Last night, at a special viewing for families and Marines, I was able to watch our company's documentary. I just wanted to let everyone know, that if you wonder what we all went through, then you need to watch this film. It is very powerful and emotional. After it ended, hardly a word was said while everyone exited the theater. This film does a great job leaving out the politics and just showing who we are and the guys we lost. So remember, tomorrow night (Thursday 25th) at 9PM on A&E.
If you can't watch it tomorrow night, then here are some additional airings:
Friday, May 26 1am
Saturday, May 27 8pm
Sunday, May 28 12am & 1pm
Monday, May 29 8am & 2pm
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
Mark Your Calendars
EDIT:
The release of my company's documentary is coming next week.
Additional airings of the documentary are:
Thursday, May 25 9pm/8C
Friday, May 26 1am/12C
Saturday, May 27 8pm/7C
Sunday, May 28 12am/11C & 1pm/12C
Monday, May 29 8am/7C & 2pm/1C
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
Thompson Cigars
Al Kemp, a cigar expert, writes a Cigar Blog and his blog recently did a post, written by Greg Hoffman - online marketing manager, using a couple of my pictures from Iraq. Make sure to check it out here:
http://cigarblog101.blogspot.com/
I am a loyal customer to Thompson Cigars and would recommend anyone to try them out if you like a good cigar every now and then. They have a large selection of cigars and accessories available. Plus, they have some of the best prices that I know of. In addition, my squad leader, Sgt. Taylor, wrote to them during our tour in Iraq and Thompson Cigar sent us a large box of cigars. That was a fantastic thing to receive and allowed some guys in our unit to relax a few nights at the dam while smoking a cigar.
http://cigarblog101.blogspot.com/
I am a loyal customer to Thompson Cigars and would recommend anyone to try them out if you like a good cigar every now and then. They have a large selection of cigars and accessories available. Plus, they have some of the best prices that I know of. In addition, my squad leader, Sgt. Taylor, wrote to them during our tour in Iraq and Thompson Cigar sent us a large box of cigars. That was a fantastic thing to receive and allowed some guys in our unit to relax a few nights at the dam while smoking a cigar.
Monday, May 08, 2006
One Year Ago Today...
Today is the 1 year anniversary that Lima 3/25 took our first KIAs in Iraq; SSgt. Goodwin and Cpl. Derga. They are missed and will never be forgotten. Pray for the families going through this hard time.
Thursday, May 04, 2006
100,000
100,000 is such a large number when you think about it; $100,000 or 100,000 people or 100,000 miles.
Recently, my photostream, on flickr, has been viewed over 100,000 times! I am just amazed to sit back and think about it; that is a lot of people looking at my photography. So, if you aren't one of them, you better jump in on the action and see what it is all about.
On a side note, I recently got my car back from the repair shop. It is running nicely with a younger engine and a younger clutch that came with it. Unfortunately, I can't avoid hitting anymore animals. I recently ran over another cat that was suicidal (5 so far) in my rental and nearly missed a opossum last week. I don't know what the deal is with animals and my vehicle.
Oh, and another thing, I am healing very nicely from my motorcycle wounds, though the scars don't make me happy and I start physical therapy, on my shoulder and knee, at the end of this month. If anyone knows a good place to buy a sportbike or knows someone, by all means let me know because I am in the market for another motorcycle.
Recently, my photostream, on flickr, has been viewed over 100,000 times! I am just amazed to sit back and think about it; that is a lot of people looking at my photography. So, if you aren't one of them, you better jump in on the action and see what it is all about.
On a side note, I recently got my car back from the repair shop. It is running nicely with a younger engine and a younger clutch that came with it. Unfortunately, I can't avoid hitting anymore animals. I recently ran over another cat that was suicidal (5 so far) in my rental and nearly missed a opossum last week. I don't know what the deal is with animals and my vehicle.
Oh, and another thing, I am healing very nicely from my motorcycle wounds, though the scars don't make me happy and I start physical therapy, on my shoulder and knee, at the end of this month. If anyone knows a good place to buy a sportbike or knows someone, by all means let me know because I am in the market for another motorcycle.
Friday, April 28, 2006
In case you haven't seen my face lately...
