March 9, 2011, this year, quite obviously, I was invited to the New Soldier's Awards and banquet program which was held in the local American Legion, Bartlesville, Oklahoma.  I am a photographer so I took my camera and I took many photographs of the young men and women who were to receive various awards for their accomplishments as new soldiers.  Also, Major Paul Clark was retiring after twenty-five years of service in the United States Army. Major Clark, Sergeant First Class Robert Kowal, and Staff Sergeant Ricky Stewart, the Bartlesville Station Commander presented awards to the individuals.  Major Clark took time to tell the young soldiers and their families his story.  He began as an enlisted soldier, served in his assignments and as he moved along in commands, he began to take college courses.  He told the young soldiers, and old veterans who attended, about his success in college and how it eventually led to his becoming an officer.  He spoke at length about the opportunities he had received from the army and he said that he was the first person in his family to have a college education.  I took photographs of Major Clark and his two sergeants standing in front of the great American flag adorning most of one wall in the American Legion post. 

Coincidentally, the date of this presentation fell on the 50th anniversary of the date upon which I stood, with three other new sailors, raised my right hand and took the oath of enlistment.  It was a somber moment, one filled with both fear and pride, and not a small sense of accomplishment as a navy Captain with four full stripes shook hands with each of us and offered, "Congratulations.  You are now men of the United States Navy."  I was seventeen and by less than a month so anyone using my name and man in the same sentence was bound to impress me as I was still struggling to figure out what I was.  Major Clark and the sergeants knew that the day would be my anniversary and they chose to let me celebrate it with brothers, new brothers, young ones, but brothers by virtue of the oath of enlistment, by virtue of the uniform I had worn, and they one they would soon wear.  Different of course, one a sailor's uniform, one a soldier's uniform, but they represented many of the same things and a common understanding existed among us of what that brotherhood meant.  It meant boot camp, non-commissioned officers, being shouted out, abused--in the name of discipline--long hours, little rest, long lines, eating in mess halls, sleeping with a hundred men in a small room, and pride.

In the end, it is impossible not to feel pride.  There is pride in the uniform, in the colors, in marching, in hearing your song for your service branch, pride in just knowing that you served, that you did your duty, somehow.

That evening, not only did they join me in celebrating that fifty year mark in my life, from seventeen to sixty-seven, but the soldiers gave me an award which I was told each of them had contributed to.  It was a clock contained in a wooden enclosure with a plaque marking not only my service but my Military Service Bible Project. It is a beautiful instrument and I photographed it, that's what we photographers do, photograph, everything and often.  I was both embarrassed and filled with pride.  Embarrassed because I did not feel I had done anything to deserve their reward, filled with pride just because they had given me an award.  I give Bibles, but not with expectation for anything.  When I began I wanted to get others to help and to also give Bibles, and that has happened as people learn from me about the military Bibles.  After I had given about ten, I set a formal goal to give one hundred to the Marine Corps and see where it went from there.  Along the way, I also gave some to soldiers, sailors, airmen and a coast-guards man.  I have kept track of them and we have now given 120 Military Service Bibles; 84 have gone to marines, 19 to soldiers, 10 to sailors and the rest divided up in various ways.  With 84 having gone to marines, 16 more will meet that goal and I will concentrate on the army for a while with a change in my goal.  When will I quit?  I don't think I will. not as long as I am able.  The project has cost me $3,155.64 so far, just in Bibles and I still have shipping costs with some of them, and I don't monitor the shipping, packing and other costs, just the costs of the Bibles.  I shared my numbers with Sergeant Kowal recently; he has become a friend as well as a soldier I know.  Sergeant Kowal digested the figure I had shown him and he said, "That's a lot of money."  And I said, "It's worth it."

I am glad to do it, small as it is, but I feel good about it and I take a lot of pride in doing it.  I am also proud of the gift the soldiers have given me.  It is an honor.

Stephen J. Payne

Why is it Called Red Boots?

Like anything, our project needed a name.  We at first considered The Marine's Bible Project, but that was rejected because it was too specific and omitted other branches of the service.  But, we also thought that we might have a Marine's and then a Soldier's and perhaps more, but that became too many isolated projects and because there will always be new marines, new soldiers and sailors, we knew that a single project would never be concluded.

