"The End of Realms" Update

Hi all.
     As some of you may already know, I write G.I.Joe novels under the Kindleworlds banner, but some of you may not know that I was primarily a fantasy writer before writing Joe fiction.  dabbling in the world of orcs, dragons, and the undead. Speaking of this topic, I have been developing a fantasy novel over the past few years as a side project.  The story first came to me years ago and started as a thirty-seven-page handwritten short story in my late teens.  Today it has taken on a life of its own and blossomed into a full-length fantasy adventure.
     The story centers around Jeff Larson, an average teenager with a hot set of wheels, who by a series of supernatural events, ends up becoming the next Golden Lancer in a parallel world populated by magical creatures and mythical races.  His mentor a dwarf mage, named Mamatar, takes him under his tutelage and introduces him to his family's hidden heritage. With no clue how to become a weapon-wielding hero, he is in for one wild ride!
     This is just a quick introduction to whet your appetite. "Why bring it up you say?"  Well, I have taken a huge step forward with the story and submitted part of it to a professional editing service for critique.  If all goes well, I would expect this work to be ready for publishing in the new year.  I will provide a book excerpt when the editor releases it to me.  Thanks for reading.
Cheers!

Drakov

How does one successfully fight off a solitary
        bulette? What about a mating pair in a threatened
        environment? This battle and others await you in:
  "The End of Realms."

Just visited Nikki Sixx at his Book Signing

      OK so I'm a huge Motley Crue and Sixx A.M. fan as is my wife (in fact she's a bigger one). So over the past four years or so, we have had the honor and privilege to me Nikki Sixx a bunch of times.  Tonight we decided to pay him a visit at his book signing in Ridgewood, NJ at Bookends. The Heroin Diaries is celebrated its 10th anniversary and has been one of the inspirations for my current G.I.Joe novel Cobra's Cesspool.  Drug addiction, but now more than ever heroin addiction is on the uprise in the USA once again.  Thank you Nikki for seeing us tonight and thank you for providing me with some writing inspiration.  You're a rock star, a hero and a legend. 
So, one author to another.  Rock On my Brother!

Hello, and welcome to my author page.

Hello All,

     I've been looking at page views over the past several months and have been both pleased and overwhelmed!  Individual blog postings are tracked differently than overall page views.  (I know a little weird)  Anyways, I have had over 7500 page views over the past several months from individuals in the US, Ukraine, Germany, France, Poland, Russia, United Arab Emirates, Belgium, Brazil, Peru and Hungary. (who knew?)
     Each of you has had an opportunity to learn a little bit about me and my manuscripts and I hope that you have enjoyed them. I in turn would like to know a little bit about you and what you enjoy in terms of hobbies, literature, etc.  If possible, I would like to hear some of your general opinions on the chapters and excerpts I have shared or my current G.I.Joe novels previously available on KindleWorlds.
     Please don't be shy.  I would love the opportunity to get to know each of my readers better and in the process become a better author.
Cheers!

Below you will find chronological links to all 17 Chapters of "Armed and Dangerous," A G.I.Joe Origins Story.  At the bottom of the post is a link to all the chapters in "Enter the Headhunters," Book 2 in the series. These are the first two books in what will be a three-book story arc.

Cheers!
Drakov

Follow me on Twitter and Instagram @drakovkinski

Armed and Dangerous Chapter 1

Armed and Dangerous Chapter 2

Armed and Dangerous Chapter 3

Armed and Dangerous Chapter 4

Armed and Dangerous Chapter 5

Armed and Dangerous Chapter 6

Armed and Dangerous Chapter 7

Armed and Dangerous Chapter 8

Armed and Dangerous Chapter 9

Armed and Dangerous Chapter 10

Armed and Dangerous Chapter 11

Armed and Dangerous Chapter 12

Armed and Dangerous Chapter 13

Armed and Dangerous Chapter 14

Armed and Dangerous Chapter 15

Armed and Dangerous Chapter 16

Armed and Dangerous Epilogue

Follow the link below to get to Book II "Enter the Headhunters"

"Enter the Headhunters" Book II Chapters

A new excerpt from Book 2 "Cobra's Cesspool." Enjoy!!

