Once Upon A Conference: Part 1

Now that I’ve finally ended my seemingly neverending tour of American airports (and after flying through some horrendous weather at the mercy of pilots with an obvious and disturbing penchant for steep dives), I can finally sit down and write my take on what can only be described as an incredible conference. This post is long, but hopefully it’s entertaining.

Friday night started poorly (due mostly to the first pilot with a death wish). I finally –and nearly literally– drop out of the sky onto Reagan National’s tarmac an hour and a half late. I take a cab to the hotel, drop off my stuff, and go down to the concierge desk, where I try to explain to the well-dressed-yet-barely-English-speaking personnel that I need el cab-o to go to el bar-o for some beer-o. He introduces me to someone with an unpronounceable Middle Eastern name, who assures me with all the smoothness of a Saudi oil tycoon that I will be safe in his cab.

I spend the next twenty minutes being hit on with such phrases like, “You are a sweet girl.” (I wonder what he’d think of me if I told him my thoughts on his religion.) My host earnestly “swears upon Allah” that he will take me to the airport for free when I leave DC. I have to admit: Hitting on tourists while they’re in your cab is an ingenious strategy. Captive audience and all that. It’s not like I could demand to be let out of the cab on the next corner.

Twenty dollars and a grudgingly accepted business card later (his, not mine), I’m finally let off at Fran O’Brien’s. I’m a bit nervous, since the only person I really know inside is Heidi. Thankfully everyone’s wearing name tags, so I march up to Carla from Some Soldier’s Mom, and introduce myself. She shrieks, grabs me in what can only be described as a bear hug, and promptly introduces me to a gaggle full of people, most of whom were absolutely amazing, and a few who I would need at least a case of beer to spend longer than 20 seconds near. And no, I’m not naming names.

The rest of the night is somewhat of a blur of meeting people, telling jokes, complaining about liberals, and just enjoying the company of a group of fellow vets, active duty military, and their spouses. Some of the highlights:

1. Chris was a short and fiery troop who recently recovered from his wounds, and took time out of his partying to tell us all in a loud voice just what he thought of the Hilton. Memorable quote: “Fran O’Brien’s does way more than just give us wounded troops a free meal,” he shouted as he raised his glass. “They give us…” he paused, his voice breaking slightly. “Just tell your family and all your friends to boycott the fucking Hilton!” That brought a loud cheer and many gulps of beverage.

2. A Marine officer named Taco wore a kilt. There is a photo floating around somewhere that captured the look on my face when I realized he was…shall we say, authentic. Homefront Six, I know you have it, you brat. Email. Taco (and his mom) were adorable–and incredibly funny.

3. Captain B, another Marine, was an absolute gentleman. Oh hell, I can’t even say that with a straight face. (There’s really no such thing as an “absolute gentleman” in the Marines anyway.) He was rowdy, loud, and completely delightful. I enjoyed the time he spent chatting with us (Do Marines ever really “chat”, though?). In all truth, he was just a great guy who made us laugh a lot.

4. Steve Schippert from Threats Watch and I had a great conversation about blogging, the military, and liberals in general. He’s an incredibly intelligent conversationalist. I’ve been a big fan of his for over a year now, and it was fantastic to talk to him in person. He’s also (sadly) got the same type of humor as me.

There was more (there always is). But it got late, and I finally got back to the room with Heidi about 4 am. Toni from Bear Creek Ledger was sharing a room with us, and she was long asleep by the time our partying butts walked in. I went to the bathroom to change into the PJ’s, and spilled change from my pocket onto the floor.

“No big deal,” I thought. “I’ll get it in the morning.”

Of course, “morning” was literally 2 hours later. Bleary-eyed and feeling like I’d been run over multiple times with a cement truck which then dumped its payload on my face, I took a shower and piled into the cab with the rest of the ladies. I downed a Mountain Dew or three, and in about an hour I was feeling like my old self.

