The Face of suffering - the evil men do

Broken

Dog fighters and animal abusers – what a bunch of assholes. You know like Michael Vick, the dick, and his enablers like fucking Nike and the god-damned Eagles. I seem to recall Obama said something about the dog-fighting asshole… “President Obama has voiced his approval of the second chance Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick is getting this season, just a year removed from serving 18 months in federal prison on charges related to a dog fighting ring.” (https://www.cbsnews.com/news/obama-lauds-michael-vicks-second-chance/ ) 44 displeased me with his support for Vick (I salute Colin Kaepernick – that’s a QB I can support). And I will tell you why – Atticus the wonderful big pitbull whom I loved in his short life was an abused dog. Not by Vick but by men of his ilk. I wonder how Obama would feel if his dog had been abused? Atticus did not get a second chance.

Atticus was wonderful with his soft velvety skin, a beautiful creature with sad, soulful eyes, his worried demeanor, even his cowering in the corner or bathroom – afraid of men – I miss everything about him dearly. You see the 90-pound Atticus was abused, eventually thrown out of a car or truck, and finally adopted by a couple in LA for three years. Sadly the wife died of cancer and the husband, also suffering from a deadly disease, could no longer take care of Atticus.

My best friend stepped in and adopted Atticus in January 2019 even though Atticus too was diagnosed with a shitty cancer that ultimately would be the cause of his untimely death. They expected a year I seem to recall and he did not even get that. Atticus was a fearful giant – so horribly abused that his personality was shattered beyond repair. There were glimmers of kindness, a gentleness within, but still fear was an overriding issue for him.

Atticus

I dog sat him twice for long periods of time along with his brother and sister… I hand-fed him a few times but mostly I gave him his bowl of food in the bathroom from where he could watch the activities in the living room… safe, but sad to witness. He let me hug him however – probably paralyzed by fear – but I hoped not. 

Fortunately, he had great company the last few months of his short life - a little crippled bully with way too big a personality, and a senile old grand dame Akita (probably the greatest being I have ever known) – all rescues. They made an odd team but Atticus would somehow manage to climb into the car and go for something resembling walks with his dog family. I think he was fearful every time he had to get into the car.

Atticus was amazing with the vets and the great techs. Perhaps, he knew they were there to help or maybe he just had surrendered his fate to whatever came his way. He survived his spleen removal - he had a stromal sarcoma on his spleen - but the cancer had microscopically spread to his liver, which became apparent a few months later during a follow up ultrasound of his liver.

Atticus was euthanized at his home on September 5, 2019, shortly after his Akita sister died. I was not there. I hope he knew he was loved. I miss him terribly.

Rifle Company Book Review

A Rifle Company in the Desert: Company C, 3-41st Infantry (+) Operations Desert Shield/Desert Storm

This book is written by a former Ranger and friend Mike Kershaw (instrumental in Run to the Sound of the Guns book). It chronicles his experiences in the build-up and combat during the First Gulf War. The book should appeal to readers who understand military-styled writing - as in C CO (-) - which basically means an understrength company, missing some part of a regular company structure. It is especially interesting because Kershaw’s use of his comrades’ accounts and his honest reflection on the men and higher-ups.

It took me back to the years I served in the peace-time Ranger Battalion where I had first met Mike. Reading it made me miss the smell of the red Georgian clay, then the clear Washington air, the bug juice, gun oil and powder… but not so much the constant push-ups for having been a smart-ass.

There is little of substance out there from the combat commander’s POV and those of his subordinates. Mike draws heavily on his personnel’s accounts. His company actually saw real combat action.

The Korean War June 25, 1950 - July 27, 1953

Let us think about the horrors of war and let us remember the fallen including the 3 million civilian casualties. Let us also remember that it was in this war that the incredible members of the all-Black 2nd Airborne Ranger Company fought and conducted the first Ranger combat parachute assault in history..

The Korean War memorial in DC Source: MIr

Rangers of the 2nd Airborne Ranger Company enroute to Korea. Source: Wikipedia

On Writing - or I how fell into it

This is a blog by an author so I should have something about writing. I never considered writing as a career - I was too obsessed with Hollywood and oddly that is how I got my start as a professional writer. Amateurs are people who write for free - I have been there and will never do it again unless it is something I want to do.

