Soldiers Angels Gold Coin

major-z.jpgAt the Gun Bloggers Rendezvous this weekend, I was thrilled to meet Major Chuck Ziegenfuss, a battle wounded survivor and founder of Valour-IT. Chuck put on a good show when he related the tale of his injuries and recovery and how they led to Soldiers Angels adoption of the voice-activated computer project for badly wounded servicemen and women.

At one point while we were sitting at the table in the hospitality room, Chuck pulled out this beautiful gold coin with the Soldiers Angels insignia on it. He presented it to me and said to keep it.

Oh, I will, Chuck, I will . . .

Image right: Chuck Ziegenfuss; image below: the SA Coin – Click to enlarge.

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Gun Bloggers Range Report

We went to the Washoe County Regional Shooting Facility with the gun Bloggers today. What a blast! I took a lot of pictures, but this one with Sebastian‘s suspended brass seemed worthy of posting today. Click to enlarge.

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Everyone seemed to be having a lot of fun doing what they love. We had a chance to shoot some of the many interesting guns the group brought to the range. We will be blogging about this event for weeks to come.

2996 Project – Patriot Day 2009 – Remembering Zep

Damsel and I are very proud to be able to honor Marc Scott Zeplin on the eighth anniversary of the Islamic Terrorist Attacks against America on September 11, 2001 and to be part of the 2996 Project. This is the fourth year we have posted about Marc Scott Zeplin.

Zep” is what his friends called him. Zep was one of the 2996 victims who perished in the attacks of September 11, 2001.

Marc Scott Zeplin, age 33.

Place killed: World Trade Center. Resident of Harrison, N.Y. (USA).

Marc Zeplin worked in the World Trade Center offices of Cantor Fitzgerald, a financial services company. Reading what Marc’s friends and family have written about him, Marc was well-liked and respected by peers, friends and others who wrote words about him following his death.

The following is from Zep’s tribute at the memorial site that his company set up to remember their employees that were lost in the attack:

Date of Birth: January 12, 1968

Department: Equity Sales

A group of friends named and registered a star in the heavens in memory of Marc Zeplin. How fitting as he was a star in the eyes of so many.

Successful as an equity trader, he formed close relationships with his clients but he was foremost a family man. Marc was very caring and devoted to his wife Debra, sons Ryan (3 yrs old) and Ethan (10 months), parents, sister and in-laws. He adored his children and treasured the time he spent with them. Marc was very proud of the new home he and his wife built in Westchester and enjoyed the change from urban to suburban living.

Raised in Long Island, Marc attended Oceanside High School and the University of Michigan where he also continued to earn a master’s degree in the acclaimed business school. Marc’s first career calling was sports casting. He loved sports of all kinds and enjoyed broadcasting games in Michigan during his college years. However, when he returned to New York, he found immediate employment in the financial world and soon after started at Cantor Fitzgerald where he became a partner.

Marc was truly a “master of the word.” He knew how and what to say in order to put you at ease, make you laugh or help you resolve a problem. Marc loved people. He had many friends and demonstrated a zest for living life to the fullest. He was tops in every way. He even worked at the top. The right position for so many years unfortunately was wrong on only one day – September 11, 2001.

Debra Zeplin and Leora Zeplin, Marc’s Wife and Mother.

Please join us today as we remember Marc Zeplin and the rest of the victims of those attacks, and please, NEVER FORGET.

The Road to Reno

Goes through Lake Tahoe. Click image to enlarge.

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We’re going down to meet with the Gun Bloggers in a few minutes. We’ll have more later.

El Capitan

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We woke up just outside of Yosemite National Park this morning. We’re on our way to the Gun Blogger Rendezvous in Reno, and we stayed near Yosemite so we could drive through and see this beautiful place.

We paused alongside the roadway through the valley to take this photo of “EL CAPITAN” with swarms of climbers going up the sheer face. They are too small to be seen in this photo, but they’re there. Click image to enlarge.