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Military Families share golf memories at Tiger Woods tournament 090702

Image by familymwr
PHOTO CAPTION: AT&T National tournament host Tiger Woods, the top-ranked golfer in the world with 14 major victories on his resume, competes in the third annual Earl Woods Memorial Pro-Am on July 1 at Congressional Country Club. He dedicates the tournament to the men and women of the U.S. military. (Photo by Tim Hipps, FMWRC Public Affairs)

www.armymwr.com

Military Families share golf memories at Tiger Woods tournament 090702

By Rob McIlvaine
FMWRC Public Affairs

The 2009 AT&T National at the Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Md., brings golf’s finest stars to the nation’s capital while raising funds for the Tiger Woods Foundation and paying tribute to the Armed Forces. The top 120 PGA Tour professionals from around the world are competing for million in prize money.

It takes place from June 30 through Monday, July 5, and is hosted by Tiger Woods.

“I’ve dabbled in golf for a couple of years, but the chance to get out here to see possibly the greatest golfer of all time is thrilling for us,” said Col. Greg Linberis, who started his career in special forces with the National Guard.

His son, Zachary, who joins the U.S. Army Band next year after college graduation, agreed.
“I have a job at the golf course in Sterling and get the chance to play a little more often,” Zachary said. “Watching Tiger Woods and even Tony Romo is inspiring for us.”

The line-up includes newly crowned U.S. Open champion Lucas Glover, defending champion Anthony Kim, three-time major winner Vijay Singh, former U.S. Open champion Jim Furyk, Sean O’Hair, and former Masters champion Mike Weir. Each are competing for the winner’s check of .8 million.

Lt. Cmdr. Larry Hand retired from the Navy this past January after serving 25 years, the last 15 on board submarines.

He and his wife, Rhonda, came out to watch Tiger and the other professionals for the entire week, staying at a hotel in Bethesda.

“This is a great tournament for the military. After watching it on TV the past two years, it’s wonderful we finally have the chance to walk with these great athletes,” Hand said.

“I didn’t get the free tickets Tiger offered. I just went online and ordered the whole week’s worth so we could spend the 4th of July weekend together and watch how golf is really played,” Hand said.

Tournament officials distributed 30,000 complimentary tickets to the U.S. military. The tickets were distributed by the Pentagon’s Army ITT/ITR office on a first-come, first-served basis. Tickets were available for all active duty, reserve, retired, and DoD civilian personnel.

Military Families also were able to sign up online for the chance to meet Tiger.

“We found out we won the contest to meet Tiger about a month ago,” Brad Morris happily announced.

Morris, now retired from the Virginia National Guard, spent 2004 in Iraq.

“We were told they had record sales so the odds of us winning had to be pretty great,” Morris said.

He and wife, Lisa, were treated with many amenities.

“Because we live so close, rather than the plane ride that was part of the winnings, a car was sent to pick us up and drop us off at a Bethesda hotel for three days,” Lisa said.

“I’ve been playing golf for 25 years, but this has to be the most fun we’ve had on a golf course thanks to the Tiger Woods Foundation,” Morris said.

Besides the car ride and the hotel, they also received a Clubhouse pass and attended the Pairings Party where the amateur and professional players are paired up for the tourney.

“What Tiger and his Foundation are doing for the military, and especially our wounded warriors, is really something. We think it’s incredible when celebrities, or anybody for that matter, do anything for our soldiers who are following orders into harm’s way,” Morris said.

Col. Ernest Lockrow, currently Chief of Integrated Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Walter Reed Medical Center, has spent the last 32 years in the military.

“I began my military career as an E-1 in 1976 and then went to West Point. I really like to watch the game of golf so I come out here every year,” Lockrow said.

“All of us very much appreciate what Tiger has done to honor the military. That’s the other reason I like to come out here and what a nice day it is,” Lockrow said.

Greg Kidd, retired from the Army since 1995, caddies part time at Congressional Country Club.
Now a top-rated caddie, Kidd has caddied for many pros and also Speaker of the House Tip O’Neill, President Gerald Ford and President Bill Clinton.

“I’ve been coming out here, off and on, since 1972. It’s a good feeling to be part of this tournament,” Kidd said.

Military service members also had the chance to volunteer to help out during the week of the tournament. One of the jobs was to act as starter – a person who announces the players, at each tee.

