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STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER (2019) dir. J.J Abrams (inspo.)

[ippyg]

No better way to enter the theme parks! (DIY instructions on Instagram post)

[ippyg]

Gender Reveal

The gender reveal is finally here!  After much procrastination, delays, incompatible schedules, hurricanes and all the things that could get in the way, did.  This is my first Wednesday post since Irma and I’m excited that I’m finally getting back into a rhythm.  So I thought, what better way to kick things back off than with the much-anticipated gender reveal.  I came home from work today, we chatted for a few, set up the cameras, flew the drone, and bam!  It all came together.  Here is the end result...

One thing to note, my son actually popped off the poppers before the reveal you see on the video.  I cut that part out because I didn’t want to have a spoiler in the video that was intended to prevent a spoiler or us accidentally slipping up.  Perhaps I’ll make a bloopers video afterwards.

What you think of the video?  Did you guess right?  Thanks for watching and if you haven’t already, subscribe!

[ippyg]

Postponing this week’s blog post until next week because of Hurricane Irma

Stay safe — until next week!

[ippyg]

Unprecedented Floods

There’s so much going on in the world these days.  It’s hard to articulate or choose what to discuss but in this post, I want to discuss Hurricane Harvey, the real floods, and the figurative floods as well.  Let’s jump right to it.

As you know by now, Hurricane Harvey hit the Texas as a category 4 hurricane.  Things got worse because Harvey lingered and the rainfall contributed to unprecedented floods in Houston.  Let me take a moment here to plug in my online t-shirt shop — my heart was heavy and I felt the need to do something about it.  I’m in a place to do so.  With that said, any shirt that is bought from my online t-shirt shop, between now and end of day Friday, September 1st, 2017, 100% of that money will be donated to the American Red Cross for the relief efforts.  If you want to donate directly, I’ve added links to different organizations to facilitate that process.

Back to the floods… the figurative ones.  There has been waves of people coming out for support.  There are stories of people coming out with their personal boats to help the relief effort (that story is linked below).  At a time in which our nation feels divided, so many people have come together to help one another.  Celebrities have come out and donated their money to these efforts as well and these videos are currently trending on YouTube.  This out pouring of support reminds me of the big hearts people have.

I read a quote this week and it said: “Our most noble achievements and our most tragic mistakes, all come from the same place: the human heart.”  Jesus Christ is the one who can lead us on the right path to those noble achievements.  Speaking for myself, I need Jesus in my life.

I’ll end by saying be thankful for what you have.  I saw a video this week of a man who lost everything but he had his family and that was all he needed.  His name is Jeremiah.  Let’s be more like Jeremiah.  His story below.

Jeremiah’s story

News of boats coming to help

[ippyg]

Wish list for Pokémon Go

Trainers are back!  And by Trainers I mean players (I’ll be using the terms interchangeably).  People are out and about playing Pokémon Go and as expected, new sets of challenges have arisen.  When there’s a will, there’s a way.  Despite some of the challenges, Trainers are still out there making the most of the game with the uses of other technologies.  This week’s blog post I wanted to offer some solutions, a wish list of features that would enhance the gameplay and potentially take it to the next level, ensuring the game’s longevity.

In-Game Messaging

My first request for Pokémon Go is in-game messaging.  Currently, our in-game messaging solution is WhatsApp in Miami.  Other places use Facebook groups (Miami does too but since Facebook algorithm doesn’t post what is recent first, this isn’t the best way to communicate).  Places like Fort Lauderdale uses Discord.  The reason for the messaging is to coordinate raid battles.  In-game messaging would allow for the Trainers to stay within the game and not have to switch apps.  This messaging system would be available to “friends”.

Chat Rooms

What if we’re not friends?  No problem!  This is my second request.  Live chat rooms.  These chat rooms would be located at gyms were Trainers would be preparing to do a raid.  You would just need to be close enough to see the gym, letting other players know you’re on your way or information like that.  The chats would only be live during the raids.  Once the raids are over, the chat history is gone.  Simple as that, server space saved.

Lonely World

This ones a silly request but I think it be cool.  Currently, as you walk around, your game avatar does too.  The only thing you see are the Pokéstops, gyms, and Pokémon creatures around.  Wouldn’t it be cool to see your friends on there too?  I get the server challenges it would take to make this a reality but as I was raiding with some friends I thought, how cool would it be to see them in the game with me?  A more ambitions task would be to see all players avatars in the game.  The reason I’m a fan of this also is that if you see lures at a Pokéstop but only see one avatar, then you can make a better informed decision.  The same holds true if you see a bunch of avatars there.  It helps give you situational awareness.

