Hi all friends of Kevin, I have some updated information you will want to read.
First, I’m gratified by the number of people who have written some variation of “Don’t take down the blog!” It’s great that you believe his work should be preserved online. So we will find a way. Rest assured that absolutely nothing will happen to the current blog for at least a month. It seems to me the obvious choices are a) keeping it alive at weaponsman.com and b) handing the content over to one of the many tech-savvy folks who have commented.
I’m doing this because it’s the right thing to do, not because I’ve been intimidated by hundreds of people with military training and serious firepower. Heh.
Second, we have specifics on Kevin’s celebration of life. It will be on Sunday, June 11, at the Abenaqui Country Club in Rye, NH, from 10:30 am to 2 pm. All are invited. I hope you will come. I’d especially love to see a heavy turnout from Kevin’s SF teammates, 122, USAFSA, Afghanistan, other Army buddies and fellow members of SOA. I have already heard from a number of those guys.
We will need a firm headcount to provide Abenaqui. So when you know you can make it, please email [email protected] with “RSVP” in the subject line. Let us know how many people will be in your party.
This is also a great opportunity to meet new friends with shared interests or reunite with old friends. My wife and I will be hosting an informal get-together at our house the day before and you are all invited to that.
I would not be at all surprised to see some of you guys plan other informal meets. Will you let me know about them (where and when)? I’ll try to stop by.
The New Hampshire seacoast is absolutely beautiful and is a popular tourist destination in the summer. This is my way of telling you to book your hotel early. We may also be able to provide “sleeping bag” accommodations at Kevin’s house. We can provide advice about things to do, where to eat, etc., for anyone who asks.
Now, about the official celebration. We want it to be a positive affair. Please feel free to speak. It’s okay to make jokes at Kevin’s expense. He would have done it to you.
I am hoping to have a blessing and some military recognition at the celebration. One friend of Kevin is a retired three-star general (nice work, bro!) who might be able to help with the latter.
People have asked about contributing to a cause in Kevin’s memory. I’m inclined to direct such contributions to the Green Beret Foundation, unless someone has an objection. FYI Kevin was not a fan of the Wounded Warrior Project.
Finally, I missed some opportunities to thank people. Obviously I’m grateful to all of you for your support and love of Kevin. The doctors and medical staff at Portsmouth Regional Hospital did their very best to stabilize Kevin when he was first brought in last Friday afternoon. The doctors and medical staff at the Shapiro Cardiovascular Center at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston did their very best to save Kevin’s life, and when we all realized that would not be possible, they were supportive and kind with us until the end.
Weaponsman commenter Mike_C is actually “Dr” Mike_C, a trained cardiologist and internist who does medical research in Boston. He gave up his Easter Sunday to join my dad and me at the Shapiro Center and explained everything.
That’s all for now. Hope you can join us for June 11!
Kevin was a former Special Forces weapons man (MOS 18B, before the 18 series, 11B with Skill Qualification Indicator of S). His focus was on weapons: their history, effects and employment. He started WeaponsMan.com in 2011 and operated it until he passed away in 2017. His work is being preserved here at the request of his family.
51 thoughts on “Update on Kevin’s Celebration, future of the blog, and more”
Thank you Brendan.
I will happily be contributing to the GBF in the name of your Brother.
While not technologically inclined in the least I would be more than willing to contribute monetarily to any costs required to keep the blog up. A most fitting tribute to the fine man that was your Brother.
I’ll second this.
Make that two from GA, on both counts. I’m with you, Mack.
I’m in, both ways.
thank you for the update, Brendan, and the O’Brien family for deciding to keep Kevin’s words alive.
H
Thank you, Brendan.
Brendan,
Thank you for taking the time out of what must be a very trying period in your life to address the readers of this blog. Your brother’s writings meant a lot to many and we appreciate any efforts you may make to preserve them as a fitting testament to his legacy.
Please focus on your family and their immediate needs. The blog can wait. And know that you and your family are in all of our thoughts and prayers.
Thank you so much for keeping us informed, it really means a lot to us. I’m sure it will be one hell of a celebration. Would love to attend but alas I will have to suffice with living vicariously through others.
P.S. You have such a similar writing style to your brother it almost sounds like one of his posts.
Brendan,
Thank you for the timely update & best wishes.
BAP45,
Your take on Brendan’s writing style is spot on.
If Brendan ever takes up blogging- could make for some quality reading.
Thank you, Brendan
And thank you to Mike C for his efforts. I wish I could say for sure I will be there, but the health of my own Dad is something that is a full time concern for me and with his frequent hospital stays, I sadly can’t make long term travel plans.