Once we get there (yes, I know I switched tenses again….go with it), Heidi and I set up our laptops at the front liveblogger table. A funny thing began to happen. People started coming up to me and introducing themselves by saying, “So, I hear you came in at 4….something about change on the bathroom floor…” I wonder how they all found out. (Crazy Publico, when I questioned him about where he would have heard such a preposterous thing, rallied nicely by saying, “Oh, no one told me…I read it on the men’s bathroom wall.” For the first time in quite a while, I had nothing to reply with. I did, however, shake his hand for it.)

LaShawn Barber sat next to us at the liveblogger table, and she is just adorable! Very sweet woman. We didn’t get to talk too much, since we were both busy typing away, but she was quite personable.

There were several disconcerting things about the conference, however, and I would not be my typical, loudmouth self if I did not mention them. (Andi, darling, please take these as the jokes they are meant.)

The first was the fact that the video feed was broadcast up on the front wall of the conference itself. For confident women like Heidi, this probably wasn’t a second thought. For self-conscious chicks like me, however, this is terrifying. There’s nothing worse than having a lifesize reminder that you are a wide-backed slouch staring you and hundreds of others in the face all day long. Thanks for the self-esteem boost. I’m now in the pit of despair, and the inky blackness is closing in.

The second bad idea was to put the chatroom up on the big screen next to the video feed. Allowing military bloggers with laptops and sharp wit access to the chatroom was like giving 8-year-olds cherry bombs and letting them loose in affluent neighborhoods. Most of the time I was able to contain myself after reading their hilarious –and usually somewhat related– but distracting banter. However, Heidi was not so fortunate. During a moment of seriousness in the Blogging From Theater panel, audio listeners were almost certain to hear my co-blogger’s snorts as she tried to stifle her giggles at the shenanigans on the huge screen above. Her accidental piglet impressions earned her an odd look from Captain B, who had to be wondering why we were grinning like Cheshire cats even though we were blogging about very serious things. It was a good release at times, though, since some of the panelists’ stories were intense and emotional. There were times I needed to see the peanut gallery’s contributions.

By the way, I will never be able to hear the word “commando” again in the same light. Not ever.

The panels were fantastic. Entertaining, informative, and really insightful as well. I learned a great deal and I’m sure that those watching did as well.

There was a lot of fun and laughter, but overall there was also a sense of urgency, of having so much work to do and not enough time to do it. Most of all, there was a feeling of solidarity and camaraderie. Under all the bantering and pointed jokes, there is a love that surpasses all of our different locales and backgrounds and differences. We all have served our nation, and that fact made it incredibly easy to befriend others there, to share things with them, and to listen as they shared as well. It was truly like being with family. We as military bloggers have an incredible responsibility, and it was heartening to see that we’re not just lone voices in our own corner of the wilderness. We are a team that grows constantly, and we believe in something bigger than ourselves. I believe the military blogging community is capable of great things, and is doing great things right now — NOT because we are anything special on our own, but because we are special as a team and as a force that refuses to let our troops be slandered.

Many, many thanks to Andi for her tireless dedication to making this happen. If you’ve never visited her blog, do so. Andi was the first military blogger I ever talked to, way back when I first started blogging. She showed me the ropes, introduced me to some of the other blogs around, and encouraged me to keep writing during those early days. She is an incredible writer, an absolutely adorable person. She’ll laugh at this, but she reminds me very much of Audrey Hepburn. Andi is pure class.

I’ll be writing one last part to this, and it’s about the second day, which in a way was even more important to Heidi and I than the first. Stay tuned.

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Lots To Catch Up On

We’re back! The blog didn’t burn down while we were away, I see. That’s always a relief.

We have a lot to catch up on (not the least of which is SLEEP!), so Kit and I will be posting about our trip to D.C. soon. We’ve got anecdotes, observations, opinions, photos, and video.

I love D.C., people!! It was a great trip: extraordinary in every way, and a true adventure!

