 Today we commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the Day that will forever live in Infamy. This attack enraged a Nation and made the final push in our Nation's road to World War. Just as 9/11 enraged my generation to fight the war on terror, Pearl Harbor was the sucker punch that moved the Greatest Generation to fight the last of the Great Wars.
Yesterday, I had the privledge and honor to speak with a member of that generation, Hershel "Woody" Williams, who also happens to be living recipient of our Country's highest Military honor, the Congressional Medal of Honor.
Woody joined the Marines in 1943, after being first denied due to height restrictions, and was shipped off to the Pacific theater, joining his fellow Marines and Sailors as they island-hopped their way to Japan.
By February 23rd, 1945, Corporal Williams found himself on Iwo Jima, fighting an entrenched enemy for a key piece of ocean-front property. What transpires during this day will earn Woody Williams the Medal of Honor.
 Williams, distinguished himself when American tanks, trying to open a lane for infantry, encountered a network of reinforced concrete pillboxes, buried mines, and black volcanic sands. Williams went forward alone with his 70-pound (32 kg) flamethrower to attempt the reduction of devastating machine gun fire from the unyielding positions. Covered by only four riflemen, he fought for four hours under terrific enemy small-arms fire and repeatedly returned to his own lines to prepare demolition charges and obtain serviced flame throwers. He returned to the front, frequently to the rear of hostile emplacements, to wipe out one position after another. At one point, a wisp of smoke alerted him to the air vent of a Japanese bunker, and he approached close enough to put the nozzle of his flamethrower through the hole, killing the occupants. On another occasion, he charged enemy riflemen who attempted to stop him with bayonets and destroyed them with a burst of flame from his weapon.
These actions occurred on the same day as the raising of the U.S. flag on the island's Mount Suribachi, although Williams
was not able to witness the event.
 What an incredible, courageous story of self-less service, sacrifice and love for his fellow Marines. However, if you speak with Woody, his quiet humilty speaks volumes. He states that this honor is not for him, but for those who never came home, those who lost their lives on the black-sanded beaches and jungle interior during the battle for that island.
Woody is a prime example of why his generation has been called one of the greatest and his continued service to this Nation and our military community, even at the age of 88, is a testament to his love of Country and his fellow Americans. Woody sets a standard that we can only hope to acheive but an example we can all certainly follow.
As I headed out the door, Mr. Williams handed me a copy of a poem he had written to commemorate the upcoming anniversary of Pearl Harbor and I have listed it below. Take a moment out of your busy day to think of what this day means to the men and women of that dying generation, what it continue to mean to our military community and what it shares with our own, Day of Infamy - 9/11. Think of the unity this December tragedy developed and remember what united us on our more recent September Day. Finally, remember our military and our veterans as they continue to serve this great Nation.
Let's Remember We're United  Let's Remember Pearl Harbor
And the lessons that it taught
Let's Remember Pearl Harbor
And our loved ones who fought
Let's Remember Pearl Harbor
And all the Mothers gave
Let's Remember Pearl Harbor
And those in Honored Graves
 Let's Remember Pearl Harbor
As we live our lives today
Let's Remember Pearl Harbor
And our Freedom to always say
Let's Remember we're United
As we go to beat the foe
Let's Remember our Heritage
As we did the Alamo
 We will always Remember
To save our Liberty
Let's Remember our loved ones
As we promise to stay Free
Let's Remember our loved ones
Who are dying every day
Let's Remember the loved ones
That are now in harm's way
We will always remember, to be thankful and pray
Let's Remember our blessings and go on to win the fray -Hershel "Woody" Williams - Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient 1945
 Hollywood, definitely not the creative hub it once was, judging by the movies they have been putting out, rather the sequels and remakes they have rehashed on us over the past few years. Every new sequel and remake I see, I wonder why they don't take a stab at some of the military movies from decades past. Considering our country has been at war for the past decade, it seems to me that much of America could relate to these military classics remade with amazing clarity and even in 3D.
