Kilimanjaro | Purple Heart Summits

I joined a team of six in January to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro, the world’s tallest free standing mountain with the goal of not only summiting but also finding a little freedom and perspective along way.  I was along for the ride to film a little story about my dad’s non-profit American300’s latest project: Purple Heart Summits. An effort the non profit is making to continue its mentoring efforts to support combat wounded veterans reach the summit of some of the world’s most renowned free standing mountains.  It was an amazing and rewarding experience, the altitude kicked my but far more than i expected but I was surprised by how well my gut behaved. The biodiversity on the mountain was the most unique I've ever photographed and the Tanzanian guides and porters on our team have hearts of gold and I am so grateful for our brief moments of friendship.

Alexandra Roberts was part of the team and volunteered her photography gift to the project which means that I got more behind the scenes photos of myself than I ever have on a trip like this.  I just wanted to share a few to give a look behind the scenes at the film.

Veteran's Day in Luxembourg and A Few Thoughts on America Today

I've been visiting U.S. Military bases throughout Europe over the past ten days with some remarkable individuals who have been sharing their stories of success after loosing a leg or a foot or a friend.  I remarked to some friends before I left, 'It's going to be interesting experiencing an election from across the pond.' What I've experienced in my conversations with troops and social media scrolling in the past few days can be summed up by one of the greatest ladies I know, Jillian of The Noisy Plume in her latest blog post (You can read the whole thing HERE). 

“We survived the election but we’re still sick of it and nothing has changed — the left hates the right and the right cannot stand the left and everyone is terrified of everyone. The hysteria is exhausting and the journalism is still revoltingly biased (Where are our real journalists? Where is the truth? Am I clinging to a romantic ideal???).

That said, nothing seems especially hopeless to me. There will be no doom and gloom in my space regarding politics. Here’s what I do have to say though, there’s this notion that change can only stem directly from a government mandate. I don’t think that’s true. Change begins small and then goes viral as our communities alter themselves and connect with other communities on the same path.

Change your own heart, broaden it, expand the way you see the immediate world around you. Believe and treat others as though their suffering is greater than yours. GET OVER YOURSELF. Know your neighbors. Care for the needs of your neighbors. Invest your heart, soul and life in your community. Provide, however you can, for those who need extra help. Stick up for the little guy. Stand up to the bullies (despite what you’ve been told, they come in all shapes and colors, they aren’t just white men). Teach your children right from wrong, show them how to be courageous and how to work hard, encourage their imaginations, impress upon them the importance of beauty, help them to love nature. Work hard, stay humble and be honest. You don’t need a federal government to legislate any of this. This change comes from within you, as a result of your choices and how you decide to use your time, your days, your life.”

— Jillian Lukiwski (The Noisy Plume)

As I walked the rows and rows of white crosses and stars I studied the names, their ages, their home state and silently thanked them for their sacrifice during WWII.  As one of the speakers said today at the Veterans Day Ceremony at General Patton's tomb in Luxembourg, "The United States of America will only remain the land of the free so long as it is the home of the brave". So thank you to every veteran past and present for your service to this great nation - we all owe you a great debt of gratitude that we can only pay forward by being patient, kind and gracious to one another. 

Our Team: Tom Whittaker, Benjamin Breckheimer, Me, Vasu Sojitra, Eric Meyer and Robi Powers

To see the rest of the photos from the Veteran's day service and our other stops on this American300 tour CLICK HERE. 

Wrangler National Patriot Military Reunion

I left my camera behind when I headed upstairs to the Wrangler suite at the MGM Grand to celebrate with the Wrangler National Patriot/American300 team and our Coast Guard guests.  I had taken hundreds of photos and produced a short video already live online - my work, for all intensive purposes was complete.  When Lucas Hoge pulled out his guitar and Brian Notheis joined him in a rendition of Lucas' song "Shoo Fly Pie" the room was electrified by not only musical talents of the two men, but also the memory of the first time the two met back in May.  I pulled out my cell phone and shot a few seconds of video - and from that, this video was born on a flight from Las Vegas to JFK.