Hey everyone,
Sorry it's been a while since I've updated the blog. I wish I could say that I had a really good excuse or reason, but I don't. That said, I hope everyone is doing well.
Last time I blogged, I talked about the sacrifices our men and women in uniform make for all of us. One person left a comment wondering how they could give back or send care packages to troops overseas.
Well, I'm sure there are lots of groups out there that provide ways for you to give back, but I'll recommend one that I know WNCT has worked with a number of times and has done stories about before.
It's called "Give 2 The Troops" and you can find its website at www.give2thetroops.org. They have a vast array of different ways you can get involved with giving back to our military -- monetary donations, items for care packages, calling cards, etc.
I'm sure there are other ways to give back -- and if you know of any, please let me know! But off the top of my head, that's one I wanted to recommend. So, take that for what it's worth, but check 'em out!
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Sacrifice
In the 2+ years that I've been out in the Real World and working at WNCT, I've learned a lot. Ask any number of my friends and family, and they'll tell you I "occasionally" act as if I know it all. Well, (gasp) I don't know it all -- but I certainly am learning new stuff every day.
One thing I don't think I ever grasped until I moved out on my own was what 'sacrifice' meant. I mean, I know the Webster's definition and everything, but it's not something that was all that real to me. When I graduated and left Heaven-On-Earth (Chapel Hill, for the uninitiated readers out there), I thought leaving my best friends and the greatest place God ever created was as serious as sacrifice ever got. And for a 22-year-old kid, that was pretty big.
But it's nothing compared to what I've learned the last couple years. I've gotten a sense (although not a true taste) of how much my parents sacrificed for me to be happy and for me to be successful. I've gained a much greater and more real appreciation of the ultimate sacrifice Christ made for all of us (something I try to remind myself of every day).
But one sacrifice I can't help but face every day is the sacrifice that the men and women of our military have made. Because of where I live, there are at least two Coast Guard (the most overlooked and under-appreciated branch of the military) bases, one Marine Corps outlying landing field and four other Marine Corps installations (Cherry Point, Camp Lejeune, Camp Johnson and New River) within spitting distance of my house. There are countless Marine Corps bombing ranges nearby -- and probably other bases that belong to the Marines/other branches that I don't even know about, too.
I am literally surrounded by tens of thousands of military service men and women each and every day. And I am so thankful for them.
I've even become good friends with a few of them, and that's a real privilege.
In light of yesterday being Veterans Day, though, it got me thinking about all the sacrifices they make.
I've covered a number of deployments and homecomings for WNCT. The joy when a family is reunited after a long deployment is palpable when you're covering a homecoming. The fear, anxiety, sadness and the sacrifice are far more powerful when you're covering a deployment.
I mean, our troops are leaving their spouses, their kids, their friends and families to go fight (and too often) die for the rest of us. (And I thought leaving college was hard.) Meanwhile, countless "Americans" sit and second-guess the reasons our troops are overseas and do nothing to support them and their families while they're gone.
Look, I hate politics (although I love covering politics ... weird). But there is nothing political about supporting the people fighting for our country (and yes, they are very cognizant of the fact that they are fighting for you to have the right to protest against them fighting wars...). And I don't want to hear anyone say that 'the best way to support them is to bring them home.' It would be great to have them home, for sure. But the best way to support them is TO SUPPORT THEM no matter what they're doing and where they are.
When it comes to this issue, I don't care about your politics. I don't care about your beliefs. I don't care about your excuses. All I care about is that we all show our veterans -- past and present -- that we are grateful for everything they do and everything they've done.
Do it by simply saying 'thanks.' Do it by listening to older veterans tell stories about their service. Do it by holding a door or shaking their hands or giving them a pat on the back. They appreciate it, because they aren't compensated for their sacrifice nearly enough.
Support our troops by supporting their families while they're deployed. God knows their families make sacrifices and their spouses and kids need as much love and support as anyone.
And support our troops by encouraging our lawmakers to improve the equipment and technology that keep our troops safe -- and just as importantly, the healthcare and treatment (both physical and mental) they get when they return home and for the rest of their lives.
Until you see the sacrifices our military members make, you may never gain a true appreciation for them. I know I didn't have a clue until I saw it for myself. But give them your full support, nonetheless.
Sorry for getting on the soapbox, but when you see sacrifice like that daily, it's easy to get fired up. (And by the way, thanks to mom and dad for their sacrifices, too.)
Thoughts?