For the Full Article Visit www.Maxim.com/DirtyBriefs  Now before you start the hate-emails, I love this movie and am in no form or fashion saying it needs redoing because of the original quality. That said, why not make a new, updated version that takes place during the current conflicts. One of the reasons this didn't make the list on Maxim.com was because of the fact it was an extraordinary film and since Kubrick is no longer among the land of the living, it would be a hard case to find someone with his fine-line crossing genius to remake this incredible experience that is Full Metal Jacket. However, we feel this would be a great idea for Hollywood to take a shot a remaking, as long as they found the right person for the Director's job....perhaps Stone?
 Again, the same reason this one was cut from the official top-ten list was the fact that this movie is ranked among the greatest-ever in terms of a war film. This film, separated in three acts, could easily be modernized into the war in Iraq or even in Afghanistan. For our idea we would place the time during the height of the Iraq conflict, right around the time that some of the American troops were being captured. The main idea of the film is what happens to men after they have gone through the horrors of combat, the debilitating changes that occur. This updated version could be a great tribute to the invisible wounds of war and the psychological effects that it has.
 Most of our generation probably has never seen this film, however, when I was growing up, my grandparents made watching this film a Christmas tradition and I still watch this every Christmas Eve. A great movie and has a military-theme behind it. The plot starts in Europe during WWII where the General of the division is heading out of combat and to a staff position, to which he hates as he is a front-line commander and prefers to be with his troops. After the end of WWII, two soldiers (Bing Crosby and Danny Kay) partner up and become huge stars and then find out that the retired General is having trouble running his Inn located in scenic Connecticut because of the lack of snow that season. They head out there and set up a huge show, inviting all of the old troops from the General's old unit and, you guessed it, the ending scene has snow falling and all is well. Christmas and the military, great for the whole family and a sure-bet for the holiday season, seems like easy-picking for Hollywood in our opinion.
 The last on our list that didn't make the list is the classic, Gone With The Wind, now who doesn't remember that one? This classic deserves a remake, not an entire reworking, but simply stick with the story and make a modern version. We can think of plenty of actors and actresses who would love nothing more than to play Scarlett O'Hara and Rhett Butler. With the modern technologies we have, imagine the amazing battle scenes and the destruction of the old plantations, the background could be amazing in its detail. We would love to see this remade, though perhaps try and keep it to a more manageable 2 hours instead of the lengthy 4 as we know how this generation is, anything over 2 hours is either Church, Court or your serving time. So, come on Hollywood, what do you say?
 Weapons have always been a facination with me, the ability to destroy from a distance. Some may say this is unhealthy and I am in need of some psychiatric care (no doubt as the VA and my wife agree), however, show me anyone that doesn't love breaking shit from time to time. In fact, go into your kitchen right now and find an old plate, go outside and toss that bugger as hard as you can on a hard surface and then tell me how it makes you feel. Relieved? A bit satisfied maybe? Well, times that by 100 and that is the feeling you get when rocking an automatic rifle on full-auto, it simply feels great! Not because you're a psycho or want to burn the world down to the ground but because somewhere in the Human brain, it just feels good to break shit sometimes.
With that in mind, I compiled a list of my favorite weapons, weapons that I would love to receive for Christmas or for shits and giggles, but receive nonetheless. In addition, through researching these monsters, I found some kick-ass photos to go with them and a YouTube video or two. So, sit back, relax and watch the fun! (Caution - For those with senstive ears, language reality ahead)
 As our nation has passed the 10th anniversary of our entrance into Afghanistan, a lot has changed since then and we thought we’d give a quick rundown of where you might want to avoid if you’re thinking of say planning a family vacation to the historic land of Afghanistan. As Iraq has calmed dramatically over the past couple of years, the exact opposite has transpired in the land where Empires, nations and communist Russia have all been brought to their knees, an area slightly smaller than Texas.
To accompany the full article on Maxim.com, here are a dozen or so images of that Paradise of which has turned into the 6th level of Hell over the past couple of years. God Bless Our Troops who willingly (well, who can say no to a Sergeant Major, right?) serve on these front lines to ensure our security and safety back home. Say a little prayer for them as you thumb through these images, brought to you by dvidshub.net and your very own, Doc Parsons.
