Robert A. Ham's Blog

Purple Heart Wounded Warriors meet NFL All-Stars

2012-02-15T15:22:00.000-08:00

This is a short documentary about PFC Aaron Cool along with other Purple Heart Recipients from the 3rd Brigade Combat Team 25th Infantry Division meeting Calvin Johnson (of the Detroit Lions) and John Lynch (Superbowl champion and former Tampa Bay Buccaneers Safety) during NFL's Pro Bowl week. The two NFL stars hang out with the soldiers, sign autographs and give all the Purple Heart recipients tickets to the Pro Bowl where Aaron Rodgers gives a special message to the Wounded Warriors.

This was a fun story to work on because I got to hang with some great courageous Soldiers and hear all of their war stories. I also had a press pass that allowed me to go anywhere during the Pro Bowl. I hung out in the locker room and got an Aaron Rodgers shout out to the Purple Heart Recipients and then enjoyed the game from the side lines shooting some awesome video (yes, all those shots were mine).

Shot and edited by: SSG Robert A. Ham

Legacy: Flag, Father and Son - HD

2012-01-13T20:58:00.000-08:00

This is a video I produced over the last couple months. It started with a polo match at Ft. Shafter where I heard that they were dedicating the match to Lt. Nainoa Hoe. I inquired about this soldier and heard about his story along with his father's story, Allen Hoe. I then talked to Mr. Hoe about interviewing with me and he agreed. After an extremely emotional hour and a half interview I had captured an extremely important and raw story. The hardest part about this story was fitting that hour and a half into four minutes. I sat there staring as Mr. Hoe talking about his story, then talking about the many anecdotes about his son; including the last time he saw his son and the random things throughout his day that remind him of his son. Throughout the interview I had to remember to breath and try not to tear up. Maybe one day I'll be able to explore more of this interview but for now this story stands on its own.

Legacy: Flag, Father and Son - Shot, Produced and Edited by Robert A. Ham

U.S. Army Pacific Command Video in HD

2011-12-14T18:57:00.000-08:00

This is the official U.S. Army Pacific Command Video that I've been working on for the past several months. I say "several months" because these types of videos take a long time to get approved. This video is shown to pretty much every VIP, high ranking officer (foreign and U.S.), incoming soldier and their family, foreign dignitary etc. who visits USARPAC. I shot much of this video but there were some other great videographers that helped including SSG Brehl Garza, SFC Joann Moravac, and SSG Jason Kreiss along with several others. The television scene didn't come out quite how I envisioned but I think the concept gets across my intent. Those graphics along with the end graphics were done by Mike Albert of DMA. The music is by E.S. Posthumus and was used with permission. Enjoy.

USARPAC Command Video - Shot, Produced and Edited by Robert A. Ham

The Prodigal Son Part 3 - The Rescued

2011-09-29T17:15:00.000-07:00

This is part three of a three part mini-documentary series. I made this specifically for my church during their sermon series on the prodigal son passage in Luke 15. It's a simple documentary shot on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. Part three focuses on a ministry outreach in downtown Waikiki.

Shot, Edited, and Produced by Robert A. Ham

The Prodigal Son Part 2 - The Righteous Son

2011-09-26T13:08:00.000-07:00

This is part two of a three part mini-documentary series. I made this specifically for my church during their sermon series on the prodigal son passage in Luke 15. It's a simple documentary shot on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. Part two focuses on the older ("righteous") brother in the prodigal son story. The older brother focuses more on working and what he "rightly deserves" than having compassion on his brother who has returned.

Shot, Edited, and Produced by Robert A. Ham

The Prodigal Son Part 1 - The Rebellious Son

2011-09-20T16:53:00.000-07:00

This is part one of a three part mini-documentary series. I made this specifically for my church during their sermon series on the prodigal son passage in Luke 15. It's a simple documentary shot on the island of Oahu, Hawaii.

Shot, Edited, and Produced by Robert A. Ham

"Attack on the Fourth of July" with EXCLUSIVE Taliban video of massive vehicle bomb

2011-05-30T11:12:00.000-07:00

This is my "Attack on the Fourth of July" video I produced about a massive coordinated attack on a remote combat outpost in Afghanistan on July 4th, 2009. This is UPDATED with exclusive Taliban video that they recorded during the battle. It shows the immensity of the vehicle bomb that went off outside the outpost's gate. It adds an immense intensity and allows us as an audience to understand a little more what these men went through. This version also has the original music that I wanted to use. This documentary is now playing on the Pentagon Channel.

Produced and Edited by Robert A. Ham

Attack on the 4th of July from Robert Ham on Vimeo.

Emmy Nomination for "Shamrock Black"

2011-05-17T13:48:00.000-07:00

So I received an Emmy nomination for my documentary "Shamrock Black" which happens to be one of my favorite stories that I produced in Afghanistan. I spent a lot of time in the hospital at my Forward Operating Base and had the privilege of getting to know the doctors and the staff there. These folks are the unsung heroes of wars. They see the worst that war has to offer and their success hinges on fixing the tragedies. My respect and gratitude hopefully shows through this film and am glad it's getting recognized mostly because these stories need to be seen by as many people as possible to help carry on the legacy of what these amazing people do.

When I was finished with this film I had a showing in my office in Afghanistan. I was expecting 5 maybe 10 people but practically the whole hospital staff came (those who were not working). The biggest compliment I received was after the film there was just silence, some sniffles, then they all applauded enthusiastically. It was a very moving experience because I felt in that moment I got their story right and for a storyteller that's what it's all about. God bless those doctor's, surgeons, nurses and all of the staff members that are expected to do the impossible and do.

If you haven't seen Shamrock Black check out parts 1 and 2.

Part One - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KaTzb1iA1h8

Part Two - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5exkLltbQU

Rocket Attack in Afghanistan HD

2011-05-11T14:14:00.000-07:00

This is a video I waited to release until a bit after I got home so as to not worry the wife and mother and is an illustration of a rocket attack on a large forward operating base (FOB). Rocket attacks at the FOB I was stationed out of in Afghanistan were quite frequent. The insurgents got close a couple times even injuring some soldiers. The general area that my office was in just happened to have a higher frequency of rockets getting close. One time I was on tower guard and saw a couple rockets hit maybe 500 meters from our office and thought that was close. While I was there I can't even count how many rocket attacks we had and some were scarier than others. Some attacks had 3-5 rockets sometimes 7-10. I guess it depended on how much the Taliban felt like they could get away with that day. There were many nights that I spent several hours in a bunker, sometimes at night in the rain and usually with some civilian journalist. The video I have posted below was the only rocket attack I kind of got on video. The other angle happened to be shot at the same time and I happened to know the soldier who shot it. The rocket I recorded was maybe 100 meters from our bunker. The rocket that hit before I turned on my camera was about 50 meters from where my interpreter and I were standing with nothing between us and it but a road. There's pretty much one thing you can do in those moments; pray the rockets don't hit you or any other soldiers and pray that our choppers and artillery get the guys firing at us.

