I am Bob Calvert, the founder and host of Talking with Heroes Talk Show Program based in Colorado Springs.
We also have an Online NEWS site www.thankyouforyourservice.us
Each issue has had over 100 stories with many of them current news directly from Iraq and Afghanistan as well as military support and veterans groups, events and issues.
My involvement in supporting our troops began almost 8 years ago as a result of my then 18 year-old daughter surprising me by enlisting in the Army. Her boyfriend (later her husband) had already enlisted in the Army. I was not sure how to support her. I searched the Internet and found many military support groups.
In Jan 2005 my son n law was deployed to Iraq from Ft Riley on his first deployment. A year later he came back to my daughter and his family and their first child. Keith was later transferred to Ft Carson where we are all at now.
They now have two children and he recently returned along with over 3,500 soldiers with Ft Carson’s 1-8 and the 3BCT 4ID where they did a great job serving for 15 months in Mosul, Baghdad and Taji, Iraq.
It is always great to see hundreds of families welcoming home their loved ones. Like many of our troops he is now dealing with PTSD plus he has already had two surgeries since he came back and may have a third one.
As a family with two small children they are going through a lot of the same challenges so many of our troops and their families are experiencing all across our country including the challenges that come with PTSD.
To thank and welcome these thousands of Ft Carson soldiers back we had a Two Hour LIVE event here in Colorado Springs on May 29, 2009 to thank them and their families and also to give some of those soldiers a forum to share their progress stories.
We had key leaders in the community participating including Mayor Rivera and MG Graham and his wife Carol. MG Graham was the Commander at Ft Carson and also First Army Division West. The talk show page is at: http://talkingwithheroes.com/product_info.php?cPath=28&products_id=1539
The videos of this event are online at www.myfbn.com channel 4 for everybody to watch 24/7 at no cost to them. McDonalds was our main Banner Advertiser Sponsor for this event.
Over 20 local military support organizations participated with information tables and some came on the air to thank all our troops.
Our Talking with Heroes program is not about politics. We are about helping, honoring, and supporting our men and women in the military and their families.
We give our military personnel an opportunity to share their mostly untold stories about the work they are doing worldwide.
We believe that The American people have a right to hear their positive progress stories and our military personnel have a right to have their stories heard.
We also interview military support and veterans groups for them to share what they do to support our troops, their families, the wounded and more.
We have interviewed Gold Star Moms and Dads, Military Wives, Moms and Dads, Wounded Warriors, Veterans, and Corporations about what they do to support our troops.
With 30,000 more troops heading over to Afghanistan in 2010 and many troops rotating back making this their second, third and fourth or more deployments…2010 is the year for the American people to put aside politics and unite behind our troops and their families.
We are looking in 2010 to partner with companies, organizations and individuals in a manner that will allow us all to better unite people.
We have been to Iraq three times over the past two years. From our most recent third trip to Iraq, Americans can listen to men and women from our Army, Marines, Navy, National Guard, Air Force, Army Corp of Engineers and Iraqis on progress in Iraq. You can see who we interviewed and listen to some of these programs at: http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/19487 Go To Episodes 1-12. Everything we did is also on DVD's.
Chaplains from the Army and from the Marines talked about their vision of Churches and Ministries across America leading the way in supporting not just our troops when they are deployed but also their families who are back home, plus the wounded and the hundreds of thousands of men and women who have come back with PTSD and TBI.
The complete audio files from the three Chaplains are at: http://talkingwithheroes.com/product_info.php?cPath=47&products_id=906
And http://talkingwithheroes.com/product_info.php?cPath=47&products_id=863
Talking with Heroes is a voice for our military, their families and those who support them. We share first-hand accounts from personal interviews with the men and women serving in our nation’s Armed Forces.
Our programs are available 24 hours a day and 7 days a week for people to listen to.
On our First Iraq Trip in October 2006 our brave men and women talked about what they did on a daily basis to help the people in Iraq.
We reported from the grand opening of an Iraqi school, which opened because of over 10 months of hard work by the Minnesota National Guard, as well as help from families back in the USA.