It had been many months since the failed attempt by the terrorist organization to set up a presence in the African country of Kenya.  The whole plot had been nothing more than a training exercise for the Cobra organization. A way  to make the rest of the world aware of their existence and the fact that the U.S. military had gotten soft.

The supreme Cobra Commander had done well in abandoning the outpost and making the G.I.Joe team think that his organization had retreated back to the shadows, but in reality the whole exercise had allowed them to not only expose the weaknesses of the United States military but also to infiltrate the top secret G.I.Joe team.  The commander had recalled many of his operatives and had scheduled a meeting before his ranking officers.  It was the first time they had met since their retreat to Somalia all those months ago.  The commander had reassigned most of his operatives to different missions, but now with the recent uprisings in Egypt, Turkey and North Korea, he felt he needed to get a handle on some of his assets.

“Greetingssss essteemed Cobra loyalistsss.  It is ssso good to see all of you again.”  The room erupted in loud applause as all those in attendance cheered the head snake. “It has been quite some time ssssince we have all been together under the sssame roof.  And although I have been in clossse communication with all of you over thissss time, I felt the need to arrange this homecoming.”  The room once again erupted in cheers.  Cobra Commander reveled in the admiration and respect of his compatriots.  After many seconds, he raised his hand to silence the crowd.

“It has recently been brought to my attention the many of the leadersss of the world are overstepping their boundaries and neglecting their obligations to the Cobra nation.  Thisss has been tolerated for a little too long!  And stopsss today! I have called you all back here to reassign some of you to some more…..promisssssing appointmentsss.”  

The large ballroom in front of the commander’s balcony was filled with some of the most ruthless Cobra agents the world over.  Individuals from six continents and over twenty countries had been summoned and had happily returned to heed the orders of their supreme leader.  Although the Cobra nation was still very much in its infancy, the promises of world domination, free healthcare and power had gone far to create a wide arrays of supporters.  The commander had made sure to pay them well and to provide them with all the supplies necessary to insure his ultimate ascension to worldwide power.  

Many of the room’s representatives had never even met one another before, but they all shared in a common uniting cause.  Among those in attendance were Laird Destro, or James McCullen, the president and CEO of MARS Industries and the commander’s chief  supplier of weapons and armaments.  The man stood nearly six foot four inches tall and had a physique revelling a professional wrestler in his prime.  His most notable characteristic took the form of an opulent silver, reflective full face mask that encased his entire head.  Originally designed to shame his family for dealing arms to both sides of the war, much like the man in the iron mask, Destro had turned his family’s curse into a badge of honor and a beacon of power. Few would dare to challenge the power of Castle Destro or could survive militarily without dealing with MARS Industries.

Some other noteworthy attendees were the co-CEOs of Extensive Enterprises, the Corsican twins known as Tomax and Xamot.  Their international law offices can be found on the six main continents and they have represented hundreds of thousands of corporations worldwide.  In their spare time, they are responsible for training and outfitting an elite group of Cobra operatives known as the Crimson Guard.  These specialist soldiers are all prestigious lawyers and serve as private bodyguards to the supreme Cobra leader.

As the commander looked out over the crowd he also took note of several of his trusted doctors.  Dr. Mindbender, Dr. Venom and Scalpel had served his organization well by not only providing medical care for the troops, but also by conducting valuable research in the fields of genetics, neuroscience and surgery.  

     Close to the front row stood some of his most recently deployed operatives and some of his more eccentric egomaniacs.  Big Boa and Croc Master had been pivotal in training the grunts and insuring the security of the base’s perimeter, while the bird-like Raptor, had helped to launder money through a worldwide network of trust funds and offshore accounts. One of his greatest assets at the moment took the form of the fur-collared, red-eyed Gypsy hypnotist known only as Crystal Ball.  With a PhD in psychiatry and hypnosis, this man was currently manipulating the mind of the G.I.Joe operative known as Pathfinder.  The mission in Kenya had succeeded in providing the Cobra leader with an insider on the G.I.Joe roster who didn’t even know he was acting as a Cobra informant.  The good doctor, would probe his mind while he slept and extract valuable intel about the current plans and assignments of the Joe team.