Produced and Edited by Robert A. Ham

Video featured on the Pentagon Channel's Youtube page

2011-04-21T14:21:00.000-07:00

The Pentagon Channel has showed several of my videos as part of the Battleground series. One of my videos "Attack on the Fourth of July" is being featured as a preview for the Battleground series on the Pentagon Channel's youtube page. Check it out!

"To look after orphans - Balikatan 2011" in HD

2011-04-18T12:05:00.000-07:00

This is a short video I made about U.S. and Filipino service members visiting an orphanage in a remote area of the Philippines. The service members passed out toys and food. They also sang songs and played with the children. It was a really moving experience. I wanted to take one of the kids home with me! The amazing Filipinos that take care of these children on a daily basis are amazing people and I was honored to meet them.

Produced by SGT Robert Ham

"Building for the future - U.S. Army Engineers in the Philippines"

2011-04-14T19:17:00.000-07:00

This is a short video I put together of some Army Engineer soldiers from Hawaii. They worked for over a month on this school out in a remote area of the Philippines. They worked really hard and I think it will help the local area a lot.

Produced by SGT Robert Ham

Balikatan 2011 Music Video in HD

2011-04-14T02:03:00.000-07:00

This is a music video I put together summing up the events of Balikatan 2011. Some of this video was shot by SSG Jason Kreiss and SSG Joann Moravac. It should give you an idea of the hard work and countless hours many of the U.S. Soldiers, Airmen, Sailors, and Marines along with their Filipino counterparts worked.

Produced by SGT Robert Ham

Bataan Death March Ceremony Video

2011-04-12T03:37:00.000-07:00

This is a short piece I put together about the Bataan Death March Ceremony that takes place every year in the Philippines honoring the Filipino and American who suffered and died while on that march. There were thousands more that died and were killed while being held at the Japanese prison camps. It was a moving experience and the memorial was pretty amazing.

Shot and Produced by: SGT Robert Ham

New Contingency Command Post Video

2011-04-05T01:26:00.000-07:00

This is a video I made for one of the units I work for. It's simple but shows what this unit does and its capabilities. Check it out.

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=162975940426735

A couple of new awards brings more attention to the real Heroes

2011-03-18T21:12:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the DOD Military Videographer of the Year competition and I received 1st place in "Best Field Production" for the "Cost of the Silver Star" story and 1st place for "Best Documentary" for my "Training with the Special Forces." I also was the runner-up for the Videographer of the Year. I'm honored by these awards but am excited to bring more audiences to these types of stories. I really admire the soldiers I do stories on and want more people to see them. If me getting awards opens my videos to more audiences than that's the real reward.

Here's my link to the Silver Star blog entry and video. If you haven't watched it you should. Not because I made it but because this soldier is a hero.

http://bit.ly/ia8WyZ

4-101st ID to 4-25th ID Change of Command Retro style - HD

2011-02-18T17:58:00.000-08:00

This was one of the first videos I made while I was in Afghanistan. Col. Johnson the Commander of the 4-101st ID had to give an end of tour brief and I recorded it. I decided to put together a little video as an introduction to the "Spartan Heroes" series in Afghanistan and make it stylistically like the old WWII Army videos.

"4-101 to 4-25 Change of Command in Afghanistan Retro"

Training with the Special Forces

2011-02-10T10:35:00.000-08:00

This was the last story I did while I was in Alaska. I hooked up with the Special Forces guys while the Indian Army was training alongside them at Ft. Richardson during an annual exercise Yudh Abyas. The U.S. Army Special Forces operators are some of the best in the world and it was fun to see them operate and tell a small story about what they do.

"Training with U.S. Army Special Forces"

Produced and Edited by: Robert A. Ham

Cost of the Silver Star HD

2011-01-31T16:50:00.000-08:00

This is a story about Silver Star recipient PFC Robert Parson (now SPC) an infantryman in the 1-501 4th Brigade Combat Team 25th Infantry Division (Airborne). I heard his story while I was in Afghanistan from some of my buddies and wanted to get out to the Combat Outpost* that PFC Parson was at to interview him and his buddies about the situation. As I interviewed these young soldiers I heard a story of remarkable courage and needed to tell their story. At the time that I was there (early 2010) Parson's award had not yet been approved. It was interesting to see the soldiers reaction to the whole situation. As you can hear there are moments when Parson laughs while discussing a grenade being thrown his way; illustrating some of the crazy almost absurd situations young soldiers must endure. The soldiers discuss many aspects of that day; killing of bad Taliban dudes, the excitement and adrenaline and the accomplishment of their mission. However, nothing lingered more than the death of their platoon sergeant SSG Kurt Curtiss. The Combat Outpost I was visiting was named after him and he was talked about almost as if he was on leave and was coming back. He was greatly loved and admired.

This video is made for a military videography competition so I had to stay within a four minute time constraint. This story should really be told in a longer format and maybe one day I'll revisit it. I hope that in four minutes I told a story of immense bravery, sacrifice, triumph, pain and loss.

"Cost of the Silver Star"

Produced and Edited by: Robert A. Ham

* http://bit.ly/hQbp56 - This b-roll from Thanksgiving was taken on Combat Outpost Curtiss. It'll give you a context to how these soldiers live minus the rarity of having such a good meal (which was obviously just for Thanksgiving).

Combat Air Medevac in Afghanistan HD

2011-01-28T15:58:00.000-08:00

This is a story I put together for the 2010 military videography of the year competition. This is a slightly reconstructed version of the original Part IV of the "For the Soldiers on the Ground" Army Aviation series I produced. In many ways I like this version better but I had to remove all music. I have an immense amount of respect for these soldiers and what they do. I believe this is a small picture of what they do every day in Afghanistan and Iraq.

"Combat Air Medevac"

Produced and Edited by: Robert A. Ham

EOD find massive Vehicle IED in Khost, Afghanistan HD

2011-01-23T03:02:00.000-08:00

This was a story I put together early on in my deployment. I was asked originally to make this story specifically for the Brigade Commander for a specific project he had. It has since morphed to the short broadcast story. I attempted to make a simple broadcast story as "impressive" as possible considering that this would be the first project my commander along with many others would see of my work. I felt that if they saw my capabilities it would allow less direct oversight and more freedom to make stories I thought were important; it pretty much accomplished that.

The background of this story was that some Afghan National Army soldiers found a suspected Vehicle IED in downtown Khost City. They called in the EOD team and they came to check it out. As suspected there was a 5000 lbs bomb in the back of the truck which if set off would level several blocks. The EOD team dismantled the bomb and then detonated the explosives at a safe detonation site. It took 20-25 separate explosions to detonate everything. Each detonation could obliterate a humvee or send an up-armored vehicle (MRAP) flying.

As a side note I was really into Ridley Scott's newest film (at the time) "Body of Lies" which was the inspiration to my opening. I wanted to create a feeling like you were watching the development of this situation from a predator feed hundreds of feet above. The stills for that sequence were taken from video I shot from a black-hawk helicopter over Khost city. Everything in that opening is animated.

Special thanks to SSG Cabrera and the rest of the EOD team for interviewing and helping me piece together the story.