To Read the Full Article on Maxim.com/DirtyBriefs, Click HERE
 www.Maxim.com Being a super-fan of military aircraft all our lives, we wanted to put together a short list of the fixed-wing aircraft on station today, in the collection of our Navy and Air Force. These airframes are the best the U.S. has to offer in terms of offensive aircraft, and have saved the lives of literally thousands of men and women on the battlefields in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as during the
NATO operations in Libya this past spring. We searched the web for the stats that set each of these bad-ass toys apart and compiled a list for your reading pleasure. We hope you like our choices.
To Read the Full-Article on Maxim.com Visit - HERE
 As many of you know, I was invited to be the military contributor for Maxim.com and recently I wrote an article detailing the stories of past Medal of Honor recipients. This week, I focused on the stories of 6 men from the Vietnam War. These men all had one thing in common, other than winner our nation’s highest honor; they were all Combat Medics, or the naval equivalent, Hospital Corpsman. In my research to showcase the amazing feats of some past Medal of Honor winners, we stumbled across the story of a certain Private First Class, Kenneth Michael Kays from Mount Vernon, Illinois. His story is both extraordinary and extremely heartbreaking. In my original article for Maxim.com, I only reported on the story behind why he was awarded this high honor, however, there is more to his story that I decided to share here, on the Graffiti of War Blog because of what the story focuses on, PFC Kays’ struggle with PTSD and this project’s vision to raise national awareness for those currently struggling with this invisible wound. Here is his story.
 Doc Kays PFC Kenneth Kays was born in Mount Vernon, Illinois in the years after WWII and by the time he was 18, the war in Vietnam was continuing to rage on and the draft was inevitable for Kenny. However, Kenny was completely against the war in Vietnam and like many men against the war, he fled to Canada to avoid the draft. Only after his father, a veteran of World-War II pleaded with him to return, to fulfill his duty, did Kays return and was drafted as a conscientious objector. His status as an objector placed him as a medic with the 101st Airborne Division and he was assigned to the storied 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment. By the middle of 1970, Kenny found himself knee-deep in the hell of Vietnam fighting for his life and those of his brothers-in-arms. As the medic of his platoon, his men were his mission, and his bravery and courage in face of certain death earned him the Medal of Honor but cost him physically and even more mentally. To read the full citation, visit www.maxim.com/dirtybriefs.
 Kenny returned to duty and served the rest of his enlistment, never mentioning his courageous actions. After he was released, President Nixon invited Kenny to the White House to bestow on him the highest honor a soldier can earn, the Medal of Honor. Kays, with long hair and a beard, not the typical soldier-type and many of his platoon mates never even knew it was him. He returned to life, but normalcy evaded Kenny as he was forever plagued with the invisible wounds of his experiences. His physical wounds healed, though the scars and loss remained, but his mental wounds continued to fester. Kays was in and out of mental institutions and struggled with alcoholism and drug addiction. The hell this man had seen had never left his mind. He continued to relive the experiences from that spring day in Vietnam and nothing, it seemed, would take away his survivor guilt or the pain that he experienced.
 His community was no help either, the lack of respect he received from older veterans from World War II and the Korean War, they claimed he wasn’t in a war but simply a conflict. Others simply thought of him as strange and a dope addict, dismissing him as just another weirdo. Eventually, his habits got him in trouble with the law which further degraded him and without the help of others, the respect of his peers or the direction of a veterans organization, Kays continued his downward spiral deeper and deeper into the hell that is Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. He was kept out of jail by a conditional release
to his elderly parents; however, this was not the treatment he needed.
 His family life was deteriorating as his parents were afflicted lingering illnesses. By 1981, his mother Ethel took her own life after suffering a long-term illness which left her aged husband, John Kays, to care for their mentally ill son. Their life together, father and son, was beyond troubled and strained as John was suffering a long physical ordeal with cancer. Kenny was becoming unhinged by his fathers continued complaints of agony and at one point suggested he shot himself and be done with it, to which his father complied and took his own life in 1985.Kenny continued his downward spiral and self-medicated with drugs and alcohol having continued odd outburst and increasingly violent behavior, classic symptoms of PTSD. He withdrew more and more and by 1991, during the Gulf War, he told his neighbor he simply couldn’t go on this way. By Thanksgiving that same year, Kenny Kays, had reached the end of his rope, completely alone and utterly despaired, he took his own life over the holiday.
