Facebook Saves Veterans Lives.

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I know that’s a ridiculous statement on its surface. But take a moment to read this post about veterans on Facebook and then I think you’ll see what I’m talking about. While I’m at it, Happy Veteran’s Day to all my brothers and sisters.

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A very good friend of mine has a theory that many veteran’s have a form of slow-rolling Post Traumatic Stress, especially those that have seen combat or collected intelligence. Why those two groups? The first is obvious: getting used to the idea of people trying to kill you never really happens. You adjust to it, make accommodations in your posture, and try to get past it in the end. You see friends wounded. You see friends die. You experience that mind-numbing fear that comes with the knowledge that you might die.

Part of that combat world includes anyone in the military that flew aircraft, drove a tank, served on a ship, or … Yes, those were all forms of combat. Working in the day-to-day environment of the military in peacetime or war exposed you to physical hazards that very few civilians would understand. All of it takes a toll on the men and women involved. The extended periods away from family, the rough working conditions, the danger of flying off of ships, and living underwater all contribute to Post Traumatic Stress in some veterans.

Intelligence collectors take a beating of a different kind – mental. There is a huge stress factor involved in collecting intelligence if you’re worth your oxygen consumption. You want to get it right because others depend on you. Your bad judgement, poor translation, lax attention, and fatigue can cost the lives of the people on the front lines. You try to live inside the head of your opponent: it’s bizarre. Not only do you have to be a serving member in our military, but you have to be a Libyan fighter pilot, a Taliban sniper, a Viet Cong logistics director, or a Soviet tank division commander in your own mind. That’s how the game is played: you become the enemy.

The question is what does this have to do with Facebook?

The answer is 24 hour on-line peer support networks. People who know what it’s like are standing by to assist.

Over the past two years I’ve joined several groups on Facebook that are specifically submarine/intelligence/veteran/cryptologic in their nature. The requirements to join some of them are pretty tight: you must be vetted by members of the group who know that you were engaged in the specific activity of the group. No posers allowed. If we don’t know you, you ain’t getting in the door.

As a result the confidence level that you are talking to a peer is pretty high. The comfort level with exchanging information with them follows along with that knowledge. It leads people to be more open about what they are experiencing at that moment, and it allows a pressure valve to trip when things are too intense.

In the time I’ve been a member of one group in particular, I’ve seen several veterans talk about suicide and their loss of hope. Within minutes (if not seconds) of their posting this cry of distress a peer has responded. Within a very short period of time the conversation has shifted to geographic location, who’s nearby, who can call the person, who knows another vet who’s in the neighborhood. It’s amazing to watch when it happens. Nobody wants another vet to go down to suicide. I leave the suicide hotline numbers up on this blog year round so that people in need can get help right away. Facebook is taking on that role for many of my comrades.

Is it world-class therapy? Nope. Is it licensed and regulated? Nope. Is it frequently crude humor and profane behavior? Yes. Is it the difference in someone making it out of their crisis? Yes. It surely is that if nothing else.

So, to my fellow veterans, and their families, if you have a problem dealing with the stress of your experiences, your depression, your anxiety, and your pain, get online and find a forum for veterans that your are comfortable with today. I can’t stress enough that these online communities are taking the place in modern life that the VFW and American Legion posts did for the returning vets of WWII. Younger vets don’t join those organizations at the same rate they used to, but they are out in cyberspace every day.

If your issues go deeper than needing a boost from others who served, make sure you talk to the VA about getting some help. If the VA doesn’t appeal, get in touch with a local counseling service. Make an effort today (and if you’re the family of a vet with troubles, help them do this!) to reach out and get that help. You matter. You signed that blank check over to Uncle Sam that said you’d pay with your life if needed. Anyone that does that is a friend of mine.

Happy Veteran’s Day. Be well.

Happy Birthday Marines!

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No Sponsorship Sunday this week. We’re celebrating a birthday!

So, this will be a quick post. But one that I hope you read and act upon.

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A few weeks back I wrote about supporting our troops overseas. The importance of those letters and packages is massive when you’re a long way from home. It’s so much a part of me that I felt guilty that I hadn’t put any goodies in the mail for a while. This picture tells the tale.

