'Journey to Normal' Film Features Iowa Red Bulls

In its Iowa premiere, the 2017 documentary "Journey to Normal: Women of War Come Home" will be shown in an exclusive, one-time engagement on the Boone, Iowa campus of Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) at 7 p.m., Thurs., March 22, 2018.

A Q&A session with producer and director JulieHera DeStefano will follow the 93-minute film.

Hundreds of women service members were interviewed for the film project, and plans call for their stories to be archived and made available to researchers via the non-profit Journey to Normal website, producers say.

"Since 2001, over 280,000 women have deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan," the documentary says. "Journey to Normal shares 8 of their stories so that we might reflect on the individual experiences of all who serve."

Two of the eight women featured in the film are originally from Iowa. Featured in the documentary are:

• Jessica Astorga Dayton, a U.S. Air Force nurse from Dayton, Ohio
• Abby Brookbank Allen, a U.S. Army National Guard combat medic from Ida Grove, Iowa
• Ivonne Daly, a U.S. Army Reserve surgeon from Pittsburgh, Pa.
• Jill Finken, a U.S. Army National Guard attorney from Souix City, Iowa
• Christine Mau, a U.S. Air Force F-15 pilot from Mountain Home, Idaho
• Judi Reeves, a U.S. Army Reserve surgical technician from Middletown, N.Y.
• Devon Reyes, a U.S. Army Military Intelligence officer from Fort Knox, Ky.
• Amy Sinkler, a U.S. Army truck driver from Chadbourn, N.C.

The event is the last installment in the inaugural "In Their Boots Film Festival," a three-month series of film presentations intended to foster conversations about military service, veterans issues, and social reintegration. The event is co-sponsored by the DMACC-Boone student group In My Boots 5k, and the Central Iowa non-profit Paws & Effect. The festival is made possible by a generous grant from Humanities Iowa.

"Because we train service dogs for veterans, we recognize that 'coming home' from a wartime deployment can be a journey, not a destination," says Nicole Shumate, executive director of Paws & Effect. "Reintegrating into our society and with our families doesn't just happen overnight, and it doesn't happen without hard work and continued support. We are extremely proud to celebrate the lives and stories of the veterans depicted in 'Journey to Normal'—and all who have walked these paths."

In 2010-2011, in what was described as the largest deployment of Iowa troops since World War II, the Iowa Army National Guard's 2nd Brigade Combat Team (B.C.T.), 34th Infantry "Red Bull" Division (2-34th BCT) sent more than 3,000 citizen-soldiers overseas as part of the "Afghan Surge." The 2-34th BCT is headquartered in Boone.

Randy Brown, a Central Iowa-based freelance writer and editor of "Reporting for Duty," a collection of U.S. Army public affairs reports from the Iowa brigade's deployment, says that "Journey to Normal" uniquely captures some of what it was like to deploy to Afghanistan—and what it is like to return to family, friends, school, and work following a wartime deployment. "All of these stories are important—individually and collectively," says Brown. "To most of us, this is a depiction of war far more 'real' and relevant than popular movies about snipers and drones."

Interviews with at least three "Red Bull" soldiers are featured in the documentary. Each appears multiple times on-camera, in settings both downrange and "back home." Abby Brookbank was a combat medic assigned to 1st Battalion, 168th Infantry Regiment (1-168th Inf.), and was based at Forward Operating Base ("FOB") Gardez. Jill Finken was an attorney assigned to the brigade headquarters, which was based at Bagram Airfield ("BAF") during the 2010-2011 deployment. Martha Kester, a chaplain with 334th Brigade Support Battalion, also makes a number of appearances throughout the film.

For more information about "Journey to Normal," visit here. A Facebook page is here.

To view an early (2011) trailer about the film, visit here.

There will be a freewill donation pasta dinner fund-raiser preceding the movie, starting 6 p.m. in the DMACC-Boone food court area. Proceeds will go to support the "In Our Boots 5k" run, walk, and ruck fund-raiser event April 14, 2018. The 93-minute movie "Journey to Normal" will be shown in the adjacent auditorium starting 7 p.m.

A Facebook page for the "In My Boots 5k" student group is here. A website is here.

A registration page for the April 14, 2018 5k run, walk, and ruck event is here.

Know the Signs: Is Your Mom (or Dad) a Veteran?

Sgt. 1st Class David Franklin buckles up his 4-year-old son, David Jr., after being picked up from a Fort Lee, Va. daycare facility. April 2017 photo by Lesley Atkinson, Fort Lee Public Affairs

With Mother's Day earlier this week, and Father's Day soon approaching, here's a list of signs your mom or dad might be a military veteran:

• Uses "wheels up" or "S.P." (Army talk for "Start Time") to describe when carpool is leaving, with or without you.

• Refers to school drop-off area as the "L.Z."

• Conducts Preventive Maintenance, Checks, and Services (P.M.C.S.) on family vehicles before, during, and after long trips.

• Refers to stops along vacation route as "rest halts."

• Introduces household announcements with phrases such as "attention on deck" or "now hear this."

• Requests you clean your room using language such as "police call" or "sweepers, sweepers, man your brooms."

• Refers to household cleaning efforts as "G.I. parties."

• Wakes younger household members by beating on metal garbage cans, sounding "general quarters," and/or playing reveille on a bugle.

• Issues 5-point contingency ("GOTWA") plan to babysitters and/or your older siblings, prior to leaving house.

• Authorizes professional medical attention only for playground injuries that cross threshold of "threat to life, limb, or eyesight."

• Prescribes for all other injuries and illnesses "2 tabs of Motrin and drink water."

Re-run: Overheard in the TOC ... or at Daycare?

The writer of the Red Bull Rising blog is currently on family vacation maneuvers at an undisclosed training area, somewhere in the Middle West. This re-post, from those heady pre-deployment days of December 2010, may or not be applicable to our current family banter.

There are any number of comments that seem to have equal application, whether spoken in a military unit's Tactical Operations Center ("TOC") or in a children's daycare setting. In other words ...