 This is what happens to many of our nation’s heroes then and now. They are forgotten as our nation’s collective attention span rivals that of my three-year old. What was sure to unite us is forgotten in weeks or days. The man that is our hero and makes all the headlines is a drunk and a drug-addict just months later, forgotten and alone. These men and women risked their lives in the service of their country to protect their brothers and sisters-in-arms. They were willing to give their all, even if they didn’t agree with the politics, like the story of Kenny, they fulfilled their duty, gave their all and went above and beyond for those who needed them.
The least we can do, as citizens of this nation, is to ensure that stories like that of Kenny or that of Ira Hayes, another Medal of Honor winner who became invisible just like the wounds he suffered from. We, as Americans, as fellow human beings should not rest until we ensure never again will another hero, another veteran who served this nation suffer as Kenny did, as Ira did, never again will our veterans suffer alone and without help. This is our duty as citizens and should be our mission as compassionate human beings. I challenge our nation, our people to be resolved to ensure their care is assured, no matter what the cost. They never took cost into account and neither should we. Take up this cause, the cause of our heroes to never again suffer alone, never
again.
For more information on Kenneth Kays visit this link or search for Troubled Hero by Randy Mills
For the full stories on the 6 Medal of Honor recipients visit
www.Maxim.com/dirtybriefs
Always Forward!
 Maxim Coin Created by CoinsforAnything.com In the days leading up to the Maxim.com article, Combat Currency, we received dozens and dozens of submissions from our fans and supporters sharing their most unique, strangest or most prized example of their military coin collection. Unfortunately, we were restricted as to the number of images we could showcase in the main article. However, due to the amount of interesting examples we did receive, we thought we should showcase a dozen or so of the best ones we received here on the Graffiti of War blog.
If you haven't read the Maxim.com article, it would make good sense to do so and we made it easy for you. Simply click HERE or click the Link listed below. In the article, we discuss just one example of how a warfighter might earn his coin, though each story varies, many come from the Dog-and-Pony Show described in the article.
 Medal of Honor Coin Provided by NTM For our fans and supporters as well as the two military coin designers that answered my request for images, we truly appreciate your efforts and willingness to share your images. For Jeff Morin at CoinsforAnything.com, though Maxim wouldn't list your company name in the article (I tried, but they edited my article before publishing), they did link to your company page (see here). For Don Routh at Northwest Territorial Mint, I had intended to edit my final version to include your company link as well, however, they went live before I had the chance. At any rate, the photos of coins we include in this after-article will showcase the names and companies (if provided) of those who submitted. We encourage our fans and supporters to visit both CoinsforAnything.com and Northwest Territorial Mint for your Military Coinage needs and who knows, maybe you will be in our update article, Combat Currency: More Truth About Military Coins.
 I remember that Tuesday morning like it was almost yesterday. Much of my life since then has revolved around the events of that day. I don’t think I will ever forget that morning and evening for the rest of my life.
I took the train into work that morning, making the early train, for once and arrived in downtown Chicago around 7:30. I took a cab to the office from the train station, as the train was running a bit late that morning. When I came out of Union Station, I noticed that where I usually found my cab was not taken up by what can only be described as federal vehicles. The dark black, dark tinted window SUV’s that the feds usually ride around in. I remember thinking whether President Bush was visiting Chicago today as that is the only reason I could figure out. I found my cab and headed to my office, asking the driver what was going on today with all the fed vehicles, he was the first person to let me know that a plane had hit the World Trade Center. My first thought, how the hell does a pilot miss a 110 story building at the tip of Manhattan? I really don’t remember thinking anything of it except a comment that I
doubt that pilot will have a job after that.
 I walked into the trading floor for Refco and I knew something was up, the phones were ringing off the hook and Greg Cieply was unusually flustered for before 8 am. I sat down and started my work, grabbing trades, making markets and trying to get a handle on the exact situation we were dealing with. Our office was surrounded by flat-screen TVs with news feeds from all the major networks, CNN, CNBC, and NBC, etc. and all seemed to be showing the same smoke billowing out of 1 world trade. It was hard not to just stare at it. I was just mesmerized by what I was seeing. And then the unthinkable happened, we all saw the second plane hit on live TV. None of us said a word, for what seemed like minutes, but probably closer to seconds.