Recently, I was involved in a little motorcycle accident. I was not paying attention and looking off to the left when traffic in front of me was stopping. Then by the time I looked forward and saw all of this, it was too late and I ran into the back of a Jeep Liberty. I pretty much just ran into the back of the Jeep then fell over to the left; no flipping over or anything crazy. Right after it happened, I just got up and was kind of in a daze. The guy I hit came out and was worried about me, but I’m a pretty tough guy and so we just moved the bike off the road. By that time, another man, who is a paramedic, pulled over when he saw what had happened. At this time, my chin is just dripping all kinds of blood and my forehead was not looking too good, so the paramedic did a nice bandage job on my face. They all thought that I should go to ER right away, but I said that I would be able to drive myself, so the guy I hit, drove me home and I drove myself to ER. Oh, in case you all were wondering, I was not wearing my helmet; it was too nice a day for that!
Unfortunately, the bike was totaled, but that's what insurance is for. As for me, I suffered only a laceration on my chin, banged up forehead, bruised left knee, scrapes on both knees and hands, and just recently found out that I did break a small part of my left shoulder blade. Nothing too much too worry about when you are on some nice painkillers.
Before ................................................................ .....After
Unfortunately, the bike was totaled, but that's what insurance is for. As for me, I suffered only a laceration on my chin, banged up forehead, bruised left knee, scrapes on both knees and hands, and just recently found out that I did break a small part of my left shoulder blade. Nothing too much too worry about when you are on some nice painkillers.
Before ................................................................ .....After
Thursday, April 13, 2006
Raccoons: Part 2
I know this post is later than what I wanted to post it, but I was waiting on the auto shop to see what the extent of the damage is and it just got even more. Right now, they are going to replace the radiator, A/C condensor, and some body work. Come yesterday, they were going to replace the head gasket, but it looks like the engine might have some more problems, so they decided to go ahead and replace the WHOLE engine!
I still can't understand how a little raccoon did all of this. A cool part about the engine being put in my car, it has only 8000 miles! I also get to drive around for another 1.5 weeks in a cool '06 Grand Prix, so overall, it isn't a bad deal. Well, except for the fact that I will proably have to pay higher insurance premiums in the future and pay a couple hundred bucks for the deductable and my car could be a total loss.
Fricken animals in the road...
I still can't understand how a little raccoon did all of this. A cool part about the engine being put in my car, it has only 8000 miles! I also get to drive around for another 1.5 weeks in a cool '06 Grand Prix, so overall, it isn't a bad deal. Well, except for the fact that I will proably have to pay higher insurance premiums in the future and pay a couple hundred bucks for the deductable and my car could be a total loss.
Fricken animals in the road...
Wednesday, April 05, 2006
Raccoons....
I don't know if I have this attraction or my vehicles have it or not, but for some reason when I drive, animals get this thing were they just want to wander in front of my moving vehicle. I don't know, maybe they are suicidal I just keep ending up at the wrong place at the wrong time when a animal wants to have an assisted suicide by wandering around on a road waiting for a fast moving vehicle to squeeze the life out of their body.
I don't know.
All I know is that somehow a fricken raccoon has caused over $3000 of damage to my car. How you may ask, well as I was leaving Springfield and heading west on Route 4, on Sunday night, a raccoon ran out in front of my car and I didn't even have time to think about stopping before he got whacked. I really did not put much thought into what just occurred because well, I really don't care about some animal running out in front of my car and it was a small animal. A few miles down the road, I look down at my gauges and noticed that my engine was really overheating, and that's when I realized that the raccoon has just produced an angry response from me and jacked up my car. So, I decided that I need to take the next exit and stop my car as soon as possible, but just right before the exit, my car just shuts off and that's when I realized that I now have a major problem on my hand. That is also about the time that I had evil thoughts toward that raccoon and would like to cause further harm to it but cannot since, well, it is already dead.
So, there I am, parked on the side of the road, on an exit ramp, waiting for my car to cool down and inspecting the damage. At the same time, making some phone calls to find the closest car shop and secure a ride home after I drop off my car. And this is just the beginning. Stay tuned, more to come tomorrow.
I don't know.