"At the TOC or Daycare? You Make the Call!"

• “Who told you do that?”

• “Why didn’t you do what I told you to do?”

• "Was that a good decision or a poor decision?"

• "How many can YOU count?"

• "If I take away this many, how many do you have left?"

• “Where did you last see it when you lost it?”

• "How do you draw a ..."

• "Time to take a nap!"

• "Where were you when you saw the bad stranger?"

• "Hey, that's mine!"

• "Stay on your side!"

• "Clean up your things."

• "Everybody--QUIET!”

A quick shout-out to Saber2th for the inspiration for this. I should note that, despite what people think, he really does play well with others.

Build Your Own 'Spring Break on FOB Sherpa' Kit!

As part of EXERCISE SPRING BREAK 2016, Task Force Sherpa recently conducted convoy ops into the heart of AO RED BULL, vicinity Mall of America (M.O.A.), Bloomington, Minn., conducting resupply at FOB IKEA and FOB LEGOSTORE. Via a village kiosk, we discovered an additional target of opportunity in the BRICKMANIA store, and quickly moved to exploit.

Headquartered in Minneapolis, Brickmania produces military-themed kits and items that are compatible with the popular Lego brand of plastic construction blocks. Under the BrickArms sub-brand, Brickmania offerings include a wide range of weapons, helmets, tactical vests, and other military equipment for Lego-style mini-figures.

The kids and I spent a few hours—and (ahem) a little money—figuring out the components to a Charlie Sherpa mini-fig. They were already somewhat familiar with my stories from Afghanistan: Media embed rules stipulated that I couldn't wear camouflage in country, so I couldn't use my old uniforms. Two of my shirts were slate blue; one was olive green. (I did laundry out of a 5-gallon bucket every couple of days.) My bulletproof vest was solid "coyote" brown. Using a stencil, I wrote "press" on the front of my light green helmet.

Here's what we came up with at Brickmania store. To make your own Charlie Sherpa, you'll need:

• Modern Combat Helmet (M.C.H.), Dark Tan

• Male head with glasses

• U.S. Dungarees Torso (aka "U.S. Navy Seabees" shirt)

• Plate Carrier Vest (P.C.V.), Specialist, Dark Tan

• Pants with cargo pockets, Light Tan

• Lego camera and coffee mug borrowed from kids' previously purchased Lego sets

We also assembled and purchased a U.S. media escort soldier mini-fig. Originally, we were going to make her look like Sgt. 1st Class Ashlee Katz, the Public Affairs NCO from my media embed with 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry "Red Bull" Division in Afghanistan, May-June 2011. Instead, he ended up looking a little like Spc. Slim Cheery, a Red Bull videographer that I hung out with for a few days on FOB Mehtar Lam.

While Brickmania does make decals for Multicam uniforms, the kids and I opted to issue the mini-fig soldier some pre-made Universal Camouflage Pattern pieces, a three-color desert helmet, and some rockin' eye-protection. He also got a Plate Carrier Vest with a walkie-talkie pocket, and an M-16 with grenade launcher. Because the real Slim didn't have enough to carry, if I recall, what with the video camera and all. He was also assigned as a grenadier.

After determining that Brickmania does not (not yet, anyway) offer a Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected ("M-RAP") truck kit, I successfully resisted the urge to drive away with a Humvee kit instead. I might have to go back for an Ultra-Light Tactical Vehicle, however, given that we drove Gators around Bagram.

Finally, at the the Mall of America's Lego store, the kids and I picked up a beige baseplate, and enough tan and brown bricks to make a passible hootch. We made ours a little battle-damaged, and used the brown bricks to make T-walls. Next time, we'll use dark or light gray for the blast-barriers. My daughter installed a Lego "boom box" stereo she repurposed from another playset—because troops gotta have their tunes. She also planted some Lego flowers. We further accessorized with a Brickmania footlocker we'd purchased.

Now, FOB Sherpa is always just a few clicks away!

Children's Picture Book Review: 'Goodnight Marines'

"Goodnight Marines" by David R. Dixon, Illustrated by Phil Jones

Seeking to communicate the pride, history, and purpose of the U.S. Marine Corps to a younger audience is no small task, but U.S. Marine Maj. David Dixon and Army veteran Phil Jones have done so with punch, grace, and humor.

Riffing on the form and tone of childhood classic "Goodnight Moon," by Margaret Wise Brown, "Goodnight Marines" is full of saturated colors and peaceful images, delivered at a steady cadence.

A sample:

Goodnight blues and scarlet thread,
Goodnight Tuffy Hound on the end of my bed.

Goodnight Tripoli, Belleau Wood and Saipan.
Goodnight to my Dad in Afghanistan.

Iraq War veteran Dixon, an AH-1W "SuperCobra" pilot, was the 2014 recipient of the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation's Robert A. Gannon Award for "Call in the Air," an accessible and often humorous book of military-themed poetry, aimed at adults.

Jones, a former artist for The Walt Disney Co., served in Operation Desert Storm with the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment.

In words and visuals, Dixon and Jones leave no corner of Marine life unexplored. (I particularly enjoyed the "two yellow feet" area rug in the storybook room, which evoke the painted pavement just off the bus at Parris Island.) The book's design also demonstrates laudable attention-to-detail. Take, for example, the near-midnight-blue of the book's cover, which is punctuated by a red spine reminiscent of "blood stripe" on an enlisted Marine's dress trousers.

Many ranks and military jobs are mentioned, in order to depict the wide range of experiences for Marine moms and dads. The 34-page book features three pages of glossary terms, potentially helpful to non-Marine parents and babysitters. While plain-spoken, the expository language is rich with historical tidbits.