Sorry Folks Been Writing Book 2

Hello everyone,
     Sorry for the lack of posts the past few days.  I have been very busy writing and editing my upcoming G.I.Joe novel to continue the "Armed and Dangerous"series.  I am currently at the 200 page mark and roughly 41k words. As some of you may be aware, I spend quite a bit of time contributing to the G.I.Joe/Cobra mythos.  My previous novel introduced a new Joe character named Armed and Dangerous.  In reality they are two characters as Armed is a Marine recruit and Dangerous is his cheetah ally.  My first book was a fun trip into creating voices for many characters from the late 80s Joe line that were previously underdeveloped.  This included a lot of the characters that fans love to hate like: Raptor, Croc Master, Big Boa and Crystal Ball.
      My current novel is a bit more serious diving into some genuine current real world issues.  Such as what you might ask? Book two's main focus is on the opioid/heroin epidemic taking place in the U.S. today.  I have resurrected the DEF (Drug Elimination Force) from the 1990s GIJoe line and added a present day twist.  armed and dangerous are set to take the stage here as well, but you'll have to wait for the book to see how.
      The novel takes place in parts of New Jersey like Irvington and Newark. (Some great places to visit, but you wouldn't want to live there) It spills out into parts of Connecticut, Arizona and as of now is taking the reader as far west as Sydney, Australia.  I have been having a blast referencing everything from the sexual harassment allegations going on today, to the North Korean ICBM crisis.  Nothing is off limits.
     Cobra's Cesspool will introduce old and new fans to many Joe and Cobra characters on the active roster as well as some brand new characters created from the depths of my imagination.  Keep checking back here for updates and exerpts.
Hope to hear you in the comments section.
Until then, Cheers!

Drakov

The Christmas Tree

     Hello everyone, I trust you had a wonderful Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Saturday etc.  I, like most people in the old US of A, had to work this wonderful weekend.  I spent five hours of my day Friday and ten hours of my Saturday working for the man, while others slept in, or spent time with their families, or Netflix.
     As was completely expected, I got absolutely no time to do any serious writing involving my current novel.  This is actually the first writing I have done in the past two days.  You're welcome!  (I'm kidding of course)  So back to the point of my post.  Friday, after spending my early morning and mid day at my second J.O.B., I went home to continue the Christmas festivities, or as I like to call it the "Madness."
     My wife is an absolute Christmas fanatic, who I sometimes refer to as the Christmas Nazi.  She has an extremely rigid way of doing things for the holidays and seldom wavers in her techniques.  The day after Thanksgiving is devoted to decorating the tree. Now, you might say, "How long can that really take?"  Hello, news flash! The entire process took nearly eight hours on Friday.  We started around 2:00 p.m.and finished somewhere around 9:30.  My wife is extremely meticulous about her decorating.
     How meticulous? You might ask.  Well, let's just say that everything on the tree needs to be in exactly the right place and if it's not just so, it will be removed and re-positioned until perfection is reached.  It is an almost endless process and enough to drive the average person insane. She starts with the smallest ornaments on the top and a step stool.  This is followed by the slightly larger ones and larger and larger.  She tries really hard to get all of the best ornaments in the front and sometimes neglects the back of the tree. This continues until clip on birds, balloons and icicles are finally hung. "I think it's a sickness. But enough, who am I to say?"  Eventually, after placing several layers of ornaments and checking and rechecking their positions, the tree is finally ready to be lit.  "Totally insane, I know, but it sure looks magnificent when we are done!"
    Hope you enjoyed this and the pictures.  They really don't do the entire display any justice.  
Cheers!
Drakov

Thanksgiving Eve

     It's the day before Turkey Day and a seemingly long weekend, I may actually have a little extra time for creative writing.  Well, scratch that.  Just found out that my wife is no longer going to visit her friend this afternoon so, there goes my extra writing time.  Well, maybe not entirely, but we shall see.  I utterly amazes me sometimes because no matter how many days I have off, I never seem to get the extra time to do what I would like to do.  Some people might call that marriage.  Regardless, I wouldn't want it any other way. I've been single, married, single and married again, and as much as I like to complain about it, I enjoy being married than alone.  So, with the spirit of the holidays and family in mind. 
Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!
Gobble gobble turkey time!

