HOW
WILL YOUR DONATION HELP?
This
Flag Flies Free is an all or nothing campaign which means that any donation
could be the one that “makes or breaks” this funding goal! That’s right, if this
project doesn't meet its goal by the deadline, the project will get nothing,
and nothing will get done. Please help us help them. Together we will make a
difference!
Hi,
and thank you for stopping by and hopefully supporting this project. I hope you
had the opportunity to watch the video. I guess everyone has a song in them
and, this one is mine. As I state in the Video, I have heard stories from
Soldiers from different wars, and I have cried those tears. I guess I have kind
of been writing this song in my head for the last few years and finally got it
put down on paper and found Dana Stubbert who worked his magic on it by putting
it to music and singing the demo version of the song.
This is not a traditional campaign, what we
are attempting to do is create a residual source of income to help
organizations that help those who suffer from P.T.S.D. You make think that the
video is a little too long, but what had to be said had to be said. This isn’t a pop tune campaign, you can’t sugar
coat it. This campaign is designed to help others and
if it is successful it will.
The video credits have
the first two minutes of the song to give you an idea of what the song is all
about. Over all, the song is four minutes
and twenty-one seconds long.
It’s time to get this song out there. I have been
following the news, and it seems that PTSD is getting way out of hand, and
anything we can do to help, will help.
You really don’t know what can be done until you
try; you can’t always wait for someone else to do it, thinking it may get done,
because it usually does not happen. You have to get it started, and see where
it goes. I didn't wait when I self published my book Ductigami ‘The Art of the Tape’
and the next thing you know, it got picked up by a publisher and it sells around
the world. The same thing happened with my little clothing concept. I approached the vice president of a Major
International clothing manufacturer for them to do a 65th anniversary
fleece piece to honour (Yes,
I’m Canadian) every fallen Soldier from the D-Day invasion with name
recognition on the very beach where they fell. I told her that the memorials
they erected on the beaches of Normandy, would brand history, something that
had never been done. After seven months of enquiry, the lady informed me that she didn't think that people
would be interested in it, so I did it myself and developed D-Day Wear®. Like I
say in the video, so far I have been able to assist in honouring every fallen
Canadian and will continue until I get every fallen soldier honoured.( After 10
years, I’m still going).
This song has to get out there so we can start
helping people as soon as we can, it has to happen now, and I need you to be a
part of this.
"It doesn't
matter how many say it cannot be done or how many people have tried it before;
it's important to realize that whatever you're doing, it's your first attempt
at it."
Wally
Amos ('Famous Amos')
Famous Amos wouldn't
lie. There are many costs involved in
making a one-hit-wonder, and like I stated before, this is an all or nothing
campaign. The cool thing is you will be
playing a crucial role in its success, and it will be successful. I have been playing the full version of the
demo for people to listen to and I cannot believe the response the song has
received in this version, everything from a heartfelt thank-you to some people
crying and say “Oh my God” that’s just like...(“Dad”). What you hear in the
Video is Dana singing the song to his computer, while sitting at his dining
room table; no drums, no bass, and no backup vocals. When ‘This Flag Flies
Free’ is professionally recorded, it will be epic.
WHY DO WE NEED ALL OF THIS?
It takes
a lot of people to make something BIG happen. That’s why I put a really great team together and we came here. We are looking for $55,000 (we hope it’s enough), to produce a song and a video and open an e- commerce website so we can make a
BIG difference in what we hope are a lot of peoples' lives. You may be asking
why so much to produce a song and a video?
It all comes down to this; We don’t want to settle for OK, and we don’t
want to release something that we are not proud of, and more so something that
you are proud to say I helped make that possible. The whole purpose of this
project is about respect and honour, and in today’s society, you get
what you pay for. This project has to be the best it can possibly be, we can’t,
and won’t settle for anything less. Our Military and First Responders don’t!
The funds that this campaign raises will go
towards paying for (take a breath); studio time, musicians, engineers, a choir
for background vocals, lead vocals, recording, mixing, mastering, CD
manufacturing costs and packaging, artwork and design,(breathe) the video crew,
equipment rental, video production, editing, any legal stuff, marketing and
promotion, the perks which is the cost of the goods (which will all be
made in the USA and Canada, because you can’t thank people that protect us and our
freedoms with stuff made in China, that’s just wrong). Then there is shipping fees (North American and International),
Paypal fees and a crowd funding premium that includes the percent that this
platform earns for hosting this campaign and finally, there is a little extra for that
Murphy guy and his laws, because we probably forgot something. (Exhale)
Now remember people, you aren’t just purchasing a
product, you are getting an idea off the ground, and you can take pride in
telling people when you hear the song, “I made that possible”. You can tell
them that This Flag Flies Free, is your one-hit- wonder, and by supporting this
campaign, you will make a difference. So please join us on this amazing quest,
and share it with your friends. It’s all up to you, This Flag Flies Free…or will it?
