By lex, on July 13th, 2011
Which your host is on the road for the next cuppla, and will be mostly off the grid, leaving the keys in it for your use and don’t make me come down there.
As a discussion sparker, I’d like to leave you with a few things:
Hollywood actor Gary Sinise has been an unexpectedly good friend to the troops: He founded Operation Iraqi Children, a charity designed to help provide books and supplies to Iraqi schools, was awarded the Presidential Citizen Medal by President George W. Bush for that work and his support for the US military overseas. He is also the national spokesman for the American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial, and spends a good deal of his free time working on veterans issues.
I say “unexpectedly” because, when it comes to Hollywood and the troops, the trend line runs much more in the Matt Damon/Green Zone or Tommy Lee Jones/Valley of Elah direction than otherwise, the fashionable set having decided that War Is A Terrible Thing when led by a Republican president, and otherwise entirely unworthy of notice when a Democrat is in charge.
To maybe get some idea where Sinise learned to respect those charged with fighting the nation’s battles, meet his Uncle Jack. Sixteen minutes of video reminiscences from a man who flew B-17s in the ETO.
Also!
In the Public Services Announcement line, here’s a note I received through the email pipe that I thought would be worth sharing with either of you:
Dear Lex,
I work on a contract supporting a section of the DoD named the Defense Centers of Excellence (DCoE) for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury.
DCoE holds a monthly webinar on topics related to psychological health and traumatic brain injury. Previous webinars have included such topics as “Operational Stress and In-theater Care” and “Reintegration After Deployment.” The webinar is created for service members, military families, and military health professionals. I thought that the webinar might be of some interest to you and your readers.
This month’s webinar will be on alternative and complementary medicine therapies that are being used to treat psychological health challenges in the military population. It will take place from 1-2:30 pm EST on July 28th. To register and receive details on how to view the webinar individuals should email DCoE.MonthlyWebinar@tma.osd.mil
I would be happy to send you additional information on the topics and speakers and answer any questions that you might have.
Thank you very much.
Best,
Kevin
So there’s that.
Well, you know what to do: Talk amongst yourselves.
The Lexicans 