Happy Campers

Happy Campers


The smiles. The happy looks. The idea that we remembered them. Please take a moment to remember a military member today. Find a friend’s relative overseas and send a letter and a package. Or go to Soldier’s Angel’s and donate. But don’t let another day go by without doing something.

This post is going up on the Marine Corps Birthday because I sent my packages to a Marine Gunnery Sergeant that I know.

Semper Fi, Dusty. You’re in my prayers.

It’s A Man’s Mall.

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This is where I was at 0518 this morning.

The line forms here.

The line forms here.

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It was Orange Friday at Mill’s Fleet Farm. Also known as “The Man’s Mall.” At 0600 they were poised to give away free blaze orange hats to the first 500 in line and gift card scratch off tickets to the first 700. I like free stuff. I love Fleet Farm. I was out anyway since it was right after work.

The line wasn’t bad when I arrived. I was about 150 out on my side of the door, an equivalent line stretched the other direction. By the time they opened the doors (in 21 degree weather) the line was about 1,000 people or more between the two sides.

I got the hat, I got a scratch off that didn’t win. And then I did what every guy does (except those rare birds who like to shop- and I don’t think any read this blog) and I gathered what I needed and blew the pop stand.

Yes, a toilet valve, chocolate covered peanuts, and a 32 ounce summer sausage.

Just the basics.

Just the basics.

That’s how guys shop. Real men don’t walk around touching clothes. I almost bought a couple of pairs of work jeans while I was there, but the last batch still have some life in them. I chuck them when the seams split but not a second earlier. I guess it’s ok to fondle power tools in aisle 19 if you have an urge to check the texture of the casing – and maybe check an axe for sharpness. If there’s spare canning supplies on sale you can grab those as well. But nothing else. You should already be stocked up on ammo so no need to go down there today. (If I’d won the gift card there was a pistol I had my eye on, but since I didn’t win…)

So that’s it. A man’s shopping expedition. Doors opened at 0600. I was on the road again at 0621. And that’s how it should be.

I’d also like to take this opportunity to wish my Marine friends an early Happy Birthday. Semper Fi, my friends.

I'll wish you a Happy Birthday and you'll like it!

I’ll wish you a Happy Birthday and you’ll like it!

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Well, It Sorta Looks Like You…

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Is anyone else disturbed by the ads that feature body-morphed spokespeople?

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I don’t know about the rest of you, but I look at television with a critical eye. I’m always suspicious about what I see in commercials featuring beautiful women.

I like pretty women: I married one! And beautiful females are a blessing to my eyes. But I’m disturbed by how we’re defining that beauty. It is no longer a great smile, nice hair, pleasant demeanor. Nope, we’re taking the female figure and digitally altering it to meet some stereotype that an ad executive has designated as ideal.

Air brushing has gone on for decades. Photos have been cropped, makeup applied, lighting altered, photoshop applied where needed. But now we’re seeing it on television where body shapes are apparently being digitally altered.

Because I don’t need any lawsuits, I’m not going to point a finger and say that’s what happened in a certain commercial that’s currently running nationally. But I do wonder about the delineation shown on parts of the spokesperson’s figure and how her necklace vanishes into the collar line. Kind of looks “funny” to me. You’ll have to be the judge. But next time you see “that” commercial, look at the hemline, hips, collar, etc. It sure looks like Industrial Light And Magic had a whack at it!

Women are beautiful because of who they are, not what they look like. There is a certain physical element to any attraction, but the ones that last are based on personalities and common interests. You start out the race looking one way, finish it looking another way. And if the entire “love” of the affair is based on smooth skin and tight curves it’s got a shelf life shorter than some canned foods. You will change. You will expand, wrinkle, sag, and generally decline.

That’s part of life. And when we digitally alter people to meet an ideal of appearance we send the implicit message to our youngsters that if you’re not beautiful you need to change. You need to have plastic surgery, botox, and a radical diet so that you can be “beautiful.”

I’m opting out. I’m hoping that you’re raising your children to be lovable because they have sterling personalities, not because they have ideal bodies.