Staff Sgt. Nick Stanisci with the National Guard Bureau in Arlington is a budget analyst for the recruiting command. But Wednesday, both pros and amateurs looked for him to announce them at the 11th Tee.

“An email was sent out asking for volunteers so here I am. This is my first opportunity for this event,” he said.

A golfer with a handicap of 22, Stanisci understands the game’s triumphs and pitfalls.

“The sound of Tiger hitting the ball…it’s rare to hear the loud crack as he compresses the ball and hits it down the fairway. But not every day can be your best no matter how great you are.

Tiger was the only one so far who put the ball in the water at hole 10,” Stanisci said with a smile on his face.

The military Families had the chance to get some rest from the day’s events at the Lockheed Martin Military Pavilion. Located between the third green and the fourth tee, the pavilion was open to all military ticket holders and provided a VIP experience which included snacks, beverages and a prime viewing area.

Antonio Renovales and his extended Family were taking in the sights underneath an umbrella outside the pavilion.

Renovales, of Puerto Rico, served five years in the U.S. Navy during Korea. His daughter, Norma, retired from the Air Force Reserves after serving 24 years. His son-in-law, Staff Sgt. Frankie Alvarez, retired from the Army after spending 28 “glorious” years in service to his country.

Even though the MWR office was all out of tickets, they were told to go over and show their IDs to be let in.

“We had no problems,” Alvarez said.

Although no one else in his Family, plays golf, Frankie and his son, Alejandro, 17, both play the game.

“We really wanted to see Tiger play but we also appreciate how he supports the military. There’s no better way than giving away tickets, but he does so much more. He gives a lot of his time and earnings to help others,” Alvarez said.

Programs developed and supported by the Tiger Woods Foundation, begun in 1996, all share a similar mission of empowering young people to dream big and set specific goals to achieve their dreams. Programs of the foundation include the Tiger Woods Learning Center, an education facility located in Orange County, Calif., Tiger’s Action Plan, a nationwide character development program, and the Earl Woods Scholarship Fund, a program celebrating Earl Woods’ lifelong dedication to helping young people achieve their dreams.


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ks100920

A Sharing of Cultures

Image by vanhookc
1. A Sharing of Cultures, 2. Kosovo and Germany, 3. Brazil and Kazakhstan, 4. Hungary and Nigeria

Created with fd's Flickr Toys

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Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center: SR-71 Blackbird (nose view)

Image by Chris Devers
See more photos of this, and the Wikipedia article.

Details, quoting from Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum | Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird:

No reconnaissance aircraft in history has operated globally in more hostile airspace or with such complete impunity than the SR-71, the world's fastest jet-propelled aircraft. The Blackbird's performance and operational achievements placed it at the pinnacle of aviation technology developments during the Cold War.

This Blackbird accrued about 2,800 hours of flight time during 24 years of active service with the U.S. Air Force. On its last flight, March 6, 1990, Lt. Col. Ed Yielding and Lt. Col. Joseph Vida set a speed record by flying from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C., in 1 hour, 4 minutes, and 20 seconds, averaging 3,418 kilometers (2,124 miles) per hour. At the flight's conclusion, they landed at Washington-Dulles International Airport and turned the airplane over to the Smithsonian.

Transferred from the United States Air Force.

Manufacturer:
Lockheed Aircraft Corporation

Designer:
Clarence L. "Kelly" Johnson

Date:
1964

Country of Origin:
United States of America

Dimensions:
Overall: 18ft 5 15/16in. x 55ft 7in. x 107ft 5in., 169998.5lb. (5.638m x 16.942m x 32.741m, 77110.8kg)
Other: 18ft 5 15/16in. x 107ft 5in. x 55ft 7in. (5.638m x 32.741m x 16.942m)

Materials:
Titanium

Physical Description:
Twin-engine, two-seat, supersonic strategic reconnaissance aircraft; airframe constructed largley of titanium and its alloys; vertical tail fins are constructed of a composite (laminated plastic-type material) to reduce radar cross-section; Pratt and Whitney J58 (JT11D-20B) turbojet engines feature large inlet shock cones.