Those are just three of my favorite things I’d love to see come to fruition.  The one thing everyone else talks about is trading.  I’m really curious to see how Niantic rolls this feature out, if and when they do.  What do you think?  How do you feel about the games current state?  Is there something on your wish you list you’d live to see happen?  Sound off in the comments or tweet at my @ippyg

[ippyg]

A relationship with fear, Pt. II

This week on the blog I've got another vlog to post. This is a continuation of a post I did a few weeks back, it's part II, ending that vlog set. The unique thing about this video is that it was entirely edited on the new iPad Pro, which has blown me away. In any case, check out the video, hope you like and if you've got feedback, recommendations, I'd love to hear it! Either drop a comment or tweet me at ippyg! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xzfhzae9xw&feature=share

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Legendary Pokémon are in Miami and we’re all out to get ‘em!

It’s just over a year since Pokémon GO has been out in the wild. Last summer, it kicked off in high gear and the demand was so high, people could barely play it. The reason was that the servers were overloaded with the traffic. The makers of the game didn't anticipate it. Despite all those troubles, the game went on to break records for a mobile game and people went out to break laws and bones— not really, but kind of. No worries, it was nothing serious (at least that I know of), it was just trespassing here and there as it relates to the law. The bones part, well, there was a story of guys who accidentally fell off of a cliff (that story will be linked below). Add that all up and you get a game that’s irresistible.

I’ve written about the game before. Specifically, why I thoroughly enjoyed the game and the state of the game a few months later. Now, a year later, the game is firing back up on all cylinders and it all kicked off with an event. The event was called Pokémon GO Fest. 

The event was hosted in Chicago and tickets sold out in about 20 minutes or so. The hype was real all over again. The cool thing about the event was that the game was still worldwide, meaning that outside of the exclusive perks of the event, we could all play together to unlock rewards and bonuses. And together, we unlocked all the rewards and bonuses, unleashing two Legendary Pokémon, not introduced to this version of the game yet.

The introduction was epic. 

Just like last summer, people were going out and instead of Pokémon hunting, everyone was Pokémon raiding. Raids mean that you get to attack a gym with Pokémon in it. Think of the gym as a traditional game level that features a boss fight. These gym raids have different levels, five in total. They also have a recommended amount of players, in order to win. A Legendary Raid, which is level five, recommends 20 players! Yeah, it's a whole lot of people. What was crazy to me is the organization it took to coordinate 20 people on the go and crazier, that people would show up, raid after raid. 

 The first day of Legendary raids in Miami was intense. It first started with a Facebook group chat. People would post locations/screen shots of Legendary Pokémon and then people would comment. We started with seven of us, riding together to these locations (multiple cars). Sometimes you'd see the same people, sometimes not. Other times you'd arrive and there was already a crowd waiting on you. The whole experience was crazy, fun, and unreal. The thing I still love about Pokémon GO is the social component and people of all ages are playing it. My son still gets really excited about it so it's awesome to have a partner in it. It's a cool way for us to connect through gaming and being active. 

I've put together a short video, check it out here:

If you haven't played the game, what are you waiting for? Get out there and go! 

All pictures taken on Snapchat Spectacles, edited on Over.

[ippyg]

a relationship with fear, multi state vlog pt. i

This vlog post was recorded at the end of April, start of May.  It takes place over three days in which I visited multiple states on the East Coast.

By the end of the trip, I had an epiphany, thanks to Pablo Strong, about vlogging - why it's uncomfortable and how to get over it.  That video is linked in the YouTube video.

Quick shout out: All the shirts in the vlog are from Honey Pot Wear, www.honeypotwear.com - check it out!

Also, here’s a related post to this vlog: http://www.ippyg.com/post/160285549706/strangers

And, here’s the vlog:

[ippyg]

Return of Enlightenment?

It's a wall known fact that history repeats itself. You don't have to look far to see the evidence. Of course, no two times are identical but they do present a lot of similarities. They have deemed the start of the 21st-century as the Age of Anxiety and Despair but I beg to differ — or at least we're changing out of it. It may have been the case decades ago but today, I feel that were living in a new version of the Age of Enlightenment. 

These days you don't have to look very far to see someone working on something that's for the greater good. A few weeks ago the United States federal government pulled out of a global agreement known as the Paris Accord. The thing that struck me most about these events was that Canada's government is essentially relying on state and local governments of the US to do the right thing and they are. States like California have double down on initiatives that make them greener and address, in their own ways, things like global warming. What interests me most about what states are doing are the ideas and commitment they have to making the world a better place. Even corporations these days have these grandiose visions for how to make the future in the world better and it's become part of their mission to do so. 

That's on the large scale. On a smaller scale, a thing you and I see I may not even be aware of, are the things that we do that resembles so much of the enlightenment period. For instance, it's mainly seen in the tech industry, but have you ever heard of an incubator? Incubators are typically places that help the growth of companies much like a real incubator is there to help the growth of a newborn (premature) baby. In addition to that, we have think tanks. I've only heard of them but they remind me so much of the "think tanks" from the 1700s in France. 