For example, the author's language regarding the recurring character of "Tuffy Hound," the storybook child's stuffed animal. Tuffy wears dog tags and a Drill Instructor's round, brown campaign cover. Dixon explains that Tuffy's actual name is Teufel Hunden ("Devil Dog"), a mascot of the U.S. Marine Corps:

Unfortunately, this young boy cannot yet pronounce such a difficult German word, so he has named his friend "Tuffy Hound." Tuffy was given to the child by his dad before deploying to Afghanistan. Just like the father guards his combat outpost, Tuffy provides the child with warmth and security, watching over the room as the child sleeps. Tuffy is a Staff Sergeant and wears the Smokey Bear cover of a Marine Drill Instructor, symbolizing the mentorship, guidance, and (albeit sometimes tough) love that DI's show as they become parental figures to recruits during Boot Camp.

Available in hardcover and on Kindle.

Video Depicts How and Why We Remember the Fallen

Iowa Remembers from The Woods on Vimeo

Often featuring dramatic music and sexy pictures of hard-charging soldiers, motivational and inspirational videos are something of a tradition in the military. I've been waiting for just the right moment to share this one. It's more thoughtful and less hooah than those training videos from the National Training Center, Fort Irwin, Calif., but I find it motivational as I reflect and resolve toward writing down another year. I think you'll like it.

Produced by the award-winning Todd Cerveris of The Woods Productions, in collaboration with Iowa Remembers, Inc., this 7-minute video depicts the 6th Annual Iowa Remembrance Run conducted Sept., 27, 2015, which was Gold Star Mother's and Family's Day. The run is the primary fund-raiser for the 501(c)3 non-profit organization, which, in turn, underwrites an annual retreat for survivor military families from Iowa conducted on the same weekend.

PHOTO: The Woods Productions

Readers of the Red Bull Rising blog may remember previous mentions of the Iowa Remembrance Run. For the past few years, I've also been honored to participate in the event, reading the honor roll of those Iowans who have died in service to their country since 2001.

Throughout the video, survivor families offer their thoughts and memories—about their loved ones, and about the Iowa Remembrance Run and annual retreat. Listen carefully, and you'll also hear the honor roll being read.

Started in December 2009, the Red Bull Rising blog has evolved from a mil-blog about one family's pre-deployment experiences; to one about the 2nd Brigade Combat Team (B.C.T.), 34th Infantry "Red Bull" Division's 2010-2011 deployment to Afghanistan; to one seeking, more generally, creative ways to remember and celebrate military service members, veterans, and families. In 2016, with humor and heartfelt thanks, these missions continue:

• To explain in plain language the roles, responsibilities, and routines of the U.S. citizen-soldier, with particular focus on the U.S. 34th Infantry "Red Bull" Division.

• To illuminate ways in which citizen-soldiers past and present—as well as their families—can be remembered, supported, and celebrated.

As always, thank you for your support, and for reading the Red Bull Rising blog. (Thanks also to all of you who recently purchased or gave as gifts my book "Welcome to FOB Haiku: War Poems from Inside the Wire"! More such hijinks continue at: www.fobhaiku.com.)

Here's to a fun and productive new year!

"Attack! Attack! Attack!"

Post-Memorial Day Round-Up on Mil-Writing

One of the movers-and-shakers I met recently at Military Experience & the Arts Symposiusm 2 (M.E.A.2.) in Lawton, Okla. was spoken-word artist, editor, and impresario Kylila Bullard, who's particularly interested in telling the stories of female West Point cadets.

She's written up her own take of the MEA2 event, which I invite you to read at her own blog, "Poetic Change." She heads a non-profit of the same name. A Facebook page for the organization is here.

Keep an ear out for her stuff. I know I will.

I was also pleased to meet former corpsman and sailor Travis Klempan, who is now a writer and poet based in Colorado. On Memorial Day, the Ash & Bones on-line literary journal published Klempan's short story "Commit to the Deep." It's a great read, and perfect for navigating the discomforts and internal conflicts of Memorial Day.

Also on the virtual table-of-contents was a poem from Eric Chandler.  Chandler is a former F-16 driver for the Minnesota Air National Guard (Callsign: "Shmo"), and an outdoors enthusiast and writer in Duluth, Minn. who now flies commercial passenger aircraft. His poem "Maybe I Should've Lied" wonderfully captures the uneasy phase lines over which citizen-soldiers must cross when talking with and around their children. The poem and the situation it describes resonated greatly with me, as did Shmo's snarky internal monologue.

That it was also published on Memorial Day, I think, is both provocative and appropriate.

The editors of Ash & Bones, Andrea Collins and Katie Kuss-Shivler, are to be commended and thanked for their literary coverage of military themes. In three recent waves or "cycles" of on-line content, they've presented a compelling mix of poetry and short fiction. (You can read that military content here and here.)

These are stories of military experience, ranging from the mundane to the profane, from the subversive and the sublime. They also share a great eye for pairing images—often copyright-free images from modern military journalists—with literary words. When artist- and writer-veterans talk about ways to build bridges across the gaps of understanding between civilians and military service members and families, it's content like this for which we should be aiming: Punchy. Loving. Unsentimental.

(Disclosure: The writer of the Red Bull Rising blog had two poems—here and here—appear in the journal's second cycle.)

The Ash & Bones publication is moving on to consider other, non-military topics important to our society and culture. I hope, however, that they revisit military themes in the future. In the meantime, I'll borrow a page from the Navy signals book and transmit a "Bravo Zulu" to all those involved.

*****

I SAY AGAIN: JUNE 1, 2015 DEADLINES FOR TWO IMPORTANT JOURNALS

Military writers, take note! Two noteworthy print journals have deadlines for short fiction, non-fiction, poetry, visual art, interviews, and more coming up on June 1:

First is "Proud to Be: Writing by American Warriors" from Southeast Missouri State University Press, an annual anthology now in its fourth year.

Second is the annual journal "Consequence," which covers literature regarding the culture of war.

Like the Red Bull says: "Attack! Attack! Attack!"

In other words, keep writing! And keep sending out submissions!