Long Description:
No reconnaissance aircraft in history has operated in more hostile airspace or with such complete impunity than the SR-71 Blackbird. It is the fastest aircraft propelled by air-breathing engines. The Blackbird's performance and operational achievements placed it at the pinnacle of aviation technology developments during the Cold War. The airplane was conceived when tensions with communist Eastern Europe reached levels approaching a full-blown crisis in the mid-1950s. U.S. military commanders desperately needed accurate assessments of Soviet worldwide military deployments, particularly near the Iron Curtain. Lockheed Aircraft Corporation's subsonic U-2 (see NASM collection) reconnaissance aircraft was an able platform but the U. S. Air Force recognized that this relatively slow aircraft was already vulnerable to Soviet interceptors. They also understood that the rapid development of surface-to-air missile systems could put U-2 pilots at grave risk. The danger proved reality when a U-2 was shot down by a surface to air missile over the Soviet Union in 1960.

Lockheed's first proposal for a new high speed, high altitude, reconnaissance aircraft, to be capable of avoiding interceptors and missiles, centered on a design propelled by liquid hydrogen. This proved to be impracticable because of considerable fuel consumption. Lockheed then reconfigured the design for conventional fuels. This was feasible and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), already flying the Lockheed U-2, issued a production contract for an aircraft designated the A-12. Lockheed's clandestine 'Skunk Works' division (headed by the gifted design engineer Clarence L. "Kelly" Johnson) designed the A-12 to cruise at Mach 3.2 and fly well above 18,288 m (60,000 feet). To meet these challenging requirements, Lockheed engineers overcame many daunting technical challenges. Flying more than three times the speed of sound generates 316° C (600° F) temperatures on external aircraft surfaces, which are enough to melt conventional aluminum airframes. The design team chose to make the jet's external skin of titanium alloy to which shielded the internal aluminum airframe. Two conventional, but very powerful, afterburning turbine engines propelled this remarkable aircraft. These power plants had to operate across a huge speed envelope in flight, from a takeoff speed of 334 kph (207 mph) to more than 3,540 kph (2,200 mph). To prevent supersonic shock waves from moving inside the engine intake causing flameouts, Johnson's team had to design a complex air intake and bypass system for the engines.

Skunk Works engineers also optimized the A-12 cross-section design to exhibit a low radar profile. Lockheed hoped to achieve this by carefully shaping the airframe to reflect as little transmitted radar energy (radio waves) as possible, and by application of special paint designed to absorb, rather than reflect, those waves. This treatment became one of the first applications of stealth technology, but it never completely met the design goals.

Test pilot Lou Schalk flew the single-seat A-12 on April 24, 1962, after he became airborne accidentally during high-speed taxi trials. The airplane showed great promise but it needed considerable technical refinement before the CIA could fly the first operational sortie on May 31, 1967 - a surveillance flight over North Vietnam. A-12s, flown by CIA pilots, operated as part of the Air Force's 1129th Special Activities Squadron under the "Oxcart" program. While Lockheed continued to refine the A-12, the U. S. Air Force ordered an interceptor version of the aircraft designated the YF-12A. The Skunk Works, however, proposed a "specific mission" version configured to conduct post-nuclear strike reconnaissance. This system evolved into the USAF's familiar SR-71.

Lockheed built fifteen A-12s, including a special two-seat trainer version. Two A-12s were modified to carry a special reconnaissance drone, designated D-21. The modified A-12s were redesignated M-21s. These were designed to take off with the D-21 drone, powered by a Marquart ramjet engine mounted on a pylon between the rudders. The M-21 then hauled the drone aloft and launched it at speeds high enough to ignite the drone's ramjet motor. Lockheed also built three YF-12As but this type never went into production. Two of the YF-12As crashed during testing. Only one survives and is on display at the USAF Museum in Dayton, Ohio. The aft section of one of the "written off" YF-12As which was later used along with an SR-71A static test airframe to manufacture the sole SR-71C trainer. One SR-71 was lent to NASA and designated YF-12C. Including the SR-71C and two SR-71B pilot trainers, Lockheed constructed thirty-two Blackbirds. The first SR-71 flew on December 22, 1964. Because of extreme operational costs, military strategists decided that the more capable USAF SR-71s should replace the CIA's A-12s. These were retired in 1968 after only one year of operational missions, mostly over southeast Asia. The Air Force's 1st Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron (part of the 9th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing) took over the missions, flying the SR-71 beginning in the spring of 1968.

