On January 24, 2013 the Secretary of the Army released this statement: "We welcome the decision to eliminate the Direct Ground Combat
Definition and Assignment Rule. Throughout over a decade of war, the
leadership, contributions and sacrifice of women Soldiers have been
absolutely invaluable to the Army's success. The Army has led the
effort to eliminate gender-based barriers to service, such as our
implementation of the exception to policy allowing women to be assigned
to select positions in ground combat units at battalion level. We will
continue to proactively support and implement changes to personnel
policies in an integrated and phased approach."
"Over the next few months, we will continue to analyze gender neutral
standards and open additional occupational specialties to women in a
deliberate way that preserves unit readiness, cohesion, and morale.
Fundamentally, this is about managing talent and posturing the Army and
individual Soldiers for success."
This means that women will now be able to fight on the front lines of the battle field. I feel like this is a great idea. Women who are in the army are strong, hard working women. They will be an asset to the battlefields.
A lot of people do not feel this way though. Women are still seen as the weaker sex, even though they were able to go through boot camp like everyone else. These people are still stuck in the old way of thinking and need to realize that the world is changing. The United States is moving forward, sometimes in good ways and sometimes not so good, and getting over stereotypes.
I think this is ultimately going to help the Military to be able to use it's strongest women in the war zone. I am proud to be an American.
"I am proud to be an American. Where at least I know I'm free." - Lee Greenwood "I'm Proud to be an American"
"Heaven is a place where people die pretty. Skies don’t lie and there’s cash in the kitty. ” These are the opening lines to one of my favorite songs, Dead and Done by Bobby Long. This song is on his debut album, A Winter Tale and is one of eleven amazing songs that will have you listening to Mr. Long all day. His sophomore album, Wishbone, drops next month on the 19th and is sure to be just as great. Bobby Long is a British singer/songwriter, and also published author, living in New York City. Currently he is in Europe touring and playing to sold out audiences. Hopefully he will be releasing United States tour dates soon to help promote for Wishbone. With his incredible sound, a mix of folk music and blues, he is sure to stick around for a long time and continue to gain a dedicated following.
The next two times that I attended his shows he was alone on stage with his guitar. He was still wittingly hilarious and confident in his music. When he played at BottleTree his audience had grown a lot in such a short amount of time. The first time I met him I was slightly nervous, I had made a shirt that matched my friends, and I just knew he was going to judge us. We had taken the title of one of his songs, Penance Fire Blues, and put those words into a clever sentence. Our shirts said, "We need to pay a PENANCE because we're on FIRE for BOBBY LONG! We'll just have the BLUES if we don't get a picture with you." Instead, he read the shirt and smiled while saying, “That’s really nice. Thank you.”
Photo Credit: Kymber Hill
Recently his street team hosted a question and answer session with him and they were talking about everyone’s efforts to promote him and his music he said this, “Thank you so much. So kind. Above and beyond.” He is so appreciative of the efforts of his fans and he is so deserving of it. He goes on later in the podcast to thank his fans once again, “I just want to thank them so much for doing it. I can’t reiterate how important it is for, you know, musicians, especially modern day, to have you guys backing them up.” He makes wanting to promote his new album so easy. A great guy like Bobby Long deserves to be noticed by his fans and helped to gain more success.
The question and answer session was mainly to ask questions about his new album, Wishbone. One fan wanted to know what this album had that made it different from his previous albums, A Winter Tale and a five song EP titled The Backing Singer. Bobby replied, “Lyrical content is still as heavy as it ever has been. I’m still singing just as hard. It’s just a varied thing and it’s not…it’s more modern in a sense that it’s not stylized to folk.” On this album Bobby was able to play electric guitar and be more a part of his band backing him up. He promises some more songs that will make you want to sing along at shows, which ultimately is what he wants. He also said, “I don’t want to make the same album twice.” This leads one to believe that his future albums will be just as different as these three and will not sound the same in any case. Another fan asked what his main end goal for Wishbone was. Bobby’s answer was this, “Always put the song first.” He is passionate about this new album and seems extremely proud of it. I cannot wait for my copy to come in the mail.
Photo Credit: Kymber Hill
To find out more about Bobby Long you can visit his website, 'Like' him on Facebook, and follow him on Twitter. Also, you can find plenty of pictures and videos from fans and several other exciting things on his fansite. Bobby Long’s fan base is wide spread around the world and we all have connected to each other in some way. I have met some pretty incredible people through following his music and made lifelong friends with some. Bobby Long’s music has brought so much in my life, not only with a new musician to follow, but with new friends to keep in touch with all over the country. If you are into smaller artists and amazing songs, give Bobby Long a listen. You won’t regret it!
You can now preorder Wishbone on his website, which comes with several perks for ordering off the online store. Or you can buy your copy of Wishbone on February 19, 2013 from your local record supplier. I was able to purchase A Winter Tale at Best Buy when it was released. You can find sneak previews for Wishbone below. If these songs are any indication of what the rest of the album holds we are in for a treat.
Additional photos by Kymber Hill
You can find more information about Bobby Long at:
