So I'm going to start working on a sort of side project that relates to the
truck. I don't know if I mentioned it to you but one of my jobs here is to
track combat related AF casualties. Basically every morning I come in and
look at the reports from the night before to track anyone who was killed or
injured in direct support of combat operations. Whether it was a result of
bad guys or an accident. When there is a casualty, I coordinate with Air
Force Public Affairs and the Casualty Branch in Texas that assigns
representatives to the family to help with resources, etc. I gather their
info and prepare a release that we send to Congress members from the states
the person was from and from where they were stationed.
Within 15 days of the event I also have to fact check and prepare a memo
that goes to the White House that they use to generate the presidential
condolence letter. The one the president sends to the family saying sorry,
etc. That part is actually tricky because it has to be perfect and cross
checked about 50 times. Obviously since it's coming from the president they
want to make sure everything is right from name spellings to family
situations. Like if parents are divorced and remarried, what are the new
step parents relationships? Did either serve as an acting parent, etc. Not
hard, just a real downer to come in every day and read about someone who was
killed and then have to go online and dig through their Facebooks and news
reports to cross check family names, etc.
So anyway, along with that, I spent some time in Tampa with the Wounded
Warrior program that helps provide resources to dudes who were messed up in
combat. Everything from building a network of peers so they have people
they can talk with to helping finance therapy, etc. It's actually a pretty
cool program and it's becoming more important because with the budget cuts
the VA is going to have less money to work with and as the wars wind down
people care less and less.
I am going to coordinate with the Family Care center at Nellis to make
contact with their local wounded warrior program. I am going to offer the
opportunity to come hang out and be around the truck for anyone that might
be interested. Sometimes dudes just need an outlet, something to occupy
their time, etc. I don't mean like super crazy messed up dudes, but just
dudes that are maybe having a hard time getting back in to the swing of
things. We'll play it by ear and see how it goes, I think they have a
program coordinator that I can work with and hopefully get a feel for who's
out there in the Vegas area. Maybe no one is interested and wants to hang
out but I'd like to make the offer. Give a chance to come help out maybe,
tool around in the trucks on a weekend, etc.
In addition to that, for the Parhump race, I'm going to set up a pledge
drive. I'm going to try to get pledges to sponsor us on a "per mile" kind
of gig. Like give us a $1, $5, whatever, for every mile we complete. It's
a worthy cause and I think we can drum up some support. Since Veterans Day
is barely a month later, I think it'd be a cool thing to do to raise money
to make a big donation. I'll work that coordination part with the Wounded
Warrior people too and then late in early fall I'll start seeing who I can
hit up to get pledges.
I'm going to bug Cliff to cut the Wounded Warrior logos to run on the truck,
bedsides or something maybe.
It's kind of corny but to me it's a cool opportunity to make stuff about
more than just racing. I think there is more incentive to get every mile we
can out of the truck when we know it generates more money for charity.