 My mind was frozen; I just couldn’t believe my eyes. The phone began chirping, one after another, and we were all in a fury of business, closing out trades, making markets for those who were trapped so they can begin to get out. We had a direct line to NYC to some of our trading partners, notably Cantor Fitzgerald, and Credit Suisse and they spent their precious minutes of life trying to ensure they closed out their trades to they wouldn’t leave their companies money on the table when it all came to a screeching halt, in a matter of minutes. Most of them would never make it out and that haunts me to this day. Our options trader, located just across the street was giving us a play by play of the events as they unfolded, telling us of the carnage, of the people jumping, sometimes falling, but other times, hand in hand. Thinking about that now, I cannot get through it without tearing up. Just the thought, of holding hands with the one you love on the way to certain death…..how could you not be forever changed after seeing that, my God, such a tragedy.
 Being in Chicago, a major financial center, many thought we might be in danger, in fact they evacuated the Sears Tower but we remained open and were the only Forex desk outside in Chicago and New York that did so. Financially, we did well, but my love for the business drained from my soul on 9/11. Money, made on this tragedy, is blood money, ill-gotten gains. Watching those towers fall, I truly cannot express what that did to me and many of us. It was more than a building to us, more than a monument; it represented a part of humanity that was wiped out by some very sick men, so much loss, that there remains a giant hole in my soul to this day.
 Years later, I never got over that day and my love for my job and making money in derivatives and foreign exchange was diminishing, the paychecks is what kept me doing what I continued to do. I was a natural they said, had the gift of gab, made people comfortable, was genuine but by 2005 I just couldn’t do it any longer. During a dinner in New York with some old friends from the company, many of them joked how well the company did during 9/11 and how we should have more days like that. It made me sick to look at myself in the mirror. I left the dinner, got on a plane and signed up for the Army in less than a month. I wanted to make a difference and give something back to the country that lost so much, to those who sacrificed so much on that day and the days that continue during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. I miss the markets, sure, I miss the city, the bright lights, but I have earned my right to be a citizen of this nation, my right to say I gave something beyond myself, to stand with those men and women at ground zero and say to each of them, I gave something of myself for each of you as a remembrance of what you are, what you gave and what you and your family sacrificed and that can never be taken away from me.
Always Forward!
Jaeson "Doc" Parsons
“The first was a religious experience; the next several thousand were getting the job done."  Scott Lee, writer and founder of PTSD: A Soldier's Perspective continues his narrative on his experiences in combat during Operation Desert Storm. Reclaiming parts of his memory has helped him to regain lost bits and pieces of himself; by putting together this Combat Narrative, Scott continues his journey to regain a significant part of his life that has influenced him in many negative ways. This written record of his narrative will assist further in reclaiming his past and coming to terms with his service and his sacrifice over time. The Graffiti of War Project is honored to feature Scott and we encourage our fans and suppoerters who wish to gain further insight into their own experiences or those of their veteran and warfighter family members to watch it unfold here, on The Graffiti of War Project Blog.
-Disclaimer-
War, in all of it's horror, is not pretty and descriptions of it are not always free of it's gruesomeness and rawness, the below is presented uncensored, please don't let your children read it, descretion is advised For those who missed the first installment - Read it Here!  This begins the epic story of the 3rdBrigade of the 1st AD, in the Greatest Tank Battle in the history of war, where I learned the Intimacy of War. Our second engagement commenced within the 100-Hour Ground War, but to get there, I had to drive balls-to-the-wall as part of the Army’s VIICorps mission to cut off the Iraqi forces before our “Hail Mary” pass into Kuwait. As I was blazing 50 MPH across the sands towards the front line, my 32-ton, combat-loaded Bradley drove over a sand dune and straight into a landmine field. SGT “T” flipped out and started cursing, and I could hear my captain in the background cursing and asking why we had stopped. As they both continued the barrage of swearing and demanding a reason, I screamed, “Shut the fuck up and look out your window; we are in a minefield!” As the reality of the situation sunk in, I assessed our trajectory into the field; we had landed at an angle and missed detonating a single mine that was stopping us in our tracks.