"EOD VBIED"

Produced, Edited and Graphics by: Robert A. Ham

Afghanistan Outtakes in HD

2011-01-21T09:36:00.000-08:00

This is a short video of some outtakes from a story I did on the EOD while I was in Afghanistan. I will post the EOD story later this week. I was at one of our controlled detonation sites while the EOD was detonating 5000 lbs of home made explosives. This is a little self-depricating humor so I hope you enjoy it. Sorry for the bleep, Afghanistan has a way of bringing it out of you.

"Afghanistan Outtakes"

Airborne experience

2011-01-19T10:26:00.000-08:00

This is a short video I put together following Airborne Soldiers from the plane to the ground.

"Airborne Ops"

Shot by Robert Ham, Daniel Delgado, and a 4-25 Jumpmaster (helmet cam shot).

Lincoln Center Opening in Khost City

2011-01-17T11:33:00.000-08:00

This was a mission I went on early in my Afghanistan tour. I went with the Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) to the opening of a learning center that they've been working on for a while. It's named after our 16th president Abraham Lincoln and is a combination library and computer lab. There were many Afghans at the opening and they expressed great appreciation for what the Americans had built there. Many of the assets used here promote American history and culture which is a great tool for Afghans to understand the West if they choose to.

"Lincoln Center"

Produced and Edited by: Robert A. Ham

The Soldier's Creed

2011-01-14T10:53:00.000-08:00

I made this video in 2008 using the Soldier's Creed. This video is made primarily of training footage I shot before we deployed along with some Iraq footage shot by my predecessor. The end is a short speech our brigade commander Col. Michael Howard gave right before we left for Afghanistan.

"The Soldier's Creed"

Produced and Directed by: Robert A. Ham

National Training Center - The Trauma Lane

2011-01-12T19:09:00.000-08:00

This was a video I produced during the 4th BCT 25ID (ABN)'s month-long rotation at NTC in 2008 before our deployment to Afghanistan in 2009. This story focuses on one of the highlights of NTC, the trauma lane. The trauma lane is a hyper-realistic training environment and takes place in a fake middle eastern city named "Medina Wasl." While the unit is on a "rountine" mission in the city all chaos erupts. NTC uses real amputees with hollywood makeup, realistic sound effects, and pyrotechnics to recreate what it would feel like to be in a similar combat experience. The soldiers are also wearing a type of military laser tag so that if they're hit by the "insurgency" they become "wounded" or "KIA" and the other soldiers have to respond as they would in combat. I took part in the trauma lane once as a combat corespondent and once as an observer and combined the footage to make this video. This video won the 2008 first place "feature story" as part of the DOD Military Videographer of the Year competition.

"NTC: The Trauma Lane"

Produced and Edited by: Robert A. Ham

US Army Paratrooper

2011-01-11T10:17:00.000-08:00

This was one of my first videos I made when I got to Ft. Richardson and joined the 4th BCT 25ID (ABN). This video shows a variety of different types of jumps focusing on the C-23 Sherpa and the UH-60 Black Hawk jumps.

"US Army Paratrooper"

Produced and Edited by: Robert A. Ham

OEF Memorial - 4th Brigade 25th Infantry (Airborne)

2011-01-10T18:27:00.000-08:00

This was a video I put together for the 4-25 Memorial Ceremony earlier in 2010. Many of the families of the fallen soldiers were there and it was an honor to show this video. I try to use various images from our deployment with the voices of soldiers who knew the fallen warriors. Many of the soldiers' voices are from the individual memorial ceremonies that I recorded in Afghanistan.

"4-25 Operation Enduring Freedom Memorial"

Produced and Edited by: Robert A. Ham

Our Year at War - 4th Brigade 25th Infantry Division (Airborne)

2011-01-09T11:35:00.000-08:00

This is what we call in the Army world a "Hooah" video; a video with fast paced music with lots of fast action video (I put my own spin on it of course). This video was shown at 4-25's redeployment ceremony after our tour in Afghanistan to thousands of soldiers and their families.

On a separate topic my wife, my son, and I have arrived in Hawaii where I will be stationed for the next three years. It's beautiful and I think we're going to love our new life here. There is still a bit of ambiguity about what I will be doing specifically but will be starting on Monday. We will be in temporary lodging until we get to our new house and when we get a house is unknown at this point. Our hotel room over looks a beautiful green field with palm trees and ends with Pearl Harbor. Clear and crisp blue sky is calling for a walk with Eli. Looking forward to our new life on the island.

End of Tour Video - "Our Year at War - 4-25"

Produced and Edited by: Robert A. Ham

Spartan Heroes Episode 8 (Part 5 of 5) "Army Aviation: For the Soldiers on the Ground Part V - Epilogue"

2011-01-08T07:45:00.000-08:00

This is the dramatic climax of the Aviation documentary series. The video in this last part was taken by myself, several pilots in the 3-101, along with Apache gun feed footage. Much of this video has never been seen until this video.

"Army Aviation: For the Soldiers on the Ground
Part V - Epilogue"

Produced and Edited by: Robert A. Ham

Spartan Heroes Episode 8 (Part 4 of 5) "Army Aviation: For the Soldiers on the Ground Part IV - Air Medical Evacuation (Medevac) - The UH-60"

2011-01-07T08:39:00.001-08:00

This was probably my favorite part of the Aviation series. To get this story I went on standby for a couple weeks which meant I took a radio everywhere I went. I'd get the same call as the air medevac guys and run to the aircraft, throw my gear on, grab my camera and go. I was able to capture a diverse amount of situations which you see throughout this video. I have an immense amount of respect for what these soldiers do and felt honored to go out on mission with them and attempt to tell their story.

A quick interesting story. Last year on December 31, 2009 there was a suicide bombing at a nearby base (http://fxn.ws/dPWgcR) I was on call with the rest of the medevac crew. We got spun up and started picking up casualties. Most of the video I was unable to show because of the sensitive nature of the situation (the video shown was all released through my chain of command). There are some shots from that day in this video but they're too ambiguous to tell. I thought it'd be interesting though to understand the context of what these soldiers go through.

"Army Aviation: For the Soldiers on the Ground Part IV

Air Medical Evacuation (Medevac) - The UH-60"

Produced and Edited by: Robert A. Ham

Spartan Heroes Episode 8 (Part 3b of 5) "Army Aviation: For the Soldiers on the Ground Part III b - The Air Assault - The CH-47"

2011-01-06T09:48:00.000-08:00

This video is another short documentary focusing on the Chinook or CH-47. The Chinook is probably the most routinely used helicopter in Afghanistan. I can't even count how many times I traveled on one and probably did more than a dozen air assaults from one. They can get off the ground fast, can carry a lot of soldiers and equipment, and they also have gunners. This video focuses on the importance of the Air Assault in Afghanistan using the CH-47 and focuses on some of the dangers that chinooks can come in contact with while on mission. The terrain and altitude make the chinook the perfect aerial transportation in Afghanistan plus they can't get hit with IED's.