Andi did a superlative job with the organization - she really is top-notch. We were so hasty in getting up all the transcripts of the Liveblogging and the photos, that we didn’t link to some of the other Livebloggers right away. There was LaShawn Barber, Chris from Two Babes and a Brain, Holly from Soldier’s Angels, and GunnNutt (who’s got THREE separate panel recaps, like us). Be sure to check out their accounts, as everyone always has a fresh and unique perspective. I know all of us were typing our fingers off on Saturday, so they likely caught things we didn’t!

BTW, HOT MARINE alert…plus he’s got a good overview of the Conference. Cpt.B was on Panel 3: Blogging From Theater. We love him for his brain.

Linked to Andi’s Milblogging post round-up.

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Panel 3: Milblogging From Theater

Here are the liveblogging transcripts of Panel 3: Blogging From Theater

If the other two panels were heartrending and fiery, then this one is the most entertaining and yet hard-hitting. Moderated by FOX News analyst Col. Hunt, all the men on this panel have blogged from the war theater. Four Army men and two Marines.

Right now they’re introducing each other and we’re learning about where they were and what their jobs were in the war.

1426: Col. Hunt is moving this panel quite quickly, but he’s an absolute riot. I’m enjoying this panel immensely. Talking about the overview of what writing from theater is like.

1429: Captain B, a Marine, is talking about how theater bloggers have to censor themselves a lot, especially when dealing with fellow Marines who have been wounded or killed. However, “once the family is notified,” he says, “it’s fair game.”

1433: Col. Hunt is making some serious fun of Bill Roggio, and I’m entertained.

1435: Heidi just snorted for odd reason and got half the panel to look at her like she has three heads. I looked at her like she crawled out from under a subway and just plopped down in the seat next to me. I mean, I can’t have people thinking we’re here together if she’s going to be snorting.

1440: It’s extremely hard to keep up with this panel due to the rapid fire questions.

1445: Is the public ready for instananeous feed of audio/visual from combat? Captain B says yes, but Jeff says there’s already way to much information.

1457: Speaking of too much info…now we’re suddenly notified of some odd things.

1502: Talking about combat cameras now, and their viability in the field.

1511: A civilian is arguing for the one-stop shop on info, and another Marine has stepped up to answer that.

1515: Michael Fay, a Marine combat artist, is talking about the energy during the elections. “You don’t realize…yeah they’re telling you the story, but they’re (the MSM) not giving you any sense of the story.”

1520: A Public Affairs Officer is explaining that the military often has the information that should be disseminated, but they kowtow to politics. He says that since journalists can only get INTO Iraq through the help of the military, it makes no sense that the military would keep letting those organizations in. He says they should shut out journalists and news outlets that refuse to report the whole truth.

1525: An Iraqi engineer just stood up and told us, in broken English, that “This is the first time we have breathed freedom. This is the first time we have been human.” I picked up my camera, but I put it down without even taking a picture.

1532: Another soldier stood up to reply to the Iraqi man, saying that “Help us help you….Iraqis need to step up to the plate more than they are.”

1536: Will this conference help? Each of the men say yes, that it already has, that it matters to our future as bloggers. “If nothing else,” says Dadmanly, “I think it’s important [for groups like milbloggers] to…self-identify; that has tremendous value.”

1542: Carol, an advertising exec, got up to ask about circulation and blogs.

1549: Dadmanly says “If we could just have…some things that really show the actual heroics involved…not seeing your family, or a two-year service commitment…if there were positive presentations…I think we would see the kind of people willing to volunteer.”

1600: Go see The War Tapes at http://thewartapes.com. I think we’ll be reviewing this.

1604: Carren stood up and is talking about families educating the public about the military as well.

That wraps up the third and final panel. We’ll be doing the sights tomorrow and posting (hopefully!) some great pictures tonight and tomorrow.

Thank you again for the chance to go to this. I’ll write up a final recap once my thoughts settle a bit, but for now…I’ll just say thank you.

