Blogging will be light tonight as I will be attending a Veteran Appreciation Dinner sponsored by AM 1280 The Patriot, featuring Col. Oliver North as the guest speaker. Amendment X from The Savage Republican invited me as his guest, for which I'm grateful indeed. I will update you on the dinner when I return.

UPDATE: I just got back from the event, which was entertaining. Unlike some other events by the station, this one was more intimate; the price was higher and they deliberately kept the room small to ensure that everyone had a chance to talk with the guest of honor. I spoke with John Fund and a few of the attendees, and the feedback on the format was so positive that they may continue to use it in future events. I would assume that when they present Salem Radio hosts, they will stick with the bigger venues. (Hey, no one wants to get intimate with us, which is why we do radio and not TV!) Speaking of venues, this was my first visit to The Saint Paul, our local five-star hotel. Very impressive. They had a wedding reception in the main ballroom tonight, and I shudder to think what that cost.

Col. North surprised me with his sense of humor, which he used to great effect during his presentation. He gave his perspective on the media coverage of Iraq and noted that few journalists actually get outside of the Green Zone to cover it. He also talked about why that is; 64 Western journalists have died while reporting in Iraq. North said he doesn't mind, as he's getting paid a lot more to get shot at then when he performed that function for Uncle Sam, which drew a big laugh.

He will go back to Iraq in July for another series of reports for Fox. In the meantime, he's focusing on his Sunday night show on the network, "War Stories", which is also the name of his new book. It comes with a DVD, which I have not yet seen, but will watch shortly.

One other note: Amendment X brought Herb Suerth to the dinner along with me. Herb, as I wrote earlier this year, is the president of the E Company Association, the famed unit of paratroopers featured in the Stephen Ambrose book Band of Brothers. Herb got a wonderful introduction before Colonel North spoke and received a standing ovation from the crowd. I had a chance to sit and chat with Herb more than I did the first time we met, when we focused on the specifics of Major Dick Winters and the effort to get him the Medal of Honor he deserves. While I found Col. North entertaining and impressive, I think the best part of the evening was spent with this humble representative of the Greatest Generation.

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