12.24.07
I am able to spend this Christmas at home and not deployed. I guess I should feel appreciative of that. It has been a long road during my tenure in the military. I’d do it all again even knowing how much I would endure at times. The Christmas video I posted means so much to me. The poem in the written form was sent to me a long time ago when I was deployed. The video itself brought tears to my eyes. I am not a very emotional person but some subjects bring me to my knees.
I wanted to post this video and write here because I want to remember my thoughts and my ambitions for this coming year. The greatest gift I can give to my fellow warriors is to help them in some way with this film. This Christmas will come and go and I hope by next Christmas, that I would of been able to deliver any aide or comfort to a Veteran somewhere out there.
Merry Christmas….I won’t forget!
12.20.07
This was voted on months ago. Exactly how the VA really intends to execute this plan will come in time. It will be one of many things that I will be asking members of the VA and members of our government when I get a chance to meet with them. Currently it is not yet completed. The reason, the differences are no resolved! No status in nearly 5 months. So much for it getting into the 2008 budget.
Introduced Mar 15, 2007
Scheduled for Debate Mar 20, 2007
Amendments (13 proposed) [details]
Passed House [details] Mar 28, 2007
Passed Senate Jul 25, 2007
Differences Resolved -
Signed by President -
You can track the status here.
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12.20.07
Today I tucked in away from the white mess that is falling outside and wrote to a few members of my state government. I hope they are receptive to talk about how they have made a difference for Veterans as a whole. After all, these same officials carry a tremendous amount of responsibility that can change the ebb & flow of laws and what will become a bill or not.
12.18.07
We’ll be going out to the home for Veterans in the next week. I am really looking forward to this interview. We will be talking to one of the Program Managers as well as a few resident Veterans. It will be nice to hear the stories of these men and women living there.
I was told that a number of local organizations would be visiting the home and donating items for Christmas. It really warms my heart to hear about these acts of kindness. Receiving things from complete strangers always reminded me just how much people appreciated Veterans. With any luck we can capture some of these exchanges.
On another note, there will be a Intro being posted real soon.
12.14.07
Phil and I were editing the Intro yesterday. We were able to collect about 40 minutes of film but wanted to produce about a 2-3 minute trailer about what this documentary is all about. The north east got pounded with snow yesterday so we are in a winter wonderland. It was bitter sweet to see the snow fall yesterday. This project has really made me aware that so many of my fellow brothers and sisters are on the streets freezing, hungry and most likely without hope.
I can appreciate that I am fortunate but the tides could of very well taken me down a different path. We are not immune to misfortune. Some people just get lucky while others don’t.
I received an email from the director of Harbor Homes. The home for Veterans in my area. We will be allowed to come and film at the premise and speak to a few Veterans. I am really looking forward to this day. I remember when this home was being built. It was a very good feeling to know that there was a safe haven for the local Veterans that were in need.
So great things are on the horizon for the project. Again, if you have a story or know someone who wants to add to this project please email us.
12.12.07
This morning I met with my camera guy, Phil. We wanted to get some footage of me talking about the documentary for an intro/information clip. I decided that the place to do this was outside. There was a bridge in town that I felt was the perfect spot. We talked along the way and discussed the project and what we’d be doing that morning. It’s a great thing to have someone who is just excited about this as I am. We arrived to our location and setup the gear. The weather today was about 40 degrees with a small overcast, the sun was peeking in and out of the clouds. . The location was this bridge that is well over 150 years old. Something about the feel of the location inspired me to film there.
We were about 15 minutes into our filming when an older gentleman walked up to us. He asked about what we were doing. He came across as a very friendly person and genuinely interested so we shared with him the basic synopsis of the film. Come to find out he was a former employee of the VA and a Veteran. We must of spoken for about 20 or so minutes with him. He opened up and reflected on his experience, both with the military and the VA. It was a nice feeling to know that he knew what we were trying to convey in this project. He gave us his name and number and agreed to a follow-up interview on camera.
So we carried on and filmed for another 20 or so minutes. Phil wanted to get some b-roll clips. I am very excited about getting this Intro footage together. We’ll be posting it up as soon as we can.