Citizen-journalist Re-takes Normandy by Storm

Mil-blogger, U.S. Army veteran, and citizen-journalist Blake Powers—aka "The Laughing Wolf"—is commemorating the 69th anniversary of the allied landings at Normandy with a shoe-string and bootstrap reportorial tour. He figuratively and literally hit the beaches earlier this month, and reports that he has established an expeditionary base he humbly calls "Camp Laughing Wolf."

Imagine a Euro-sized hatchback with a laptop computer attached, and you'll get the idea. With typical cheek, he's further branded the vehicle the "Blackfive Normandy MediaMobile."

According to an update posted June 2, the hearty Hoosier is surviving by alternating between car camping and cheap hotel rooms. "For the record, I've camped everywhere from the high moors of Norway to the Superstition mountains, even in freezing Iraqi winter nights," he writes. "Last night is the coldest I can remember being. I ran the heater in the rental car for about five minutes, decided to rest a bit, and the next thing I knew it was after 1000 hours."

More seriously, Powers described his current mission in a fund-raising message earlier this year:

While this is not a "big" year, it could be one of the last in which the survivors take part. My goal is to make use of the access I've been granted to document the events, with special focus on any survivors who are present, and create a photographic e-book that documents this year's activities. I will be working closely with Army [Public Affairs Office] on the event, so that I have access to all activities and possibly even some of the "behind-the-scenes" activities as well.

Powers provided further project details in a recent profile at the "News Blaze" website.

Check out Powers' continuing overseas coverage at his "Laughing Wolf" blog-site, his Facebook page, and at the "Blackfive" team mil-blog. Stories recently filed at the latter site include:

• "Sneak Peak: Overlord Museum"

• "The Flame"

• "Ouistreham"

• "Pegasus Bridge 2013"

Powers is also author of "A Different View: Travels with Team Easy, Iraq 2007," published in 2012, as well as the more recent "Travels to Al Qa'im and Beyond: Volume 2 of 'A Different View.'"

For information on how to contribute financially to Powers' journalism efforts, click here or here.