I did mention in the beginning that history repeats itself though it's not exactly the same. As I look to where we are at today there is another area in history that reminds me of where we've been. During the time of Socrates, in Greece, a time we're men spent debating ideas, I can't help feel that we're also living in a part of this time too. The technology advancements of farming and harvesting food back in Greece allowed man to do other things that didn't require them to do hard labor. This extra time let man talk about ideas, create art, and create some of the most gorgeous architecture that inspires us to this day. The economy was good and that's why they could've focused on other things. We can argue about the economy in today's age but out what I would say is that our economy has allowed people to become entrepreneurs more than ever (arguably, the lack of jobs) and all forms of the art is booming in all areas. We also have digital artists and content creators whether it's on YouTube or Behance – there is inspiration everywhere. 

These are random thoughts, I know but I thought I'd share. What do you think? Have you considered this? Until next week.

[ippyg]

Hacking Disney

Getting the most of Disney in the Summer 

Summer is here. Florida summer's can be really hot, it rains and gets nastily humid. Walt Disney World is an amazingly awesome theme park; however, it suffers from Florida's heat, summer showers, humidity, and to add another layer of issues, the parks get crowded. This may seem like a recipe for a disastrous Walt Disney World vacation but fret not, here are a few hacks to make the most of your trip.

Stay On Property 

Staying at a Walt Disney Resort can be an expensive thing to consider but the value it adds can make all the difference. If you book with time, you can choose to stay at a value resort and those are typically about $40-$60 more than what you would pay to stay off property. The benefit here are the busses (think a/c), a pool to cool in, and extra magic hours. Extra magic hours gives you access to the parks either before official open or after closing time, meaning wait times all around are much a shorter than they would be during the day. 

Napping 

The convenience of staying on property and access to the bus system, which runs about every 20 minutes or so means you can go back and forth from the parks to your hotel. We love this! This past weekend, we used this to our advantage, big time. We would head to the park in the morning (one day we did a pool day) and get back to the hotel by 3pm or so. We'd nap, shower, and head back about around 6pm-ish. Our three-day trip essentially felt like a 5/6 day trip because we doubled our park visits and what we did all be hacking the day with naps. Winston Churchill used to take naps during World War II because he felt most productive in the morning. Naps became the way he would get two mornings in one day, doubling his productivity. 

Not to mention, some other benefits of plotting your day was that it would typically rain in the afternoon, so while it rained, we napped (thanks Dark Sky, amazing weather app). The split of the day also let us maximize magic hours without being tired for them. 

A few more things 

Other notable things: book fast passes! They are free and you get three you can book in advance. After you use up the three, you can book additional, one at a time. You'll need the myDisney Experience app to do so. 

At any location that serves beverages, you can get free cups of water. This is important so that you can stay hydrated. Additionally, some rides (specifically in Pandora, the World of Avatar) have water dispensers for water bottles, so it's nice to have one. 

If you want to kick back at the resort, each resort has a full schedule of activities. Lastly, Pandora, Walt Disney World's new expansion at Animal Kingdom is absolutely amazing and the have magic hours all summer long. Great way to experience the new land and all the rides in it. 

Hope you have a wonderful summer vacation trip if you go to Disney World and if you have any other hacks, tips or advice, drop it in the comments below for others to see, until next week!

[ippyg]

9AM

Rules are meant to be broken. That's what they say. There's different levels to this but here's a thought: could it be that the reason rules are broken is because those rules become outdated? 

I've been blogging over a year now. I knew that in order to build the blog, I would have to be consistent. This was the most important thing to me. Usually, it's recommended that you have targeted content for a targeted audience. This makes sense. The issue for me was that I did not want my own content to restrict my creativity. This is why my blog contains all types of content. I'm good with that because it allows me to express an idea, pop culture, philosophical or practical views on things, including and/but not limited to photography and content creation. 

Back to the rules. When I started the blog I had one rule with an unforgiving consequence: Blog weekly on Wednesdays, if I missed a post, then the blog would be over. Yes, the rule was extreme but it was helpful. Over the last thirteen months of so, I've posted every Wednesday without a miss. Some days were closing, posting in the last few minutes. It's like having to complete a test before it closes out at midnight — the pressure of it all is what makes it fun. The stress, unnecessary of course. 

Today, I'm changing the rule. I'm thankful that you have come to my blog on Wednesdays to read my posts. Over the last few weeks, I haven't announced that I was posting and with all that, new users continue to show up on the blog. With that, here's the new rule of sorts: 

If I don't post on a Wednesday, the blog isn't over. 

All Wednesday post will be live by 9am. 

I will continue to post on Wednesdays (flows with "weekly on Wednesdays") 

In an effort to provide quality content, if its 9:01 and there isn't a new post; no worries, I'll post the following week and I hope you'll be back for that. 

Lastly, I won't miss a post back to back so you can be assured that if I miss one week, they'll definitely be content the following week. 