Nov. 1 Deadlines for VFW's Youth Writing Competitions

My youthful interests in three trophies: In addition to the
VFW's "Tall Corn Radio Award" (really, the "Voice of Democracy")
are others for marksmanship and ... advertising sales?!

I've long since gotten rid of a lot of trophies from my high-school days and earlier, but one that I've kept is what I jokingly call the Veterans of Foreign Wars' "Tall Corn Radio Award."

(Remember newscaster Les Nessman on the late-1970s TV sitcom "WKRP in Cincinnati," who was winner of the coveted Silver Sow, Buckeye Newshawk, and Copper Cob awards? He and I share more than a few things in common.)

Actually, it's a golden version of a old-school radio microphone, a symbol of the organization's annual "Voice of Democracy" audio-essay competition. And one of my prized possessions.

While I've lost the audiotape of my winning entry—I think it was recorded on a reel-to-reel tape—I've never misplaced the big lesson-learned from my participation in the VFW event: That patriotism is best shared with others.

Bottom line: I heartily recommend participation in the VFW's writing and audio-essay programs to interested high-schoolers, particularly those who are enjoy public speaking and journalism.

The "Patriot's Pen" essay-writing competition is open to students grades 6 through 8. This year's theme is "Why I Appreciate America’s Veterans." The national winner will receive a $5,000 award. Deadline is Nov. 1, 2014. Click here for more details.

The "Voice of Democracy" audio-essay competition is open to students grades 9 through 12. This year's theme is "Why Veterans are Important to our Nation’s History and Future." Deadline is also Nov. 1, 2014. Click here for more details.

For more information, as well as entry forms, contact your local participating VFW post.

Students should also submit entries (along with a completed entry form) to their participating local VFW post. Click here for a VFW post locator.

Children's Book Review: 'Why My Dad?'

"Why My Dad? A Story About Military Deployment" by Lisa R. Bottorff

Whether a military parent is deployed for months at sea or overseas, in times of relative peace or during a hot shooting war, children can feel a little adrift. With "Why My Dad? A Story About Military Deployment,"U.S. Air Force veteran Lisa Bottorff has published a picture book that navigates this emotional surf. In it, she tells a story of Michael and his friend Randy, as they react to news that Michael's father has just deployed.

While a colorful and accessible book for all ages, the book's themes are likely most appropriate to grade-school readers, leaning toward boys. The art by Nicolas Peruzzo—who has illustrated more than 30 children's books—are crisp and clean, almost like a comic book. Bottorff incorporates plenty of interest-generating hooks, including camping, baseball, and catching fireflies. Uniforms and military equipment are depicted in ways applicable to most military services.

"Why My Dad?" would be a useful tool with which to engage children in conversations about their own deployment fears, hopes, and other feelings.

Bottorff is most successful in her characters' explanation of what military parents do when they deploy. Notably, she manages to explore difficult concepts without mentioning combat, weapons, risk, or danger. Randy reminds Michael of a schoolyard situation: "My brother Robbie stepped in and made the bully leave me alone. Robbie was big and strong and could easily stand up to him. Our dads are like Robbie. They are in the world's best military and they stand up to bullies. Sometimes they have to go to other places to do it." Peruzzo's accompanying illustration figuratively reinforces the theme of protection.

The book has some potential hiccups. Michael's dad, for example, suddenly disappears when the child fails to come home for dinner on time. This dramatic but likely unrealistic scenario could be problematic for younger children. "Your dad wanted to talk to you and say goodbye but he couldn’t find you," his mother says, potentially sending the child on guilt-laden journey of his own.

Also, the letter his father leaves invokes the painfully familiar "you're now the man of the house" line. Speaking from experience, that can feel like an awfully heavy burden to a grade-schooler. Use it cautiously.

Finally, it would be fun and useful to have a similar book that focuses on a deploying mother, and/or the perceptions of a daughter.

That said, the book ends with a message that—while things will be different while a parent is deployed—life, friendships, and fun will go on. Beyond "I love you," that's probably what any child needs to hear most.

*****

Note: The Red Bull Rising blog was provided an electronic review copy of this book.

A Survey of the Comic-Book Terrain

Writing comics, genre fiction, television, and film would seem to share various tools and tropes. They reward episodic, open-ended narratives in which as many problems and questions are created as mysteries are solved. They reward the creation of memorable characters and visuals, but allow for somewhat repetitive plots.

Indeed, as sequential art forms, comics and films can be seen as something of mutually generative engines, although there's more money to be had in movie-making than comic publishing. In 2012, the total U.S. comic book and trade-paperback sales was nearly $370 million. The worldwide gross for a single blockbuster superhero movie, "The Avengers" (2012), was four times that. No wonder comic-book publishers seem to constantly mine their existing intellectual properties, which can then be sold and resold as action figures and movies and T-shirts and other stuff.

Comic books are still relevant, but they're not necessarily the biggest show in town.

The publishers of comic books have changed with the times. The only problem is, the times they are a'changing still.

Single-issue stories—so-called "one and done"—are more rare than they were in the 1980s. When spinner-rack consumers couldn't count on buying sequential issues, comics were more likely to deliver a complete story in a single issue. Occasionally, publishers will still present "one-shot" issues, which relate complete narratives. Larger "annual" issues may deliver twice the pages of a monthly comic, but at premium prices.

Ongoing narrative arcs now comprise 6- or 12-issue chunks, so that they can be easily repackaged and published as trade paperbacks (often abbreviated "T.P.B."). It can be confusing, trying to figure out whether and when to "jump on" to an ongoing narrative in the floppies, or to wait 6 or 12 months for the trade paperback.

Assuming they are connected to an existing character or set of characters, Original Graphic Novels (O.G.N.) tell stories that take place outside of an ongoing narrative.

Comic-book publishers are as confused and concerned about digital publishing as the producers of newspapers, magazines, and greeting cards. They're shackled to stagnated publishing model: kill trees, print comics, distribute via specialty brick-and-mortar shops. At the same time, however, the comic-book shop is where the magic happens, where communities of consumers congregate, where browsing and buying pay-off in sharing new stories and characters. Lose the comic-book shop, and publishers will lose the war. And consumers will lose out altogether.