We had the privilege to spend time with one of our MITT (Military Transition Teams) that had been working with an Iraqi Army Battalion. We witnessed, first hand, the progress being made training the Iraqi Army.
On our Second Iraq Trip in January 2007, Jim Martin, CEO of Altitude Sports and Entertainment Cable Company based out of Denver, Colorado filmed our interviews, convoys and more.
We interviewed military personnel from the Air Force, the Marine Corps, and Minnesota National Guard, as well as an Iraqi Air Force General and other Iraqi citizens.
It is clear from what we saw and heard in the areas we visited that the training being given to the Iraqi military by our troops was and continues to be effective.
After returning from our second trip to Iraq we took Talking with Heroes on the Road to eleven cities across the country. We interviewed local military heroes and local support groups that are leading the way in those communities in supporting our military and their families.
One program was with Microsoft and the USO at the Above and Beyond Awards Event in NYC. Those interviews are still on our website for people to listen to 24/7.
Details on this event are at: http://talkingwithheroes.com/product_info.php?cPath=47&products_id=422
On our Iraq Third Trip to Iraq 2007, we were with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Soldiers from North Dakota National Guard in Baghdad. We visited a Children Hospital. We went to the Baghdad Airport We visited buildings under construction in Baghdad that provide communications services and a Post Office for the people of Baghdad.
Near Fallujah we visited a new Water Treatment Plant and interviewed two Iraqis. We were in Eastern Baghdad with Ft Carson’s 2ID/2BCT in Colorado Springs. We went on convoys and heard more about progress.
We were with Marines in Camp Al Taqaddum in the Anbar Province for the second time in a year. We met with the same Principal with the Marines in Habbinaya Tourist Town near Camp Al Taqaddum and taped his progress report.
We interviewed Iraqis in other areas. We did a one-hour program at Dallas/Ft Worth Airport with the USO and citizens of Dallas showing how they welcome our troop’s home.
We did interviews in Loveland, Colorado with Major General Graham Commander of Division West First Army and also Commander of Ft Carson, his wife Carol Graham (they lost a son in Iraq), and others from Ft Carson and the Colorado National Guard.
Details are at: http://talkingwithheroes.com/product_info.php?cPath=28&products_id=1058
We did Interviews in Lansing, Michigan, at the September 2008 Gold Star Family Appreciation Day Event, including an interview with Major General Cutler Commander of the Michigan National Guard and more.
In 2008 we covered the July 26, 2008 Marine Parents United Conference in Virginia. The former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Liaison was one of our guests. She talked about the www.AmericaSupportsYou.Mil organization. We interviewed a dozen America Supports You Military Support groups, a Gold Star Dad and more.
More info is at:
http://talkingwithheroes.com/product_info.php?cPath=47&products_id=731
All of these interviews are also on www.myfbn.com channel 4.
People can also watch another talk show event with the organization www.thanksusa.org on the roof of the Warner Theatre in Washington, DC by going to www.tvworldwide.com and also on our video site www.myfbn.com channel 4. Listen and Watch as we interview 12 year old Rachel Okun and her 10 year old sister Kelsi with their mom and dad.
What an incredible story about two young people who had a vision for giving scholarships to children of active duty personnel and veterans! And now two years later we can see the children whose lives have been changed due to their efforts. People can also watch the concert that follows for our troops and families around the world.
We have had call-ins from different parts of Iraq from Marines, Air Force and Army Personnel talking about the progress in the areas in which they were serving. We also interviewed recently returned Army Soldiers from the 1-9 at Ft Carson.
They shared their first hand stories of the remarkable turn around in Ramadi, Iraq that most Americans have not heard about. These are all progress stories not reported on by most of our media.
We had the privilege of doing a program with Employees with CISCO Company Employees who started their own Troop Support Group and send care packages to our troops. This group was also part of a group who sent 5,000 soccer balls to our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan for the children. Their stories are inspiring to Americans around the country.