I don't plan on missing a post but sometimes I don't post quality content in an effort just to post something.  In honor and respect for your time, the Wednesdays I don't have something ready, I'll skip.  I hope you all stick around for this next phase and thank you for being a part of ippyg.com

[ippyg]

Tweet, tweet, tweet...

Twitter’s Comeback

Do you tweet?  Our President does.  If you know how to use Twitter, you can stay on this post for the videos or just come back next week.  Below, you’ll find a short and quick guide I put together for some friends on February 14th, 2012. I love finding these written posts.  Twitter is on people’s minds a lot these days, largely in part because of the President.  I’ve shared to videos below along with the unedited guide I created just over five years ago.

_________2/14/2012_________

Ippy's Guide to Twitter Twitter Basics: Here's the down and dirty on how to use twitter. If your account is private (which doesn't make much sense) then anything you say, the world can see. Its like sending a text to the world. However: -No one can comment on what you said. -if they reply, it won't show on your "wall" unless you "retweet" it -when you add #, that is the topic your talking about, for example: "I can't wait to get home from work and party #tgif" - in this example, #tgif is the topic. Furthermore, if you click on #tgif (by adding the # sign, it becomes a twitter link) you can see what other people are talking about - it is almost like being in a big chat room. Its a global conversation about #tgif. Twitter also has what they call "Trending Topics". With trending topics you see what people are talking about at that moment. So let's say the premiere of Jersey Shore is on, because so many people will be tweeting about it, it would become a trending topic #jerseyshore. The twitter feed can look something like this: @guy1: I hate #jerseyshore @guy2: I can't believe #jerseyshore is on its 3rd season @girl1: @guy2 I can and I love it #jerseyshore @girl2: Jersey Shore sucks! @girl3: #Jerseyshore FISTPUMP!! ______ And it would keep going and refreshes every 30 seconds or so.

Notice, to talk to some1, you put @then-their-name. You don't have to be following each other to do so.

That completes this brief tutorial for twitter.

_________2/14/2012_________

[ippyg]

MDW '17

It’s Wednesday. By now BBQ parties have been cleaned up, sun headaches and hangovers are gone, and most people are back to work. There’s nothing wrong with any of those things; I’ve partaken in all those activities. In fact, we should really make the most of that weekend, why? Because troops of our armed forces made the ultimate sacrifice, giving up their lives, so that we could live ours in a free and glorious country: the United States of America.

For this reason, we should enjoy this weekend we're blessed to have. Furthermore, we should honor our fallen heroes. Although our brothers and sisters may be gone, it's up to us to keep their memory alive and well. Below you'll find a text written for NPR by my former Company Commander. He is also author of a new book: Do Good and Fear No Man (https://www.amazon.com/dp/1478787244/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_Ua5lzbN8N275D) 

 I highly recommend it and without further ado, here's his story for NPR.

This story was written for National Public Radio's Storycorp program in 2007.  

This story is about some of the finest men I've ever had the distinct honor of knowing and serving with.  They are what I consider to be one of the best Infantry units in the Marine Corps, Echo Company, 2d Battalion of the 6th Marine Regiment.  I was fortunate enough to be the commander of this unit from 2004 through 2006 and deployed twice in that brief time to Iraq and Afghanistan.  This story is about those men while deployed to Fallujah Iraq in the winter of 2005/2006.

 While deployed to Fallujah, we lived in the maintainence bay of the Fallujah Train Station located on the north side of the city.  Our area of responsibility was the northwestern part of the city which included the slums, the open air markets and the bridege of the Euphrates River made famous by four unfortunate Blackwater employees, and a rural stretch of countryside that bordered the Euphrates known as Azragia.  The majority of the city's population, to include some of its most dangerous streets were in our sector.  All of our sector was patrolled almost exclusively on foot.  There was no better way to know your area and the people in it than a foot moble security patrol.

 We chose the call sign "Bounty Hunter" for our mission in Iraq.  In Afghanistan, the company adopted the company call sign "Infidels" as a direct result of the beheadings that Al Queda was doing at the time.  If those guys considered themselves  holy warriors by cutting the heads off helpless non-combatants begging for their lives, we stood for the exact opposite and wanted to make sure we were counted among their enemies.  Once in Iraq however, we worked closely with the Iraqi Army and police and didn't have time to explain to each new organization why we chose such an inflamitory call sign, even though when we explained it, it made sense to them.  In the end, the call sign "Bounty Hunter, was the choice of the company, narrowly beating out the call sign "Rick James" and "Raider."

