Greetings Warriors and Innkeepers
Thank you for sticking with us. I feel I owe you an explanation regarding the missing blogs I promised.
Late last month (December of 2009) I received a hand delivered letter. Now, for those of you who have ever had the unpleasant surprise of a hand delivery you know it is almost never pleasant news. You may guess correctly, this letter was no different.
I’ve been recalled to Active Duty in the United States Army. I am to serve another year-long tour in Iraq. To say the least this information has been a bit distracting. However, I am thankful to have had the time to set things in order before I depart; in this conflict… few soldiers have had such luck.
I’d like to take just a brief moment to discuss why this happened before I speak on the future of our company.
I joined the Idaho National Guard in 2004. I had no delusions about deployment. I knew I would find myself in the desserts of Iraq by the end of the year. When Nov. rolled around and I landed in Kuwait I found I was even excited about being a part of history.
I had my reasons for going and along with my opinion of the war I will keep those to myself as in I have no political designs or aspirations.
Every deployment is difficult and yes it wasn’t all fun and games but I did enjoy spending time in the “Cradle of Civilization” Being a history buff, it was probably the coolest thing I’ve ever gotten to do. I met many Kurdish folk and became friends with Arabs, Turks, Turkmen, (google it) and many other nationalities. I filled my days with conversation with Bosnian, Turkish and Pakistani truck drivers. The cultures I encountered will forever have had an impact on who I am today.
Nov. 2005 rolled around and I was on a plane back home. We had a layover in Dublin and though I don’t drink, my Irish heritage demanded I buy a locally brewed beer!
Life actually became most difficult after the war. I divorced and went through a premature mid-life-crisis of sorts. But out of it I met Ty Wakefield (Captain Cure) who re-introduced me to my creative roots, comics. Then I met Adam Watson (Ghost Assassin, El Bovine Muerte) whose mentorship has been invaluable. During the course of my crisis I left the IDANG and opted to enter the IRR (Individual Ready Reserve). Doing so allowed me the time I needed to heal and get my life back on track. However, it also put me into a lottery for redeployment, a lottery I did not want to win.
I want to make this clear to all my friends and all my readers. Regardless of my own opinion of the conflict in Iraq and the opinions of others, I am proud I made the choice to serve my country and am very proud of my efforts and the efforts of the American military, to help the people of Iraq rebuild their country during my first deployment.
The Idaho Army National Guard, in my opinion, stands above so many battalions who have spent time in Iraq. Nothing can take away what we as a unit accomplished over there! I am proud, however inconvenient the timing is, to serve once again. I love my country and I’ve grown to love the people of Iraq. The Kurdish friends I made will always have a place in my heart and I pray by the time we leave the Iraq in their own capable hands, the country will at last know peace and prosperity such as that we Americans so often take for granted.
Those who have been following us on Myspace and Facebook know we are about to launch our first major project, the web comic: THE LESS-THAN HISTORICAL ADVENTURES OF LIL’ LINCOLN on February 12th. I ask you be patient with me and this fledgling company if per chance, my deployment delays a page or two.
In the web comic world, deadlines are more important than ever. Entertainers who enter the digital world with their comics take a lot of risks. One, your book is out there, anyone in the world could and potentially violate your copyright protection. Chances are, in the world of intellectual piracy, your property is going to get stolen. That is the risk we take to get our work seen and read. We do it, because we love the medium and in my case I truly love entertaining people and adding laughter to their lives. The other risk is of course missing a deadline! The plan for LIL’ LINCOLN is for the comic to be posted on Tuesdays and Thursdays of every week for at least a year. Should we miss one of those days we risk loosing readers for the week, month or even forever, at least until they remember that they liked us.
Overseas I will have easy access to the Internet and as I already do the majority of my business online I do not foresee difficulties in delivery free weekly entertainment for your enjoyment. But because some missions may take me away from base for extend periods of time I have enlisted some help (forgive the pun).
I want to assure our readers the pages will keep flowing and the books will come.
We have every intention of bringing you the best quality entertainment possible. I’d like to personally thank each and every one of you, dear readers for reading and for continually returning to my blogs and checking on the updates for our comics. This has been a long journey but the adventure is just beginning! Thank you all!
Keep the Inn doors open; every warrior needs their rest. See you on the web!
With humble greetings,
Benjamin J. Kreger
Publisher/Writer
Warrior Innkeeper Comics
2 February 2010
P.S. Don’t forget to stop by February 12th for the celebratory launch of THE LESS-THAN HISTORICAL ADVENTURES OF LIL’ LINCOLN!
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