All I know is that somehow a fricken raccoon has caused over $3000 of damage to my car. How you may ask, well as I was leaving Springfield and heading west on Route 4, on Sunday night, a raccoon ran out in front of my car and I didn't even have time to think about stopping before he got whacked. I really did not put much thought into what just occurred because well, I really don't care about some animal running out in front of my car and it was a small animal. A few miles down the road, I look down at my gauges and noticed that my engine was really overheating, and that's when I realized that the raccoon has just produced an angry response from me and jacked up my car. So, I decided that I need to take the next exit and stop my car as soon as possible, but just right before the exit, my car just shuts off and that's when I realized that I now have a major problem on my hand. That is also about the time that I had evil thoughts toward that raccoon and would like to cause further harm to it but cannot since, well, it is already dead.
So, there I am, parked on the side of the road, on an exit ramp, waiting for my car to cool down and inspecting the damage. At the same time, making some phone calls to find the closest car shop and secure a ride home after I drop off my car. And this is just the beginning. Stay tuned, more to come tomorrow.
Monday, April 03, 2006
Friday, March 24, 2006
First Drill
This weekend will be the first time our whole company will drill since our deployment to Iraq last year. I am looking forward to seeing some of the guys this weekend. I hear that there will be some news coverage there as well as a team of filmmakers working for A&E about a documentary about my unit. The documentary is expected to come out around Memorial Day.
With that, here's some pictures from my spring break trip last weekend. Enjoy...
With that, here's some pictures from my spring break trip last weekend. Enjoy...
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
Marine Firefight Investigated
Here is a story that I found very interesting considering I once walked and fought in the same streets where these Marines have fought.
http://www.military.com/NewsContent/0,13319,91337,00.html?ESRC=marine-a.nl
This story also invoked great anger towards the reporter who is reporting this bs.
IED followed by enemy small arms fire; so what did the reporter expect the Marines to do? Just take cover and take a few minutes to determine who is the enemy and who is not when in fact the enemy blends into the local populace a lot of times, while the whole time taking small arms fire. I don't know what the hell the media is doing with reporting this war.
"Military officials will try to determine whether the Marines positively identified or tried to identify the enemy and whether they determined there was hostile intent, as they are supposed to do."
This is the best statement out of this story; I guess IEDs and small arms fire don't really count as hostile intent.
http://www.military.com/NewsContent/0,13319,91337,00.html?ESRC=marine-a.nl
This story also invoked great anger towards the reporter who is reporting this bs.
IED followed by enemy small arms fire; so what did the reporter expect the Marines to do? Just take cover and take a few minutes to determine who is the enemy and who is not when in fact the enemy blends into the local populace a lot of times, while the whole time taking small arms fire. I don't know what the hell the media is doing with reporting this war.
"Military officials will try to determine whether the Marines positively identified or tried to identify the enemy and whether they determined there was hostile intent, as they are supposed to do."
This is the best statement out of this story; I guess IEDs and small arms fire don't really count as hostile intent.
Friday, March 17, 2006
Spring Break 2006
With the end of my 1st quarter back to college, after more than a year, I must say that I did pretty well. However, I did have to drop a stats class, and it was a rough start for me getting in the habit of homework and studying. In the end, I finished strong and was able to pull a couple of A's out of my classes and hopefully a B in my financial management class.
With that, my spring break started this morning at 10:15 AM; that's when I finished my last exam. Now I am preparing to leave for my spring break! Nothing too wild, like with what is on TV; rather going to Kentucky, this weekend, with some friends to hang out in a cabin with no running water or electricity. One thing we will have plenty of is weapons! Seventy acres to roam around in the wild shooting, clay pigeons with shotguns, and honing my pistol shooting skills. Who knows, maybe a squirrel might "accidentally" get in my way. Just a little side note, I am a combat lifesaver.
Tuesday, March 14, 2006
Things Times Four
Alright, I think I am well over due for a post. Now, I am not normally a fan to post these type of posts, but then again, I have never been tagged before, not just once, but twice. So, here I go...
Four jobs I've had:
* Fox's Pizza Den - Assistant Manager & delivery driver
* Vector Marketing Salesman - I sold Cutco cutlery
* The Cooker Bar & Grill - bartender & server
* Team Leader in the Marine Coprs infantry
Four movies that I can watch over and over:
* Band of Brothers - it's like one long movie
* Braveheart
* Fight Club
* Zoolander
Four places I've lived:
* Fairborn, Ohio
* Camp Lejeune, North Carolina
* USS Tortuga
* Haditha, Iraq
Four TV shows that I love:
* Mythbusters
* Fox News
* The OC
* Star Trek TNG
Four places I've vacationed traveled to:
* Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
* Germany - several cities
* Manchester, United Kingdom
* Lima, Peru
Four of my favorite dishes:
* Sweet & Sour Chicken - not that crap from a buffet either
* Biscuits & Gravy
* Chef Boyardee Ravioli
* Montgomery Inn Ribs!
