My good friend Scott Kesterson has released another trailer for his soon to be released documentary. It is as good a trailer as the first one. It is something you will want to see and just one more tease for something that I know will be the documentary of the year once it is out. You can see it at several places.
www.atwarfilm.com/
www.youtube.com/AtWarFilm
www.myspace.com/atwarfilm
Monthly Archives: September 2007
Why I love the President
I will be the first to admit that the President makes mistakes when speaking or appearing in public. Sure he does, he is a down to earth human guy. I believe he has made mistakes when it comes to oversight of the two wars going on right now too. That happens as he can only make decisions that he believes are the best based on information fed to him and the advice of his closest advisers. EVERY President has made mistakes in their decisions during time of war. Washington, Lincoln, Roosevelt, and all the rest. If you think that any President is perfect in their decision making process, then you live in a fantasy land and you need to get off of the drugs you are on.
He makes mistakes, he fumbles words, and he speaks before he thinks sometimes. Ok, and that is different from each one of us how? I have done that and just about anyone I know very well and have spent time around have done the same things. He is not a slick and slipping kind of guy that puts of a good image for the cameras. We had one of them once, for two terms and his name was Clinton. He looked good and put on a good face, even while he was gutting the military, getting BJs in the white house and worst yet lying to the American people time and time again. He had no idea of ethical leadership or integrity. If looking good but not being ethical is your idea of a good leader then he was your guy. I had the chance to personally meet him while I was stationed in Alaska. I did not consider him a man worthwhile of being called President and turned down the offer to sit with Bill Clinton. I had no desire to be in the same room with the guy.
For me, I would rather have a true leader that does what is truly best for the country, but may fumble his words every once in a while. I will take that any day over Slick Willy. The guy believes in this country and truly feels that he is at the service of the people of this country.
My fellow blogger, CJ from over at Soldier’s Perspective was invited along with 9 other bloggers to sit down and talk with the President in the White House last Friday. I am truly proud of all of them and also jealous, I admit it. What an opportunity to be able to do that. I would have given anything to have that chance. CJ has done a great job in writing up his after action report on the meeting and his perception of the President during the meeting. You can read CJ’s report over on the VA Mortgage Center website at www.vamortgagecenter.com/blog/2007/09/16/white-house/.
Don’t worry, I too have a major announcement coming up within the next couple of weeks. I am very excited over this one, but must wait a while longer before I say anything. So keep an eye here to see the announcement when it comes out.
Stay with us Canada
Back on June 25th, 2007 The Buffalo News ran a story that they did on myself and two of the guys that were with me in Afghanistan (Rog-O and Mouse). In that story we told the reporter that all of us felt it would be another 10 years (at the soonest) before NATO forces could leave the security of the country to their own forces. We were not being pessimistic, or optimistic, but we were just being realistic. This estimate was not just based on the soldiers we worked with. It was based on those soldiers, soldiers that other ETTs worked with, what we saw of the local populous and overall infrastructure of the country while we were there. There have also been several think-tanks and study groups which have given similar estimates of 10-15 years before the country can take over its own security.
Well it seems that there are finally those in position of power whom are starting to be somewhat honest. The President of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai stated on Tuesday that there is no way his country will succeed without the help of Canadian troops beyond February 2009. Canada’s current mandate states that their forces should be pulled out by then. The Canadian Army is one of just a few non-US countries that truly participates in constant and direct combat with the enemy. The Canadians, Brits, Polish, and US forces are the only ones in the south and southeast parts of the country where all the fighting is happening. Losing the Canadians would have a terrible impact on the war over there.
You can read more about Karzai’s comments at www.cbc.ca/world/story/2007/09/18/karzai-canada.html?ref=rss
Stuff that keeps me up at night
This is a classic example of stuff that keeps me up at night. These two countries are some of the last ones that should have weapons like this and apparently they are not capable of handling them. I just read this story on www.Foxnews.com and had to post this. Seeing that they were doing this in secret and it is just now coming out, worries me even more.
I sure hope the global community jumps on this and gets involved, before all of us are having to wear a gas-mask every day to and from work.
www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1189411428847&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
View the latest on VAMC blog
When you get a chance, check out the latest entry I have written for the VA Mortgage Center blog over at www.vamortgagecenter.com/blog/2007/09/12/va-hospitals-continue-to-improve/
Update from Scott
I got a new update from Scott Kesterson tonight, and am glad to announce that he has a trailer out now for the documentary. He also has a new website setup and he is posting his updates on the making of the film on this site. The old URL points to the new site, but you can just bookmark the new one at www.atwarfilm.com. The new trailer looks great and I was glad to see Maj D, MSG W and Prophet all featured in it. You have to watch closely and know them well to spot them quickly in it.
Anyway, head on over to www.atwarfilm.com and check out the new trailer, the blog and the bios of Scott and David.
Six years later…
A lot has happened in the last six years and of course just as the world would never be the same after the morning on September 11th, 2001, it is still true today. Six years ago on this day I was working as an independent consultant for General Motors. I had flown to Boston on the 10th and stayed up all night performing systems load tests in the off hours. Now six years later I fly to Los Angeles on September 10th, and am currently on a project for LA county.
Six years ago I would have never guessed that I would one day be standing in the largest city in the USA with a uniform on and fully loaded weapons over-watching US citizens. Six years ago I would have never guessed that I would one day be walking around in Afghanistan. Six years ago I surely would have never imagined that I would participate in yet another war within my lifetime. Six years ago I would have never thought that I would live the nightmare of losing soldiers of mine at the hands of our enemies or lose friends to those enemies also.
A lot has happened in the last six years as I sit here today thinking of that day on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. I was staying at a Marriot Courtyard in Framingham, MA and now, on Tuesday, September 11, 2007 I am sitting in a Marriot Courtyard in El Monte, CA. During that six year time-span; my youngest Son, Hunter, was born. I have had countless friends wounded in combat and several killed. I have deployed on four separate occasions to NYC to help protect the people there. I walked into the pit that used to be under the two tallest buildings in NYC. I have seen men decapitated, their skulls split open with their brains sitting next to them, friends blown up, parts and pieces of a human scattered like trash in a windstorm and experienced things that will forever change my life. I lost a dear and best friend to a tragic motorcycle accident also in the last six years. I have also made several new and very close friends. Two of those are two guys that spent the last year with me in Afghanistan. The three of us were together the whole time and ended up being roommates for essentially the entire year. Nick (Puss) and Ron (Prophet) are two guys who will always be close to my heart and guys that I have a bond with which most people can never understand.
So both good and bad things have happened since that Tuesday morning in 2001, and regardless of what happens in the future that day will Never Be Forgotten.