 What took less than two seconds to get into, took us about 15 to 20 minutes to get out of, a paltry amount of time when you have all the time you need; however, we had to be out in the front of our tanks to guide them into battle, and being 20 minutes late to the show was not an option. In this moment, the Intimacy of War took its hold upon my squad; we had already become one in body through training, now we would complete the process in mind and spirit. With the welling up of emotions within, circling the drain of despair, I had to release them or be consumed by the downward spiral. I was to either succumb to the pressure or prevail in spirit over my mind and tune into my surroundings in a way that I would fail miserably to describe.
 SGT “T” had to stand out of his hatch to give me directions to thread back through our tracks previously laid down, without any deviance from the trail. SGT“T” directed me, “Straight, stop! Left back, stop. Right, back, stop. Forward left, stop!” As I was driving blindly, my thoughts went to a conversation we had had the night before. I was complaining about driving for two days straight without sleep, and SGT “T” said, “The only way your backup driver is going to drive is if you are dead! Got that soldier?” I welled up with pride—high praise from a sergeant to his biggest pain-in-the-ass soldier. At that moment, the implicit trust and respect for each other was expressed. I was now able to read his inflections, his marked tone of voice indicating I was on the track in the sand.
This proved to be a moment of complete and utter faith that would carry over into our catching up with the VII Corp and leading the charge of “Shock and Awe” that would spill blood and ignite fires across the sands. I looked above as our Multiple Long-Range Rocket systems hailed the night with eerily beautiful, red streaks, filling the sky from horizon to horizon. Underneath the belly of the deadly mosaic-red lines, our Apache helicopters were firing Hellfire missiles, snaking through the air seemingly without aim, yet at the last minute administering vaporizing showers of demise. Beneath the Apaches, our M1A’s were firing and hitting the enemy tanks, where columns of erupting fire would jet over 100 feet in the air. Later, I would see the turrets flipping end over end atop the jet of roiling plasma. Coming through the MLRS curtain of fire, where our artillery rounds were lobbing to find their targets, I was finally seeing what “fire for effect” truly means. As a firecracker repetition of bursting bombs was rending reality for some unlucky crew, I was in awe of our “shock and awe.”
 May you never know the Intimacy of War as I see my own nightmares walk in the light of day. Bodies rendered, splayed and sprayed in showers of molten metal and steel; the first was a religious experience, the next several thousand were getting the job done. One hundred and ten degrees outside and 160-180 degrees roasting inside the belly of my Bradley Fighting Vehicle, I was sitting next to a 600 hp Cummins turbo-charged diesel engine, separated by a 3/16-inch steel plate. I was broiling inside my body armor—a zip-up, full-body, fire-retardant suit and a MOPP suit—a chemical warfare suit we used to wear in Germany to stay warm. For 172 hours straight? Yeah, that turn looks like it goes straight through Hell. My hope in conveying to you my inner world is that you can glimpse a silhouette of my demons and behold a rebirth of my passions. Surrendering or quitting was never an option then; we were trained be invincible, and with the right support, at times we were. However, we were not trained to bring home the fight we had left in us. We were not given the tools to successfully circumvent the pitfalls of reality, which is quite different than the fantasy island of what we dreamed home would be. Combat PTSD and TBI can wrest away the capacity for intimacy—a grievous wound of war.
 The intimacy of war can invade our hearts, minds and spirit if we cannot reconcile our past. The machinations of Shock and Awe can go beyond the halls of war and infect the walls of the home. In combat, we must thread a fluidity of boundaries between intimacy and camaraderie from combat throughout the fabric of life. It changes how we think about closeness, and it will change our perceptions and expectations of our loved ones. We begin to compare the closeness of our squad—those with whom we shared the burden of war—to our loved ones—those with whom we share our life. If we are not cognizant of these changes in ourselves and perceptions of others, it may affect how we care for and expect others to care for us. Love becomes the Battlefield in the Combat-PTSD/TBI home, where intimacy can become lost in the fray. The Caregiver is forced to reevaluate expectations and learn to read cues from the veteran. The fluid boundaries of the PTSD/MTBI veteran can confuse the family and wreak havoc. By educating the family on the why and how of mommy’s or daddy's mental wounds of war and by providing the support, we can mitigate many of the chronic problems that plague the Combat Veterans and their families.