  The Company First Sergeant is the senior enlisted advisor to the company commander, ours was First Sergeant Zickefoose.  He came up through the ranks as a sniper and was a Silver Star recipient from the first gulf war.   He was an amazing Marine who led by example in all things and really held the company together.  In October, he had the foresight to write to an organization called Operation Santa, which sends Christmas presents to servicemen overseas.  All though the months of November and December, boxes filled with wrapped Christmas presents slowly arrived addressed to the First Sergeant.  The unopened boxes were kept in a storage container, out of sight from the Marines until Christmas Eve.  That night, after our evening meal, the First Sergeant, company radio operators and I unloaded each box and went down the list of names of everyone in the company to ensure each Marine had a couple of presents to open on Christmas morning.  By morning, all the presents were scattered around a decorated Christmas tree that someone sent from home.  At 0700, everyone in the company was called into our chow hall for a company meeting, unbeknownst to them the presents that awaited.

 The First Sergeant and wished everyone a Merry Christmas and served breakfast while the platoon sergeants handed out presents with santa hats on their heads.  The presents weren't much, mostly deck of playing cards, socks, candy, a few board games, etc.  But the coolness of opening a wrapped Christmas present in the spartan conditions of a forward operating base in combat cannot be understated.  Presents and hot chow were taken to the men on post and to our observation post in the city.  That evening, we cancelled our patrols, had a special Christmas meal of roast beef, turkey, masched potatoes , dressing, green beans, corn and even chocolate cake.  We let the Marines smoke cigars and cigarettes in the chow hall while we watched the only Christmas movie anyone could get their hands on...Elf with Will Ferrell.  It was a good day, and we needed a good day.

  About a month earlier, we lost one of the best Marines in the company, Corporal Joshua Snyder was killed 30 November 2005 by an enemy sniper.  Up until that point, IEDs, grenades, RPGs and small arms ambushes were just a nuisance to us.  They were a concern to our patrols, but largely ineffective.  Accurate sniper fire was the only thing the insurgents found that could affect us.  The Marines set aside a Christmas present with Corporal Snyder's name on it.  At that point, we were still optimistic that we could finish our deployment with minimal casualties.  That attitude would soon change.

   On a night patrol in the city, late one night in January 2006, PFC Kyle Brown kept seeing something following him from the rooftops.  There was a curfew in the city at night, so there was absolutely no movement that was not friendly forces moving around.  He later told his fireteam leader that he thought he saw a winged creature jumping from rooftop to rooftop, 30 feet or more at a time.   He said he could see it with his night vision goggles on and with his naked eye, but no one else on the patrol reported seeing such a thing.  He said he wanted to shoot at it, but wouldn't be able to accurately say what he was shooting at.  What ever it was scared him enough to talk to the battalion Chaplain and the most religious kid in the company, Corporal Felipe Barbosa.  Corporal Barbosa was a devout Christian and could often be found reading his Bibile when others were watching movies or playing with their personal playstations.  After several conversations with Corporal Barbosa, PFC Brown, who was previously unreligious,  converted to Christianity and was saved.  But in the following days, he still seemed distant and distracted like he couldn't get what he'd seen out of his mind.  We never found out what it was.

    I woke up on the morning of January 7th 2006 with the radio watch in our command post yelling, "QRF! QRF!" which meant for the quick reation force to get ready.  We always had a platoon of Marines on standby with gear staged and manifested, ready to leave at a moment's notice.  As i was putting my gear on, the radio watch stuck his head in my room and said that one of our patrols was ambushed and had taken two killed and one wounded. I rushed into the command post as the quick reaction force assembled.  I tried to make radio contact with the patrol to pin point their location and let our higher headquarters know what was happening but was unable to reach the patrol and could hear the firefight growning in intensity outside.  The QRF was ready in minutes and we zoomed out of the gates and through the narrow and winding city streets towards the sound of the guns.  It was about 0630 in the morning, it has just rained and there were hardly any civilians on the street yet.

    The patrol in the firefight was made of two squads on foot with 10 men in each.  They moved along indepedent routes a few blocks from each other using a technique called satelite patrolling.   If one squad got in trouble, the other would always be in a nearby position to assist.

    In this case, one squad had been ambushed by a group of insurgents using sniper fire and automatic weaons, which put the squad in a very difficult position.  The squad not caught in the ambush was quickly able to maneuver behind the insurgents and fire on them, forcing them to withdraw.  The whole ambush lasted about 5 minutes.

