Q: Who wrote the Tribute?

Aside from the text and "scripting" - the sequencing of the images with the music - there was little writing involved. All of the images were culled from the Web, and only required minor modifications to fit the theme. So, instead of saying it was written, I prefer to say that the Tribute was compiled by Pat "Bobcat" Babcock on the occasion of the ALR's 10th Anniversary.

Q: What was it made in?

It is a Macromedia Flash presentation.

Q: Can I get a videotape of it to air on a local TV station?

Unfortunately, though I'm quite flattered: no. There are several issues involved with doing so, not the least of which is that "what you see is what you get": The tribute was designed to run within that tiny little window on your PC, and, digitally, cannot be made to execute in a larger, more "TV Friendly" format. The images alias to blocks of color when enlarged much more than the original size. Though I'm sure that a cable or TV studio could render it suitable for broadcast from the original using analog techniques, there's another issue...

Secondly, I do not own the rights to the background music, and would be reticent to broadcast it in any other format without first getting explicit permission.

Q: What is that backgound music?

It is the theme music from the HBO movie Band Of Brothers. It is a piece that I feel clearly captures the feel and emotion associated with service during wartime. It is triumphant, yet melancholy - appropriate to reflect the loss of heroes and comrades. It has haunted me since the first time I heard it. Beautiful. One of the most moving pieces in recent times. Of course, all of that is just my opinion. You may find it otherwise.

Q: Who is The Tribute intended to honor?

It is intended to honor all those who have sacrificed time by giving service to the United States through the military. It gives particular attention those who have served in wartime, particularly those who have lost their lives, their freedom (POWs), or their mobility (disabled veterans) and cannot enjoy the way of life their service has preserved for the rest of us.

Q: You Have Forgotten Those Currently In Harm's Way!

No I haven't. I'd never forget those who have served, are serving, or will serve in this significant period, nor did I when making the tribute. The "Bringing Freedom To Others" slide is intended to represent these conflicts, since that is primarily what these conflicts are intended to do.

The dedication of this slide to these conflicts, I had hoped, was evident in the progression though time represented by the sequence of the preceding slides: WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam. Unfortunately, those who served in the conflicts in Lebanon, Granada, and Panama were not specifically represented in the Tribute.

There are several reasons why there is no specific photo or image for the current conflicts; not the least of which is that, at the time I wrote the tribute (it's was written in mid-2003), I could find no "representative" photo that was easily/clearly identifiable as having been from the current conflicts that seemed to fit the mood of the presentation and the theme of the slide.

In any case, since creating the original was no picnic - it is the first and only "project" of its type I've ever created, and trying to figure out the software and produce the piece consumed several man-weeks (much to the, um, "enjoyment" of my wife and kids...), and, since I was running out of available time, my decision was to use only the Flag. Please know that using the Flag for such a thing is not a trivial "quick fix", either - I only hold my God higher in regard than I hold the Flag and what it represents.

So, though not identified via a specific photograph, your honor is higher: the slide dedicated to these conflicts has our Flag, unobstructed, and not muted in color. You were not forgotten, and no disrespect was intended.