Still, I have to wonder: How much of my love of comic books is rooted in nostalgia? How much is driven by the physical acts of consumption—collecting, collating, culling, and cataloging a library of materials—rather than the intellectual pleasures of a good story, well-told? If it was just about reading words and looking at pictures, you'd think that an e-reader solution would be the way to go. Pages would never get bent, every issue would in mint-condition, and whole back-catalogs would be accessible (and marketable!) at the touch of a button.

What would the world look like, however, if comic books were no longer in print? It sounds ... practically apocalyptic.

Comic Books: Not for Kids Anymore?

My self-study course in All Things Comic Books has included some comics-related podcasts, including the 2010-to-present libraries of "Comic Geek Speak," "iFanboy," and "House to Astonish." I've also been visiting comic book stores, both locally and during my travels, in an attempt to observe what makes this business tick. I feel like I've learned a new language, one based on a similar dialect I once spoke in my youth, but not the same.

If memory serves, this was one of my
first comics purchases, circa 1980

I used to buy comics at a 7-Eleven convenience store a few miles' bike ride from my house. The route was fraught with danger: It was a straight shot downhill, on a neighborhood road inexplicably expanded to four lanes and 45 miles per hour. Having made my purchases, I had to ride my 10-speed uphill and one-handed.

Finding the issues and titles I wanted was always a problem. So was finding them relatively undamaged. The convenience store's upright "spinner" rack would bend, rip, and chew comics up, even before they were bought.

I subscribed to a Spider-Man title once--an act which seemed to require a sacrifice of one comic in order to purchase more: "Cut out this coupon and send it in." I found a photocopier instead, but the U.S. Postal Service mangled more superheroes than the spinner rack ever could. Covers were ripped, or torn off completely.

Fast-forward to today: The comics business has changed considerably. Having left the hobby in the early 1980s, I missed out on the comics boom in the 1990s, and then a business implosion. The two big publishers, DC Comics and Marvel Comics, have played so many games regarding how issues are titled, numbered, and written, that there's little continuity between the characters I knew and the characters of today. Issue No. 57 of "Uncanny X-men" may have nothing to do with issue No. 1 (?!) of a new "Uncanny X-men," which launches next month. That disconnect translates into a poor secondary market, too. Old comics don't increase in value if nobody feels the need to read them.

The new-release racks are also stacked full of seemingly duplicate titles. How many "Avengers" titles can the market support? There's "Avengers," "New Avengers," "Secret Avengers," "Young Avengers," and "Avengers Arena." How can a consumer tell each title apart?

Outside of an toy store, book store, or supermarket newsstands, there are few places to purchase individual comics. (Some collectors call these "floppies.") Serious collectors seek out local comic book retailers, or mail-order in advance through discount distributors. The paper quality has improved considerably from the yellow newsprint I remember, but the price-tag on an individual comic is now $2.99, $3.50, or even $3.99! Do the math: If you want to buy 10 ("Avengers"?) titles a month, that's going to set you back up to $40 plus tax. That's $360 a year!

Even at today's prices, that's a lot of gas.

Face it, comic books just aren't for kids anymore.

Wanted: A Few New (Girly?) Heroes

Rosie the Riveter and the new Captain Marvel:
Who says they can't make heroes like they used to?

A couple of months ago, inspired in part by a desire to explore new ways to tell military stories, I had a relapse into adolescent behaviors. I rediscovered comic books, a habit or hobby that I'd given up before high school. In those days, spending 50-cents on an issue of Spider-Man suddenly seemed far less important than putting a half-gallon of gas in my dad's car. Girls probably had something to do with it.

Through the years, I've kept all my old comics safe and dry. Moving the boxes from house to house was more an exercise in maintaining a connection with the past, than for any rational purpose or profit motive. Some of them are probably worth something, but not much.

During the past couple of months, I've taken an informal crash course on the current state of comic books. Not only did I want to explore how sequential art might be used to explore military-themed narratives, I wanted to be fluent enough to field superhero-related queries from my kids. Five-year-old Rain is big on Captain America and Batman, while 8-year-old Lena has been asking some uncomfortable questions, such as: "Why there aren't more girl heroes?"

(Sidenote: With last week's announcement from the Pentagon regarding women in the military, at least I no longer have to explain "why girls can't be can't do everything in the Army that boys can." I don't ever want to send my warrior-princess off to the combat branches, of course, but do I want her to live in a world in which she could if she wanted. Her choice, not mine.)

Don't get me wrong: Half-dressed and top-heavy super-damsels were OK for me, back in my hyper-hormonal teenaged days. As a father, however, I'd prefer to be able to direct my daughter's attentions toward more morally certain, more anatomically realistic, more wholesome characters than, say, Catwoman.

Back in the day,
Wonder Woman seemed
unnecessarily tied
to certain themes.

Before you cart out Wonder Woman as some sort of paragon of virtue, let's just say I'm a little queasy about some of the adult themes (click here for suitable-for-work exposition) that are, er ... historically "bound up" in her stories.

Of course, heroes change. That's why I'm trying to get up to speed. I think I've got Lena pre-sold on Captain Marvel, a recently re-launched Marvel Comics title featuring U.S. Air Force Maj. Carol Danvers. I've even found a tasteful Captain Marvel T-shirt for Lena, to compete with her brother's growing arsenal of heroic garb.

I'm also keeping a wary eye on the Huntress, who—according to a 2011 reboot of the DC Comics universe—is a daughter of an alternate-reality Batman and Catwoman.

Bottom line: I'd like Lena to have some heroes left, of either the fantastic or realistic variety, after she outgrows her devotion to dear old Dad.

