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Space Case!
http://ndgarrison.com/ndforum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=205
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Author:  AmpTrooper [ Wed Apr 17, 2013 1:42 pm ]
Post subject:  Space Case!

Hello,
I have met a few of y'all here and there. My name is AmpTrooper or Amp for short.
My actual nick name is Amp. I currently live in Delphi Indiana just minutes from Lafayette. I came here in October 2011 from the GA501st. There in Georgia I was the squad leader for a decent sized squad called the Ocmulgee Squad. Named after the Ocmulgee river. Our average size was about 63 members. Most were very active after revitalization of the once dieing squad. One thing that really helped was that I hosted an armor party every other month at my home. Great food, good music, tools, working and laughing did a lot to bring the squad back into the trooping world. We focused mostly on charity work but did events from small 2 or 3 trooper events to high profile events with media attention and one even had a full sized billboard of the squad which was really fun! Our ultimate focus however was never the squad but the 501st as a whole and the great work we do for charity and the Star Wars universe. Self promotion was not our focus. I believe that squads in a large states are essential for membership growth and event seeking, planning and organizing. I have come to understand that the GA and FL method is not the norm but the exception. Guess everyone is different. I have to say that I really miss the squad as I made many great life long friendships there but, hope to make the same lasting friendships here in Indiana.

I am an amputee. I lost my leg a year after a bad motorcycle accident. I had to make the choice between many years of surgeries where I may loose my leg at any given time or having it amputated. The hardest decision of my life! I now use the amputation in my costume (approved by Albin). So my costume is a TK Commander with a prosthetic leg. It has proven to be a great success with the injured and disabled kids that I meet. They see that I am missing my leg and they feel that they can relate to me. My message to them is that even though they have this issue or a handicap that they can still shoot for the stars and do great things. Being in a town where there is a large Air Force base (Warner Robins GA) it has also has some unexpected results. I had a soldier come up to me at an event and thank me because he was worried what his son would think of him when he came home without legs from an IED. He said his son saw him as a hero and said "Wow! you have robot legs just like AmpTrooper and then he gave me your card." I guess this kid saw us every time we trooped the events at the Air Force museum. Have to tell you, I was sure glad I had my bucket on because my eyes were full of tears! I mean, what can you say to something like that. All I could do was thank him and tell him that he IS a hero. I am not. I am just a geek in a costume. He is the real hero, my hero! It does help however to remember things like that when my body feels like I just can't go on trooping. I think about things like that and I know that I really have no choice. It's not about how i feel. Its about what the AmpTrooper means to those kids. So, I troop. being part of the 501st has been a highlight of my life and it was my accident that made me take that step. I had thought about it before but never did till I lost my leg.

Also, I want to share with y'all the forum that I run called "Imperial Royal Arms". It is mostly a lightsaber forum for custom and some movie style sabers however we have now added 2 costume designers, a leather worker, one that I consider to be the best blaster builder in the Star Wars universe "Woodchuck" as well as other props and replicas and the greatest saber sound boards ever made Called the "Igniter". At the Imperial Royal Arms or IRA (no affiliation with the Irish Republic Army) we believe in pricing things for the common trooper. Not over inflated prices for the wealthy collector. Though there are some of those items there as well. We focus more on making top quality products that are meant to be used therefore keeping the prices set at a troopers pocket book. Sure they are not cheap as the items there are all hand built. We have everything that a Sith or Jedi could ever want. Including a full size Sith Holocron run that is going on currently. With the products we also have a great forum with lots of info about costuming, and saber building. We don't hid what and how we make sabers and all but, we share exactly how we do things so that people can learn. Feel free to sign up and take advantage of the great deals and great people! http://www.imperialroyalarms.com

I look forward to meeting more of y'all at events to come and y'all are fully welcome when I start hosting armor parties here starting this summer. They are always a great time and a good way to connect and get to know each other and help each other out sharing knowledge and skills that we have gained in our trooping and building experience. Hope to troop with ya in the near future!
God bless!

Author:  bobamatt [ Wed Apr 17, 2013 2:07 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Space Case!

Welcome Amp!

Good to see you here!

Request your 501st access here - viewtopic.php?f=44&t=28

Author:  chrisbacca [ Wed Apr 17, 2013 2:09 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Space Case!

Welcome! :D

Author:  AmpTrooper [ Wed Apr 17, 2013 7:01 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Space Case!

bobamatt wrote:
Welcome Amp!

Good to see you here!

Request your 501st access here - viewtopic.php?f=44&t=28


Ah, okay. Will do that now! Thanks!

Author:  captsafe66 [ Wed Apr 17, 2013 9:54 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Space Case!

Great to see you here Corey!! I hope to make it your way soon!

Author:  Dirty Tusken [ Wed Apr 17, 2013 11:18 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Space Case!

welcome to the boards Amp!

Author:  AmpTrooper [ Fri Apr 19, 2013 4:59 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Space Case!

Thanks for the warm welcome! Hope to see yall out on the battle field soon. In GA I am known for my armor parties and plan on getting.those fired up again up here starting this summer. Would be great to have yall join in! Party on dudes!

Author:  Dirty Tusken [ Tue Apr 23, 2013 12:11 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Space Case!

I'm always in for an armor party. :D

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