Table-for-six Size Halibut is Angler's Just Desserts

Homer, Alaska

Captain Mike Manns, left, congratulates Dan Prisaznuk of Homer on his 340.6-pound derby-leading halibut. Prisaznuk landed it Monday on Manns' charter. At 97 inches long, the halibut reportedly took an hour and a half to pull in.

Operation driCARE

http://www.drifire.com/dricare/

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Sitting at his desk, Safety Systems Corporation CEO Todd Wilson holds up a handful of garments. “If I had a son or daughter or husband, brother… anyone I knew in Iraq right now, if the government didn’t give them these or if I couldn’t ship them over, I would get on a plane and deliver them myself. Nobody,” he continues, “no body in an active combat role should ever go to work without these on.” He's talking, of course, about our line of industry-first performance wear garments with built-in flame resistance. You already know the blend is patented. Todd's company is the world’s only supplier.

But he is in Chicago. The conflict he mentions is thousands of miles away. And, the distance from where he sits to widespread recognition of his technology solution and its adoption most days he says can feel like light years. “Imagine you’re me,” he says. “I read the papers and hear the news just like you. I see the accounts of military burn injury victims returning to Brooke Army Medical Center. I have something right here, right now, that can change the future and I want people to move faster. Kids are getting burned over there every day… and I sit here in Chicago wondering ‘What in the world does a person have to do?’”

As you know, this week Todd decided to do something radical. For nothing more than the nominal cost of shipping, for anyone who will give him the name and address of a friend or family member on active duty in the military, he will ship a garment to the soldier at zero cost for the garment. He’s prepared to give away up to a million dollars of his inventory.

“If I have to do this one soldier at a time,” he finishes, “then that’s what I’ll do. But I’m hoping ten troops over there tell ten friends and before long they all do what I can’t: they'll bring the message from the bottom up, in ways and using words and actions more effective than anything I have at hand. In the meantime,” he says, holding up a fistful of his performance wear garments with FR protection, “I’m going to do whatever I have to do to get these into the hands of people who need and want them most right now.”

Sam At Work

(click to enlarge image)

Here is an undated photo of Sam, hard at work, with a GPS in hand.

Perfect Weather For Marathon Acheivement!

Hi Family and Friends,
I did it! I joined the 26.2 club! I finished my first marathon today in 4:28. I kept a pretty steady 10 minute mile pace and had awesome friends to cheer me on at the end when I needed it! My whole Army wives Bible study came out and cheered at miles 17, 21 and the finish. And of course Beth and my friend Michaella were there cheering me on from the beginning. It was an awesome race. The weather was perfect, a cool 59 degrees and overcast with a light mist of rain towards the finish. I didn't even sweat very much because it was so cool. I even saw a moose at mile 9 just strolling out of the woods. Six miles of the race was on trails through the woods across from Post and I heard that some runners even scared a black bear up a tree - only in Alaska! I am walking pretty stiff now, but actually feeling pretty good. All of my training paid off and am I so glad I did this. Having Sam gone is so hard and training for this race has kept me sane and healthy!
Love,
Gretchen

Happy Solstice Everyone!

In Alaska, the land of the midnight sun, Summer Solstice is as big an event as New Years! It marks the longest day of the year which here in Anchorage means almost 20 hours of daylight! It basically never gets dark, but only dusk. To commemorate this special event my friend Elisabeth, my sister Beth and I climbed Flattop Mtn overlooking Anchorage at midnight. The attached pic was taken just after midnight. You have got to love a place where you can still be out climbing mountains at midnight!!!
~Gretchen

Messages From Home

Gretchen sent along this link to a special edition of the Fort Richardson Alaska Post called Messages From Home. You will need Acrobat Reader for the .pdf file. Gretchen's message to Sam is on page 3.

http://www.usarak.army.mil/alaskapost/MessagesFromHome.pdf

dirFIRE Blog

We even made it onto driFIRE's Blog.
http://www.drifire.com/blog/
If you read down a couple of their posts, it gives very good reports on the over-all performance of the t-shirt we are sending to Sam's company.
Hooah!!!