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Prepping for Afghanistan
November 3, 2010
Getting ready for a 19 Nov departure for a two-week embed with the 101st Airborne in Afghanistan. There's so much to do, but I am also so pumped. I'll be doing regular postings here, telling stories of what I find in country and talking about the amazing men and women of our military. It's going to be an adventure. I can't wait. I've jumped with the Golden Knights last year and had many extraordinary experiences. I'll be doing regular reports back to WLS AM890 here in Chicago and also to NBC5 TV, and to their Web sites. Perhaps the best will be spending Thanksgiving with troops in theater. Stay tuned!
Paul
submitted by Paul Brian on Nov 3 2010
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Paul Brian
Nov 5, 2010 12:57 AMWTG Jeremy... I'm thrilled for you! You're going to be joining one of the most elite groups ever and you should be proud--and humbled--to be a part of them. I know that when I visit them in a few weeks it's going to be hard to comprehend the amazing feats of courage, teamwork and dedication to a common purpose that they perform on a daily basis. I never served in a combat unit, so this is going to be a different experience for me to see them up close and in a "no BS" setting. My biggest fear is that I get in their way when I shouldn't. I can't wait to tell their stories.
I had the good fortune of meeting a Medal of Honor recipient a few months ago. Over dinner we talked about his amazing heroism and I said I hadn't served in combat. He told me that one soldier once came to him and shook his hand, and said, "I was just a cook" to which the MOH winner asked, "Well, were you a good cook?" The lesson is that everyone has a role to play in making the entire team a winner. I heard once that there were 6-7 behind every 1 on the combat line. It might even be more than that, I don't know for sure, but what I do know is that everyone serves with honor and that's what you're going to join. I'm wishing I were your age again to have another whack at it. You'll do great, I'm sure.
So keep an eye on what I see and talk about from there, OK? And don't be shy to chime in!
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Paul Brian
Nov 8, 2010 11:48 PMI can't believe that the time is coming so fast. Two weeks from tonight I'll be in Afghanistan and if plans are on schedule, at Bagram Air Field for a few days. I'll be moving around after that to chase some of the stories I'm after. I had a call from my program director and operations director at WLS today, discussing file transfers, cell phone connections, placement on the station's Web site, all of the ops things to get the story back when I'm over there. While they're not my full-time "bosses," they're excited to have this opportunity. I'll be doing as many daily reports as I can get out via cell with the afternoon drive show on WLS, hosted by Roe Conn and (former movie critic) Richard Roeper. Roe and I have been buddies for a long time. He's an Air Force brat and had the chance to jump with the Golden Knights at this year's Chicago Air and Water Show. I did that jump last year and if the opportunity ever came up again I'd jump (no pun intended) at it. No, the pun was fully intended. Sorry.
But I digress. I've spent the past two weekends gathering up gear for the trip. I've been practicing working with a Mac for video, which is comparatively new to me. PCs have been my thing, but everyone kept telling me the Mac was the way to go. Perhaps it is, but it's a long learning curve for me. I'm working on it so that I can get as much of what I see conveyed to you. I'm hoping that you'll find it worthwhile.
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Jeremy Norton
Nov 3, 2010 6:10 PM