Drakov

New chapter excerpt ROUGH DRAFT

A recent color advertisement from Macy's has given me some writing inspiration.  The advertisement depicts a man dressed in a shiny, red two-piece suit.  Something that I could envision the Headman wearing on a daily basis.  Flashy, gaudy, yet still stylish, I have him dressed up in this ensemble in my latest chapter.  Below is a ROUGH DRAFT

excerpt from "Cobra's Cesspool."  Enjoy!

 Here is the picture that inspired.

“Well good day to you Ms. Alvarez.  I’m here to see my good friend Vincent.  He should be expecting me.”  He smiled widely and tipped his hat at her.  The secretary was not as easily charmed as her younger counterpart working the front desk.  She eyed him curiously, taking in his whole elaborate ensemble.  The man was dressed in a shiny red suit, something Santa would wear if he were a couple hundred pounds lighter.  Under the suit jacket, he wore a silver shirt with a black satin tie.  Atop his head was a white fedora  with a matching red hat band.  While on his feet he wore what appeared to be white snakeskin loafers.   The outfit was so ridiculously gaudy, yet it worked.

“Charles I assume?  That really is quite an outfit you got going on there.” Her voice suggested a slight bit of  sarcasm.

“Do you like it? I figured with the holidays fast approaching, I might give it a test run. I had it custom made by my tailor.  What do you think honestly. Is it too much?” He spun around in front of her once to give her a 360 degree view, then smiled while eagerly awaiting her response.  The middle aged secretary couldn’t tell if he had been offended or flattered by her question.

“No, no I think it quite suits you.  It brings out the color of your eyes.” She lied of course and managed to smile back at the outrageously dressed man. “Daniella said you knew the doctor from the university?  I know most of Vincent’s colleagues, what program were you in?” Thinking she may have tripped him up and caught him in a lie, the extravagant man smiled again seeming completely unphased by her line of questioning.

“Vincent and I had some overlapping classes in our majors. While he went for a more traditional medical program, I focused more on the whole pharmaceuticals aspect.

MLA Formatting tips

I am a writer in my spare time, but during the day like most of you, I have another career.  185 days out of the year, I teach high school students about the wonders of science and the world.  Over the past decade or so, I have had to spend more and more time going over the basics of writing and formatting a research paper as this is something that seems to get overlooked in their Grammar courses and a skill they will need in college.  So for my blog post today, I decided to share with you what I share with my students. I call this: "the Basics of MLA Formatting."

Enjoy!

Drakov

MLA Formatting Tips

Your paper should be double spaced, Times New Roman font and size 12 font.

Do NOT use second or first person in the body of your paper.  This is only allowed in the conclusion where you are giving your opinion and possibly in your introduction.

The beginning of each paragraph is indented 5 spaces (Tab)

Papers should have an Introduction, a Body, and a Conclusion.

Name, date, teacher and class info goes on the cover page only.  NOT on page 1 of your actual paper.  Page one should have a title and the number “one” as a header.  Each following page should have “last name and page number” as the header, including your Works Cited.

Citations must be used for any information that is borrowed, copied or paraphrased that you DID NOT KNOW prior to research.  This includes: specific dates, amounts, times and other relevant facts.  When in doubt, cite your source. 

Any sources listed in your Works cited MUST BE cited at least once in your paper.

Citations are typically author and page or paragraph number, or title and page or paragraph number.  See Owl Purdue for help. (MLA)

“Works Cited” page is single spaced, reverse indented for wraparound citations.  Alphabetical order by sources with authors first, then titles if no publisher or author is available (N.p.)  Do not use bullets, numbers or letters to organize it.  WEB pages must be denoted as “Web” and include an access date.  Ex:  16 November 2017

Try Easywhois.com for web pages to find authors or publishers.                        