One thing I don't think I ever grasped until I moved out on my own was what 'sacrifice' meant. I mean, I know the Webster's definition and everything, but it's not something that was all that real to me. When I graduated and left Heaven-On-Earth (Chapel Hill, for the uninitiated readers out there), I thought leaving my best friends and the greatest place God ever created was as serious as sacrifice ever got. And for a 22-year-old kid, that was pretty big.
But it's nothing compared to what I've learned the last couple years. I've gotten a sense (although not a true taste) of how much my parents sacrificed for me to be happy and for me to be successful. I've gained a much greater and more real appreciation of the ultimate sacrifice Christ made for all of us (something I try to remind myself of every day).
But one sacrifice I can't help but face every day is the sacrifice that the men and women of our military have made. Because of where I live, there are at least two Coast Guard (the most overlooked and under-appreciated branch of the military) bases, one Marine Corps outlying landing field and four other Marine Corps installations (Cherry Point, Camp Lejeune, Camp Johnson and New River) within spitting distance of my house. There are countless Marine Corps bombing ranges nearby -- and probably other bases that belong to the Marines/other branches that I don't even know about, too.
I am literally surrounded by tens of thousands of military service men and women each and every day. And I am so thankful for them.
I've even become good friends with a few of them, and that's a real privilege.
In light of yesterday being Veterans Day, though, it got me thinking about all the sacrifices they make.
I've covered a number of deployments and homecomings for WNCT. The joy when a family is reunited after a long deployment is palpable when you're covering a homecoming. The fear, anxiety, sadness and the sacrifice are far more powerful when you're covering a deployment.
I mean, our troops are leaving their spouses, their kids, their friends and families to go fight (and too often) die for the rest of us. (And I thought leaving college was hard.) Meanwhile, countless "Americans" sit and second-guess the reasons our troops are overseas and do nothing to support them and their families while they're gone.
Look, I hate politics (although I love covering politics ... weird). But there is nothing political about supporting the people fighting for our country (and yes, they are very cognizant of the fact that they are fighting for you to have the right to protest against them fighting wars...). And I don't want to hear anyone say that 'the best way to support them is to bring them home.' It would be great to have them home, for sure. But the best way to support them is TO SUPPORT THEM no matter what they're doing and where they are.
When it comes to this issue, I don't care about your politics. I don't care about your beliefs. I don't care about your excuses. All I care about is that we all show our veterans -- past and present -- that we are grateful for everything they do and everything they've done.
Do it by simply saying 'thanks.' Do it by listening to older veterans tell stories about their service. Do it by holding a door or shaking their hands or giving them a pat on the back. They appreciate it, because they aren't compensated for their sacrifice nearly enough.
Support our troops by supporting their families while they're deployed. God knows their families make sacrifices and their spouses and kids need as much love and support as anyone.
And support our troops by encouraging our lawmakers to improve the equipment and technology that keep our troops safe -- and just as importantly, the healthcare and treatment (both physical and mental) they get when they return home and for the rest of their lives.
Until you see the sacrifices our military members make, you may never gain a true appreciation for them. I know I didn't have a clue until I saw it for myself. But give them your full support, nonetheless.
Sorry for getting on the soapbox, but when you see sacrifice like that daily, it's easy to get fired up. (And by the way, thanks to mom and dad for their sacrifices, too.)
Thoughts?
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Time Flies
Has it seriously been two or three weeks since I updated this thing? Man, time really does fly!
A lot has happened in the past couple of weeks, and a lot will be happening in the next couple, too.
In the coming days, we've got what is no doubt the most important political election of my lifetime and one that will potentially shape the American political scene for decades to come. And considering the two options for governor here in North Carolina, I think this election is vital in shaping the future of our state. While this might be just a measly blog, I've got to stick to my journalistic ethics and not tell you what I'm thinking (especially since I'll be covering one of the candidates from Raleigh on Tuesday night). But I definitely believe one of the candidates for governor can truly reform Raleigh. The other? Seen the "status quo" commercials?
And speaking of commercials -- sheesh! Enough already! I was anchoring one of our newscasts last weekend and made sure to pay attention during the breaks. Every single spot during the newscast was a political ad! Great revenue for our station, no doubt. But c'mon -- the overkill is ridiculous and enough to disgust a lot of folks, including me. I think the negative ads really show the character of our elected officials and candidates -- at times, they're nasty, nasty people. I'm eager for the election to be over so I won't be inundated with childish, pathetic and downright appalling ads anymore. Frankly, for a lot of these races, I wish we had other candidates to choose from than those running.