After the Air Force began to operate the SR-71, it acquired the official name Blackbird-- for the special black paint that covered the airplane. This paint was formulated to absorb radar signals, to radiate some of the tremendous airframe heat generated by air friction, and to camouflage the aircraft against the dark sky at high altitudes.

Experience gained from the A-12 program convinced the Air Force that flying the SR-71 safely required two crew members, a pilot and a Reconnaissance Systems Officer (RSO). The RSO operated with the wide array of monitoring and defensive systems installed on the airplane. This equipment included a sophisticated Electronic Counter Measures (ECM) system that could jam most acquisition and targeting radar. In addition to an array of advanced, high-resolution cameras, the aircraft could also carry equipment designed to record the strength, frequency, and wavelength of signals emitted by communications and sensor devices such as radar. The SR-71 was designed to fly deep into hostile territory, avoiding interception with its tremendous speed and high altitude. It could operate safely at a maximum speed of Mach 3.3 at an altitude more than sixteen miles, or 25,908 m (85,000 ft), above the earth. The crew had to wear pressure suits similar to those worn by astronauts. These suits were required to protect the crew in the event of sudden cabin pressure loss while at operating altitudes.

To climb and cruise at supersonic speeds, the Blackbird's Pratt & Whitney J-58 engines were designed to operate continuously in afterburner. While this would appear to dictate high fuel flows, the Blackbird actually achieved its best "gas mileage," in terms of air nautical miles per pound of fuel burned, during the Mach 3+ cruise. A typical Blackbird reconnaissance flight might require several aerial refueling operations from an airborne tanker. Each time the SR-71 refueled, the crew had to descend to the tanker's altitude, usually about 6,000 m to 9,000 m (20,000 to 30,000 ft), and slow the airplane to subsonic speeds. As velocity decreased, so did frictional heat. This cooling effect caused the aircraft's skin panels to shrink considerably, and those covering the fuel tanks contracted so much that fuel leaked, forming a distinctive vapor trail as the tanker topped off the Blackbird. As soon as the tanks were filled, the jet's crew disconnected from the tanker, relit the afterburners, and again climbed to high altitude.

Air Force pilots flew the SR-71 from Kadena AB, Japan, throughout its operational career but other bases hosted Blackbird operations, too. The 9th SRW occasionally deployed from Beale AFB, California, to other locations to carryout operational missions. Cuban missions were flown directly from Beale. The SR-71 did not begin to operate in Europe until 1974, and then only temporarily. In 1982, when the U.S. Air Force based two aircraft at Royal Air Force Base Mildenhall to fly monitoring mission in Eastern Europe.

When the SR-71 became operational, orbiting reconnaissance satellites had already replaced manned aircraft to gather intelligence from sites deep within Soviet territory. Satellites could not cover every geopolitical hotspot so the Blackbird remained a vital tool for global intelligence gathering. On many occasions, pilots and RSOs flying the SR-71 provided information that proved vital in formulating successful U. S. foreign policy. Blackbird crews provided important intelligence about the 1973 Yom Kippur War, the Israeli invasion of Lebanon and its aftermath, and pre- and post-strike imagery of the 1986 raid conducted by American air forces on Libya. In 1987, Kadena-based SR-71 crews flew a number of missions over the Persian Gulf, revealing Iranian Silkworm missile batteries that threatened commercial shipping and American escort vessels.

As the performance of space-based surveillance systems grew, along with the effectiveness of ground-based air defense networks, the Air Force started to lose enthusiasm for the expensive program and the 9th SRW ceased SR-71 operations in January 1990. Despite protests by military leaders, Congress revived the program in 1995. Continued wrangling over operating budgets, however, soon led to final termination. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration retained two SR-71As and the one SR-71B for high-speed research projects and flew these airplanes until 1999.

On March 6, 1990, the service career of one Lockheed SR-71A Blackbird ended with a record-setting flight. This special airplane bore Air Force serial number 64-17972. Lt. Col. Ed Yeilding and his RSO, Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Vida, flew this aircraft from Los Angeles to Washington D.C. in 1 hour, 4 minutes, and 20 seconds, averaging a speed of 3,418 kph (2,124 mph). At the conclusion of the flight, '972 landed at Dulles International Airport and taxied into the custody of the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum. At that time, Lt. Col. Vida had logged 1,392.7 hours of flight time in Blackbirds, more than that of any other crewman.