"Army Aviation: For the Soldiers on the Ground

Part III b - The Air Assault - The CH-47"

Produced and Edited by: Robert A. Ham

Spartan Heroes Episode 8 (Part 3a of 5) "Army Aviation: For the Soldiers on the Ground Part III a - Resupply - The CH-47"

2011-01-03T09:48:00.000-08:00

"Army Aviation: For the Soldiers on the Ground

Part III a - Resupply - The CH-47"

Produced and Edited by: Robert A. Ham

Spartan Heroes Episode 8 (Part 2 of 5) "Army Aviation: For the Soldiers on the Ground Part II - Played their cards and now they're dead - The AH-64"

2011-01-01T10:45:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! It's already a great year because I was able to spend it with my family. My thoughts and prayers are with the service men and women who are away from their families this New Year's Day.

While I was in Afghanistan I hung out a lot with the aviation battalion Task Force Attack 3-101. It was fun to see how they worked and to see the competition between all the different helicopter companies. I had an especially close relationship with some of the Apache pilots. A few of them loved video editing and would come by and hang out while I worked on this video. The relationship allowed me to get some pretty exclusive video from these pilots. Since the Apaches only seat two pilots there's no room for tag-alongs so I couldn't obtain video from the inside the Apache's myself. I was able to give my camera to the pilots and they got some exclusive footage for me. I was also able to gather a collection of classified Apache feeds that were used on actual missions. Because of the relationship that I had with TF Attack I was able to get all these feeds declassified specifically for this video.

"Army Aviation: For the Soldiers on the Ground

Part II - Played their cards and now they're dead - The AH-64"

Produced and Edited by: Robert A. Ham

Spartan Heroes Episode 8 (Part 1 of 5) "Army Aviation: For the Soldiers on the Ground Part I - Attack on U.S. Combat Outpost, Khowst - The OH-58"

2010-12-30T08:32:00.000-08:00

This is the first part of my "Army Aviation in Afghanistan" short documentary series. This part focuses on the Kiowa Warrior helicopter and it's role in combat. In this story I focus on a coordinated attack on a combat outpost in Khowst, Afghanistan where the Kiowa is a key instrument in the victory. Part one includes exclusive video taken by the Taliban prior to the attack. The video camera was found on one of the insurgents after the battle. This video starts off with the introduction to the whole Aviation series then is followed by part one.

"Army Aviation: For the Soldiers on the Ground

Part I - Attack on U.S. Combat Outpost, Khowst - The OH-58"

Produced and Edited by: Robert A. Ham

Spartan Heroes Episode 7 (Part 2 of 2) "Shamrock Black - Salerno EMT"

2010-12-28T10:49:00.000-08:00

This is the second part of Shamrock Black and it has a couple micro-stories that illustrate several important issues. There's probably a lot to talk about here but I'm going to focus my brief thoughts on the boy and the fruit basket story.

The Taliban give a fruit basket filled with explosives to a young boy to give to an Afghan Army officer. I've said this in a previous entry but the tactics the Taliban use are atrocious. To use innocent children to attempt the bombing of an Afghan soldier is so evil and of course there's purposeful collateral damage wounding and killing several other innocent children. There's a grand chasm of difference between two societies when one side tries at all costs to avoid innocent collateral damage and the other purposefully revels in it. When I look into the eyes of children maimed by the Taliban and being taken care of by Americans I know we are the greatest nation in the World.

"Shamrock Black"

Produced and Edited by: Robert A. Ham

Spartan Heroes Episode 7 (Part 1 of 2) "Shamrock Black - Salerno EMT"

2010-12-27T08:31:00.000-08:00

This is another special project that I'm really proud of. "Shamrock Black" is the story about the emergency room at one of the main US bases in Afghanistan. I was able to spend a lot of time at the hospital and got to know the staff pretty well. There were so many stories to tell but I chose a few that stuck out to me. "Shamrock Black" is about the remarkable courage and strength it takes for those who staff war EMTs.

I was able to screen this at the base in Afghanistan to all the hospital staff. I think the best compliment was about a minute long silence after the film was over. Nobody moved and then the lights came on and I saw a few of the staff wipe their eyes. Many of them came up to me after and thanked me for telling their story. That always humbles me. The staff are the ones with the stress and the pressure to save lives, I'm just there with a camera. I think this video tells a small part of their story and I hope you find it interesting.

"Shamrock Black"

Produced and Edited by: Robert A. Ham

Spartan Heroes Episode 6 (Part 2 of 2) "The Attack on the 4th of July"

2010-12-23T09:56:00.000-08:00

"The Attack on the 4th of July"

Produced and Edited by: Robert A. Ham

Spartan Heroes Episode 6 (Part 1 of 2) "The Attack on the 4th of July"

2010-12-22T10:10:00.000-08:00

This is a great story and it's hardly because I put it together. If anything I probably didn't tell this story as good as it needs to be told. This is a story of camaraderie and heroism. The Taliban had a huge coordinated attack (the largest in our region during the time we were there) on one of most remote combat outposts. They were so brazen that they attacked on the 4th of July. This is my attempt to tell their stories through interviews and some video the soldiers took that day. This video debuted on the Pentagon Channel on July 4th, 2010.

"The Attack on the 4th of July"

Produced and Edited by: Robert A. Ham

Spartan Heroes Episode 5 (Part 2 of 2) "The Best Among Us"

2010-12-21T08:34:00.000-08:00

There's some very interesting video in Part 2 that was given to me by some of the local reporters. One in particular that moves me deeply. When the man who sees that one of his friends has been blown up by the Taliban yells over and over that "This is not Islam!" I know that all of the Taliban and Al-Qaida do these evil things in the name of Islam but it gives me hope for that region that there are some moderates (maybe not many) that want to take back their religion from the extremists. I was also very moved by the interview with the Afghan doctor at the end who thanks America for what we've done there.

"The Best Among Us"

Produced and Edited by: Robert A. Ham

Spartan Heroes Episode 5 (Part 1 of 2) "The Best Among Us"

2010-12-20T12:59:00.000-08:00

There's a couple interesting things to note on this video. The story developed as I was out on a mission with the 509th infantry. We were assessing a school that had been blown up by the Taliban. As I ventured through this school I thought about why an insurgency who hated America would blow up schools where Afghan children were learning. After talking with interpreters, locals, and Afghan soldiers I started understanding that this was a wide tactic used by the Taliban and Al-Qaida in Afghanistan. The terrorists find individuals and infrastructures that will help Afghanistan move forward and target them; children, doctors, teachers, schools, government officials and government buildings. I chose several micro-stories and put them in this video but there were dozens more I could have added. If you also watch my Shamrock Black video there's a segment about how Taliban used children to attempt a bombing of a government official. I hope to convince those who watch this video that these terrorists are not as some would call them "freedom fighters." An argument I hear often is the insurgency in Afghanistan are just like the "guerilla's" that fought in the American Revolution. These strategies were never used in the American Revolution. Taliban and Al-Qaida are fascists and will kill anyone who disagrees with them especially those who do the most good. If you study the Armenian Genocide or the Jewish Holocaust you find these tactics were widely used there as well. Take out the best among us and the rest will fall.

