Traditionally, a hero is defined as a man of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities. Also, a person who, in the opinion of others, has heroic qualities or has performed a heroic act and is regarded as a model or ideal.
NewsBlaze has a hero who has been to Iraq three times, is planning to go again – and to Afghanistan, yet he doesn’t carry a gun, just a microphone and sometimes a camera. Our hero’s name is Bob Calvert and he visits Iraq to support our troops by interviewing them and telling their stories.
Bob interviews his heroes – men and women in the military, civilians who support those men and women and Iraqis who they are supporting – for his talk show and TV show “Talking With Heroes.”
On Friday, we met Bob Calvert in Denver, Colorado. Bob came in from Colorado Springs and we drove from Golden, Colorado, after flying in from Sacramento. The first meeting was arranged at Altitude TV studios in the Pepsi Center, Denver. Altitude TV CEO Jim Martin’s Secretary Kathy met us at the security desk after we signed in and got visitor passes
Kathy took us up to the recording studio, where Bob was working with Altitude producer, Jenny Siegle, recording elements of his show to be run on Altitude TV. We were really pleased to meet Kathy and Jenny.
It was the first time we’d met Bob in person. After talking to each other on the phone and by email, for more than a year, it was time we met and talked face to face.
After supporting Talking with Heroes for so long, we felt we knew Bob well, but meeting in person makes it so much better. The internet is great but it can only do so much. Nothing beats a face to face meeting.
We wanted to thank Jim Martin, Altitude CEO, for supporting the troops and supporting Talking With Heroes. Unfortunately, Denver traffic was more than we bargained for and we got there too late to meet with him, but there will be another time. Altitude sponsored Bob and Jim accompanied him on the second trip to Iraq.
After saying goobye to Kathy and talking to Jenny about the show and her other work, we drove to Colorado Springs to meet other members of the Talking With Heroes team and for further discussions.
Running a show like Talking With Heroes isn’t easy, it takes a lot of work from many people. We went to see USBank in Colorado Springs, where Amy and Sam helped with some financial arrangements. We really appreciate their advice, effort and support.
Next, we met a vocal and important part of Bob’s team, Rainbow, who helps keep Bob grounded, taking care of home while Bob is away in Iraq or out at meetings.
Since returning from Iraq, Bob has been working on the DVDs of the interviews recorded over the 10 days in Iraq, Kuwait and the special return to Dallas. There will be 11 DVDs this time, showing major improvements in the situation in Iraq, that most people do not see. Bob has prepared seven of the DVDs already, and has two masters completed.
The DVDs include interviews with soldiers, Marines and Iraqis, including a school headmaster Bob met on his first visit there. The headmaster was surprised and very pleased that Bob came back to see him. The improvements in security and living conditions and amenities were obvious and as Bob says “The American people will want to see and hear this.” Other media concentrate on the bad things and the big picture so much that most of the good things never see the light of day other than at Talking With Heroes and other independent sites like NewsBlaze.
At the end of the day, we had to leave Colorado Springs, to return to our hotel near Denver. It was a day well spent and a day we’ll long remember as we continue to support Bob and Talking With Heroes.
The Talking With Heroes radio show can be heard live on Stardust Radio on Sunday Evenings, access through the TWH website. In the Ten State Area serviced by Altitude TV, the first of the new TV shows start airing in November.
DVDs of the shows are available after October 15th and you can preorder now by going to the Talking With Heroes website.
