chicken when it comes to writing. The fear of writing is her “internal Taliban” and the enemy she must beat.
Team 2:
Aramis is from New Mexico/West Texas and is the son of parents who were both also in the Navy. He’s a quiet guy and a little slow to jump, but his work is second to none whether it be writing a story, taking pictures or laying out a magazine. He’s quiet but deadly… in an artsy way. His goal is to go to film school which is something I can totally see in his future. In Afghanistan, we have been told over and over again that we are SOLDIERS FIRST… but even with Taliban coming over the hill… Aramis openly admits he’d rather shoot pictures than fire his weapon. I think I’ll be keeping him far from harms way. Like Monica, this is a genuinely nice person; the type of guy who you’d like to have as a next door neighbor.
Cole will be with Aramis. To be honest, I've met her once for a day. Almost the entire time I've been here, she's been covering stories in the South. I sent her there because she has a real fear of not coming home. I needed her to get over that and the only way to do it is by sending her on a long mission. I've heard great reports that her confidence is growing by leaps and bounds and I couldn't be more thrilled. She comes home today and I hope to sit down with her and learn more about who she is, where she's from and what she plans to do in the future.
Team 3:
John is a young 23-year old Marine. Do I need to say anymore? He is a hard-charging guy who is the most excited about living where the action is. When I told him about moving south, his first question was, “do I get to kill anyone?” I’m sure he meant it to be humorous, but I’m still not 100% he was kidding. John is from New Jersey and dropped out of college after a year to join the Corps. He just wanted to make a difference and college wasn’t fulfilling that patriotic void. He also didn’t want to be one of those guys from high school who never saw any piece of Earth beyond Jersey. John, you now have plenty of stories to share with the guys back home.
Terry arrives in February and he’ll be John’s battle buddy in the south. Until then, John will have to go it alone. Terry and I worked together at my last assignment and I could not be more thrilled he’s joining us… although I’m sure his wife and children have other thoughts. Again, another excellent photographer, writer and graphic designer. Terry is huge Star Wars fan and the only person I know who has actually recreated some of the film’s special effects on his laptop computer. He’s an old guy like me and I know our young Marine will learn a lot from him.
Team 4:
Brenda will be my right-hand person working with me back here at the headquarters so she should immediately get your utmost sympathy. She’s staying here because not only is she’s my most senior person, but I consider her extremely responsible and a good leader. An Air Force Tech Sergeant, she is a buckeye from Ohio like myself. Her parents moved the family from the Cleveland area deep into the countryside when she little. While most would resent their parents for that, Brenda says it taught her humility and appreciation for simple things. It shows in her kind smile and professional attitude. Her 7-year old son Taylor is her pride and joy. Someday when he grows up and hears about his Mom’s service, I’m sure he’ll be very, very proud.
I’d like to use today’s entry to introduce you to them. For security reasons I have to keep it relatively generic.
Team 1:
Monica is from Minnesota and one of the best sailors I’ve ever met. She joined the Navy to earn money to pay for an expensive college education on the East Coast, but I think the Navy has taught her more than any college ever could. An outstanding writer and photographer, she’ll go very far in the Navy… or the civilian world. If she stays Navy, she’s definitely officer material. But her knowledge and ability is only surpassed by her kindness and good nature. This is one genuinely kind person. If my daughter turned out to be just like Monica, I’d be very proud.
Laura is my warrior. She’s a former Air Force military police officer turned photographer. On this most recent trip to the RCs, Laura came equipped with a 200 pound backpack full of everything you’d need in the field. Attached to her body armor were weapons and gadgets that would make MacGyver green with envy. And while she’s a killer, she’s such a girly-girl. She loves pink anything, kittens and the Italian soldiers because of their tight pants. Laura, Laura, Laura! Any while she oozes confidence in the field, she’s a chicken when it comes to writing. The fear of writing is her “internal Taliban” and the enemy she must beat.