 Scott Lee is a Milblogger at PTSD: A Soldier’s Perspective and an Internet Radio Personality at VOW Talk Radio: Veteran’s Edition on BlogTalkRadio. He writes and speaks out on the Hidden Cost of War to educate the public on how an Army veteran navigates life with Combat PTSD and how it interrelates to his everyday existence.
The nature of Combat PTSD leaves us with great conflicts within that can overwhelm our cognitive machinations and not only confuse others, but many times ourselves. He hopes that by reading his story the general public will begin to understand the situation that our
Iraqi and Afghanistan veterans will face in the coming years.
For more information on Scott Lee, his efforts to raise public awareness for those suffering from the invisible wounds of war, visit his website, www.ptsdasoldiersperspective.blogspot.com or Fan his page on Facebook, www.Facebook.com/CombatPTSDBlog.
 Front Cover Over the course of this project we have created some promotional and press materials to hand out to those companies, organizations and individuals who have expressed an interest in what we are documenting, collecting and the overall mission of the Graffiti of War. Starting earlier this year, we began to create a Press Packet that showcased the images we have acquired both through individual submissions and more recently during our Summer Expedition to Iraq and Kuwait. Our goal for these materials is to offer a preview as to what the finished book will look like as well as provide a summary of the mission and goals of the project.
 As with most creative designs it has gone through a number of edits and revisions, with this being the most recent version (3.1). This book includes images of art from Iraq, Kuwait and Afghanistan with artists ranging from American and International warfighters, civilian contractors and local nationals in both Iraq and Afghanistan. The images we included offer a taste of the entire collection we have gathered throughout the 18-months we have been working on it. It also includes detailed information on our mission to ensure no one is left behind on the battlefields of the mind and to raise awareness of all who suffer from the invisible wounds of combat, PTSD. Our goal is to work with a handful of non-profit organizations to help develop both alternative and traditional treatment methods for everyone affected by these global conflicts. This art showcases the experiences of those enduring the conflicts of our generation and provides a constructive outlet for the emotions of war.
 Though we are very proud of this Press Book and would love to share it with everyone, the costs are quite prohibitive which is why we only offer this to prospective partners and organizations whom we feel would help us to promote and expose the world to this unconventional view of history.
However, have received an influx of interest from several of our fans who wish to purchase this promotional creation, though we strongly urge the fans of this project NOT to purchase this book for a few reasons. First, this is only an example produced to showcase our project mission and lacks the essential text and details which are a vital part of the final book. Next, unless we purchase a few hundred of these books we cannot offer a reduced price nor can we create any revenue to offer those artists and organizations we work with. Finally, the costs associated with this Press Packet are extremely expensive for what you get. At 40 pages and with less than 170 images, the price of $58 with shipping is outrageous. In comparison, you can purchase a 100 page photo book from your local bookstore at half that rate.
 Back Cover With these facts in mind, we hope you understand why we are not urging our fans to order a copy. This is also the reason why we are not using MyPublisher or other so-called "self-publishing" outlets to create the final book. Our goal is to secure a major publishing house and hopefully sell hundreds of thousands to perhaps millions of copies instead of a few thousand. The better we do and the more successful this project, the bigger difference we can make in the lives of those so affected by the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, both civilian and military, US and international.
We are actively searching for a company that can provide the solutions for publishing future versions of the Press Packet at a more reasonable rate which will make it more available to those who do wish to purchase it ahead of the final book. Until then, we encourage our fans and supporters to visit the link provided to view the Digital Copy. It exhibits exactly what the book looks like in vibrant colors without having to pay the high price of the physical book. For those who must have a copy, regardless of price, you can purchase the book through the digital copy link but we do suggest you wait until at least we find a more suitable company for the needs of our project and our loyal fans.
For more information, interviews
or
how to be a part of this multicultural project
contact press@graffitiofwar.com
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