Jason Tudor
Born in Providence, Rhode Island in 1969, I grew up in various locations around the country as a Navy brat. I graduated from Point Loma High School, Point Loma, California, in 1987 and joined the Air Force later that year. I served 21 years in the Air Force as a public affairs specialist. Within that job, I performed as a combat correspondent, Web designer, illustrator, photographer, designer, and more.
As part of my duties, I’ve piloted an F-15 Eagle jet fighter, a sailplane, have deployed to Baghdad, Iraq and two other undisclosed locations during Operations Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom and Joint Task Force Horn of Africa. I’ve edited four weekly newspapers and served as a senior staff writer for the U.S. Air Force’s magazine, Airman.
I liked James Bond a lot, so I wrote my first novel at age 14, called “Lucifer Castaway.” It ran 108 spiral-notebook-bound pages. My second novel, “The Cerebus Dream” ran considerably longer but served mostly as therapy while I recovered from cancer. Novels three and four are currently in production.
Today, I live and work in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany as a public affairs specialist for the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies. (Disclaimer: the opinions expressed on this blog and on other Internet platforms where I may contribute write are solely my opinions and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of Defense, the US Army or the Marshall Center.)
I’m also a moderator at Absolute Write’s forums. Primarily, I moderate the Comic Books and Graphic Novels forum. I’m also a guest blogger for “The Furnace,” primarily talking about comic books, pop culture and other things that fascinate me. I am also a three-time first-place recipient of the Department of Defense’s Thomas Jefferson Award. I received another 100-plus awards from the U.S. Air Force and civilian agencies for writing, photography, illustration and more.
My wife, Denise, tolerates me. My daughter, Annabelle, loves me.
Popularity: 7% [?]
Jas – the new website is brill! Great work, no joke!
This is very well-written, Jason. Interesting and inspiring.
I’m 54 and I did okay with 40, wasn’t so sure I liked turning 50. But it is just a number.
Kathy (rhymegirl on AW)
You do the best you can with every day,love your family and try to be good to others.40 and 50 were major for me,now I look forward to 70.Adults make mistakes,they are humanGlad you deal with your past,love the present and look forward to the future==glad you are my soninlaw.
Beautiful Jason. You’re an adventurer, world explorer…always forward. Shalom.
Your description brought me back to the futbol games I’ve been to. Those fans are ENTHUSIASTIC! I especially love your comment about the “jiggling man flesh.” Nice.
‘The headache of rank …’
Jason, in the words of the buhhh-rilliant ‘J’ Beasley – ‘That pleases me’
I’m not sure if you’re referring to it in a ‘dealing with the brass’ sorta way or alluding to the ‘Mo’ money Mo’ problems’ aspect of adding stripes, but it really matters not.
So once again I will be demonstrating my sincerist form of JT flattery and stealing that bee-atch like the last fresh pear in Fallujah …
Except for every moment that came after it, I will always lead with the day I arrived in Smackie’s World and came upon you shilling pumpkins in the AFNEWS dayroom – INSTANTLY realizing, for the first time evahhhhh, I wasn’t the mos’ clever fella in the room – as the day I was in rarefied company.
Zehr Gut Gebuhrstagen, and get the futon ready, ‘cuz we’re on September’s doorstep.
Mark, your most ardent plagerizier (spellcheck be damned)
Italy is near the top of my list of places I’d like to visit, and Venice is a city I’d love to see. The Romeo & Juliet stuff sounds like a bonus.
Sorry it was so expensive. Those unexpected costs can really ruin a trip.
I’m an ardent admirer of the phrase ‘flimflam’
JT, go long about all things Oktoberfest Biergardens, will ya?
Mark
That is a cool gift you have.
I can whistle by both blowing and sucking air. Somehow I think I got ripped off…
I heartily agree with all of this! I can’t remember what year I stopped making resolutions, but it was probably in my late 20s. Every year my goals were to exercise regularly, eat healthy, and be a better person. All things that shouldn’t pivot around a date on the calendar. When I realized I was accomplishing those goals several years running, I tossed the resolutions for good.
I get frustrated listening to people declare that they will change huge parts of their life overnight because as you said, it won’t happen. Or very rarely anyway. Better to choose a lifestyle change and decide that’s what’s best for you.
Happy new year!
I retired from the Air Force almost 14 years ago, and have been through all the options with my facial hair and what little I have left of my head. Still experimenting.
I think it’s only natural to rebel against the rules once you’re allowed to. I couldn’t wear jeans, tshirts, or sweatshirts to high school so that’s ALL I wore in college. Cuz, you know, girls can have long hair.
I know exactly what you’re going through. I did it with my webcomic KAT AND MOUSE: GUNS FOR HIRE a few years ago. I ended up pulling it offline. It, too, was not up to par with some of the webcomics out there.
So I also turned to the webfiction serial format and revived KAT AND MOUSE: GUNS FOR HIRE as a serial story. Found I did lots better with that version–it’s been running since December 2008 (currently on break while I play catch up).
I ran into Galactic Milk once, forgot the link, and am happy to run into it again.
Ace, thank you for the nice note and taking the time to write. Some days you can feel like the only one embroiled in a situation like this. i bet others can benefit from the reflection we take on our work as well, so maybe this post helps. I’ve added your blog and Kat to my Google Reader. Again, thanks!
I always enjoy your comic and I like your artistic style — it’s what I prefer. *shrugs*
I’m kicking myself for still not reading Galactic Milk, but now that I know there’s a t-shirt I can buy, I may have too.
More than 40 years of smoking didn’t make me rich, powerful or famous, but it’s part of who I am — a part I miss terribly almost three months into my third serious attempt to quit. Each attempt, including this one, has added 20-plus permanent pounds to a frame that was one step ahead of the weight-control monitor for much of my military career. Therefore, given the fact I really don’t want to be a nonsmoker anyway, I’ve decided this is the last time I’ll try to quit. If I fall off the wagon, it’s for good this time. It’s not like quitting is a ticket to immortality. Even if all the damage of those 40-plus years has been undone — which most assuredly is not the case — something else will get me. It may be this year, or it may be 30 years from now, but no one here gets out alive. I don’t want to spend the rest of my time here wanting a cigarette. I’m sticking with quittage for now, but if the longing doesn’t go away soon, I’m going to light up and will never look back.
Love this post Jason. This really needs a bigger audience.
Never smoked or drank beer, but I still gravitate toward people who do both. (I don’t know if they’re more interesting, but they’re definitely less “holier-than-thou” to hang with.) I also learned early in my public affairs career that the first and best place to get news leads is on the smoke deck. Thanks for speaking up for our addicted friends!
To me, smoking = hive mind and for just the reasons you state here. People think smoking makes them cool. Even you think smoking makes people cool! Our childhoods were inundated with images of über-cool people with a pack of smokes. Sure, the 30-somethings aren’t thinking that now, but why did they pick it up in the first place? Because they/their friends thought it was cool? And honestly, I don’t think it’s the lack of smoking that’s making people dull. People are doing just fine with that on their own
To support Sara’s point, there’s also this: http://www.reutershealth.com/archive/2010/02/23/eline/links/20100223elin001.html.
Jason, I really enjoyed this post. I agree that you need a bigger audience.
Thanks, Mel. And thanks for following the blog.
so close to true…not sure if I should laugh or cry, probably need to submit a request form for either, in all caps
Nicely done!!
Awe.Some.