    As the enemy withdrew from the fight, the Marines caught in the ambush had moved into nearby houses to treat the wounded as best they could.  When the QRF and I rolled up on the scene, the streets looked like they'd been hosed down with blood.  The squad caught in the ambush was clearly distraught by trying in vain to save the lives of their best friends.  The squad leader, Corporal Gagliano quickly relayed to me that a sniper shot one of his Marines, Corporal Brett Lundstrom, who immediately collapsed unconscious in the street.  Without hesitating, the platoon Corpsman, Doc Engles rushed into the open to get him when he too was hit.  The bullet went into the side of Doc's upper chest,through his side and hit his arm on the way out.  He ran for cover on the opposite side of the street from his squad and rested behind a parked car.  When Doc saw Marines about to rush across the street to come to his aid, he motioned for them to stop, that he would run back across the street to them to prevent them from needlessly exposing themselves.   He made it about halfway before he collapsed from his own wounds.  The squad threw smoke grenades and returned fire to cover the attempted to rescue Corporal Lundstrom.  The enemy opened up a heavy volume of fire into the smoke which struck and killed PFC Jeriad Jacobs instantly.  At this point, the insurgents were forced to withdraw  by the platoon's maneuvering squad.  That's about the time the QRF and I rolled up on the scene.  While coughing up blood, Doc Engles had given directions on how to best treat the other wounded Marines before going into shock himself.  Looking at his face, I thought he was dead when they carried him from the building.  The wounded were quickly loaded onto trucks and driven off to Fallujah Surgical hospital, known as "Charlie Surg" and an immediate search was set out for the insurgents.  All available assets were called in, to include helicopter gunships and mounted platoons in Hummvees from adjcent units.  The entire area was cordoned off and a house by house search followed.

   The helicopter gunships overhead gave the direction and distance of two military aged males running south from our position.  As the Marines pursued the fleeing insurgents south, a report came over the radio of a Marine down in the rear of our formation.  The command vehicle quickly turned around and rushed to the scene where I could see an M-16 lying in the street and several Marines taking cover behind a small corrugated aluminum kisosk on the south side of a large 4 way intersection.  PFC Kyle Brown had been seriously wounded and needed an urgent medevac.  We positioned the command vehicle as best we could to provide protection to the Marines coming under increasingly heavy fire.  As it turns out, when the Marines crossed the intersection headed south, two RPGs were fired at vehicles on the cordon and sniper and automatic weapons fire began to engage the rear of our formation from buildings on the north side of the road.  Just like a scene out of a move, First Sergant Zickefoose exited the command vehicle on the enemy side and under a hail of bullets, calmly signaled to all available Marines in the area what buildings the insurgents were firing from.   He then assessed our casualty and let me know we needed an urgent medevac.

   Thanks to the First Sergeant's efforts, the buildings occupied by the insurgents began to disappear in a wall of smoke from the impaces of the Marines' suppressive fires just as the medevac vehicles arrived.  The medevac vehicles that carried the last group of wounded Marines to the hospital were just blocks away when Gunnery Sergeant Stewart heard the call over the radio and headed toward our position.  Despite all the firing by the enemy, PFC Brown was the only man hit and he was quickly loaded on a Hummvee and off to the hospital.  But as the vehicle departed, it was struck several times by enemy fire and disabled.  Aware of the dire circumstances, the vehicle commander, Staff Sergeant Donnie Bridges, commandeered a passing Iraqi Police truck in order to expedite the trip to the hospital.  The Marines left the shot up Hummvee at a U.S. checkpoint and quickly loaded  everyone into the police vehicle.  The Iraqi police truck was nothing more than a Nissan pick up truck with armor bolted on the sides for the bed to better protect those riding in the back.  It was both faster and more maneuverable than the Hummvee, but being mistaken for insurgents and being shot by friendlies was now a significant possiblity.  To prevent this potential fratricide, one of the Marines in the back, Lance Corporal Delillo, contacted the battalion Watch Officer to advise him of the unorthodox medevac vehicle now being used and hoped like hell that the word would make it down to the guards at the gate by the time the speeding Iraqi police truck came into range.  Simultaneously, Lance Corporal Delillo also assisted the Corpsman, Doc Routson, by applying hand pressure to PFC Brown's wounded neck while a tracheotomy was performed.  The Marine's later recalled that standing in the back of a speeding Iraqi police truck, waving to the guards as they approached the gate was one of the scariest things they did in Fallujah.  Thanks to their teamwork and quick thinking, the word did get passed to the gate guards and they arrived at teh hospital without further incident.  Sadly, PFC Brown's wounds were too great to overcome and he died upon arrival.

   Back to the firefight... Once the medevac was on its way to the hospital, First Sergeant Zickefoose quickly coordinated with me and led the squad that was pinned down in an assault on the buildings occupied by the insurgents.   His quick thinking and decisiveness in the face of sniper and machine gun fire forced the enemy to withdraw and prevented them from inflicting further casualties on teh company from a position of advantage.  As the enemy withdrew, we pursued them through the city for the next several hours, clearing all houses in the area of any remaing insurgents.  As the fighting moved from house to house, First Sergeant Zickefoose remained with the lead squad and constantly exposed himself to enemy fire in order to protect the Marines around him.  As a direct result of his stellar combat leadership, there was not a single Marine or civilian casualty during the remainder of the fighting, despite receiving small arms and rocket propelled grenade fire for the rest of the afternoon.  At the end of the day, 23 insurgents were sent to the regimental detention facility for further processing.