"The Best Among Us"

Produced and Edited by: Robert A. Ham

Spartan Heroes Episode 4 (Part 2 of 2) "Charlie Troop: Continuing the Fight for a Fallen Brother"

2010-12-19T16:33:00.000-08:00

"Charlie Troop: Continuing the Fight for a Fallen Brother"

Produced and Edited by: Robert A. Ham

Spartan Heroes Episode 4 (Part 1 of 2) "Charlie Troop: Continuing the Fight for a Fallen Brother"

2010-12-18T10:14:00.000-08:00

This video has kind of a special place in my heart for several reasons. I had several jobs while I was in Afghanistan and one main priority was videoing the memorials that the infantry company's gave at their individual combat outposts. Patrick Devoe was the first KIA from 4-25 and it hit everyone hard especially because it was so soon after we had arrived. Videoing the memorial was difficult mostly because I heard the tearful testimonies from harden soldiers about how much they loved Devoe. Several months later an outpost that was named after Devoe was attacked and I went after it happened to Charlie Troops combat outpost to talk to the soldiers about the attack. After going on several missions and hanging out with the soldiers around the COP I heard their stories about Devoe and decided to make him the central theme of the video. Devoe was part of the consciousness of the Charlie Troop soldiers and I think for many that knew him well he motivated them to continue the fight. I received the video of Devoe from some of his soldier buddies.

This video has aired on the Pentagon Channel as part of their "Battleground" series and received an EMMY nomination* in 2009 for topical documentary in the National Capital Chesapeake Bay Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

"Charlie Troop: Continuing the Fight for a Fallen Brother"

Produced and Edited by: Robert A. Ham

This was a moving comment left on our youtube page.
"Thank you all for this tribute to my son PFC Patrick Allen DeVoe II. I know now who much my son was loved by all. He did have a heart of gold.
God Bless

Susan-Kealoha Capone
PROUD MOM OF
PFC Patrick Allen DeVoe II
KIA 03-08-09"

* http://bit.ly/gg6BWe

The Spartan Heroes Episode 3 "Car Bomb at the Gate"

2010-12-17T09:21:00.000-08:00

This was the first Spartan Heroes I made while deployed to Afghanistan.

I want to give a little context. The suicide bomber wasn't really aiming for the American soldiers or even the Afghan security forces (although they do that too when they can). They were aiming specifically for the Afghan civilians that work at this particular base. They hit right at the time when most Afghan civilians come to work and where they park their cars/motorcycles. This is the usual tactic of these terrorists. They want to intimidate those who help US forces. To understand that the terrorists will kill their own people for their "goals" is to understand the type of enemy we're dealing with in Afghanistan.

"Car Bomb at the Gate"

Produced and Edited by: Robert A. Ham

The Spartan Heroes Episode 2 "Ridding the threat of Al-Qaida in Iraq: A Commander's Perspective"

2010-12-16T19:20:00.000-08:00

"Ridding the threat of Al-Qaida in Iraq: A Commander's Perspective"

Produced and Edited by: Robert A. Ham

The Spartan Heroes Episode 1 (Part 3 of 3) "Jurf As Sakr, Iraq: City of Change"

2010-12-16T19:02:00.000-08:00

"Jurf As Sakhr, Iraq: City of Change"

Produced and Edited by: Robert A. Ham

The Spartan Heroes Episode 1 (Part 2 of 3) "Jurf As Sakr, Iraq: City of Change"

2010-12-16T18:59:00.000-08:00

"Jurf As Sakr, Iraq: City of Change"

Produced and Edited by: Robert A. Ham

Year End updates

2010-12-16T18:43:00.000-08:00

Since I've been mostly keeping up on facebook and youtube over the last several years I figured I'd post my series "The Spartan Heroes" on my blog. This is a series that has ran on the Pentagon Channel and one of the episodes was nominated for an Emmy.

This first episode was about Apache Company 1-501 from the 4th Brigade Combat Team 25th Infantry Division (Airborne) and their accomplishments during the 15 month tour to Iraq in 2007-2008.

Spartan Heroes Episode 1 (Part 1 of 3)

"Jurf As Sakr, Iraq: City of Change"

Produced and Edited by: Robert A. Ham

US Army Alaska Command Video - Directed by SGT. Robert A. Ham

2010-12-16T09:00:00.000-08:00

Here is a link to a video I produced for the US Army Alaska on behalf of Maj. Gen. Troy and the current USARAK commander Brig. Gen Raymond Palumbo. The video is in HD and is on the bottom of the USARAK website.

USARAK website link - http://www.USARAK.army.mil

Direct link to video - http://www.USARAK.army.mil/main/USARAK_Videos/USARAK%20Command%20Video%202010.wmv

The 2005 Israeli Disengagement - From L.A. to Jerusalem Part IV

2007-09-27T09:48:00.002-07:00

This is a clip from my feature documentary. This shows news clips from the historic Israeli pullout from the Gaza Strip. Israel gave land and effectively a state to the Palestinians. This clip is also important because it has terrifying shots of Palestinian television where the children are brainwashed to hate Jews.

My Gaza Strip Adventure - From L.A. to Jerusalem Part III

2007-09-27T09:48:00.001-07:00

This is a segment from my feature documentary "From L.A. to Jerusalem." In this clip I venture into the Gaza Strip about a month before the Israeli disengagement plan. I interview a Jewish man and take an inside look at the Jewish settlements. I was moved to actually see what Israel gave up for attempted peace. They actually gave land back to the Palestinians and now the Palestinians have their state. So now what? More war, more terror, more katusha rockets flying into Israeli settlements.

Oslo Peace Accords and Yasser Arafat's Peace - From L.A. to Jerusalem Part II

2007-09-27T09:46:00.003-07:00

This is a clip from my feature documentary "From L.A. to Jerusalem." This clip shows how Arafat received a Noble Peace Prize in the early 90's for being a part of the Oslo Peace Accords. However, the only thing that came from that "peace" process was a wave of terrorism never seen in history. This clip describes some of those attacks. I also happened to be in Israel the day a large terrorist attack hit a night club in Tel Aviv. I was there the day after and captured some moving footage along with an interview of a shop owner who's business was ruined.

My West Bank Adventure - From L.A. to Jerusalem Part I

2007-09-27T09:46:00.001-07:00

This is a clip from my feature documentary where I go into the West Bank (Bethlehem - A Palestinian refugee camp, and Ramallah - the center of Palestinian life in the West Bank). In this segment I interview several Palestinians. I think their answers to my questions are interesting to say the least.

This opened my mind to understand that there are some moderate Muslims in the Arab world but they do not have a voice. The radicals have high-jacked their religion and their opportunities for peace (look at what Sadat accomplished with Israel). Another issue is that radicalism in the Arab world is massive and growing and it frustrates me that even men like Mohamed continues to blame Israel instead of the terrorists (but I guess I might too if the penalty for speaking out against the Palestinian authority was excommunication or in other areas of the Arab world death, especiall in places like Iraq, Iran, Syria).

