The Big E and Admiral Mullen

At the end of September, I had two exciting days.  First, on Sept. 29, Pat Hackbarth and I went aboard the Big E in Norfolk, Virginia! The grandaddy of all aircraft carriers, the USS Enterprise is the first nuclear-powered carrier, and she celebrates her 50th birthday next month.  We met with LCDR Sarah Self-Kyler, one of the best PAOs in the Navy, and hope to work with them on documenting their incredible, rich history.


The next day, I had the privilege of attending Admiral Mullen's farewell tribute!  Security there reminded me of the opening ceremony for the Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, just months after 9/11.  President Obama, Vice President Biden, and Secretary of Defense Gates were all there, along with ADM Mullen and our new Chairman, GEN Dempsey.  It was a moving ceremony, and a fitting tribute to a great American.  What an honor to be present at both events!

Four wonderful groups we support!

• The Library of Congress Veterans History Project: Connect now to share your personal story of service in the U.S. Military.
• No Greater Sacrifice is a non-profit organization that raises funds to provide college education for the children of our wounded warriors and fallen heroes.  Please visit their site and see what you can do to show your gratitude.
• Soldier On brings homeless veterans into a community where they govern themselves, as they work and serve in the community around them.  Based in Massachusetts, Soldier On is a first-rate organization and making a difference—an ideal model for other states and cities to adopt.  They are very willing to share their entire plan with any community action team looking for a working model to help their homeless veterans.
• Sentinels of Freedom  is a non-profit organization that provides up to four years of “life scholarships” to help wounded veterans become self-sufficient.  Our vets are finding that once they're released from the hospital, they face the everyday hardships of finding a home, continuing their education, or going to work to support their families.  Every American faces the same difficulties, but in the vet’s case, the situation is made more difficult because of their sacrifice.  Sentinels of Freedom provides life-changing opportunities for men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces who have suffered severe injuries and need the support of grateful communities to realize their dreams.

Meeting an American hero

Last week, I had the opportunity of attending the VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars) convention in San Antonio, Texas.  I spoke with General (ret.) Jim Conway and Governor Mitt Romney backstage, and then had the incredible experience of meeting SFC Leroy Petry, the Medal of Honor recipient.  On July 12, 2011, 32-year-old SFC Petry became only the second living recipient since the Vietnam War to receive America’s highest honor for heroic actions in combat. 

In May 2008, Petry was assigned to Company D, 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment in Afghanistan. When an enemy threw a grenade just a few feet from Petry and two others in his Unit during a daylight raid on a high-value target, SFC Petry’s immediate reaction was purely selfless. He ran to the live grenade, picked it up, and threw it hard. As the grenade left his and, it exploded, completely severing his right hand.

Now three years later, I shook his hand, acutely aware of the amazing capability of today’s prosthetics, which allow him to shake my hand with the same pressure sensitivities of any usual handshake. I could see all the wiring and titanium inside the transparent, skin-like covering, and was in awe of not merely his hand, but the man it was attached to.

But here’s the really amazing part -- right before he headed into another media interview, I asked him about his future plans. “I’m going back to AFG!” he said, very excited about the prospect. Thinking that this was a quick visit, I asked him if it was part of Operation Proper Exit. “Oh no, I’m deploying again, I’ll be back with my Unit!”

Time Magazine got it right a couple of weeks ago when they featured veterans on their cover with this headline: “The New Greatest Generation.” And SFC Petry is one of many examples why. All you one-percenters serving America are great Americans—we can’t say “thank you” enough!

National Guard Convention in Milwaukee

The RMS team and I just got back from the National Guard convention (NGAUS) earlier this week. It was an incredible four days of meeting generals from most of the 50 states -- plus Puerto Rico, Guam, the Virgin Islands, and DC -- and their amazing staffs. It was such an honor to meet with them and show them what we're doing to preserve the National Guard's rich legacy of service to our country!

The new addition to our booth was a big hit -- a giant map of the U.S., with red stars on the states we've worked with. Generals who hadn't worked with us would say, "Now let's see if we can get a star on our state!"

The second night there, we all ate dinner outside the Harley-Davidson Museum in Milwaukee... German food, of course, with brats and local beer. But they also offered Italian and Mexican, and two bands provided entertainment. It was very cool to hang out with so many great military leaders.

So far, we've worked with 23 State Commands -- we're planning on adding about 8 to that number after this last week!

First photo, L to R: Elayne Harmer (Senior Account Executive, West Coast), John Lund (CEO), Daryl Guiver (VP of Operation), Sharlene

Second photo: Sharlene, Gen. Antonio Vicens-Gonzalez of Puerto Rico, Elayne, Daryl

USS Bonhomme Richard and the USS Howard visits

While it was snowing in my hometown of Salt Lake City, I had the great pleasure to visit sunny San Diego where we (Elayne Harmer, our Sr. Marketing Executive for the West Coast) met the well-traveled Chief Kane on the USS Bonhomme Richard (with me at the dry dock as this gorgeous ship gets a lot of work done before heading out to Japan--notice Elayne and I doing our best to hold it up at the bow). I was so impressed with the massive amounts of documentation that Chief Kane and his team have already done on this preparation...can't wait to see the rest!

And then we got to board the USS Howard--a destroyer heading out on deployment this very week. LTJG Derr and Ensign Valanzola were great hosts and we wish them a very safe journey. By the way, we were told that 40% of the crew on board the USS Howard...are women. Very cool!

Georgia Army National Guard Kicks Off!

This morning we are thrilled to announce that the Georgia Army National Guard will be kicking off in a couple of weeks, with 12 projects covering every battalion in the state. The Georgia Army National Guard is the third largest guard in the United States, and has had extensive involvement in theater since 9/11. We at RMS look forward to working with Georgia, and are excited to see their historical service record develop under the direction of Retired COL. Dennis Brown.

Maryland Army National Guard Kicks Off New Project!

On March 3, 2011, the Maryland Army National Guard joined RMS in kicking off a new project covering the 2007 Operation Iraqi Freedom deployment of the 58th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (now organized as the 58th Battlefield Surveillance Brigade) . This single project, led by Major Daniel Collins, covers approximately 1100 Soldiers.

The Brigade traces its heritage back to some of the earliest battles of the Revolutionary War, and made headlines in 2007 when called to Iraq, where it more than quadrupled the MDARNG presence.

Major Collins has begun the process of established a very effective method of requesting, collecting, and organizing photos, video, and other documentation from those who deployed, including an RMS-dedicated email address, a Facebook page, and strong top-down leadership support. Starting with the kick-off, the Family Readiness Group leader, Jennifer, was on hand to support the project. We here at RMS are very optimistic to see what MDARNG's enthusiasm for their Historical Service Record will produce.