Details on their program are at:
http://talkingwithheroes.com/product_info.php?cPath=47&products_id=585
In November 2008 we were in Washington, DC and New York City. We were invited by www.soldiersangels.org to be with them at their Non Partisan Troop Support Event. We were privileged to do interviews with great Americans and especially honored to film and do interviews at Walter Reed Army Medical Center for about 4 hours. Everybody will want to listen and watch the video footage from Walter Reed.
Thanks again to Soldiers Angels we were also in New York City with Microsoft and USO at their incredible Microsoft and USO A Salute To Our Troops Event filming and doing interviews there too.
We interviewed some of the wounded from Walter Reed and Bethesda on the Amtrak Train from DC to NYC. We filmed and did interviews inside Walter Reed. These and interviews can be watched on www.myfbn.com Channel 4.
Many thousands are now listening to our audio files and watching our videos. People who are just finding out about Talking with Heroes are going back months and over a year to listen to previous programs.
We worked even harder in 2009 to give more of our troops the opportunity to share their mostly untold progress stories. To give our military support and veterans groups and companies and organizations who are doing so much to help our troops while they are deployed and their families back home. And also to help those of our troops who have been injured or have PTSD or TBI.
On October 9 and 10th 2009 I had the privilege of interviewing over 60 amazing Americans in Orlando, Florida at the www.militarywriters.com annual conference. Details including bios and photos of all these people can be seen on our talk show schedule page http://talkingwithheroes.com/index.php?cPath=28.
All of the videos are on YouTube on our Military Writers (MWSA) Playlist: http://www.youtube.com/user/bobc9246
After Orlando I did interviews with General Kay the Commander of the Missouri National Guard some of his team. They talk about their recent deployment to Kosovo and Training.
In late November and December 2009 we had more Programs with soldiers who had been wounded, some with PTSD and some with their wives. We will be doing many more interviews like this in 2010. As with all of our previous programs people can listen to these interviews 24/7.
We talked with SFC Widhalm a wounded warrior and his wife speaking from Ft Carson’s Soldier and Family Assistance Center and more with Tiffany Smith, the SFAC Director
We talked with Former Army Ranger Nate Self talking about his personal experiences with PTSD, his Military Career, the 15 hour battle he and his Rangers were in 10,000 feet high up on a mountain in Afghanistan with Al Qaeda.
He also talks about his book TWO WARS and what he and his company The Praevius Group do now to help our troops. In talking with a Ft Carson Commander currently deployed to Afghanistan this LTC told me that he encouraged all of his soldiers to read TWO WARS before they left for their current deployment.
We talked with another wounded Ft Carson Soldier Randy Hart Army Veteran. Ray & Dawn Littlefield - Ray is a Wounded Army Veteran and now on Staff at Ft Carson’s Soldier and Family Assistance Center.
We began 2010 with a series of programs where we invited military personnel from the Army, Marines, National Guard, Air Force and Navy calling in from the duty stations in Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan.
Most of the programs have originated from Afghanistan and we have more programs being planned to air early and mid February. With these programs we have been working with Commanders and Public Affairs Officers. The focus is about the progress they have been a part of that is rarely reported back here in America.
The following are the programs with more details on our home page
1. With LTC Michael Forsyth Ft Carson Battalion Commander - 2nd Battalion, 77th Field Artillery Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division With Nuristan Provisional Reconstruction Team calling in from Afghanistan. He talks about progress in the area in which they have been serving. This is his third deployment to Afghanistan.
2. With Major Clint Hanna calling in from Afghanistan. Major Hanna is with Ft Carson’s 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division serving in Afghanistan as the Brigade Civil Military Operations Officer. He talks about progress and of working with the people in the areas they are serving in. His wife Patty also talked some about being a military wife through her husband being deployed three times.
3. With Panjshir Provincial Reconstruction Team Members calling in from Afghanistan. Capt. John T. Stamm Panjshir IO/PAO, Lt. Col. Eric W. Hommel, Panjshir PRT Commander, Maj. Ian H. Murray, Panjshir PRT XO, Staff Sgt. Dustan Johnson, Panjshir PRT PMT. They share great progress and positive stories from where they are serving in Panjshir Province in Afghanistan
4. From Afghanistan with Ft Carson’s SGT Rachel E. Haltom and PFC Jeffrey K. Dieterle. They work with Nuristan Provisional Reconstruction Team and talk about progress.