The second man I interviewed reminded me of an American leftist. He too blames Israel and Bush for what is going on in the Middle East. There is a lack of introspection among these men. They still hold Arafat up as a great man but he did nothing except jeapordize peace with Israel over and over (I have a later clip that will talk a little about that)

9/11 Emotional Redux

2007-09-27T09:45:00.003-07:00

I sat and watched “9/11 As It Happened,” which was shown last night on MSNBC (probably the only thing I actually have watched on that station). I watched the actually newscast that MSNBC had shown that fateful morning. From about 8:40 am EST to when the towers fell (so about two hours). It was an interesting experience. I felt like I relived that morning (cause all I did was watch the tv). It was my off day from school so I slept later than usual. My mom woke me up crying saying, “We are at war!” Like all of us I couldn’t believe my eyes and even now as I watch it I still can’t. I remember going to pick something up at the grocery and feeling like I knew exactly what everyone else in the whole store was thinking. To describe it as surreal may be an understatement.

One of the aspects I think a lot about, 6 years later is that to those who were either not old enough to remember 9/11 or those not born yet, 9/11 will just be another moment in history. Perhaps, how the Kennedy assassination or the Vietnam war was to my parents generation and
Pearl Harbor
to my grandparents’. So then the next logical question is, “How do we pass the understanding and importance of 9/11 on to the next generations.” Since I’m not a parent I won’t lecture on strategies. Each family, I’m sure, has their own way of teaching and passing things on. The key is to pass it on in some way. To pass on what is great about this country and to teach that human beings can do so many horrible things to each other. That day showed many of us what we already knew about evil and perhaps it woke many of us up. This was a profound moment in my life where I realized that there is evil in the world and that it could actually affect myself and my family.

I will never forget

2007-09-27T09:45:00.001-07:00

9/11 is probably the main reason why I joined the Army. If we were not attacked by radical Muslims on September 11, 2001 the likely-hood that I would have joined the army was miniscule. Since that day there was a burden that I carried (and I know there were thousands of others who felt the same), it just took me a little longer to follow it. Someone has to fight this evil and I owe it to the next generation to do so.

The video below is something that I hope I never get calloused to.

Ashamed of Hollywood Part 3: Is it anti-American or just ignorant?

2007-09-27T09:43:00.001-07:00

Film is a great art form. Movies can do some great things. I love how films can make you feel and think. But sometimes (as I am talking about in my Ashamed of Hollywood series) I am saddened by what I think is ignorance and cowardice at the least, and potentially anti-American at the most, and I don’t use that term lightly. I never have and never will call people who disagree with me anti-American or unpatriotic just because they disagree with me, but sometimes people really do things that are anti-American.

Brian De Palma a famous Hollywood director just debuted a film at the

Venice film festival. 1 The film, “Redacted,” was met with loud and long standing ovations along with tears of emotion. The films main premise is of the true story of a 14 year old Iraqi girl who was raped and her family murdered by a few U.S troops. This is a horrible story and I denounce what these evil soldiers have done (and they have been charged) but men like De Palma are unable to understand context which is where we can really find truth. The results of films like this will not make people think that these murderous soldiers were the exception, nor is that the intention. It doesn’t assume that our Army holds their soldiers to the highest scrutiny and that in every group, army, country etc. you may find a small group of bad eggs. All this does is bash our Army and essentially bash our country. De Palma had this to say about the film, “The movie is an attempt to bring the reality of what is happening in to the American people,” and he wants to “…stop the war. One only hopes that these images will get the public incensed enough to motivate their Congressmen to vote against this war.” He wants to stop the war at the cost of defaming our troops and presenting this to the world. All you have to do is talk to someone who’s been there and they will tell you that this is by far the extreme exception. However, with agendas like De Palma’s he has to stop spitting at our troops before he can understand the truth. I just have to ask any fair minded person this question: Do you think if they show this in theatres in Syria, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, that this will breed love or hate, trust or animosity, grow more respect for our soldiers or more disdain, peace or more war? But he’s just an artist right? What responsibility does he have to society or to truth?

My initial question was; is it anti-American or just ignorant? I will refrain from all my judgments until I see the film, but Hollywood ’s track record isn’t very good and from what I can tell it’s going to be a doozy. Oh yeah and as Reuters reports (you can read from the link below) there are eight more war films coming out soon. These kinds of films (you can put Fahrenheit 9/11, Loose Change, Syriana, The Death of a President and the list continues to go on)

Here’s another depressing note about Hollywood and its cowardice. One of my favorite TV docudramas that came out last year has been put on the shelf indefinitely, the five hour mini-series “Pathway to 9/11”. 2 I had the honor of meeting the writer/producer last year at a film festival. He has had an uphill battle with the film because it shows the Clinton administration in a less than perfect light about letting Osama Bin Laden get away (it also throws a punch at the Bush administration too). I’m trying to imagine what would happen and be said towards President Bush if he tried to censor one of the thousand hate films, blogs, web-sites, protests. It actually hurts my head, maybe my wife has some aspirin…

This is the first 2 minutes of "Pathway to 9/11"

1 http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=entertainmentNews&storyid=2007-08-31T150344Z_01_L31903844_RTRUKOC_0_US-VENICE-IRAQ.xml&src=rss&rpc=22&sp=true

2 http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/homeentertainment/la-et-path5sep05,0,2302280.story?coll=la-home-entertainment

The apple doesn't fall to far - Video of my father from the 80's rock age

2007-09-27T09:40:00.000-07:00

These are a few interesting videos of my father. He is one of the most talented musicians I know and I love him dearly. Enjoy watching a blast from the past and I love those tight leather jeans!

This is my father when he played with TOTO.

This is my father when he played for a Christian Rock band called "AD." He formed this band with writer and band member of Kansas, Kerry Livgren (writer of Dust in the Wind, Carry on Wayward Son).

This is another clip of my dad playing with TOTO, watch for him in the back playing sax.

The Greatest Generation - My Grandparents

2007-09-27T09:38:00.000-07:00

My grandma is a kind, loving, and wonderful woman who puts God and family above herself. She has left a lasting impression on me. She also has many things about her I don't understand. For instance, when I open my grandmother’s refrigerator it smells like week old meat and vegetables. I remember this from when I was kid and I have never understood it. My grandma would keep food in her fridge for months, she would never get rid it. She is the leftover queen. I would never imagine opening one of the cartons let alone eating anything out of it. My grandmother is like this because she grew up during the great depression, so every morsel of food and every penny was stretched to the max. They took nothing for granted because they couldn’t. And if you want to talk about tragedy, that was practically an everyday occurrence; the wars, everyone was poor, child death rates were exponential compared to today 1, less medicine, less technology etc.

