4 Generations- back and hopefully forth!

Recently, I took a leap of faith to follow a dream to become a filmmaker. I decided to listen to the years of coincidence and repeated experiences of working on television documentaries and educational television programing to step up to the challenge.

Travel Channel Film Crew

I applied to a school that I have always wanted to attend and to my surprise, I was accepted.  Ha! I think they just needed the money.  lol

Ironic plaque in the entrance to the school I wont attend

Anyway, the next step was funding thru the Veterans Administration.  Well, that's were everything got ugly.  Long story short, they said NO.  Actually it was more like, "Hell no! peon get back to work."  Honestly, I was pretty deflated about it.  I has left me determined to just do it my way but I really don't know what "way" that is or how to go about it… but thats never stopped me before and I'm learning.

I do know this;  In the last 26 years I have been in some way connected to the Cold War and somehow I have inherited a responsibility to preserve and tell this story.  I have tried find purpose in this and in so doing I have met people that have shaped the world.  People of high esteem and people of nameless stature but they are all part of the same equation. They were/are a part of something historic.  I am sure of one thing; If we [humanity] forsake these lessons then humanity will ultimately loose their place at the table.  

Since learning that I was NOT in-fact going to film school, serendipity has been knocking on my door again.  I have met a world renown photographer

Justin Barton working on his latest project, "The World in Their Hands"

who is documenting personalities of the Cold War, I have met a crew member of the original Thor weapon system for the RAF, I have had several AF Thor personal seek me out to learn more about their own story. On top of this, a couple of old friends came back into the picture with renewed vigor to conduct research and in as much they have renewed my faith to tell the story and most importantly I have been reminded that the work matters.  To Shawn and Joe… I thank you for your service and all that you do to preserve this story.  I have come to grips with the fact that what i do just doesn't matter to the "institution."  Fine so be it.  However, it matters to humanity, whether it is known or not.  

I was reminded of this last week.  I received a request for an unplanned visit to my office by a former Thor member to which I obliged.  I try to support all of those requests if at all possible.  It's a learning experience at the very least and therefore worthy of my time.  What I usually receive is a purposeful life lesson.  This visit was no different. 

So, our Thor veteran shows up on site as scheduled with his family in-tow.  When I say family, it don't mean wife or child… I mean FOUR generations of his family. wife, kids, grandkids and great grandkids.  So, given this dynamic I couldn't really interview him but instead took the opportunity to tell the story.  The story that he was a part of… a story that shaped history (and still is by the way).  Ultimately, his story.  I watched as his family was moved to emotion as they heard the humble endeavors in which their loved one participated.  Stories being told unsolicited, unrehearsed, unbiased by a self recollection (often our memories are self focused-like or not- it's human nature).  I was merely a stranger that validated their families history.  The three hours spent with this family go into the collection of great honors in my professional life.  They GOT IT! 

More importantly to me is the fact that they helped me "get it" as well.  I was reminded that there are many unnamed contributions that our disposable world may just never know… unless someone tells their story.  That is what I do.  I collect and share the stories.  A voice so the voices are heard.  A voice so the stories are experienced.  I am a collector.  The Cold War is my canvas.  I will find and excercise every medium possible to share this story.  I owe it to you.  A Russian General once said to me, " We have to tell this story… and we have to tell the truth.  The fate of mankind rests on wether we have learned this lesson."  

He was right.  So here it is; I am fueling up the bike and charging forth with a camera, a wide eye, an humble ear and an open mind in search for the REST of the Cold War story. God help us, that in four more generations the effort will have mattered.  Hopefully someone will still be here to remember. --jp

Threads

Threads…

Through the years I've had the opportunity to test the engineering worthiness and structural integrity of the my human machine.  Often requiring a minor fix and on several occasions serious repair became necessary.  My Dad used to say, "your gonna pay for that when you get older."  Of course I didn't listen after all he was old… what did he know.  Lol.  Well he was right and a while back I performed a high velocity ballistic gravity test on my mountain bike which exceeded the structural integrity of my right shoulder, eventually requiring surgery.  The surgery wasn't too bad... in and out one day for the chop, chop but the PT was a different story.  

The PT is where this "thread" story starts.  PT was great! Seriously, I didn't mind a bit…. heat, exercise (pain), elctro-stim and ice.  Done.  The best part was the people.  We all got to know one another, staff and patients alike.  We would work to gather to encourage each others progress and while happy to be done, it was also sad to say good-by. 

The best benefit of my PT was the friendship established with my trainer Christie and her husband Steve.  We all clicked and have been good friends ever since.  Christie and Steve have become family.  We share similar interests in many things, music, photography, and of course motorcycles.  

So, recently we celebrated Christie's birthday with their family, friends and lots of food, I mean LOTS of food and lots of laughs.  With-in five minutes of arriving on the sidecar a thread was discovered.  Mutual acquaintances and stories were shared for hours reminding me of the power of a social community.  After a while I met one of their neighbors, Dr John, the anesthesiologist and his first question to me was, "Have you ever seen the show, Long Way Round?"  Why yes, yes I have... I have also been fortunate enough to hang out with one of the producers, Mr David Alexanian another mutual acquaintance. Well,  Dr John and I start talking and tells me of his sons adventures on his bike, living the "long way round" and how we have adventured some of the same areas and can therefor relate to the experience.  We can also appreciate the stories of places we haven't traveled ourselves because we now understand how we see through the same lens of life.  Brilliant!

After a while Dr. John comes up to me and says, "speaking of threads connecting people…." and he begins to tell me a red thread story.  He was living in San Diego and taking some vacation days to spend time with family visiting from Indiana when he received a call from the hospital.  They [hospital] were short handed and asked if he could come in and support an unscheduled open heart procedure.  Understanding the urgency he apologized to the family and went to work.  Upon arrival he talked to his patient and finds out that she was also in the area visiting family.  He continues to query her and finds out that she is also visiting from Indiana.  Doc thinks, "well isn't that a coincidence…"  Well they continue to talk and unbelievably he finds out that his urgent surgery patient is in fact the next door neighbor to his inlaws that are at his home visiting.  Well the surgery goes fine and he heads home with a message for his in-laws to say "hello from their neighbor" but more importantly the message that the world is a small place, we are all connected and life is a precious gift.  

Thanks to my friends Christie and Steve for connecting the red thread and to Dr. John for sharing his thread with us.  Now go find a thread and see where it leads you.