If you are directly quoting (word for word) 3 or more sentences it must be single-spaced and indented 10 spaces within your paper.

Proof read your work run a spelling and grammar check on Word.  Wait a few days and check your work again.

Last night's dream

     So, I had a very strange dream last night, but one I have had before in a similar form.  I dreamed about finding dead pet reptiles in my house.  Apparently in my dream, I had forgotten to feed them for close to three months and they were located in several different tanks.  One tank had water in it and there were two dead lizards, but also one that was really emaciated, but still alive that I saved.  Another tank had two dead turtles in it. Which appeared dehydrated and dead for quite some time but didn't smell. Another tank had several dead lizards, but two or three that were still alive and in really bad shape.  I provided food for the surviving reptiles and managed to save a few others.  Mainly a rather withered turtle in a tank with only a small puddle of water. I removed and buried the ones that had died in the backyard.
     I have had a similar dream before that involved an enclosed tank in which I apparently had left five different lizards for over a month without care and surprisingly, most of them were still alive.  I am trying to find out what it all means, as I have had reptiles for pets in the past that have passed away.  I currently care for two bearded dragons as pets.  And coincidentally, I did a blog post on Tiamat yesterday.  So, is my subconscious simply replaying the thoughts of the day and memories of the past? Or is there some hidden subconscious meaning yet to be revealed?
     I guess only time will tell....Thoughts anyone?

Drakov

Conan the Adventurer

Conan the Adventurer


     This may very well be one of the most overlooked and underrated cartoon series of the 1990s.  Based upon the Conan the Barbarian comic series, the show chronicles the adventures of a young and sometimes naive Conan, long before he becomes Conan the King.
     The premise of the show revolves around the possession of "star metal" and its ability to hold magical power.  Conan's father is a blacksmith and uses a fallen meteorite to create mythical weapons.  At the same time, the world is being infiltrated by evil serpent men hiding in plain site under the guise of humanity.  In addition to being able to contain magical energy, star metal also has the uncanny ability of exposing the true visage of snake men and ultimately banishing them to the abyss.  The abyss is a Hades-like region where there leader the evil God Set, a huge venomous serpent, was banished nearly a millenia ago by the good wizards of the realms.
    In order to return their banished ruler to Earth, Wrath-Amon an evil serpent man wizard must gather up enough star metal to create a series of star metal rings.  These will be set atop various temples in order to create a portal for Set to return.  In his quest to gather up all the known star metal, Wrath-Amon encounters Conan's father.  When he refuses to give the evil wizard all of his star metal, Wrath-Amon turns Conan's mother, father and grandfather into living stone statues. Conan is away at the time and upon his return, discovers the curse placed upon his family.  It is then that he vows never to rest until all the serpent men have been banished to the abyss and to obtain Wrath-Amon's black ring of power, which he believes holds the magic to undo his family's curse of living stone.
    Along the way he meets, Needle a fledgling phoenix, Epimetrius the long-dead sage, Jasmin a circus athlete, Zulu a warrior prince who can control animals, Grey Wolf a Zanthus wizard, Slag a Viking, and Falconar who has a magical winged cape.  Together with his new friends, they experience many dungeons and dragons-type adventures.
     The stories are well written, character development is excellent, villains are believable, and mythology abounds from Egypt, Sumeria and China.  My only real gripe would be some of the corny humor and the annoying behaviors of Needles and Dregs, but it was meant to be a children's cartoon, so I can live with it.  We all tolerated Orko, Polly and Snarf.  By I digress a bit.  With nearly 90 episodes and three seasons, this cartoon needs to make its way into your hopper.  Many episodes are available on Youtube, including the epic Conan the Adventurer Movie.  If you love fantasy cartoons, monsters and adventure, then I highly recommend this series and give it a wholehearted two thumbs way up!!

Cheers!
Drakov

Absolutely Love this Image!!