I don’t think that it’s too far fetched to say that this generation who fought and defeated both Nazism and Japanese Fascism, began the battle (which we eventually won) against Communism – the Cold War, and lived through the Depression, is the greatest generation. Obviously there have been other great generations like George Washington’s one perhaps. However, it’s obviously not hard to argue that my grandparents’ generation was great. My mother’s father fought on Iwo Jima 2 with the Marines, my father’s father fought in Europe with the Marines and received a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star. My Great Uncle fought in the Battle of the Bulge while all of my grandmother’s stayed home and supported their husbands while raising families. My grandmother spent the first two and a half years of her marriage apart from her husband and had to raise their first son alone (while he fought in the war). There is a lot my generation can learn from the “Greatest Generation,” and there’s not too much time left. Everyday these treasures are leaving us, a grim reality. I have been attempting to chronicle some of their stories on video (my grandmothers – unfortunately I was too young to interview my grandfathers).

The main thing that I am humbled by when I speak to my grandparents is the understanding of how spoiled I am. This is my generation. We want everything now and because we think we deserve it. “We’re special” but for not even doing anything just because we were born. My generation is an extremely narcissistic one. We’ve turned into asking “what can my country do for me” instead of asking “what can I do for my country.” One of the ways my generation can work at this is by looking to the previous generations and learning from them. We need to understand what made the previous generations better or worse and why. If we can do this then maybe we can leave the next generation a better world.

This is a picture of my great uncle (my grandmother's older brother - center). He died of cholera at age 3 my grand mother was about a year old. This is a haunting picture of an event that stayed with my great grandmother her whole life.

My mother's father Leo Derderian was there the day the flag went up and saw it happen. It's strange to think that if he had been one of the 5,931 who died on that island I would not be here. We owe a debt of gratitude to the men who died for our freedom during that war.

Ashamed of Hollywood Part 2: The Death of a President - Exemplifying the hate in America

2007-09-11T13:22:00.000-07:00

Lincoln, Garfield, McKinley, JFK, Bush? For those of you that have never heard of a film called The Death of a President 1 you probably have a life. This is an independent film that was made by a few English filmmakers. The film is a mock-documentary that chronicles the assassination of President George W. Bush. To many of you, including myself, this film seems like an obscene movie from the premises and to some degree it is (that anyone would actually want to make a film about the assassination of a living President is a little obscene). However, to give the film a little credit it doesn’t out right condone any kind of assassination it just tries to present the “facts” (which are fake…) about what happened that “fateful night.” Of course the whole environment is loaded. However, I will digress because the political agenda (which is obvious) is not my point. The only thing that was interesting to me and the only thing I will talk about is how it depicts the hatred of our 43^rd President.

The “assassination” takes place around and during a major anti-war, anti-Bush, anti-democracy (pro-anarchist etc.), anti-Israel, anti- on and on rally in Chicago. The posters 2 are vile and the level of discourse is elementary at best. They use actual shots from a rally so the hatred is very palpable. As the plot “thickens” the Syrian suspect (who trained with Al Qaeda) is shown to be innocent (even though the government blindly thinks he is guilty) and the man shown (but not proven) to be the assassin is a bitter ex-Army Sergeant who lost a son in Iraq and is angry at Bush. You read that right. A terrorist didn’t kill Bush an ex-Army activist did. When the film finishes, it has some post-script describing how the government uses this to take more rights from the people, blah, blah, blah… So it’s apparent the level of political agenda but what’s really scary is that when I finished the film all I could think about is, “I wonder how many people really do want to kill Bush, or would not mind if he was killed.” I’m not talking the usual suspects; Terrorists, Communists, the Mob, anti-democracy regimes etc. I’m talking about your run of the mill everyday person.

I remember a few months ago I met a really nice guy who was living here in Los Angeles. He came from New Orleans where he had lost everything in Hurricane Katrina. He really seemed like a genuine guy, but then he said something really quite disturbing. He said, “I really wouldn’t care at all if someone killed Bush.” He then continued to say that it was Bush’ fault for Katrina and the world would be better if he were dead. “Hmm…” I said. I wasn’t sure what to say, I was stunned. He said it so matter of fact. So much so that I think he thought I agreed with him.

Maybe it's just me but it seems scary that in our culture it has become more and more acceptable to talk this way about any president. I think Carter was a horrible president but I would never say he should be assassinated. At the height of the Clinton scandal I don’t recall hearing one person say President Clinton should be assassinated (I emphasize President because no matter what you feel about any Commander and Chief they should be respected). As I said in my Wild Wild Web article it seems like this hateful rhetoric is becoming more mainstream. Some may argue that this film along with the people who speak extreme hate are irrelevant and are a minority but I’m afraid my friend from New Orleans is becoming the norm.

Army Wife?

2007-09-11T13:20:00.000-07:00

I know for a fact that before Melanie and I got married that she would have never thought of herself as an Army wife. That’s mostly because she didn’t know (and neither did I at that point). Now I won’t speak for her but I wish that I handled that whole situation a little better. I wish I knew when I married her that this was the life I was asking her to partake in with me. I know life changes but it would have been ideal that Melanie’s expectations could have been on par with what the future brought.

Melanie is a very strong woman and her ability to handle this not knowing what she was getting in to when marrying me is a credit to her character. My wife is one of the strongest and bravest women I know (which is why I grabbed her before other guys found out). I put her through something like this when we were dating. Most of you know that I studied abroad in Israel for around four months. This was a really hard time in our relationship; we were serious but sill on that edge of taking the leap. I knew after we survived that this is a relationship that will last and a relationship worth holding on to.

Just because Melanie is strong and our relationship is solid doesn’t mean us being apart is going to be easy. It will not be. But, our love for each other has grown so much and I believe God has brought us to a point where we can handle this kind of drastic situation. This will be a long road but our vows meant something when we said them. This stage in our life may be the “for poorer, in sickness, in sorrow” part. The strength of the Lord and the resilience of our character and love together will get us through this trying time.

This is Melanie and I in Rome, Italy. We are in front of the Roman Forum. I love this woman with all my heart.

Anticipation - It's difficult to deal with leaving.

2007-09-11T13:01:00.000-07:00

Since the "big news" it's been an interesting few weeks. I feel like I’m just waiting to leave and sometimes I feel people around me are too. I’m not talking about people who don’t like me and can’t wait until I get out of their hair, and we all know there’s always a few of those. I think it’s just easier to accept someone leaving and just move on. It makes the pain easier to deal with. Well, I am leaving, maybe forever maybe not, but for now I have to deal with the anticipation.

I don't necessarily know what the future brings. I've always had the perspective that there are obvious stages of life. People/relationships/friendships come into your life and out your life all the time. But, those relationships that do come and go should be able to continue into the other stages of life. For example my best friend in high school is now in the Navy. We ended up going to different colleges and jobs so we didn't hang out as much (similar to most high school relationships). However he just came back for a 2 week leave after graduating his Nuclear power school. When we hung out it was essentially like nothing changed in the relationship (obviously we have both grown and changed since we last saw each other at my wedding). Our friendship just continued where it left off and we spent the time talking about what we missed, how we've changed, and what we think the future holds. This kind of perspective gives me a hope that someday I will be able to continue so many friendships where we left them.

The problem with this is that it is hard. It's difficult to not have consistency; it's tough to see someone leave. Sometimes emotions can confuse and frustrate to the point where I want to cut off or avoid relationships because that's just easier. Well, I've decided that I don't want to take the easy road. I want to follow through on friendships and relationships as much as I can up to when I leave and even try as hard as I'm able while I'm gone. I will say I have a huge advantage in my wife who’s not only a wonderful friend to me but always is able to keep in contact with other people even when I flake.