  We held a memorial service for our falllen brothers a few days later.  It's the best way for the Marines to begin putting closure on the loss of some of their closest friends.  After the eulogies have been said for their fallen by the commanders and friends, the roll is called.  Names of some of the Marines in the company are called and they all answer present.  Then the name of the fallen is called three times, each time with more emphasis to make sure he's not present.  "Corporal Snyder.  Corporal Joshua Snyder.  Corporal Joshua D. Snyder." Taps is played after the third calling of the name while the entire formation presents arms to the rifle, boots and helmet memorial.  All the talent in hollywood cannot capture the emotion and drama at this moment.  I've seen tears stream down the faces of some of the toughest men I know.  PFC Brown was eulogized by Corporal Barbosa, the Marine who led him to Christ.  Sadly, three weeks later, Corporal Barbosa was killed in a tragic vehicle accident.  It's almost as if his work in this world was done when he led PFC Brown to Christ and he was called home to the Lord.

   The rest of the story in a nutshell, we didn't have another combat casualty after the morning of 7 January.  Yet everyday, several times a day for the next 3 and 1/2 months, the Marines still had to put their gear on and patrol the same streets and walk among the same people that took the lives of their friends.  They didn't always enjoy it, but the got the job done.  By the end of their tour, the Marines of Echo Company had captured or killed more known insurgents than just about the rest of the battaion combined.  The incredible resilience and professionalism of the men of Echo never ceased to amaze me.

  We later learned that the sniper that stung us so badly that January morning was firing from a modified vehicle much like the DC sniper in 2002 and we adapted our techniques to deny him any additional opportunities.  And much to our chagrin, we never caught or killed him.  He was killed however, on the outskirts of Fallujah by 3rd Battalion 5th Marines just after we left.  It would have been nice for us to get him, but in the end, I'm just glad he's dead.

   The majority of the Marines I had the honor of serving with in Echo Company got out of the Marine Corps in the months after we returned to the states.  I still run into a few on active duty here and there and its always good to see them.  Doc Engles recovered fully and greeted us on the tarmac when we got home.

  Before handing command of the company over to the new guy, I tried to leave everyone with what little wisdom I've gained from our experience in Iraq.  "In the end,"  I said, "your life is not about you.  You're in the middle of it, but believe it or not, your life is about everyone else around you and how you choose to influence them with the short time you have.  It's your responsibility to make the most of each day and each breath that God puts into your lungs.  Remember Josh Snyder, Jeriad Jacobs, Kyle Brown, Felipe Barbosa and Brett Lundstrom who left their futures in Fallujah intersections of Henry and Fran, Cathy and George and Cathy and Frank streets.  Tell their stories and how they died for their country, and for their brothers in this company. "  They are all my heroes.  The best example of selflessness in teh company was Sgt Joshua Frazier, who ran out under fire on the morning of 7 January to drag PFC Brown to safety.  He volunteered to return to Iraq for a third tour when he was killed by a sniper, 6 February 2007.  

  I closed with part of a speech stolen from a past Marine Commandant called the Eagle and the Wolf.  "Inside me, inside each of us, there is a battle raging between the eagle and the wolf.  The eagle represents everything you ever hope to accomplish in life... love, money, happiness, success, accomplishment, power, etc.  The wolf represents your accuser,  the little voice inside your head that constant tells you that you're not good enough.  You can't make it.  You're not smart enough.  They'll never accept you.  You don't belong here.  You're not good looking enough.  In the end, who wins this battle?        ....the one you feed.  

Link: https://facebook.com/notes/david-pinion/echo-company-national-public-radio-fallujah-story/163595290343730/

[ippyg]

Man of Steel: The movie that will change comics on the big screen, forever.

Nearly four years ago I wrote the following post.  Given the superhero movies we’ve seen in the last few years, all I can say is I called it then.  It was definitely interesting to read this given where we are now in the cinematic universe of superheroes and villains.  Nothing you’re about to read was edited or fixed simply to keep the integrity of what was written.  The following was written on June 26th, 2013.

Where do I even begin?  Let us start with the obvious, the Man of Steel movie is an origin movie of Superman.  The movie is pretty amazing except for one, very important, impactful, detrimental detail!  (If you have not watched this movie yet, stop here and come back later: SPOILER ALERT).  This is the thing I know will change comic book movies - and any good hero-adventure-fiction type movie for that matter (I'm thinking like Star Trek and such) - forever.  Oh, and by the way, this isn't the first time Superman changes things.

Let us rewind to the 90s.  A time where comic books had respect for death (some of you may already know where I'm heading).  All this changes when Superman died in the comics.  When Superman is killed by Doomsday, there is a long period of time that the world operates without Superman - other “Supers” (Superboy, Cyborg Superman, etc) enter the Metropolis universe.  In short, non of these Supers can replace Superman; therefore, Superman (Clark Kent) returns.  When he does, it is explained that Superman was in a “Healing Coma” - a what?!? Who knew he had this ability?  No one, not even Superman himself.  This resurrection sent tsunamis (not ripples or waves) through the comic book universes and since then many other notable superheroes have died and returned too (like Batman, Green Lantern, The Flash, Deadpool, Captain America, The Punisher, Hawkeye, Nick Fury... *note: both major comic book universes* - to name a few).  There is a really good 16 minute video of this on YouTube (click here).  In any case, Superman changed death in comics forever.

