I could really give "found in the wild" a new meaning if I were allowed to go foraging for pens here. Unfortunately, in the Al Anbar Province area of Iraq, interacting with the locals on a social level is both extremely dangerous as well as strictly prohibited. I am about half way through a twelve month "in country" tour which was preceded by twelve months of stateside "train up". I am an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) pilot/Instructor for the California Army National Guard.
With
the unfortunate timing of discovering my interest in collecting fountain
pens (Parker vacumatics and 51's in particular) while on deployment,
finding and building a meaningful collection is difficult and sometimes
frustrating, but not impossible. Not unlike the "hermit collectors"
that never visit a pen show, club meeting, or pen shop, I must do my
searching via a publicly shared and excruciatingly slow internet kiosk
that will not allow access to online auction houses, blogging sites,
or personal home pages. Alas, I still have been lucky enough to acquire
several nice pieces and reading material.
During my turns on the internet, I have
frequented the Fountain Pen Network (FPN) forum, Parker51.com, and Richard
Binders website where I have met several new and supportive friends.
It was amazing to discover how much caring and support there is back
home, much of it from war time veterans turned pen officionados.
While there are many hardships to endure
while on deployment in Iraq, being away from my wife and kids the hardest,
it really sucks to not be able to attend shows that I see everyone posting
about with anticipation and the excitement of seeing old friends and
new finds. I can't complain too much. I have it better than a lot of
our ground pounding, hard charging infantrymen.
While home on leave recently, I was able
to meet Fred Krinke of The Fountain Pen Shop, Inc. in Monrovia, California.
His selection and display of pens is legendary and he is quite the attentive
shop owner. I took the opportunity to join the Southern California Pen
Collectors Club (S.C.P.C.C) and asked if anyone might have some old
copies of pen magazines laying around that I could read. I would pay
for shipping of course. Boy did John King Tarpinian and the club members
come through! I received a 35lb box of magazines a few weeks later back
in Iraq.
The FPN has been a great resource for
me. So much so that nowadays, I have to be careful about what I post
when looking for something. There are so many friendly people that are
willing to freely give up their treasure to help out a troop. Richard
Binder has sent magazines and correspondence. I have been mailed pens,
sets, inks, paper, and tons of helpful information from new friends.
All of which is being rapidly put to good use.
One
such new friend, Tom Mullane of www.myfavoritepen.com in Maryland, is
an avid poster, and decorated war veteran. He graciously searched and
found me an excellent deal on a Parker 51 Flighter. His talented daughter
even organized her 3rd grade class to hand write letters to my platoon
wishing us all well. I of course responded to every single letter with
my favorite fountain pen.
Not wanting to hog all the love, I made
a few posts asking for information on some inexpensive "beginner"
fountain pens that I could purchase. My plan being to introduce my fellow
platoon members to pens in the hopes of inspiring a future collector
to share in my hunting. Tom to the rescue again! Not two weeks later,
a shipment of new pens and ink showed up at my command post along with
some delicious local Amish made candy. I had a blast handing out the
pens and showing everyone the basics on writing with a fountain pen.
For most, it was their first.
I have to also mention the never-ending
support and love I receive from my beautiful wife and children back
home. She has put up with me and my various hobbies for the last 17
years-only god knows why. With each hobby , I of course try to convert
her in the hopes we have something else to share together. Not to mention
it makes it a lot easier to purchase more stuff! I think I have been
successful in my efforts this time and she now uses a fountain pen exclusively.
She as one of the best correspondence "taglines" I have ever
seen. It reads "If you cannot stand behind our troops, please feel
free to stand in front of them".
Pen collecting in Iraq is a great distraction from the daily bloodshed and mayhem that I witness…and sometimes cause from the air. Fun problems like deciding if I really want to subject my Double Jewel Parker 51 to the desert elements, to deciding which pen jewelry will be in my uniform slots today. I'm getting to be known as the guy that will answer pen questions and show you, but don't think of borrowing! All this and a daily bite out of the 35+ pounds of pen reading material.
So, for the pen collecting servicemen
and women deployed around the world, it is not impossible to find your
treasures. If anything it's far more challenging and rewarding. With
every new pen, I make a new friend, penpal, and awesome back story for
my future grandchildren. I suggest making some posts, writing some letters,
and of course tapping into your greatest resource of all, your family
and friends back home. What better use of your pen than to write home?
I can think of no other.
Please feel free to write me, SGT James
E. Crawford Unit 60519 MND (SE) - 640th MI BN Basrah Air Station APO
AE 09375 (ducrider@highdesert.com)
copyright 2006 Jim Crawford