One of my all time favorite dragons has always been Tiamat.  As far back as I can remember, I looked forward to Saturday morning cartoons just to catch a glimpse of this majestic and powerful beauty.  Possessing the breath weapons of all the evil dragon species, Tiamat was the considered to be the mother of all the chromatic, or colored, dragons and lived in the Dragon's graveyard according to the 80s cartoon series.  I spent years trying to track down an original LJN Tiamat toy and a "Dragon of the Month" Tiamat pewter figurine to add to my personal collection, which thanks to ebay, I did some time in the late 1990s, and to this day they are still some of my prized pieces. (that and my shield shooters, cavefisher and the Knickerbocker LOTR Ring Wraith and Charger, but that's a story for another day!)  It is great to see "Wizards of the Coast" giving some love to this awesome monster once again with gaming modules, stories and magnificent art work.  Hope you enjoy my short tribute.
Cheers!
Drakov

KindleWorld Novels NOW available to Kindle Unlimited Users!!!

If you are a Kindle Unlimited (KU) user  Amazon announced today that Kindle Worlds (KW) novels are now available for download at no additional charge.

Please spread the word and check it out. If you're into G.I.Joe please check out my latest book.

Armed and Dangerous, A G.I.Joe Origins Story

by clicking:  HERE

Cheers! and Yo JOE!

Drakov

Official Facebook Author page

Well I feel I'm starting to get the hang of this technology thing in terms of creating an online author presence.  Today I created an official author page on Facebook.  Please like my page and pass it on to others if it wouldn't be too much of a bother.
Thanks in advance,
Drakov

Drakov Kinski Facebook

ToyCon NJ November 12th

     So, I took a trip outside of the ordinary today.  I spent a couple hours doing something I haven't done regularly in over ten years.  I visited ToyCon NJ in Parsipanny, NJ, and I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised!  It was held at the Parsippany PAL and had close to 200 individual vendors with a ton of vintage and newer collector's memorabilia.  Although not as pronounced as a Philadelphia or New York Comic Con, there was still a number of cosplayers on site.  Mostly Star Wars cosplay with a Cobra Commander thrown in for good measure. 
     The vendor's tables were a virtual smorgasbord of action figures, video games, comic books, Funko Pops, Dorbz, Anime, Godzilla, MOTU, G.I.Joe, Star Wars and even some vintage tin toys and Christmas ornaments.  I am a long time collector myself with a rather extensive collection mostly in storage due to a lack of room, so nowadays I really only go to look at current prices and not necessarily to buy.  Nonetheless, if there had been an ATM on site, I might actually have made a few purchases, but alas, there wasn't so I went home empty handed much to the liking of my wife.
    In addition to the vendors, there were also vintage video consoles to play, retro stand alone arcade games, an area to drive your RC cars, a matchbox ramp, gamer's tables and more.
     Outside you could take pictures with KITT from Knight Rider or grab a bite of decadence from the food truck.  All in all, I gotta say it looked like fun for the whole family and the turnout was good as the parking lot was overflowing and people were coming and going throughout the time I was there.  Throw in an hourly raffle for door prizes and it was a win!
    The only thing I felt was missing were autograph/phot opportunities with celebrities and an onsite ATM, but it was called "ToyCon" not "Comic Con."  Hope you enjoyed this quick review.
Cheers!
Drakov

Winter Storage: My 78 Firebird

     For those of you who do not know me personally, allow me a little of your time.  The picture above is of my 1978 Pontiac Firebird Esprit.  My parents bought this car for me to drive way back in the early 1990s. It has been in my possession now for close to twenty-five years.  Being an ASE certified auto technician in addition to my full time career, the car has gone through a slow restoration, as it was originally my daily driven for close to twelve years seeing rain, snow, sleet and scorching summers.  After pulling the motor, transmission and drive shaft for rebuilding.  I've replaced the exhaust, interior carpet, front floor boards, rear quarter panels, fenders, emblems,etc.  Finally, she made it to the body shop for a full paint job, original GM arctic white.
     Now, she spends the majority of the year under lock and key at my rental property.  Every year for the past three years now, I retrieve her as my summer cruiser in late June or early July.  I attempt to put at least 1000 or so miles on her from July until late October.  This year I managed to keep her active until today.  The weather and temperatures has changed drastically in just the last forty-eight hours and it was time to return her to her winter roost.  It's a sad day returning her to hibernate the winter away, but I will look forward to her return come early summer.  They say you can never go back, that person never knew the joy and memories of continuing to drive your first car decades later.
Cheers!
Drakov

