Super Mario

We had a great time at the Ft. Stewart FTX this past weekend, although I was a little surprised when I returned to see the gaggle of barking moonbats that my post from last Friday attracted. One of the highlights of the trip was getting to spend time with one of the finest men I know, my fellow PAO team member Mario de Carvalho (the mustachioed chap standing next to me). Mario is a veteran cameraman with CBS News, who has covered combat zones around the world for decades. While embedded with the 3rd ID, his CBS crew was the first news crew to reach Baghdad Airport during Operation Iraqi Freedom. His journalistic travels have spanned the Balkans war to rioting in Haiti to Hurricane Katrina, but even before that he saw combat while in the US military as a special forces operator in far flung realms. Mario has witnessed things that few people on the planet ever imagine - or even want to imagine - seeing.

But Mario never dwells on the tragic side of his job, and instead will regale you with hours of side-splitting stories. Although originally a native of Portugal, I'd put Mario's love of his adopted country, the United States, above that of any of the troopers I have ever met. His bravery is only matched by his loyalty, and I'm proud to call him my friend.