Team 2:
Aramis is from New Mexico/West Texas and is the son of parents who were both also in the Navy. He’s a quiet guy and a little slow to jump, but his work is second to none whether it be writing a story, taking pictures or laying out a magazine. He’s quiet but deadly… in an artsy way. His goal is to go to film school which is something I can totally see in his future. In Afghanistan, we have been told over and over again that we are SOLDIERS FIRST… but even with Taliban coming over the hill… Aramis openly admits he’d rather shoot pictures than fire his weapon. I think I’ll be keeping him far from harms way. Like Monica, this is a genuinely nice person; the type of guy who you’d like to have as a next door neighbor.
Cole will be with Aramis. To be honest, I've met her once for a day. Almost the entire time I've been here, she's been covering stories in the South. I sent her there because she has a real fear of not coming home. I needed her to get over that and the only way to do it is by sending her on a long mission. I've heard great reports that her confidence is growing by leaps and bounds and I couldn't be more thrilled. She comes home today and I hope to sit down with her and learn more about who she is, where she's from and what she plans to do in the future.
Team 3:
John is a young 23-year old Marine. Do I need to say anymore? He is a hard-charging guy who is the most excited about living where the action is. When I told him about moving south, his first question was, “do I get to kill anyone?” I’m sure he meant it to be humorous, but I’m still not 100% he was kidding. John is from New Jersey and dropped out of college after a year to join the Corps. He just wanted to make a difference and college wasn’t fulfilling that patriotic void. He also didn’t want to be one of those guys from high school who never saw any piece of Earth beyond Jersey. John, you now have plenty of stories to share with the guys back home.
Terry arrives in February and he’ll be John’s battle buddy in the south. Until then, John will have to go it alone. Terry and I worked together at my last assignment and I could not be more thrilled he’s joining us… although I’m sure his wife and children have other thoughts. Again, another excellent photographer, writer and graphic designer. Terry is huge Star Wars fan and the only person I know who has actually recreated some of the film’s special effects on his laptop computer. He’s an old guy like me and I know our young Marine will learn a lot from him.
Team 4:
Brenda will be my right-hand person working with me back here at the headquarters so she should immediately get your utmost sympathy. She’s staying here because not only is she’s my most senior person, but I consider her extremely responsible and a good leader. An Air Force Tech Sergeant, she is a buckeye from Ohio like myself. Her parents moved the family from the Cleveland area deep into the countryside when she little. While most would resent their parents for that, Brenda says it taught her humility and appreciation for simple things. It shows in her kind smile and professional attitude. Her 7-year old son Taylor is her pride and joy. Someday when he grows up and hears about his Mom’s service, I’m sure he’ll be very, very proud.
Movin' out!!!!!
Yesterday, my boss Captain Windsor, a Royal Navy captain, returned from his two weeks of R&R in London. Before he left, I only got to spend a day or two with him. Captain Windsor is a great guy and someone who I am really going to enjoy working for. While he's extremely knowledgeable about the media and public affairs, he also bringing an almost father-like wisdom to the team. Like myself, he knows the secret to success is taking care of the people who serve under you.
We met around noon to discuss my plan to forward deploy combat camera teams in each of the RCs;North, South and West. When the plan was laid out and the execution date of 1 December was mentioned, Captain Windsor replied, "Why wait? I love it, let's just do it now."
So the answer is "YES" and next Saturday the Multi-Purpose Public Affairs Team will take a quantum leap forward towards operating like a real news department. The plan has been discussed with each of my team members and they are fired up and ready to go. Now all we need to do is move out and start producing product.
My only concern is transmitting the imagry from the forward deployed locations back to the states. I was promised by higher authority the equipment (DVIDS) is in country and ready to be delivered. It is here, I've confirmed that. But now I'm being told it's a little old and banged up and delivery could take a little longer than expected.
Until the DVIDS are in place, I guess I'm just going to have to get creative in working the system. Stay tuned!
We met around noon to discuss my plan to forward deploy combat camera teams in each of the RCs;North, South and West. When the plan was laid out and the execution date of 1 December was mentioned, Captain Windsor replied, "Why wait? I love it, let's just do it now."
So the answer is "YES" and next Saturday the Multi-Purpose Public Affairs Team will take a quantum leap forward towards operating like a real news department. The plan has been discussed with each of my team members and they are fired up and ready to go. Now all we need to do is move out and start producing product.
