When I was at Walter Reed a couple of weeks ago, I was given a magazine by one of the patriotic, soldier loving, Free Republic members. The magazine is called “Proud American” and is published by Hit Parader (a magazine I LOVED growing up as a young head banging metal rocker). Their subtitle to the publication is “Celebrating Life, Liberty & The Pursuit of Happiness”, something soldiers and military members help ensure.

The magazine is full of military-oriented articles. I talked with Frank Sanders, the Publisher of Proud American, about the publication.

“I’ve always had a strong interest in the military, and have closely followed the military conflicts we’ve been involved in,” he says in the first issue of Proud American (on sale now). “I vividly remember being glued to CNN during the first Gulf War, and again during the invasion of Afghanistan following the tragic terrorist attacks on our country on September 11, 2001. During the initial weeks of the war in Iraq, I proudly watched as the U.S.-led coalition toppled the Saddam Hussein dictatorship.”

I really enjoyed reading the magazine and have finished every article from cover to cover. I’ve even contacted some of the services advertised in the magazine.

However, there’s a problem. Even though only one issue of the magazine has been published, it’s possible we won’t get regular installments.

“We’re tracking the progress and sales of the magazine,” says Frank. He’s not sure that there are enough “proud Americans” out there that are willing to subscribe or purchase this sort of publication. Unfortunately, I tend to somewhat agree with him. Publishing a magazine is a costly proposal and difficult to earn a profit on in today’s saturated magazine market.

But, we can help because there are a LOT of “proud Americans” out there that have been waiting for a positive magazine willing to highlight the successes and accomplishments of today’s military. The magazine spotlights our wounded heroes at Walter Reed, homecomings of troops returning from honorable combat duty, the USO, and Milbloggers (woohoo!!).

One of my favorite articles from the magazine is called “Winning The Peace” by Bianca Garilli. I’ve been given permission to publish some excerpts from the article:

In just two centuries, our great country has undergone massive changes. Tree covered forests and grass-waving plains have sprouted productive towns and teeming cities, roads connect the Atlantic to the Pacific, and satellites and fiber optic cables connect us with one another in ways our forefathers could never have imagined. We awake in the morning knowing our children have good schools to attend, that our churches await us on our day of worship, and that our grocery stores are stocked with fresh and safe food items. Rarely do we witness first hand the plight of many other countries’ inhabitants-a shortage of food, a lack of running water, and little or no access to education or gainful employment. We are lucky. We are blessed. And, on a regular basis, we extend these small wonders to others.

Today, the troops that so effectively won the war in Iraq are working tirelessly to win the peace-to provide the citizens of the once dictatorial nation the chance to experience the basic amenities that we take for granted. A colossal undertaking is unfolding in Iraq: the rebuilding of a country is underway…

In 2005 alone, 92 major power projects were finished, adding over 900 megawatts of electricity to the national grid, and 102 water projects were completed, giving the people of Iraq and additional 151, 473 cubic meters of water per day, 30,600 hectares of irrigated area, and 107 potable water systems. In the same timeframe, the Reconstruction Program finsihed 14 projects aimed at repairing oil infrastructure, which will function to benefit the economic status of Iraq and its citizens…

Kids play sports again…

Clean water wards off disease and death…

Learning Continues…

Protecting Iraq’s Borders…The shared border between Iraq and Iran continues to be a region of tension because insurgents easily cross unpatrolled country lines. Forty-five planned border forts are meant to diminish this problem, 39 of which have already been completed. each new fort was stategically placed along trails that historically have provided access to incoming invaders. The two most recently finished forts were modeled after a British design, complete with turrets and ramparts. Self-sufficient in the basic essentials of living and protection, the forst include kitchens, bathrooms, offices, and armories, as well as observation posts and their own electrical power from 50kV generators. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was involved with the construction of these posts.

Obviously, building forts in not enough; there must be someone to man the turrets and patrol the borders. U.S. forces have once again stepped up to answer the need by training and preparing a fully combat ready Iraqi military force. On January 19, 2006, the first Iraqi cadets graduated from the Iraqi Military Academy Al Rustamiyah (IMAR) following their yearlong curriculum. Everyone beamed as the new 2nd lieutenants thanked their trainers and became eligible to join their fellow Iraqi soldiers. “These soldiers have set the bar high for the next class,” said U.S. Army Maj. Joseph Brunetti, IMAR assistant chief instructor. “Today’s graduates are truly ready to be leader in the Iraqi Army.”

Those are just some of the points made in the article. Bianca does a great job educating us on the true progress in Iraq. I am very impressed by the positive attitude of this completely independent magazine.

Ladies and gentlement, we can’t let such a positive publication disappear into oblivion. Currently, there is no way to subscribe to the magazine as they haven’t quantified how many people are willing to purchase and read it yet. If your local book store or magazine rack doesn’t carry “Proud American” demand that they carry it. Buy a couple of copies and pass them along.

The website has a contact form if you’d like any more information. You can access the site at www.proudamericanonline.com. Please pardon the typos, I’m in a hurry and had to manually type in all quotes. If something sounds odd, let me know and I’ll edit the piece. I don’t have time to proofread right now. (CPL M, if you see typos, can you correct for me?)

DISCLAIMER: I am in no way affiliated with Proud American, Hit Parader or any advertisers supporting either company. I’m just a grateful soldier that someone has finally published a magazine I’m proud to support. I contacted Proud American about running this post, not the other way around. I will receive NOTHING by getting you to support this endeavor except the knowledge that there are Proud Americans out there looking for positive military and patriotic reading.