5. We talk with National Guard Soldiers calling in from Kosovo talking about their mission there!! Captain Dan Murphy, Spc. Drew Balstad, Maj. Gerald Bradley, Sgt. Jorge Silva - with the 1-144th Maneuver Task Force out of California and the North Dakota National Guard are on this program!
6. We talk with Marine Colonel Darrell F. Halse calling In from Baghdad, Iraq. Col Halse is Director of Rule of Law, Iraqi Training and Advisor Mission, Ministry of Interior located in Baghdad, Iraq. He talks about the transition that most Americans are not aware of in Iraq and about progress in Iraq!
7. Calling in from Afghanistan - Petty Officer 1st Class Kathleen Leach, US Navy, Sgt David L. Starkey, US Army National Guard, Senior Airman Mason Sullivan, and U.S. Air Force. They all work with Nuristan Provisional Reconstruction Team in Afghanistan and will talk about progress!
8. We talked with (Ret) Capt. Jason Meszaros with 15 years of military experience as an Intelligence and Psychological Operations Officer. He is the Author of Interrogation of Morals.
All of these calls in programs and more being planned will lead up to our early 2010 trips that will include Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan.
I just got back a few weeks ago from our first trip to Afghanistan. Updates are posted on my Facebook page www.facebook.com/talkingwithheroes
A short video from Major T.G. Taylor PAO of Ft Carsons 4BCT 4ID is posted at www.youtube.com/bobc9246 All 38 Video Episodes will be posted online shortly. On each Episode those Sponsors who made the trip possible are thanked. They are also on our Main Trip webpage http://talkingwithheroes.com/index.php?cPath=120
Our next plan is to go over to Kosovo early July, then over to Iraq for our fourth time mid to late July. I will go back to Afghanistan early September.
We are looking for individuals, companies or organizations to partner with on these next trips overseas to raise the funds and also to enable us together to be able to reach out more effectively and in a bigger way than ever to millions of Americans with the progress stories and positive stories we will bring back from our troops and local people in these countries on video.
We are confident that even though Americans are having hard times economically that we will together find ways to not forget that we have hundreds of thousands of men and women sacrificing and serving and their families back home.
There are wounded who need our help. Some estimate that there could be hundreds of thousands with PTSD and/or TBI. We will be able to help educate and get people involved through interviews we will do on Talking with Heroes in 2010.
On our trip to Kosovo we will spend about a week in Kosovo with 40 states of National Guard Soldiers headed up by the North Dakota National Guard.
We will spend another 3 weeks on our next trip to Afghanistan. All the interviews and filming will again focus on Progress and like our last trips to Iraq where we also interviewed Iraqis, we will also interview Afghanistan people including some leaders.
All that we do is organized by Media Embed and the Public Affairs Officers. We already know the battalions we will spend time with.
On our recent trip to Afghanistan the main brigade we were with is Ft Carsons 4BCT 4ID who had been calling in via phone to share their stories. We heard their stories about reconstruction projects, farming, schools, roads, community development and more.
Those who help our trips happen receive very big and long term visibility. The sponsor(s) are thanked on each Episode. It puts the sponsor(s) name on all the video footage everywhere they air. The sponsor(s) are thanked on the credits of all the videos. The sponsor(s) are thanked on all the talk show pages set up for each group of interviews. The sponsor(s) are thanked on our home page. And the sponsor(s) are thanked on any articles about this trip that appear in Thank You For Your Service.
The visibility for the sponsor(s) is very long term and will get bigger and bigger over the weeks and months after we return.
Together we can give our troops a voice to share with all of America their mostly untold stories. We can help the families, support groups, the wounded and more.
Together as Americans we will do what America always does through out our history and that is unite and do all that we can to help!
We can make a difference!!!!
Thank You
Bob Calvert Program Host www.talkingwithheroes.com