Errand Day

     As the title implies, today I will  be running a few errands in order to catch up with my busy life.  Having a few days off, even if only partially due to the second job, allows me a little time for creativity.  I will be spending at least an hour in the Mercedes dealership for a recall on my wife's C300.  Apparently there is a problem with the electronic starter solenoid that can result in the car catching fire.  An easy fix according to them, but this remains to be seen.
    The time afforded to me by waiting will allow me to spend some time writing and editing Kindleworlds Novel 2, "Cobra's Cesspool." I am looking to have this novel occupy at least 250 pages which would be an improvement over Book 1 "Armed and Dangerous," which was only about 150 pages.  I am unsure where I want this book to end and Book 3, "Untitled," to pick up.  I guess only time will tell.
     If you are actually reading any of this, please leave me a comment.  Would love to hear from you.
Cheers!
Drakov

Veteran's Day 2017

     Today was a solemn day in the school today as we reinstated an important tradition that had been lost in 2012, due to Hurricane Sandy.  The students of the high school were treated to an assembly about the service, experiences and heroism of some of our local military veterans. 

     I stood in the back of the auditorium as the entire school stood for the Pledge of Allegiance and the National Anthem.  Our first speaker was our Vice Principal who spoke about her life experience being the daughter of a Vietnam Veteran and what Veteran's Day meant to her.  Her ultimate feelings about the day spoke to the fact that she felt it was "silly" to have only one day a year to honor all that veterans have done for this great country.

     Our next speaker was retired Army captain and Iraqi war veteran, and our very own 7th grade English teacher and department chair.  He shared with the assembly all the things he carries with him as a result of being in combat and serving this country.  He ended his speech with challenging those in attendance to make the ultimate sacrifice and to in some way serve this country, not necessarily by joining the service, but by doing something to make a difference.  it was the first time I heard him speak about his time in the army and it was quite moving.

     The following speaker was our current Board President and retired 82nd Airborne division Vietnam veteran.  He was awarded the purple heart, the bronze star and several other military honors for his service.  He spoke of a world that rejected him and his fellow brothers in arms, a world that did not appreciate the sacrifice that he had made for their freedoms.  A different perspective from a veteran of a different war. This however, in no way tarnished the pride he felt for this great nation and all those who served with him.  He spoke of the affects of PTSD and the needs of the veterans, many too proud to ask for assistance.

     The overall purpose of the assembly was to heighten the awareness of all in attendance, of what veterans and enlisted soldiers do to insure that we can all continue to do what we do today.  Being the nephew and godchild of two deceased military veterans, and the friend of many who have served and still serve, I feel that this assembly is one that needs to take place every year.

     God Bless America!  God Bless our Veterans, keep them safe and Thank You for your service TODAY AND EVERYDAY!!!

YoJoe!

FSS 7.0

I have been supporting Fun Publications efforts to release Modern era G.I.Joe figures to collectors for roughly twenty years.  I own every convention set except the very first one and have attended several JoeCons over the years.  Most memorable being Providence RI 2010, New Orleans LA 2012  Denver CO 2016.
This year I will be making the trek to Chatanooga TN for what appears to be the final Official GIJOE convention.

I have been enjoying the previews of FSS 7 so far.

General Hawk

Cobra Commander

Dusty and Sandstorm

Thoughts??

New Info Added

Just added a list of some of my closest friends and bloggers.  Please visit their pages and show some love.

Matt G.     The Geeked Life

Stephen     GIJOBURG

Karl        When It Was Cool

Magnus   Geek Furious


All great guys that I have known for year's with great content and opinions.