I can sometimes sense myself pulling away. When I see someone that I know or have had a good friendship with but they don't know much about what's going on in my life my default reaction is to avoid them or the conversation. I don't want to talk about the same thing over and over, the same questions, the same awkward pauses after someone goes, "You actually signed up?!" But, I guess it's time to grow up. It's time to take responsibilities for my actions and understand that they have effects on the world and on people. I want to be held accountable for what I do with my life and try to follow through with every relationship that God brings into my life even though I fail.

Ashamed of Hollywood Part 1: Hollywood vs The Army?

2007-09-11T12:56:00.000-07:00

Ever since I could remember I've been a story teller. When I first discovered my parents camera I made home movies including claymation and puppet movies with my younger sister Rachel. Some of my happiest memories are sitting by a fire and telling stories that can move people and sitting next to someone in a theater as my film shows on the screen hearing the gasps, or the laughs, or tense filled silence. I think movies are the ultimate art form and have had a passion for film-making and films since I could remember. So the question is why did I choose to go into the Army and potentially leave my dreams behind. Well, at times I'm not sure exactly how to answer this.

I've been working on and off with a production company, Sunset Pictures - who is currently working on a basketball movie starring Richard Dreyfuss, for the past 2 years. This is an independent production company based in Hollywood who has made a hand full of films. I finished writing a script about 6 months ago that I'm very passionate about and think is my best work. Since then I've been working with the CEO of Sunset to find financing. Then I decided to join the Army. So of course three days after I signed up for the Army I get a voice message from the CEO saying that he loves my script and would like to include it into a package of films that he's trying to raise money for. This means that I could potentially, and very likely, direct and produce a script that I wrote. As you might guess I was a little distraught that day. My dreams seemed to be falling out of my reach. Everything that I have been working for through and since college seemed to be a waste.

Now the question for me is how does the Army fit. Well first of all, as I've told many people, the Army is not my absolute dream. I don't see myself doing it for the rest of my life. I would like to eventually move back to Los Angeles, raise a family, and pursue my film career. But, the Army is something that I feel called to do, I feel it is my duty. Keeping that in mind I still get a great job (at least from my current point of view), a Broadcast Journalist. I still get to fulfill at least a little bit of my dream from my childhood; I get to tell stories. Now it may not be what I'm envisioning in my head, but what part of life is? My desire at least, and I think being a Journalist in the Army will bring this, is to tell stories about heroes, people doing good, and stories of hope. I believe our Army is all of that. They bring hope to the destitute and freedom to the oppressed. These are people that risk their lives for others and don't want credit. I know I will be prouder to serve with the men in the Army then to grovel at the crumbs left from Hollywood executives who think and are told everyday that they are brave for making movies that have nothing to do with real courage.

My motive for film-making was never to be famous but was to express truth in an emotive way. I feel like I live in a society full or narcissists and this is perpetuated and exalted the most in Hollywood. Movies have so much potential for good but is at a sad state right now 1. Film-making is my dream but sometimes there are more important things in life like family, country, and duty.

1 We have been at war for about 4 years and there has not been one movie about the heroes or the villians. There has not been one major motion picture depicting Muslim extremists. Nothing except for United 93 (which was a docu-drame) and The Pathway to 9/11 (which was a made for tv docu-drama). Where is Hollywood when they could actually do some real good?

For my Country - Why I joined the Army

2007-09-11T12:00:00.000-07:00

For those of you that haven't heard I have joined the army as a Broadcast Journalist (46 Romeo). I am a proud recruit of the United States Army. I joined the military because I love my country and think it's the greatest nation on earth. I also believe that we are at war with a great threat, Islamic extremists. These are not like other "extremists" or "fundamentalists." 1 These are specifically Muslim 2 Fascists who would like all of the West, most of all Israel and America, to be ruled by Sharia Law (including but not limited to Thailand, Indonesia, England, Spain, France etc.) 3 A famous philosopher, Edmund Burke once said "When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall one by one, an unpitied sacrifice in a contemptible struggle." 4 I believe that America stands for some great ideals, the very same that my grandfathers fought for in WWII. 5 And the same ideals that my father-in-law is fighting for as a Medic in Baghdad right now.

Now some may think I am naive, or desperate, or from a bad neighborhood, or not well-educated. "You know, education, if you make the most of it, if you study hard and you do your homework, and you make an effort to be smart, uh, you, you can do well. If you don’t, you get stuck in Iraq." - John Kerry former presidential candidate. 6 To those who agree with Mr. Kerry I will retort. I'm a white male, 24, married, from a middle-class home, I have a bachelor's degree and have traveled to over 20 countries including studying abroad in Israel. Class and economics have very little to do with my choice.

Everyday I hear on the news, newspapers, bloggers, and from people around me that we should pull out. I am passionate in believing that not only will this not accomplish anything in the very real war on terror 7 but will put us in more danger and set us back, along with resulting in exponentially more Iraqi deaths and create a terrorist vacuum. 8

If you know me then you know that I am very opinionated and very passionate about what I believe. I will debate anyone who will debate me about my values, ideals, and the policies that I feel will make America better. However, I have come to a crossroad in my life. I feel that sometimes I talk too much. Give my opinions too much. Debate too do, I needed to act. I believe that when I look back on my life I will be extremely proud that I joined the Army at this time in history.

1 People like Rosie O'Donell and many others, like the makers of Jesus Camp believe that all fundamentalists are the same. When was the last time a Christian blew up Muslims in the name of Christ? Obviously a rhetorical question. Watch Rosie here.

2 "Muslim" - I think it's quite clear that not every Muslim is a terrorist or even a supporter of terrorism especially muslims in the U.S. However there is a pandemic in the world and %99.99999 of the people who we are fighting right now, including the perpetrators of 9/11, the insurgency in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Iranian president, Hamas etc. happen to be Muslim to ignore this is naive at the least and more likely, foolish.

3 In my documentary "From L.A. to Jerusalem I interview a Palestinian who beleives there will only be peace when all the world is under Sharia Law and he believes democracy is a Virus.

4 Thoughts on the Cause of the Present Discontents, April 23, 1770

5 My Mother's father fought in Iwo Jima and the Pacific theatre and my father's father fought in the European theatre where he got a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star. Both in the Marines.

6 Watch John Kerry on Youtube.

7 John Edwards who is running for the president of the U.S. does not believe that we are at war with terror. www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2007/5/23/135345.shtml

8 In this New York Times article (probably the most liberal newspaper in America) they even admit "Yes, Iraq, and the region around it, could be even bloodier and more chaotic after Americans leave. There could be reprisals against those who worked with American forces, further ethnic cleansing, even genocide. Potentially destabilizing refugee flows could hit Jordan and Syria. Iran and Turkey could be tempted to make power grabs. Perhaps most important, the invasion has created a new stronghold from which terrorist activity could proliferate." However, they still think we should leave.