Linked to Andi’s Milblogging post round-up.

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Panel 2: Milblogging Family Style

Here’s the Panel 2 - Liveblogging Transcript. Milblogging Family Style.

RECAP:

1131: This is about the families: the wives, mothers, and fathers who blog about their loved ones overseas. Right now they’re just talking about why each of them started blogging, and what it really means to them to have someone in the war.

1138: Carla is talking about her son being injured. The Army waited four days to tell her any information, but the milblogging community was able to get her info about her son’s condition within a few hours. The Landstuhl Fisher House helped them while they were there as well.

1144: Each of these stories is so completely moving. Listening to Carren talk about what it was like for her to go be with her wounded husband…it’s just amazing. Everyone in this room has given so much for their country. For OUR country. I wish y’all could be here because this is an extremely powerful experience for me.

1158: We’re moving to audience questions now. An Iraqi gentleman stood up to say thank you to the panel members for blogging and getting the truth out even to the Iraqi people.

1205: Chuck is giving some examples about what life in Iraq is like, and why the blogging is so important.

1214: This panel is almost too good to even liveblog. It’s like listening to someone talk and thinking, “That’s IT! YES! YOU FREAKING GET IT!” every 30 seconds or so.

1225: Chuck is now discussing Project Valour-IT and how much it has helped the wounded troops all over the country.

We’re breaking for lunch…back soon!

Linked to Andi’s Milblogging post round-up.

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Panel 1: Milblogging: Past, Present, Future

Here’s the Panel 1 - Liveblogging transcript. Milblogging: Past, Present, Future

RECAP (read the Liveblogging transcript for more detail):

1014: It’s time for a live update. This has been the first panel of the day, and it’s been truly great. The men up on the stage right now are extremely intelligent, articulate, witty, and they all either have served or are currently serving in the military.

They’re making incredible points about the importance of military blogging, and it’s also being mentioned that it could really go poorly for military bloggers if only one person were to violate OPSEC or other security precautions.

They’re taking questions now, and John from Castle Arrrgh! is talking further about OPSEC.

1024: Blackfive just brought up an excellent point: “No more Vietnams.” But the phrase means something different. It means “Never again will we allow a troop to be shamed or insulted for his service.”

1038: Smash is now talking about Abu Ghraib, and how the military community doesn’t condone what those soldiers did. CJ even is pointing out that he believes those soldiers should have been sentenced to death, since other soldiers died in the backlash of it.

1043: I think we’re wrapping up this panel here soon, and so we’ll be back in a few minutes with the second panel: Milblogging Family Style.

Linked to Andi’s Milblogging post round-up.

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Let’s Roll!

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Comin’ At You LIVE! Milblogging Conference 2006

We’re here!

We’re live!

C’mon in…see what’s happening in D.C.!!

Literally. Live audio and video feed - click here.

Click here to enter the Interactive Liveblogging. We’ll be blogging as we go, and you guys can jump in any time.

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I’m Off To D.C.!

It’s the long-anticipated Milblogging Conference this weekend!

I’m leaving first thing in the morning, ya’ll. Early. Which makes me wonder why I’m still up and at my computer at 0200!

To those of you who have helped make this trip possible - thank you. We could not have gone without your support, at least not without endangering our marriages, and we are very grateful to you. We will be contacting you personally upon our return.

Don’t forget to watch for our Interactive Liveblogging event on Saturday - the first of it’s kind - EVER! I swear, if we’re not painfully hip and cutting edge with this stuff, then I don’t know who is! We’ll have photos, live video feeds, and our ever-witty repartee available to you throughout the Conference. We’ll be blogging our little fingers off LIVE so join us as you can on Saturday…

By the way, I’m a little lot nervous about this whole “live” thing. I’m afraid some of you will learn, in the course of my Liveblogging, a dirty little secret about me. See if you can figure out what it is…

OK, I’m off.

Kit will have more details for you before she heads out herself on Friday. I just wanted to say bye for now!

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