This particular SR-71 was also flown by Tom Alison, a former National Air and Space Museum's Chief of Collections Management. Flying with Detachment 1 at Kadena Air Force Base, Okinawa, Alison logged more than a dozen '972 operational sorties. The aircraft spent twenty-four years in active Air Force service and accrued a total of 2,801.1 hours of flight time.

Wingspan: 55'7"
Length: 107'5"
Height: 18'6"
Weight: 170,000 Lbs

Reference and Further Reading:

Crickmore, Paul F. Lockheed SR-71: The Secret Missions Exposed. Oxford: Osprey Publishing, 1996.

Francillon, Rene J. Lockheed Aircraft Since 1913. Annapolis, Md.: Naval Institute Press, 1987.

Johnson, Clarence L. Kelly: More Than My Share of It All. Washington D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1985.

Miller, Jay. Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works. Leicester, U.K.: Midland Counties Publishing Ltd., 1995.

Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird curatorial file, Aeronautics Division, National Air and Space Museum.

DAD, 11-11-01

I Heart Camera Toss

Image by Neanderthal EAJ
This photo was created as part of a multi-photographer Camera Toss Group collaboration.

The pattern primitive image used with permission and under the terms of the Creative Commons; Attribution, Non-Commercial, Share-Alike 2.0 license.

See Shared Source Collaboration #1 and results.See also all results of such themes.

This photo was created as part of a multi-photographer Camera Toss Group collaboration.

The pattern primitive image used with permission and under the terms of the Creative Commons; Attribution, Non-Commercial, Share-Alike 2.0 license.

See Shared Source Collaboration #1 and results.See also all results of such themes.

Target Display on Apple 23 inch Cinema Display.

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MEDREACH 11, Soldiers share CLS, Malawi, May 2011

Image by US Army Africa
Army Maj. Jack Twomey, a 399th Combat Support Hospital nurse and instructor during Medreach 11, describes the Malawi Defense Force troops’ performance to international observers following a field training exercise testing their combat lifesaving skills.

DOD photo by Donna Miles

Army Sgt. 1st Class Chris Richey knows a lot about battlefield medicine. With three deployments -- one to Kosovo and two to Iraq -- and more than 400 combat convoy missions under his belt, he’s learned a thing or two about combat casualty care.

During his most recent deployment, as part of the troop surge in Iraq from 2007 to 2008, he shared what he’s learned as a military transition team advisor to Iraqi security force medics.

So when Richey, a training noncommissioned officer with the Army Reserve’s 399th Combat Support Hospital, arrived here to train Malawian defense forces during Medreach 11, the Malawi soldiers were all ears.

“It gave me a lot of credibility,” Richey said as he sat alongside his students preparing for a field training exercise that would put some of the lessons imparted during the past 10 days to the test.

Medreach 11 is a U.S. Army Africa-run exercise designed to enhance U.S. and Malawian military medical capabilities and enhance the two militaries’ ability to work together during a humanitarian emergency or other crisis.

In addition to humanitarian and civic assistance outreach projects, a major emphasis during the exercise was on training: in the classroom, in training lanes and ultimately, during a field training exercise.

The Malawians shared with their American counterparts insights into how they identify and treat tropical diseases and HIV, and were anxious to hear about a variety of U.S. treatment techniques. But what they most wanted to tap into was the wealth of experience the U.S. military has developed over the past decade in providing combat medicine and trauma care. It’s of particular interest now that Malawi has deployed a battalion of about 850 soldiers to support a U.N. peacekeeping mission in the Ivory Coast.

The U.S. military has learned many lessons about field medicine during the past 10 years of war, particularly the importance of combat lifesavers who provide that first critical “golden hour” care to wounded troops, Col. Marcus De Oliveira, U.S. Army Africa chief of staff, said.

In addition to incorporating these lessons into its own operations, the U.S. military shares them with partners, such as Malawi, that may need to draw on them during peacekeeping or other operations, he said.

Brig. Gen. (Dr.) Alfred Chitsa Banda, director of the Malawi Defense Force’s medical service, said he hopes to develop combat lifesaver expertise among his own troops based on the U.S. example. So in support of that request, medical teams from the 399th Combat Support Hospital conducted a variety of instruction during Medreach 11, much of it focusing on combat lifesaver instruction.