Shawn Thompson
Clearly awesomeness runs deep in the O’Brien family.
Sincere thanks for taking the time to keep all of us out here in Internetland informed and connected amidst such a trying time.
Looks like early risers are still stopping by.
Thank you Brendan.
Brendan, thanks so much for taking the time to update us all, and especially for the news about keeping the blog going.
Like a lot of readers I am several thousand km (and a whole measurement system!) from New Hampshire, but please know that I’ll be thinking of you all on 11 June.
Take care.
I forgot to add, my hat is off to Mike_C for going to be with our friend and his family as he passed. Good on you, mate.
Yes indeed, thank you sir to Mike_C.
And thank you to Brendan.
+1 I don’t know why but it made me feel better to know he was there.
-John M.
Thanks for the update.
Brendan,
Thank you for informing everyone about events. I know that at such a time a family members blog readers would be way down on my priorities.
I would suggest that nothing needs to be done with the blog other than keeping the existing posts online ( perhaps adding an in memorium post at the top).
I’m glad I knew your brother if only through his writing.
Not able to travel at that time, but we’ll be raising glasses in Wyoming to Kevin on June 11th.
Brendan, Thank you sir, your efforts to keep us in the loop during this difficult time are sincerely appreciated. I think it’s a wonderful gesture that you along with us wish to keep Kevin’s words here alive for the future. He shared a wealth of wisdom and information, and he will continue on as long as these thoughts of his do. I plan to look him up on the other side and thank him personally some day, until then, thank you.
Brendan,thanks for taking the time to keep us informed and thanks for all who came to help in tough times.I will RSVP and look forward to meet all you great people that can make it.Ditto on a contribution in Kevin’s name and am willing to try and help anyway I can with keeping the blog at least archived,thanks again for keeping us informed.
Sir,
You, the rest of Kevin’s family and close friends all have my most sincere condolences. I never had the honor of meeting him, but I have looked forward to reading his words each and every morning for several years now, and it stuck me much like the loss of a good friend to hear the news.
I don’t know if this has been discussed privately or publicly, but I was wondering if plans have been made regarding his book on Czechoslovakian pistols. He has written many times on the subject and talked about the book he was writing, but I do not recall him mentioning the status. I had been very much looking forward to news of its publishing, and it hurts to imagine the passion that he must have put into it being lost from the world. I respectfully understand if this is something that falls far toward the bottom of your priorities in your time of deep loss, but would only request that in the months ahead, you consider any options that might allow his work to live on in tribute and be shared with this community.
You all have my prayers and thoughts.
Very respectfully,
MM1 (SW/AW)
He had mentioned that date w/ the publisher was this summer. I would imagine both weapons in his collection (was still buying items for the book at auction as of a month or so ago IIRC) need photographed/cataloged and add’l writing need still occur.
But yes, I very much looked forward to all 3 of his planned Czech volumes (pistols, rifles, and machine guns). It would be fitting if at least the pistol book was brought to completion.
Brendan, Can’t imagine what you and your family are going through, but I want to say thank you for the update. Take care and hang tough.
I will not be able to make it to such a gathering and I envy those that can. I only knew Hognose through his writing, but a chance to meet his kin and those he cared about is almost as good as meeting the man himself. Sadly I cannot accomplish either.
That said, I am ecstatic the blog will live on. I will be archiving everything I can from the user side of the site this weekend. This should act as a little insurance against something weird happening during the switch over. I will drop you a line when it is done.
I am willing to help from other technical aspect as well. My time should free up in June after an upcoming PCS.
Hi, Brendan:
Thank you for giving us Weaponsman readers a way to honor your brother. Green Beret Foundation it is, right this very moment.
My thanks also. The blog can wait for a while. Don’t feel obligated to do anything yet.
I will try to make it to the celebration.
Brendan, thank you for taking the time to write an update and provide details on Kevin’s celebration. Dr. Mike_C, thank you for taking the time to personally support Kevin, Brendan, and his family.
I’m grateful that the blog will remain up in some sort fashion. It is a great monument to Kevin, and a wonderful lesson on how patience and consistent hard work over a long period of time can build something tremendous.
Thank you very much.
Brendan
I am stuck in Florida with obligations and projects my wife made me promise to get done on our home here before I return to Hampton. I hope Kevin’s Celebration goes off without a hitch and shuts down the sleepy hamlet of Rye.
I have a 27 foot camper in my yard that has 2 bunks, 1 queen bed, Wifi service , CATV, a small bath, microwave, gas stove top, a coffee pot, a fire pit, 12′ picnic table, adequate parking, and so on, in a quiet corner west of 95 in Hampton. If you have guests or others who don’t require first class accommodations please touch base with me so I can have it prepared. (mobile; 603-231-1398)
Don’t be Bashful. I hope I can be of service.