Four sites I visit daily:
* mail.yahoo.com
* Flickr
* Wright-Patt Credit Union
* Everyones' Blog
Four places I would rather be right now:
* My own place
* Germany
* Somewhere else in life
* The open road on my motorcycle
Four bloggers I'm tagging:
* Staven
* Larry
* Jennifer
* Rachel
Saturday, February 25, 2006
A Million Miles Away From Home
Someone left me a comment about this song and I liked it, so I just wanted to share it with everyone who reads my blog. So, please check it out and leave a comment for Bob Stewart.
A Million Miles Away from Home was written on August 8, 2005, Ohio's official "Day of Mourning" following the deaths of 14 Marines from Ohio. Factored out over the population of the United States, it would be the equivalent of more than 350 Americans dying in a three-day period. I wrote "A Million Miles Away from Home" to help me grieve the loss.
Bob Stewart740/594-3843
bob@bobstewartband.com
Monday, February 20, 2006
GQ's - This is Our War: A Soldiers' Portfolio
GQ is asking service members, serving in Iraq, for their pictures of the war. So, they created a forum for marines, soldiers, sailors, and airmen to post their pictures and comments. Every month, the editors at GQ will select the best photo they receive and the winning photographer will be awarded a new Canon PowerShot SD450.
With that, I submitted some of my photos and as you know it, last week I received a email from one of the editors saying that I won the digital camera. Needless to say, I am really excited to hear that! And the very next morning, on my doorstep was my new camera; I love it! It takes some great pictures, small in size, plus great video - something my old camera didn't do very well. This is the link to the picture they choose.
In addition, I was also interviewed by Marine Corps Public Affairs, in New York City, for a Marine article. Here is also the link: click here.
With that, I submitted some of my photos and as you know it, last week I received a email from one of the editors saying that I won the digital camera. Needless to say, I am really excited to hear that! And the very next morning, on my doorstep was my new camera; I love it! It takes some great pictures, small in size, plus great video - something my old camera didn't do very well. This is the link to the picture they choose.
In addition, I was also interviewed by Marine Corps Public Affairs, in New York City, for a Marine article. Here is also the link: click here.
Thursday, February 16, 2006
PFC Jacob Spann
Yesterday I attended the funeral of Private First Class Jacob Spann. He was a Marine killed in Iraq last week in the city of Hit. The same city that my company lived in and built a firm base for about a month. Jacob was from Columbus and this offered me a chance to attend a funeral of a Marine, since I was unable to attend the funerals of our men.
It was a beautiful service. Many people talked about Jacob's life and I was able to get a glimpse into his life. It did make me sad to see such a young man die, though I know he did it for our country and another country's freedoom. There were about 750 people at the service and well over 100 cars in the funeral procession to the graveyard. He was honored with a 21 gun salute and afterwards, the people attending released dozens of balloons into the air. It was a beautiful and fitting service for a hero and I only wish everyone would see one.
Afterwards, the group of Marines from my company went to visit Sergeant Hoffman's grave to pay our respects to our fellow Marine.
It was a beautiful service. Many people talked about Jacob's life and I was able to get a glimpse into his life. It did make me sad to see such a young man die, though I know he did it for our country and another country's freedoom. There were about 750 people at the service and well over 100 cars in the funeral procession to the graveyard. He was honored with a 21 gun salute and afterwards, the people attending released dozens of balloons into the air. It was a beautiful and fitting service for a hero and I only wish everyone would see one.
Afterwards, the group of Marines from my company went to visit Sergeant Hoffman's grave to pay our respects to our fellow Marine.
Wednesday, February 08, 2006
FAFSA
Last night I filled out my FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid); this is the form needed to get federal grants and/or loans from the government for students going to college. Well, while I was filing mine out, I got really angry with the questions and information it was asking for. For next school year ('06-'07), I thought I was going to bank on some grants to pay for me education. The FAFSA asks for your tax information and such, but then it went on and asked for my combat pay, which is nontaxable, my food & housing allowance (nontaxable), and my investments.