The 399th instructors applied the “crawl, walk, run” approach to the training, explained Army Sgt. 1st Class Joleen Millette, the 399th’s NCO in charge of plans and operations. Classroom instruction advanced to hands-on practical exercises, as the Malawian medics practiced triaging casualties and moving them -- with a litter, if one was available, and if not, using a belt, sling or fellow soldier to help.

Lanes training culminated the training, with a litter-carry course set up on an obstacle course at the Kamuzu Barracks complex. The Malawian medics carried casualties through five different stations on the course, taking turns so each soldier got to lead the team.

“We made it stressful for them, but I think they loved it, from what they told us,” Millette said. “And we loved doing it, too. The way I see this, we’re paying it forward, teaching them what we have learned from our own experience.”

Millette said the unit’s combat deployments brought credibility and value to the training. “We have been there,” she said, citing her own deployment to Contingency Operating Base Speicher in Tikrit, Iraq, from June 2006 to October 2007. “We have touched it and we have seen it and we have been there.”

Yesterday’s field-training exercise put the Malawian troops’ skills to the test in a realistic combat scenario. As a convoy advanced down the roadway, the second vehicle was hit by a simulated improvised explosive device, followed by an ambush. The troops quickly dismounted to suppress the ambush, then established security as soldiers exercised their new combat lifesaver skills on the casualties.

The “casualties” were moulaged to reflect their wounds. One soldier was “killed” during the attack. One suffered a gunshot wound to the neck, and another had a sucking chest wound. Two had less-threatening injuries: a leg fracture and bruises.

With red smoke still choking the ground, litter teams rushed in to triage the wounded and transport them to advanced-level care at a field hospital configured in a tent at the barracks compound.

“What you just saw was care under fire,” Army Maj. Jack Twomey, a 399th Combat Support Hospital nurse, told international observers attending the demonstration. It’s a time of quick decision-making for troops on the ground, he explained. A tourniquet applied to stop bleeding or an airway cleared to restore breathing can make the difference between life and death.

“It was good training,” Malawian Staff Sgt. George Matubwa said after the exercise. “We learned how to react to an ambush, both medically and tactically, and how to get the casualties and move them to advanced care.”

As the field hospital team went to work on the casualties, Malawi Defense Force Maj. Edward Mandala, the senior clinical officer, reflected on the increased confidence his soldiers showed in applying life-saving skills and moving casualties from the point of injury.

In addition to getting a refresher on their basic skills, the 399th classes had introduced them to new ones such as how to operate in a biological environment or conduct a mass casualty evacuation, he said.

Richey, who accompanied the Malawian soldiers through the field training exercise, gave their performance a thumbs up. “I love it when good training all comes together,” he said.

Citing his own experience, Richey said the training the Malawian soldiers received during Medreach 11 will provide a foundation for them to draw on when and if it’s needed.

“No scenario is ever the same,” he said. “You train from A to Z. Then, when you actually get in there, that training kicks in. As you are sizing up the scene, it all comes to you.”


To learn more about U.S. Army Africa visit our official website at www.usaraf.army.mil

Official Twitter Feed: www.twitter.com/usarmyafrica

Official Vimeo video channel: www.vimeo.com/usarmyafrica

Join the U.S. Army Africa conversation on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ArmyAfrica

Georgia Guardsman share a meal with local Afghan leaders after tribal meeting

Image by The National Guard
NANGARHAR, Afghanistan (Nov. 15, 2009) 108th Cavalry Rough Riders share a meal with local government, security force and tribal leaders after a shura, or tribal meeting, at the Achin District Center in Nangarhar. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Tracy J. Smith, 48th IBCT PAO)

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Value Unused = Waste

Image by Kevin Krejci
My Grandma always said "waste not, want not"... Lisa Gansky has written the book on the subject. Check out her excellent: "The Mesh: Why the Future of Business is Sharing"

Photo taken at Web 2.0 Summit 2010 in San Francisco, CA.

Board at work

Image by Christmas w/a K
My bulletin board door at work - top is some fave images; bottom is mindful work content. Latest addition is the set of re-purposed business cards, inspired by hipster PDA and slip method. I wrote those up in my first weeks, and after a year - these themes hold up completely. Now posted for Constant Vigilance!