The man seemed proud to bring his faith to blog with “a focus is on weapons: their history, effects and employment.” so is this a time for sorrow or praise that the pain of this life is over and he is at peace and joy with the saviour?
Especially when he put his own life on the line to alleviate the pain, suffering and sorrow for strangers the whole world over.
I don’t believe in prayer for the dead, we’ve all had years to make our choice, and your brother obviously made his, but I will be praying for you and your family to feel the peace of Christ in this time.
Death is the enemy and Kevin was allied with the winner of this war.
Amen.
Amen indeed.
I will be attending the memorial/celebration and if any coming in out of state can offer a ride from/to Manchester(closet airport)to Rye/Hampton/Portsmouth ect.,at least save ya’s a few bucks on cab/car rental.I can hold 4 including me in car(% in a emergency and could be available that Friday thru Sunday,so,ya need a ride call me and will setup something when you have some locked in flights,James@508-654-2434,work phone so leave a message.
Thank you, Brendan, for not taking the blog down. I never met Kevin in person, but considered his blog one of the most valuable places to visit on the internet, so if it will still be here in the future that would be most gratifying.
Condolences on your loss. If it’s any consolation, intelligence and writing skills seem to run in your family. I wish you and yours all the best.
Brendan – my thanks for updating Kevin’s fans during this time of your tremendous grief.
Like others, I will archive a copy of the blog. I have infrastructure available, so one more website is of no consequence. The cost of keeping the blog online as a memorial and reference should be minimal.
Heads up to Brendan O’Brien:
Apparently someone already has “the keys to the blog”.
In going back over recent threads, I found this tidbit from Kevin:
“Hognose
Post author
April 12, 2017 at 19:39
If you’d like, I can give you the “keys” to the blog and your own login, and you can draft whatever you like and I will edit as much or as little as you like and put it on the schedule. The content manager makes working with others very easy. The only one who’s taken me up on this before is Andrew Branca, the Law of Self Defense wizard.”
If Counselor Branca still has that access, it might make the work of getting on, and/or preserving the site, easier for you or whomever.
Just a thought.
Best wishes,
-Aesop
I’ve also contacted him via his website, and suggested Mr. Branca contact you if he has anything that could be of help.
Clever sleuthing, Aesop; thanks for uncovering a possible helpful hack. And thanks to those of you who have undertaken private archive duties so copies of HN’s work are avail in case of SNAFU during any planned transition.
DaveP
YVW; couldn’t save Hognose (being on the wrong coast), so trying to find a way to save the blog is the least I can do.
Occupational hazard of being an ER nurse. I hate to lose.
And like James T. Kirk, I don’t believe in the Kobayashi Maru scenario.
So I hope this lead pans out, or at least makes things easier for Brendan.
Is there any way to help financially with the memorial, perhaps like a GoFundMe?
I have asked about this myself. I would like to help cover any costs with Kevin’s memorial or services or to keep the blog hosted etc.
@brendan
deeply missing kev beyond words, please accept my sympathies and all bestest wishes to family and dad.
cannot make the celebration, but still owe youse some hunny.
is the hognose channel at gab.ai still open, or should i send a postcard with my adress details to the house.
otherwise please resort to reply to obdo at discard dot email using another throwaway email adress from there, shall identify myself on reply with kev’s tel#.
I’ve preserved the entire blog via wget with localization of links. It’s not going to be lost for good no matter what happens to this web address!
Thank you sir. I will be making a donation to the GBF.
Wonderful to read all the comments that show so much respect and love.
I only know Kevin from this blog but feel, due to his writing, that I knew him well and really feel the loss.
A request: Can someone post a picture of Kevin please? It would help connect the legacy to the person.
See the previous post.
Torres posted one.
Not that it makes a difference to anyone, but I thought I’d share.
I continually find myself clicking back onto this blog to read what hognose has posted…….never met the man and wouldn’t have recognized him if he had slapped me, but I felt like he was a part of my life and is truly missed.
The other day, I noticed something about ATF reversal on shouldering pistol braces. My hand was on autopilot because I was already here when the brain finally reached, “Interesting…I wonder what Hognose has to say about….damn…
It’s a bigger hole in my routine than expected. He’ll be missed.
You’re not the only one : (
As did I. It was my absolute immediate reaction. To come here
I felt and urge to check here to see what Kevin made of President Trump’s NRA speech.
Sweet Christ I miss that man
I keep clicking on the link and forgetting he’s gone forever. Damn.
Please archive him.