When the time comes, after she's ready to move on from "My Little Pony" and "Superman Family Adventures," I'll put characters like Captain Marvel into Lena's hands. In the meantime, there are exciting possibilities in all-ages independent titles such as "Princeless" and "Molly Danger."

In a recent "Word Ballon" podcast interview, author and "Decoded" TV host Brad Meltzer mentioned that he's writing a couple of children's history books with his grade-school aged daughter. Together with artist Chris Eliopoulos going to focus on U.S. and world heroes, starting with Amelia Earhart. The series was partly inspired by a "Real Heroes" line of T-shirts Meltzer and Eliopoulos helped produce.

"I have two little kids," he says. "Whether I like it or not, they're picking heroes. I figured I might as well have a little say in that."

Scenes from a Reading of Dog-eared Children's Books

Photo: Dinko Ibukic/DinkoDesign.com

Save for the promise of a babe in a barn, one would be hard-pressed to conceive a more incongruous congregation: A troupe of traveling actors, a pack of puppies, and a muttering of children who have, on this misty gray Saturday morning, in a military museum filled with guns and planes, gathered together to share stories and songs.

Making her introductions, Paws & Effect Executive Director Nicole Shumate remembers the day before, an ugly and unthinkable and nearly unspeakable day, but only in passing. "Considering yesterday's events," she says, "I can't think of a better way to spend my day today, spending a little time with some kids." Her voice cracks a little, and so do we.

Photo: Todd Cerveris

The troupers hail from the national tour of "War Horse," which is playing later that afternoon at the Civic Center of Greater Des Moines. It is a theatrical play that celebrates, among other themes, the connections among humans and animals. It was also a movie. Before that, it was a book for young people.

The off-duty actors have answered an early call, but gamely rouse the crowd with a boisterous tune from the show. Written by John Tams, it appears as "Wheel of Fortune" on the soundtrack. People are just likely to recognize it, however, as "(When We Go) Rolling Home." It is stirring stuff, better than coffee:

Round goes the wheel of fortune, don't be afraid to ride
There's a land of milk and honey waits on the other side
There'll be peace and there'll be plenty, you'll never need to roam
When we go rolling home, when we go rolling home

After the song, the performers focus on their floor-bound audience, eagerly taking turns to read aloud three children's books. At times, it is difficult to discern who is having more fun: the kids, the readers, or the occasional errant pup who crashes in among both.

Photo: Todd Cerveris

In addition to training psychiatric service animals for wounded military veterans, Paws & Effects helps train Reading Education Assistance Dog ("READ") teams—humans and animals that help with literacy efforts. Indeed, some of the children and dogs present have met before, during pre-event arts activities at the Civic Center's annual series of family-centered performances.

Appropriately, on this day, the selected books each speak to human-animal themes, against backdrops of war and sacrifice:

First, "Scuttlebutt Goes to War," a childhood favorite of mine. The 1943 picture book is the true story a dog who is wounded in World War II, and adopted by sailors and Marines. Scuttlebutt gets his name from the wheeled apparatus he uses to get around temporarily, having been injured.

Even as a kid, I apparently enjoyed military punnery. And stories about dogs in service.

Then, "Klinger: A Story of Honor and Hope," which tells how a horse from Iowa becomes a key part in honoring soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery.

Finally, "14 Cows for America," the story of how, following the attacks of September 11, a tribe in Kenya sought to comfort Americans with the gift of its most treasured possessions.

Between stories, more songs: "She'll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain," then "This Land is Your Land."

Scientists grandly speak of a unified theory of forces, attractions that bind and connect all that is, from planet to particle. Some are strong forces. Some are weak. The way I understand it, some of the smallest are also the strongest, responsible for binding together such fundamental bits as protons and electrons. And, no doubt, snakes, snails, and puppy dog tails.

Even during the holidays, one need not look far to know that there is pain in the world. And hurt. And evil. But there is also peace—a peace that can be found in belly rubs and cocked ears, eager listeners and cradled babes.

Remember this, where'er the wheel of fortune takes you this holiday season: Every moment is a present. Every story, a gift.

Photo: Todd Cerveris

A Class Act on Veterans Day

The past week has been a busy one. Helping to organize, publicize, and perform in "Telling: Des Moines" has taken a lot of personal brain-power and bandwidth. Remembering old times, while furiously memorizing my lines. To top it all off, I've been eating poorly, and sleeping worse.

Against that backdrop, on Friday, my kids surprised me with a 3x2-foot "Veterans Day Card," made of poster board, signed by all the children in each of their respective grade-school classes.

Best. Veterans Day. Ever.

Toymaker Releases Oshkosh M-ATV 'Jungle Truck'

Being a parent and uncle to a couple of grade-schoolers, I make regular patrols through toy stores, monitoring trends and prices, and maintaining a target list of potential birthday and holiday presents. Between Key Leader Engagements (K.L.E.) with Ken and Barbie, I also keep eyes out for new superhero gear and die-cast cars. I'm like a one-man Toy Terrain Team (T.T.T.).

It's not all fun and games. The toys we make and buy for our children are part of our national narrative. When new military tools and technologies show up in miniature on our toy department shelves—Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (U.A.V.), for example, or bomb-proof trucks—it says as much about our society's present-day values as it does our military tactics. To repurpose the old Army truism about training: "We play like we fight, and fight like we play."

Toys are also likely points of entry to conversations with children about war and service. "Your dad used to ride in that kind of truck when he was in the Army," I've heard myself saying, or "Your papa used to fly in a plane like that when he was in the Air Force ..." Afghanistan and Vietnam are big abstractions, but toys can help young heads and hands understand some of the basics. Even if the only lesson they walk away with for now is "Dad was in the Army, Papa was in the Air Force."

Matchbox has recently released a 1:64-scale version of the Oshkosh M-A.T.V. The word is an acronym within an acronym. Unpacked, it means "Mine-Resistant Ambush-Protected All-Terrain Vehicle." The real-world vehicle is manufactured by Oshkosh Corp., Oshkosh, Wis.