Georgia Chaplain, Shepherd of good will at Atlas Drop, April 2011

Image by US Army Africa
A young boy smiles during a visit by Chaplain (Capt.) Andy Shepherd of Moreland, Ga., 3rd Squadron, 108th Cavalry Regiment, Georgia National Guard, and other U.S. Soldiers to the Ududui Primary School near Soroti, Uganda, April 15.

Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Brock Jones, 128th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment, Utah Army National Guard

To learn more about U.S. Army Africa visit our official website at www.usaraf.army.mil

Official Twitter Feed: www.twitter.com/usarmyafrica

Official Vimeo video channel: www.vimeo.com/usarmyafrica

Join the U.S. Army Africa conversation on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ArmyAfrica

Training in remote areas like the one in Soroti, Uganda, for Atlas Drop 11
gives U.S. and host-nation Soldiers the opportunity to share knowledge, tactics and skills. The training is rigorous; days are often long and the nights short.

Maintaining the spiritual needs of Soldiers is an important task, the responsibility of chaplains and their assistants.

Chaplain (Capt.) Andy Shepherd of Moreland, Ga., a chaplain assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 108th Cavalry Regiment, Georgia National Guard, and his assistant, Sgt. Desmond Manning of Stockbridge, Ga., spent their time during Atlas Drop 11 attending to the spiritual needs of U.S. Soldiers and provided counseling services.

Their job didn’t end at the edge of the drop zone; both Shepherd and Manning reached out to the surrounding communities.

“I just went out one day walking downtown to pick up some supplies,” said Shepherd. “The locals were really glad to see us, and that really just touched my heart. That really just put a drive in me to go visit more people out in the community to let them know we’re here and that we care — and as a chaplain, as a Christian — just to show the love of God and that I do care, that I am concerned.”

That first walk around Soroti sparked a desire in Shepherd and Manning to get out more and meet people and visit schools, churches and orphanages to assess their needs and what they could do to help. Since that first walk they played soccer and prayed with school children, talked to numerous clergy from various faiths about their ministries and shook hundreds of hands. This was all this in addition to taking care of and talking to Ugandan and U.S. Soldiers.

Shepherd said the people of the Soroti area have touched his heart during his short stay.

“Going out into the community has really affected me in several ways,” he said. “One, it has really humbled me as a person, to see how the people live here and how they are so happy and enjoying life with so little. And also it has really affected me spiritually. I have been touched and challenged to, even when I leave here, continue to give to some of the places that I have visited. I feel just kind of challenged to do more.”

Manning said he was deeply moved by the people he has met and the lives they lead.

“It’s really touched me just to see the kinds of conditions the people live in. It’s something that I will take with me the rest of my life,” he said. “I go to bed and I cannot sleep. I just lie there going over all the things I saw during the day.”

In coming to Uganda, Manning was focused on providing spiritual support for Soldiers, but after going out and meeting people and seeing the conditions in the schools, his desire to also provide spiritually for the people in Soroti grew.

“Maybe we cannot give them the material things that they need, but we can provide them a little support and let them know that there’s a God, that there’s hope,” he said. “That’s what we do as chaplains and chaplain assistants: We reach out not just to our people, but we go out there and give what support we can give.”

When Atlas Drop 11 ends, Shepherd and Manning will both return to Georgia, having done their best to follow the scriptural admonitions of going the extra mile and succoring the weak that they believe in deeply. It is also likely that both of them would say that they wish they could have done more.

“This experience in Uganda has also been a blessing to me, to experience the people here and how they have so much hope with the few resources they have,” said Shepherd. “It has really challenged me to figure out ways to minister and show the love of God to the Ugandans. I have been very fortunate to have this experience. I think it’s something that I will never forget.”

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WeShareMusic - E-Play

Image by Exit Festival
Free Download E-Play:
exitmusic.tv/label

More info: eng.exitfest.org/news-all-fiktivni-94/12000-we-share-music

Photo by: Jovan Djokic

Un nouveau départ

Image by Xavier Donat
Large Version (recommended) | Browse on Black | Slideshow

A new start

I just got my new D300, Papa Noel did ROCK this year !!
It's an amazing upgrade to the D70.
It has nothing to do actually with the D70. The sound of the mirror clapping feels so professional. Now I have to prove I deserve it... and I will show here I do, hehe.

At the occasion I created a new visual identity: (the same I use in lightroom)
xdnt Photography ®

I also added what I think characterizes my interest for photography:
SEE | SHOOT | SHARE