I wear Red Boots and so I have acquired that as a nickname and also a trademark of sorts.  Some people with whom I have interaction don't know my name, or they don't remember it, because they are in public and deal with too many people.  But few forget my Red Boots, so after I give my name and hear "Who?" I will say "Red Boots" and I am usually remembered. from that.  I considered naming the project after my son but he was a musician and far from any association with the military.  In fact, his health would have prevented his enlistment had he wanted to enlist.  My son, Stephen William Payne (1967-2003) was diagnosed with Type I (Juvenile) Diabetes at age fourteen so he had acquired the disease when he was thirteen, and it shaped the rest of his life.

Somehow affixing Red Boots to it became natural to me since often the soldiers and marines also knew me as either Red Boots, The Photographer, or in some cases, just "The old guy."  That's alright as many years separate us, the young soldiers and marines from me.  In fact, March 9, 2011 marked the day, fifty years ago that I stood with my right hand raised before a navy captain and took the oath of enlistment.  I did not remember all of the words, only, "I, Stephen Joe Payne, do solemnly..." and at or near the end, "...so help me God."  I heard "Congratulations men, you are now men of the United States Navy."  At the word men, we must have been looking around to see to whom he was talking for we were boys, seventeen in my case, with the eldest of the group of four only nineteen.  There was a lot of distance then too between seventeen and nineteen.  From my vantage point today, seventeen and twenty-nine are almost the same.

Red Boots makes as much sense to me as almost anything I can think of, so Red Boots it is.  I, and we, are not yet a non-profit organization, nor exactly a charity.  We are just one person with a specific mission, and as a friend told me, an evolving mission.  My mission here is to give Military Branch Service Bibles to the enlisted men and women, and officers, of the United States Armed Forces to the best of my ability for as long as I am able, and if it evolves into an organization that continues to do so, then I will feel blessed for having contributed in a small way to something bigger than I am.

Red Boots it is.

Stephen Joe Payne

"To a Marine"

When I purchase the bibles, from Living Word in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, they are enclosed inside of a cellophane wrapper inside of a nice cardboard box  The store imprints the cover with someone's name or whatever is wanted, as long as there is enough space.  For example, the Bible I bought for President Barrack Obama did not have adequate room for the "President Barack Obama" so we went with just "President Obama." 

The first time, when the young sales lady offered this, I declined, not because I did not think it was good, but because I did not know the name of the marine to whom the bible was going to be given. But I thought for a moment and then I had it imprinted with "To a Marine." All of them have been so imprinted, if I did not know the marine's name, with the exception of my own Sailor's Bible, which I bought several years ago.  I later asked them to print my name on it and since I bought it from them, they willingly did so. I bought a Sailor's Bible for my friend Jim Mosley and his name is imprinted.

Staff Sergeant Ocasio told me that he had given one of the bibles we had stocked to a new marine recruit who did not have much of a family support system and the young man held it in his hand, paused, looking at it, thankful for someone having given it to him, as though no one had ever given him anything.  He was awed, and thankful, and I was rewarded for I felt my small effort was worthwhile. There are many things to be done in the world and none of us can do all of them; each one of us can do something. It is a choice we make, what we do; it is a gift, what we can do. I am just fortunate that I can do this small thing. It is what I choose to do.

Stephen Joe Payne

We Give Military Branch Service Bibles

This is a photographic image of my calling card for this project.  It is fairly clear with the title of "Red Boots Military Service Branch Bible Project" and the statement of "We give Holman Military Service Branch Bibles to Veterans."  We do not limit it to veterans, and in fact, put the active service personnel ahead of veterans but we don't exclude anyone who served.  The photograph on the card is of a Marine's Bible but they are also available in these versions:  The Soldier's Bible, The Sailor's Bible, The Airman's Bible, and The Coastguardman's Bible."  And, there are versions for The Fireman's and the Policeman's Bible.  I fear some, when they do not have time to talk with me and learn what I am doing, may think I am a bible salesman or pushing a religion.  I am not.  I am interested only in giving these bibles to those active and veteran service women and men who want one. 