Now fast forward to Man of Steel, where Superman does the unthinkable.  Superman kills!  Yes, if you have read this far, you saw the movie (hopefully) and you witnessed a catastrophic event in comic book movie history:  Superman is now “Judge, jury, and executioner.”  These three words have been said countless times by Superman - and when he says them, he uses them to justify why he does not kill citing that he is not any of those three words: JUDGE, JURY, OR EXECUTIONER.

As I debate this with friends, most of them seem to be okay with the fact that Superman killed.  They feel he has caught up with the times.  This is the reason the director made this decision, to make Superman relevant (you can read that interview here).  This reminds me of “Kingdom Come”, the epic comic book - a must read.  If you don't read comics, then take a look at “Superman vs The Elite” animated movie.  Two totally different storylines, same premise: A new wave of superheroes that WILL kill super villains, terrorists, and the like in the name of justice.  These new superheroes replace Superman (the plot is a bit thicker in Kingdom Come, but at its barebones, same theme).  The plot/theme is that Superman will NOT kill, no matter how cool, popular, or right it seems to the people.  For Superman, there is always another way...ALWAYS.  He believes in the values of justice and his morality, like Batman, doesn't allow him to ever justify killing.  So why does Superman kill in Man of Steel and how can we justify it?

The cat is out of the hat, the directors wanted to make Superman relevant.  Now, how do we justify it?  Only way I can see this being justified is if in the sequel to Man of Steel, Superman is fighting the guilt of having killed a man.  The guilt is so strong that Superman vows to never kill again; no matter what. One may be wondering, how do you avoid killing General Zod in a scene where people are about to be obliterated?  Simple.  Think about the scene... Superman had options.  He could have: 

a) stopped the laser vision by sacrificing his hand and covering/gauging Zod's eyes out (the second part a bit dark but at least Zod lives...) or 

b) Superman could have leaned back, pulling Zod in his direction, causing the beam to go upward or even 

c) Superman freezes Zod's face with his icy breathe.  The list goes on yet none of those things happen and Superman takes the easy way out.

One blogger referred to the movie as Superman having sold his soul for a box office hit.  I agree with him.  Superman's actions now open the flood gates for other Superheroes to kill - at least killing in defense of others (which is not a justifiable reason for Superheroes...that's why they are super). I wouldn't be surprised if we see “Spidey” (Spiderman) killing on the big screen one day.

All in all, comic book movies are changed forever (I feel like I'm in philosophy class discussing Phillipa Foot's trolley problem).  Time will tell the effects of Superman's killing though I think it's clear what will happen.  What more can I say, we're not in Kansas anymore.

[ippyg]

A dying medium

Times change. It always does. It's the one constant you can always count on. And just like time, everything changes. I've encountered a dilemma. I realize that ultimately what I'm doing is resisting change. That thing I'm resisting, is reading comics digitally. 

I'm all about technology and the way things evolve. I've read a number of ebooks and have even ventured into audiobooks. I love ebooks because of how personal they are. 

A normal book features a cover which is available for the world to see. It's not that I'm trying to hide what I'm reading but that very notion holds people back from reading certain things in public. A study showed that romantic ebooks sales were up compared to physical books. They reason they sited was that people were more likely to read them now because of the discretion mobile devices offer. 

Back to my dilemma. I haven't started to read comics digitally because there's just something about the suspenseful page turning you get. The art on paper and the comic book experience when reading it physically. Part of the experience is going to a comic book shop, picking up your comics, maybe some small talk and then reading it. New comics are released weekly on Wednesday (like my blog, wink). 

The problem with the experience is time consuming it can become, not to mention daunting when you factor in travel time, cost, and Miami traffic. 

I miss comics and their stories. I think I may go digital after all. 

What are your thoughts? Is physical book reading a dying medium? I'd love to hear your thoughts. It reminds me of those old movies, ironically enough, about the future where they would burn all the books to erase that knowledge. In the name of going green and being more productive, I can't help but feel that were metaphorically burning the books in exchange for the digital ones. Too much? Drop a comment below or tweet me at @ippyg

[ippyg]

Motivated

Videos to get you thinking & pumped.

As part of my commitment to the blog, I didn’t just want to throw something together on here that didn’t make much sense.  I’m currently working on getting two blog posts up - it’s from my two day trip to Boston, NYC, New Jersey, and Delaware...and then some extra, outside the two days (same week) at Disney.  The nice tight is that although the footage is from the same event, each vlog post has it’s own theme.  This week, I just wanted to share some motivation videos I really enjoy and I hope you do too.