You can digitally alter people on the screen, but they have to be in the real world to be loved. I live in that world and love based on that most important feature of all: personality.

That is all. Resume your normal programming.

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You’re Gonna Miss Me When I’m Gone – A Story Of Two Cultures

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This past weekend I attended two very different theatrical events.

The first event was the Matthew West concert at Grace Church in Eden Prairie, Minnesota.

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If you get a chance to see his concert entourage, spend the money and have a great time. 3+ hours of worship and fellowship. Gifted performers, a nice way to spend a Saturday evening. The crowd at Grace was about as Scandinavian as you could get. More blond heads than you’d find in a church in Oslo. Given the population of Minnesota it was about what you’d expect. The crowd was leavened with a few people of other ethnic groups, but in large part it was as white as Lefsa.

Sunday was another story altogether. I attended a production of You’re Gonna Miss Me When I’m Gone at the Eisenhower Community Center in Hopkins. The play is a production of 2nd Chance Productions. The show features Kimberly Brown (warning, autoloading sound file!) a noted Gospel singer and, in full disclosure, a friend of mine who has included me in previous productions.

You're Gonna Miss Me When I'm Gone

You’re Gonna Miss Me When I’m Gone

Written by, produced by, directed by, and featuring William Pierce, it is the story of a clan matriarch Minnie Pearl (Kimberly Brown) trying to enlighten her granddaughter Lakeisha (Cearah Hamilton) in the ways of life, including raising her child without a father in the mix. Ultimately Lakeisha comes to understand that she will miss her grandmother when she’s gone and she’s got to change her life before that happens.

Stage Right.

Stage Right.

The story, actors, audience, and world are the polar opposite of the Matthew West production. If Matthew West were a church in Oslo, this was a church in Harlem.

And that’s where the tragedy lies: both were excellent. Both had Christian values. Both featured great musical performances. Both had talented musicians and performers. Yet the audiences for one would likely not go to see the other.

The real shame is that we are all one family. The production Sunday night featured the folks from the local church’s band. Really great musicians. Fun to listen to in any venue. And the production on Saturday featured folks from the local church’s band that had made it big. What was the difference? Musical styles, worship styles, and skin color.

Underneath both sets of outerwear (skin) were good followers of Jesus. I’m blessed in drifting between the two worlds. I get to enjoy both kinds of worship and music. I don’t feel outcast with either set of friends – KTIS or COGIC. But we exist in isolated worlds. I think God must weep when he sees his people keeping themselves apart. We could all benefit from crossing that line and being with the other group of Christians. 1375106_3523037929988_1476214854_n

Back to the play for a moment. The performances were stellar. I was dazzled by the range of the actors, from the young lead (Cearah Hamilton) to the matriarch of the production (Kimberly Brown.) Comedic timing is something that you are born with, and there were evidently wards of children that had this gift who all worked their way to the stage. I was in stitches repeatedly. Some of the humor is pretty specific to “Black” churches. The foibles and tendencies of the preachers and congregants alike are not usually witnessed in your local Catholic church. Cultural issues are definitely in play here, and my suspicion is that some people not familiar with the worship style at one of these churches wouldn’t get some of the humor. The best solution to that is to attend one of these churches a few times to prepare for the play. Yes, it’s good enough to warrant extra trips to church! (If my pastor is reading this, he’s probably laughing right now. I hope.)

The musical performances were moving both aurally and spiritually. Gifted artists with great voices raised in worship of The Lord. I didn’t know if I was “churching” or watching a play. Really great stuff when they can make you leave the audience and join the cast on stage.

The production is not a “regularly scheduled” event. My hope is that it will be back soon, so that I can take 20 or so of my friends to experience the wonder. And, the message. Because ultimately the message is that we, the adults, need to stand up to the children in our lives and take back the reigns of leadership. We need to help guide them into the proper path for life, both on earth and eternally.

Mr. Pierce and the cast have done a fantastic job with this gem. It’s a joy to watch and a sadness that more didn’t attend. Make sure you keep an eye peeled for it to return. I know I will.