My only concern is transmitting the imagry from the forward deployed locations back to the states. I was promised by higher authority the equipment (DVIDS) is in country and ready to be delivered. It is here, I've confirmed that. But now I'm being told it's a little old and banged up and delivery could take a little longer than expected.
Until the DVIDS are in place, I guess I'm just going to have to get creative in working the system. Stay tuned!
Friday, November 14, 2008
Sick Bastards!
KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) -- Two men on a motorcycle used water pistols to spray acid on girls walking to school Wednesday in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar, blinding at least two of them, a military spokesperson said. The men escaped after the attack and Arab-language network Al-Jazeera said Taliban militants were suspected to be responsible. Girls were forbidden to attend school under the Taliban which ruled the country from 1996 to 2001 when U.S.-led forces removed them from power.
*It's stories like this that make me proud that we are serving here... and even more proud when I read a report on how many of these sick bastards we have sent back to their creator.
*It's stories like this that make me proud that we are serving here... and even more proud when I read a report on how many of these sick bastards we have sent back to their creator.
Monday, November 10, 2008
A Proud Sun Devil
While passing through Bagram Air Force Base, I stopped by the Pat Tillman USO Center. Pat played football at Arizona State University during my years as a Sun Devil. Tillman was a great American and a perfect example of loyalty and devotion to country. Fork em' Devils!Too sad... and all to common!
Three children killed as old shell explodes in Kabul
KABUL, November 5 (RIA Novosti) - Three children were killed and six injured when an old shell they were playing with exploded in Kabul on Wednesday, a source in the republic's interior ministry said. Blasts caused by old shells left over from years of conflict kill at least 100 children in Afghanistan every year. According to official estimates, the country has a total of 8 million of unexploded devices and rounds of ammunitions on its territory as a result of almost 30 years of hostilities.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
This week's trivia question
So what is the average lifespan in Afghanistan? Believe it or not, it's just 47 years old. Pictured here is the tribal elder of the refugee camp I visited last week. While he looks to me like he's in his 80's, I'm told this old man is actually in his low 50's. Unbelievable!
Hello from Herat
Right now I am sitting in a tent in Herat typing on my laptop while three Italian soldier talk in the background. It’s late and all three are in their sleeping bags on their cots. Their conversation is stereotypical Italian full of male bravado like a scene straight out of “The Godfather.” Too funny! I can only image what they are saying about the lone American who is typing away.
This week’s travels have given me a very good feeling of what it’s like to be the Secretary of State. In the past three days I have had discussions with the Germans, Dutch, British, Spanish and Italians. I’m trying to offer each nation the public affairs support of the United States in telling the world, “their story.”
Currently, my team is a centrally located reactionary force deploying to the scene where news breaks. But because of the size of this country and the poor transportation system, we often get there a day or two after the story is over. That’s why I am visiting each RC. I want to permanently embed a crew in each regional command. This will give us better imagery and a much quicker response time. So far, so good with every regional public affairs officer open to my offer.
Now that I have everyone’s permission, it’s back to Kabul to try and sell my boss on the idea. I think he’ll approve, but what about my team? How will they react to me wanting to send them from the safety of Kabul to the frontlines in the war on terror? Only time will tell.
This week’s travels have given me a very good feeling of what it’s like to be the Secretary of State. In the past three days I have had discussions with the Germans, Dutch, British, Spanish and Italians. I’m trying to offer each nation the public affairs support of the United States in telling the world, “their story.”
Currently, my team is a centrally located reactionary force deploying to the scene where news breaks. But because of the size of this country and the poor transportation system, we often get there a day or two after the story is over. That’s why I am visiting each RC. I want to permanently embed a crew in each regional command. This will give us better imagery and a much quicker response time. So far, so good with every regional public affairs officer open to my offer.
Now that I have everyone’s permission, it’s back to Kabul to try and sell my boss on the idea. I think he’ll approve, but what about my team? How will they react to me wanting to send them from the safety of Kabul to the frontlines in the war on terror? Only time will tell.
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