Around 2000 or 2001 I worked on the film Black Hawk Down researching all things Ranger. I called and emailed veterans and tried my best to keep them all in the loop - although some guys were ungrateful dicks - the me-syndrome does hit Rangers just to a far smaller degree than most. In any event, a lot of them were very helpful and I assembled a ton of pictures for production - by the way for free! Eventually a 3rd Battboy (a Ranger from the 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment) Mogadishu vet joined production and we worked together for a short while. I also hooked the official military tech advisor up with a prop house (uniforms, gear, weapons) - again for no money though usually some form of kickback does happen. I was too much of a team player and not motivated by money - WTF?

I was paid for maybe one or two weeks? eventually but was not taken to Morocco for filming - I found out later because the tech advisor’s wife thought I would badger the producer and director with my own projects - I was trying to become a producer back then. As if I would have been that unprofessional. I was highly annoyed, well pissed actually, but nothing I could do about it.

But I had a ton of pics, was habitually broke, and cold-emailed Osprey Publishing. Marcus Cowper commissioned me for an article on the relief effort of the Rangers. A 10th Mountain Division medic had provided a lot of photos and information. The article was never published as the magazine folded. But I had an in and wrote several smaller monographs for Osprey. But my focus remained on Hollywood. I wrote Shadow Warriors a history of American Rangers around 2003/4. Way too big a book as a first effort but overall it is solid. To date my best seller.

I produced an independent film called Soldier of God in 2005 which I did some rewrites on because of financial constraints. The DVD market tanked that year and next - of course, why wouldn’t it? Eventually, I decided that most people struggling in Hollywood suck, and the successful ones live in a bubble (I too wish I could live in that bubble) and it was time to pursue proper writing while still hanging on for that hopeful Hollywood career. SEALs came out, co-written with SEAL Chris Osman, and was one of the first books on modern SEAL combat in Afghanistan and Iraq but we got hammered by the 2008 economic collapse. The book did well enough but not well enough - if you know what I mean. I also ghost-wrote scripts and received reasonably decent pay for them and even revived a relationship for the original writer with the studio who had commissioned it. Great to make some money but that was never going to help me succeed in a tough nepotistic industry. I wrote another book, Vanquished, but I had an unhappy experience with a new editor (other authors also complained but were equally ignored) and I shifted my focus to screenwriting again for a number of years. I also co-wrote a few things with a few different people- not always a good thing to do - and came very close to proper agency representation and a sale but alas, not. My co-author couldn’t handle the rejections and flaked.

My common-law wife on the other hand began a very successful career as a TV writer in Canada and I returned to book writing in 2015/16 with a small book on the ancient battle of Zama during the Second Punic War fought in North Africa. It was important to start with something smallish - I think I wrote 40K words including rewrites and sections that were cut. Again Marcus Cowper had commissioned me and Nikolai Bogdanovic was my editor - I really enjoyed the experience and am very happy with the monograph. But it was a work for hire - so no royalties!

Subsequently I co-authored Run to the Sound of the Guns with Nicholas Moore about his Ranger combat experience in Afghanistan and Iraq but the Pentagon’s clearance section took eight months instead of 8-10 weeks promised. The book got bumped twice before getting published in 2018. I am proud of the book in that it captures the voice of Nick very well. It also got some spiffy review from Rangers. Yes Marcus Cowper commissioned it.

The book also landed me agent Alec Shane at Writers House who negotiated the offer. I love Alec and can speak to him unfiltered! This is crucial.

I have some proposals out there, am working way too slowly on another non-commissioned book, and am tinkering with some other proposals as well as a comic book. I don’t make a living writing - my wife enables me… she also paid for my MA at King’s College London. She must like me.

Hollywood… that harsh mistress - well I have a pilot out there co-written with director W.D. Hogan based on a comic by Jim Starlin - people love it we are told, and CAA was looking for showrunners but crickets…

Half? my book collection. Once I owned 7 book stores and newsstands. That’s another story.

My script outline for a TV pilot. WTF? But it works for me.