I have the Sailor's Bible, with my name on the cover, and inside in the first few pages where there are several places for it, is written my service record, from enlistment, boot camp, Radar "A" School, my service aboard The USS Point Defiance (LSD-31) until my discharge, my graduation from high school, marriage, birth and death records for my son Stephen William Payne (1967-2003) and a few of the missions on which I served.

Let me reiterate, I am not a bible salesman.  I learned about the Marine's Bible quite by accident and then almost the same way, I learned about the other bibles in the series.  I set a goal to give one hundred (100) of the Marine's Bible to marines.  Since then, I have successfully give eighty of them to marines.  I have also given thirty bibles to other servicemen and service women; the bulk of those have been The Soldier's Bible with a few of them The Sailor's Bible, one The Airman's Bible and one The Coastguardman's Bible.

When I know of someone who is active military or a veteran, or a parent of one, I ask if they want a bible, frequently showing my Sailor's Bible to them so that they understand what I am talking about, and I do not talk of religion with them.  If they say, "Yes" then I ask his or her name, and Melvin prints the name on the bible.  For example, Sergeant First Class Robert Kowal has a Soldier's Bible with just his name, "Robert Kowal" on the cover of the bible.  His bible has an army green cover with the Army Seal on it as well.

This monograph is printed on the back of my calling card:

"My project is to give Holman Military Branch bibles to our military and veterans.  I pay for them from my earnings and Social Security income so I can buy them only when I have funds.  I give about 25 bibles a year.  They are the Marine's Bible, The Sailor's Bible, The Soldier's Bible, etc.  I began my project in 2005 and as of January 2011, we have donated 100 military service branch bibles.  Seventy-five of them have been the Marine's Bible."

The statement is true but the number of bibles now given is 110 as of March 25, 2011.

Stephen Joe Payne

Giving Bibles to United States Armed Forces Service People

It is a long story of how I got started with this project, and I'll tell it later in another posting, but for now, I'll just describe the project.  I learned about these bibles, the Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB), quite by accident, and I gave the first one to a young marine who was headed for Iraq and combat soon.  I gave him the Marine's Bible, which is seen in this image.  I learned that this bible was offered in versions of The Soldier's Bible, The Sailor's Bible, The Airman's Bible, The Coastguardman's Bible, and of course, The Marine's Bible.  Of course, for a time, I knew only of The Marine's Bible.  The photograph is of my bible and I was not a marine; I was a sailor in the United States Navy so I have a Sailor's Bible with my name on it.  I use this copy of The Marine's Bible for demonstration, and show and tell purposes.  The bible I gave to the young marine went to Iraq with him where he used it in his own readings and in offering prayer services to his fellow marines.  He carried it constantly in his fatigues, in a large pocket, and it returned with him, safely, but with considerable wear, sweat and blood stains, and many worn pages.

That's what we intended it for.

I have since provided him with a second bible with his name on the cover.  This is a tough bible; it has a leather cover with a tab enclosure and an attached leather book mark.  In the back are prayers offered by celebrated military leaders:  General George S. Patton, General Jimmy Stewart (the actor), Captain Eddie Rickenbacker and others.  It contains the oath of enlistment, service prayers and important tools for the serviceman, sailor, soldier, or marine.  The marines I have given it to love it, and they are happy to have it.

I had given one or two to marines I knew and then it struck me to give it to as many as I can.  I dreamed of sending 1,000 Marine's Bibles to the marines in Iraq and I contacted one or two churches, which expressed interest and a small measure of support but then posed the question:  Could we do it?  I contacted the Chaplain's Office in Washington, D.C. and found out how difficult this would be to do.  Mildly daunted but not defeated, I rethought what I was trying to do, what I could do, and I changed my mission.  I set a goal to somehow give 100 of the Marine's Bible to marines.  I went to the local recruiting office, met the recruiter and told him of my goal and soon I was giving these bibles to marines locally.  If I know the name of the marine it is going to, then the name is printed on the front.  If I don't, the then Bible cover simply reads "To a Marine."  I leave it to the recruiters to give the bibles to whom they wish and let them decide how to do it.  I don't know how many of the young marines know where the bible gifts originate; it's not important.  The important thing is that the marine has his own, personalized Marine's Bible.

Stephen Joe Payne