I figured that since my combat pay is nontaxable, I won't have to claim it on my FAFSA, but nope, they like to know about every single dime I made and invest. This is what angers me probably the most. Why in the world am I getting screwed out of grant money because I invest my money?! I keep a couple of CD's just to make a little bit of money while I determine what to do with it. You know, I like to keep a little bit of cash handy in case of something that would happen and now I am being treated like I have all this money for college. I should be like a lot of other people; spend everything I make and carry large debts. That way, I would get free grant money from the government! I think this is stupid because I like to be a productive and wise citizen and keep a little cash handy. Oh, they also want to know about my savings and checking account balances. I really am pissed about all of this.
Oh, I can't forget my GI Bill benefits I get from the VA. FAFSA wants to know all about that and include it in with the money I make. Now, I served my country's armed forces for this money, and yet, I am getting penalized out of grant money because of it. I don't even have a job right now, and yet they expect me to contribute almost $10,000 for the next school year! All because I was sent to war, made some money, and saved a large amount of it.
This was something that just got me upset and wanted to rant about. Oh well, there's always more student loans I can take out to continue my higher education while someone who doesn't work and saves nothing, s/he can go to college for free.
I figured that since my combat pay is nontaxable, I won't have to claim it on my FAFSA, but nope, they like to know about every single dime I made and invest. This is what angers me probably the most. Why in the world am I getting screwed out of grant money because I invest my money?! I keep a couple of CD's just to make a little bit of money while I determine what to do with it. You know, I like to keep a little bit of cash handy in case of something that would happen and now I am being treated like I have all this money for college. I should be like a lot of other people; spend everything I make and carry large debts. That way, I would get free grant money from the government! I think this is stupid because I like to be a productive and wise citizen and keep a little cash handy. Oh, they also want to know about my savings and checking account balances. I really am pissed about all of this.
Oh, I can't forget my GI Bill benefits I get from the VA. FAFSA wants to know all about that and include it in with the money I make. Now, I served my country's armed forces for this money, and yet, I am getting penalized out of grant money because of it. I don't even have a job right now, and yet they expect me to contribute almost $10,000 for the next school year! All because I was sent to war, made some money, and saved a large amount of it.
This was something that just got me upset and wanted to rant about. Oh well, there's always more student loans I can take out to continue my higher education while someone who doesn't work and saves nothing, s/he can go to college for free.
Sunday, February 05, 2006
Brokeback to the Future
To any fans of Brokeback Mountain and Back to the Future, this video clip is very funny.
Check it out and let me know what you think:
Check it out and let me know what you think:
To end speculation, no I have not seen Brokeback Mountain, but I have seen Back to the Future; all 3 of em!
Saturday, February 04, 2006
My New Toy!
After much searching far and near, I came across something of great beauty and speed. I now present you with my 2001 Yamaha YZF R600
I found this great piece of machinery at Integrity Cycles in Columbus. Probably paid a little bit too much than what I should have, but I don't regret it.
I found this great piece of machinery at Integrity Cycles in Columbus. Probably paid a little bit too much than what I should have, but I don't regret it.
Thursday, February 02, 2006
Washington DC
Last weekend, I made a trip to Washington DC, with another Marine from my company. The main reason of the visit, was to visit Arilington National Cemetary and pay our respect to our fellow brothers. We were also able to stay with another Marine that we went on a deployment together to South America. I had a great time meeting up with some guys there and even have a friend that is a staffer for a congressman. With that, we were able to get a private tour of the Capitol Building compliments of the Capitol Police. The officer showed us some great places around the Capitol, even some rooms that are not open to the public like the Senators' Restroom and the Senate Majority Leader's Private Balcony. The officer offered next time we visit, he can give us a more detailed tour if we contact him ahead of time and not just show up because the Capitol was actually closed to the public when we went through. We could even do a 2AM tour if we wanted!
Unfortunately, we didn't get a chance to see the Iwo Jima Memorial, but there's always next time. And next time, it will be longer than a weekend. Here are a few more pictures I took during my trip. As always, check out my flickr for all my great pictures.
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