Our Perks
If you like what we are attempting to do and are unable to donate right now, please "LIKE" us on facebook and share this with your friends.The Artist and the Art Work.
I had the privilege to be able to associate myself with Jozef Milczarski of Jozef Design Services many years ago. In fact, Jozef’s artwork makes up a quarter of my D-Day Wear t-shirt line.
We first met years ago at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto and it was meant to be. You see during World War II, Jozef’s father fought for the Polish Army alongside of the Canadian and American Armies at the Battle of Monte Cassino in Italy. Jozef liked what I was doing and was able to bring my ideas to life with his remarkable gift and incredible eye for detail and his passion for the military. (Personally, I can’t draw a straight-line with a ruler).
When I started to work on this project, I knew the man for the job was Jozef. We have teamed up again which is awesome because our relationship just works!
Throughout the campaign, which is an all or nothing format, as the donations start to generate, we will post updates and you will actually be able to see Jozef bring the artwork to life. You may think that this is a leap of faith to invest in something that you haven’t seen. All I can say is, “Make the jump”, I guarantee you will not be disappointed. We will not let you down, we just want to bring you along on every facet of this creative journey.
Just so you can get an idea of Jozef’s talents, here are the designs he has done for D-Day Wear. (Just click to have a look).
· On a Wing and a Prayer.
· Dogfights.
· The War Machine.
· The Holocaust.
· The 1,000 Yard Stare.
· Battle Stations.
Now here are some of his concept pencil sketches for This Flag Flies Free.
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First directional sketches after Joe and I talked.
A more refined layout so Joe and I are on the right track. Once we have the the basics I go do my thing in refining the composition with elements color and detail.
A step in that refining process, Joe shared a story on why the Eagles mouth needs to be open...ask him.
To view some of jozef' other work...
What our logo represents?
The stylized Maple Leaf symbolizing the Canadian flag adorns the top of the design. Positioned to represent how the world sees our countries form the great continent of North America.
The Stars and Stripes rests securely on the wings of the American bald eagle the national bird of the United States of America, representing liberty and freedom.
The thin line between the flags represents, the International Boundary between our great nations (the world’s longest undefended border). We have been ‘Brothers in Arms’, fighting alongside of each other throughout history, always there for each other through foreign wars, the war on terrorism and natural disasters.
We must work together and answer this call of duty to stand up and battle this invisible epidemic that traumatizes our heroes. Just as a soldier leaves no one behind, we must leave no one behind in our fight against P.T.S.D. which has no borders!
What is P.T.S.D?
I'ts natural to experience fear in dangerous situations, but people with P.T.S.D. may behave as though they are under attack when there is no imminent threat.
A person who suffers P.T.S.D. typically re-experiences the trauma through flashbacks and nightmares, experiences that can seem as real as the actual trauma. The person often feels intensely that the trauma could happen again at any time.
Thoughts and feelings can trigger symptoms, but so can words, situations or objects that remind the person of a traumatic situation.
How Common is it?
Anyone who has experienced a life-threatening situation can develop P.T.S.D., according to Dr, Stephen J. Cozza, a professor of psychiatry at the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences.
Although over the course of a lifetime, many people have extremely distressing or threatening experiences, only a small percentage will experience P.T.S.D., experts say. The range of responses is largely based on the amount of exposure to the stressor. said Cozza. Most studies examining the rate of P.T.S.D. in service members put the rates at about 15%-20%.
30% of service members who have fought in Iraq or Afghanistan have been diagnosed with P.T.S.D., according to a Department of Veterans Affairs study.
Links:
Speak to a NVF Counselor 1-888-777-4443
National Veterans Foundation: http://nvf.org/
http://www.ptsd.va.gov/public/PTSD-overview/basics/how-common-is-ptsd.asp
Post
Traumatic Stress Disorder Association of Canada: www.ptsdassociation.com
PTSD and the family
Frequently Asked Questions about Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
PTSD Hotline
(U.S.A.) 1-800-273-8255
PTSD Helpline(Canada) 1-855-373-8387