The Face of Antifa - or why they are essential in the struggle against assholes

The reason Antifa exists and should exist.

“The British Jews who fought postwar fascism on London's streets

‘43 Group’ battled rightwing thugs who continued to torment them even after defeat of the Nazi regime” from the Guardian article

https://www.theguardian.com/news/2020/may/24/the-british-jews-who-fought-postwar-fascism-on-londons-streets

Harry Kaufman and Jules Konopinski, two of the last surviving members of the 43 Group. Heroes who battled right-wing Nazi thugs in the streets of London. Photograph: Stuart Freedman

1st Ranger Battalion dead in North Africa 1942. Source: Ranger Phil Stern

This is why Antifa must exist. Human rights for all. If you don’t know what this picture is about you need to start reading and learning. A start is Raul Hilberg’s shattering account of the genocide in The Destruction of the European Jews. Source: Wikipedia

Badass Ranger motherfuckers who killed fascists during the Second World War. Rangers Lead The Way! Source: Mir

The three arrows represent resistance against reactionary conservatism, Nazism and Soviet communism. Election poster from 1932 - translated it reads: Against Papen, Hitler, Thalman. Each man representative of the causes against which Anitfa fought. Source: Wikipedia

Poachers suck and other tales

My buddy and fellow vegan Damien was an Australian special operations soldier and contractor - basically a ne’er-do-well until he founded this amazing anti poaching organization staffed by some of the most amazing female Rangers in the world. Sergeant Vimbai Kumire is a kind but steel-hard Ranger (Hooah) whose size does not reflect her incredible accomplishments in the field - yes, she is short. Damien is 6’2”. These women are on the forefront of fighting forever wars against poachers with hearts and minds and guns when needed. Anyway, these kinds of organizations require funding and far too often I have seen wealthy people turn them down - what a shame, a lack of a moral compass - but anyway it is up to us and every dollar counts. They are having a fundraising drive and I urge you to do what you can in these trying times for many people and animals. Don’t pay for espressos for the week - don’t buy something you don’t really need. Instead please do visit their website and help out as much as you are able to do.

https://twitter.com/IAPF

or -Warning Graphic Image

https://www.iapf.org/covid19crisisappeal/?utm_source=International+Anti+Poaching+Foundation+Subscribers&utm_campaign=d7f6de2957-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2020_06_19_03_40&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_67836951c7-d7f6de2957-1211741797&mc_cid=d7f6de2957&mc_eid=ee8b7c05cd

Black Lives Matter

My life is more well-rounded knowing about these soldiers and other warriors of color… I’ll post a separate story about Pat Tadina whom I knew personally later - he was an interesting person to say the least.

Harlem Hellfighters of the Great War 1914-18 fighting for the French Army in US uniforms because of racist Americans - warriors, soldiers, the real deal. Hellfighters Led The Way! Source:Wikipedia

Company Sergeant Major Francis Pegahmagabow was a Canadian Shawanaga First Nations sniper extraordinaire and the most decorated Canadian during the Great War. Source: Wikipedia

Ranger Major Warren E. Allen company commander of the legendary all Black 2nd Ranger Infantry Company (Airborne) during the Korean War.They conducted the first Ranger combat parachute assault in history. He earned the Silver Star and is a Ranger Hall of Fame Inductee. https://www.mirbahmanyar.com/korean-war

A warrior god - Patrick Tadina from Hawaii - nearly five straight years of LRP/LRRP/Ranger combat in Vietnam without losing a single man. He also served as a contractor in Iraq! Ranger Hall of Fame Inductee. https://www.mirbahmanyar.com/vietnam-war

Master Sergeant Raul Perez Benavidez, Green Beret. In case you don’t know what that little blue ribbon around his neck is - it’s the Medal of Honor for his service in Vietnam. A great American soldier. Source:Wikipedia

Master Sergeant Howard “Mad Max” Mullen. An awesome Grenada Raider and a Ranger Hall of Fame Inductee And he wrote a blurb for one of my books. https://www.mirbahmanyar.com/75th-rangers

Source: https://www.recoilweb.com/mad-max-mullen-selected-for-ranger-hall-of-fame-23929.html