So anyway, that's what's ahead (Election Day), or at least part of it. As to what I've been up to the past couple of weeks? Well, a lot.
In a nutshell, I had a crazy, fun sailing adventure where I got stranded in the middle of a river with a friend on his sailboat, I spent a couple of fun days at home with my family, I had dinner with my best friend, I went to the State Fair and had an absolute blast (I can't get enough of the State Fair), I had several days to catch up with a lot of good friends in Chapel Hill, I went to Late Night with Roy and screamed my face off for the best team in college basketball, I saw a man who'd been imprisoned for six years acquitted of double murder and walk away a free man and I said goodbye to a good friend who moved to Florida. All that in the 14 days or so since I last updated this blog.
(The pictures, for those keeping score at home are, from left to right: Nick's sailboat, which we got stranded on and yet still had a good time; part of our posse that went to the State Fair and had a phenomenal time; the Tar Heels at Late Night!; Vaughn Jones (no relation -- ha), who was acquitted of murder after two mistrials, two retrials and six years in jail on no bond; and Marisela Burgos, who left WNCT this past week. Sad.)
So I'm really thankful for the fun times I've had the past couple of weeks, and I'm really looking forward to the next couple, too. Aside from the election, in the coming days and weeks I'll be heading to an engagement party for my best friend, catching up with more awesome people I haven't seen in a while and celebrating the most underrated holiday -- Thanksgiving. Hopefully CBS will have football running all day and I'll miraculously get the day off. We'll see.
And as I pseudo-mentioned earlier, I'll be covering the Bev Perdue campaign in Raleigh on Election Night -- so I'll no doubt have some update-worthy blog material after that. I'll be sure to keep you posted. Y'all have a good one!
A lot has happened in the past couple of weeks, and a lot will be happening in the next couple, too.
In the coming days, we've got what is no doubt the most important political election of my lifetime and one that will potentially shape the American political scene for decades to come. And considering the two options for governor here in North Carolina, I think this election is vital in shaping the future of our state. While this might be just a measly blog, I've got to stick to my journalistic ethics and not tell you what I'm thinking (especially since I'll be covering one of the candidates from Raleigh on Tuesday night). But I definitely believe one of the candidates for governor can truly reform Raleigh. The other? Seen the "status quo" commercials?
And speaking of commercials -- sheesh! Enough already! I was anchoring one of our newscasts last weekend and made sure to pay attention during the breaks. Every single spot during the newscast was a political ad! Great revenue for our station, no doubt. But c'mon -- the overkill is ridiculous and enough to disgust a lot of folks, including me. I think the negative ads really show the character of our elected officials and candidates -- at times, they're nasty, nasty people. I'm eager for the election to be over so I won't be inundated with childish, pathetic and downright appalling ads anymore. Frankly, for a lot of these races, I wish we had other candidates to choose from than those running.
So anyway, that's what's ahead (Election Day), or at least part of it. As to what I've been up to the past couple of weeks? Well, a lot.
In a nutshell, I had a crazy, fun sailing adventure where I got stranded in the middle of a river with a friend on his sailboat, I spent a couple of fun days at home with my family, I had dinner with my best friend, I went to the State Fair and had an absolute blast (I can't get enough of the State Fair), I had several days to catch up with a lot of good friends in Chapel Hill, I went to Late Night with Roy and screamed my face off for the best team in college basketball, I saw a man who'd been imprisoned for six years acquitted of double murder and walk away a free man and I said goodbye to a good friend who moved to Florida. All that in the 14 days or so since I last updated this blog.
(The pictures, for those keeping score at home are, from left to right: Nick's sailboat, which we got stranded on and yet still had a good time; part of our posse that went to the State Fair and had a phenomenal time; the Tar Heels at Late Night!; Vaughn Jones (no relation -- ha), who was acquitted of murder after two mistrials, two retrials and six years in jail on no bond; and Marisela Burgos, who left WNCT this past week. Sad.)
So I'm really thankful for the fun times I've had the past couple of weeks, and I'm really looking forward to the next couple, too. Aside from the election, in the coming days and weeks I'll be heading to an engagement party for my best friend, catching up with more awesome people I haven't seen in a while and celebrating the most underrated holiday -- Thanksgiving. Hopefully CBS will have football running all day and I'll miraculously get the day off. We'll see.
And as I pseudo-mentioned earlier, I'll be covering the Bev Perdue campaign in Raleigh on Election Night -- so I'll no doubt have some update-worthy blog material after that. I'll be sure to keep you posted. Y'all have a good one!
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