See also these previous blog-posts: "The Arsenal of Fun and Freedom"
and "The Boys Get More Toys"

The M-ATV is my probably second-favorite Mine-Resistant Ambush-Protected ("M-RAP") truck in the U.S. Army inventory. I've spent more time in the MaxxPro, manufactured by Navistar International. That's probably because the M-ATV design seats four, while the MaxxPro seats up to seven. Like some sort of military-grade mini-van, it's easier to throw the kids, embedded journalists, and other strap-hangers in the back of a MaxxPro.

By comparison, the M-ATV is a sedan. It's hard to see out from the back seats, too, which makes it less fun for us rubber-neckers.

The 2012 Matchbox version of the M-ATV comes in dark forest green with a billboard-high graphic "M-ATV" decal on each side: Hip-hop camouflage for hot-rodding through the bomb-ridden swamp. It also appears to be "licensed" design, which means the toy's manufacturers have permission to make the scaled-down version look like the real thing.

It's part of the Matchbox "Jungle" series, which includes a "Jungle Crawler,""Jeep Willys," and "Land Rover Defender 100." If you're traveling through marshy terrain, each of these other vehicles is probably more survivable than the 27.5-ton M-ATV.

The M-ATV is lighter and more maneuverable than other M-RAP variants, after all, but it's not going to float. It's going to sink like a plate-armored rock.

According to the packaging, rather than protecting occupants from Improved Explosive Devices (I.E.D.), the toy version is more likely intended to keep the crocodiles at bay:

You've got to be extra tough to survive the Jungle! These off-road and 4WD vehicles are built to handle the most hostile terrain imaginable. Rugged safety vehicles scramble through the dense foliage protecting passengers from the fierce wildlife and extreme conditions!

At least the exterior paint job is arguably military in nature. In 2011, the first Matchbox versions of a Matchbox "SWAT Truck," apparently inspired by the MaxxPro silhouette, were first available in either black-and-white or powder-blue law-enforcement livery. No camouflage in sight. The MaxxPro-like design also appeared later in fire-engine red, as part of an Matchbox "MBX Airport" series.

I still say: If you need an M-RAP truck to carry your baggage, you're flying out of the wrong airports.

Some of the doubt and debate about U.S. military acquisitions strategy involves whether or not M-RAP trucks were good investments. Some people argue that M-RAP trucks may or may not have saved lives. Or that they pushed troops into a hunkered-and-bunkered mindset that was contrary to counterinsurgency ("COIN") and advise-and-assist practices. In terms of sharing risks and hardships, or developing face-to-face relationships, after all, it's hard to get Afghan civilians and soldiers to take you seriously if you're sitting in a bomb-proof truck.

Still, no other U.S. weapon design better exemplifies my era's ground conflict in Afghanistan than the M-ATV. I may not be able to put an M-RAP in my garage, but I can sock one away in my war-toy chest.

In fact, I bought three. Because it's never too early to teach your kids about good convoy operations. It's a jungle out there.

Register to Run for Remembrance

The Third Annual Remembrance Run will be held 10 a.m. Sun., Sept. 30, 2012 at Raccoon River Park, West Des Moines, Iowa.

This event is a fund-raiser for Iowa Remembers, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. The organization helps underwrite an annual retreat for families of Iowans who have died as the result of service in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Iowa Remembers also maintains a list of service members and others killed overseas since 2003. Prior to each year's race, the roll call is read aloud, along with either the U.S. National Anthem and/or the Pledge of Allegiance.

Following the 2012 race, food will be provided by Jethro's BBQ. Live music will be provided by Americana roots rock band Brother Trucker.

Registration for the Third Annual 5K walk/run event is $25 through Sept. 17. Late registration is $30 between Sept. 18-23 (with no T-shirt guaranteed). Both team and individual registrations are available. Children 12 and under can participate for free, but registration is required to receive T-shirt and medal.

Team registration is available for groups that want to honor a particular soldier or individual. Registration costs are the same.

Online registration is here.

For a route map, click here.

'Summer Camp' vs. Summer Camping

National Guard soldiers often say "Summer Camp" when they mean "Annual Training."

When I recently posted pictures of my kids' first backyard camping experience, a number of Facebook friends and Red Bull Rising blog-readers compared the new Sherpa-family "King-Dome" to a U.S. Army brigade's Tactical Operations Center ("TOC").

Can't tell the difference between camping for pleasure, and Summer Camp for Uncle Sam? Here are some rules of thumb to help you find your way:

• If you're carrying a weapon with no bullets, but wearing a bullet-proof vest, you're at Annual Training.

• If you're locked, loaded, and practically bear-proof, you're camping.

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• If you're wearing a reflective safety belt over camouflage clothing, you're at Annual Training.

• If you're wearing a mix of bright colors and camouflage clothing, you're hunting.

• If you're wearing bright colors and mismatched clothing, you're camping.

*****

• If you're "humping a pack," you're at Annual Training.

• If you're "backpacking," you're camping.

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• If you're walking with others in a single file, you're camping.

• If you're walking with others in "Ranger File," you're at Annual Training.

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• If a guy wearing a reflective safety belt is talking to you about safety, you're at Annual Training.

• If a guy in a Smokey-the-Bear hat is talking to you about safety, you're camping.

• If a guy in a Smokey-the-Bear hat is yelling at you and calling you names, you're at Basic Training.

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• If you're sleeping in a building but working in a tent, you're at Annual Training.

• If you're showering in a building but sleeping in a tent, you're camping.

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• If your tent is air-conditioned but your vehicle is not, you're at Annual Training.

• If your vehicle is air-conditioned but your tent is not, you're camping.

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• If your camp stove burns "mogas," you're at Annual Training.

• If your camp stove burns white gas, kerosene, diesel, automotive gas, aviation gas, Stoddard solvent and/or Naphtha, you're camping.

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• If the camp store is "back on cantonment," you're at Annual Training.

• If you're allowed to purchase beer at the camp store, you're camping.

*****

• If you're chewing coffee grounds to stay awake, you're at Annual Training.

• If you have access to Starbucks, Dunkin' Donuts, or other coffee provider, you're camping.

• If you're all clustered together around a coffee pot, in an air-conditioned tent, and watching pretty pictures on a big flat-screen, you're at a brigade staff meeting.

First Days and Worst Fears

In 2010, while preparing to deploy to Afghanistan, my biggest dread was missing the first day of kindergarten. I worried about what it would be like to leave my young children for a year. I was worried more about how they might change, rather than how I might change.

A recent Minnesota Public Radio story about post-deployment parenting quoted Kevin Ross, 31, about how he hardly recognized one of his daughters when he returned from an 18-month deployment to Iraq in 2009. At the time, Ross was a member of 682nd Engineer Battalion, Wilmar, Minn.:

"The night I got home I remember we are standing in that final formation in the armory," he says, "and I looked out and I saw a little girl sitting on the floor crying. As I got closer I hugged my wife and realized that that was my child."

That sounded a little like my own worst fear.

The strange thing about worst fears is that they seem so different in retrospect.

The way things worked out, I didn't deploy. I didn't have to miss kindergarten, although, ironically, my Army job at the time eventually kept me away from the Lena's official first day of school.

Turns out, however, the first day of school was just another day. By the time kindergarten rolled around, Lena had already spent a summer in a school-based "camp" program. Drop-off at the school building was just another day at the office. A non-event.

The last day of the 2011-2012 school year was last Friday, so, for us, today was the first day of summer. On the school rolls, Lena is now counted as a second-grader. Rain is preparing for kindergarten. Both kids went off to school "camp" this morning.

Rain is more of an introvert than his sister. While dropping him off this morning, he skirted the perimeter of a large room of kids and adults playing tabletop games, promptly found a set of toy tools, and set to building something by himself. I hardly got a good-bye out of him. He was wearing a hard hat when I left him, ready to get to work.

I wasn't expecting it to be so easy. Or so hard.

Walking outside to my car, I suddenly felt like I'd been smacked by a ball peen hammer, right between the eyes. That hasn't happened for a long time. Still, it made me remember everything that's happened in the past couple of years. And also to appreciate that I've been around to see most of it happen.

Time passes. Fears change.

And kids grow up, no matter what.

Signs of Our Times

Like an old tactical radio, Sherpa's personal Facebook net has crackled to life recently, with traffic regarding 2nd Brigade Combat Team (B.C.T.), 34th Infantry "Red Bull" Division (2-34th BCT), Iowa Army National Guard soldiers killed in Eastern Afghanistan last year. Anniversary stories make for lazy journalism, but they're also easy emotional handholds—especially for those of us either back home or left behind, who are struggling with What It All Meant.

"All gave some, but some gave all." With all the clutter and din of daily life, that's sometimes a little too easy to forget. I don't know about you, but I appreciate the occasional emotional radio-check. Helps maintain one's perspective, and priorities.

Three of the four 2-34th BCT fatalities in Afghanistan occurred in April 2011. It was a cruel month:

• Spc. Brent M. Maher, 31, of Honey Creek, Iowa. Killed in IED attack, April 11, 2011, Paktiya Province. Member of 1st Battalion, 168th Infantry Regiment (1-168th Inf.).

• Spc. Donald L. Nichols, 21, of Shell Rock, Iowa. Killed in IED attack, April 13, 2011, Laghman Province. Member of 1st Battalion, 133rd Infantry Regiment (1-133rd Inf.).

• Staff Sgt. James A. Justice, 32, of Grimes, Iowa. Killed by small-arms fire, April 23, 2011, Kapisa Province. Member of 1st Squadron, 113th Cavalry Regiment (1-113th Cav.).

Operation Never Forgotten, a non-profit organization based in Saline, Mich., promotes patriotic messages that encourage others to celebrate and remember military personnel and their families. Through its "Billboards for Heroes" program, the organization helps memorialize fallen soldiers through the production and placement of digital public-service advertisements.

The larger-than-life pictures portray the soldiers not only as military men and women, but as parents, partners, and members of a community.

Starting Mon., April 9, some 14 Des Moines, Iowa metro area billboards owned by Clear Channel Outdoor have borne the image of Staff Sgt. James "Juice" Justice and his daughter Caydence, along with the caption "My Dad, Your Fallen Hero." In one, he wears a fleece cap bearing the logo of his beloved University of Iowa Hawkeyes. The graphics rotate with other advertisements for colleges and cellphones, staying on screen for approximately 10 seconds each time they appear.

In an April 6 television news report, his wife, Amanda Justice, told WHO-TV/Channel 13 that she hopes the billboards remind people of the sacrifices borne by few, as well as the losses we collectively share:

Even if it makes someone think for five seconds while they're driving get to work [...] Or if it brings tears to your eyes [...] I hope it makes people remember and feel something, and just take a second to think about what someone is willing to give up for them [...] I just don't want any of them to be forgotten.

According to Families of Iowa's Fallen, the Des Moines locations of billboards honoring Staff Sgt. Justice include:

• S.W. 9th St, 500 ft. north of Morgan St., east side of street
• Fleur Dr., 10 ft. north of Porter Ave., east side of street
• Keo Way, 100 ft. west of 12th St, north side of street
• Fleur Dr., 700 ft. north of Bell Ave., west side of street
• Fleur Dr., 200 ft. south of McKinley, east side of street
• University Ave., 100 ft. E/O East 27th Ct, south side of street
• Merle Hay Rd., ES 270 ft. N/O Douglas, east side of street
• Interstate-80/35, one-half mile east of East 14th St, south side of street

At least one of 14 fatalities suffered in 2011-2012 by 45th BCT ("Thunderbird") has also been memorialized through the Billboards for Heroes program. In July 2011, the Oklahoma National Guard unit replaced Iowa's 2-34th BCT in Eastern Afghanistan, and returned home earlier this month.