CThru.com Presents Tony Ward

Gays In The Military

…..Guest blogger Yoko Grosshans brings us up to date on the continuing political hot potato involving “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell”……..

“Gay men have had a very difficult time finding acceptance alongside their comrades in the military. It begs the question; if a man proclaims to be gay, why is he deemed incapable of defending our country? Is it the “effeminate” nature of some gay men that has been exhibited or forced to be proclaimed? If that is the case, why are women allowed to serve in the military?
This brings the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Act” into continual play. A law passed by Congress in 1993 and signed by President Bill Clinton. It is exactly what it states; don’t ask about one’s sexual orientation and don’t divulge information about one’s sexual orientation.
James Pietrangelo II knows all too well about this act and its effects. The former Army infantryman and lawyer was booted from the military after fighting in Iraq in 1991. He returned as a JAG officer in the second war in Iraq and was preparing to return for his third combat tour in 2004, when he openly declared that he was gay. After many appeals the Supreme court is declining to review his case.
President Barack Obama has stated numerous times that he would overturn the act, but thus far no changes have been made. In fact, the Obama administration in its brief last month supported a lower court ruling, stating they acted accordingly in upholding the gay ban! What’s even more suprising and somewhat baffling is that a recent Gallup poll found that most conservatives and churchgoers now support gay men and women to serve openly in uniform, yet still no action has been taken to change the law to date.
It doesn’t seem to make sense that because of a person’s sexual orientation, they should be denied their rights to defend our country. Just when one thinks we have made such great progress in this land of hope, a non-sensical issue such as this arises and makes one question how much progress we have actually made.”

Joe Mammana

…..When the call came in to the studio to arrange for a portrait sitting with Joe Mammana, it seemed as though the urban egg farmer was sitting on top of the world. Owner of Yardley Farms, a successful egg-processing business that apparently was handed down from his Sicilian father. Joe enjoyed the comforts of wealth and an extravagant lifestyle. There was the flashy Joe, the Ferrari, the trophy girlfriends, the beautiful clothes.

There was another side to Joe that lay dormant, a 20 year criminal history, which included convictions for aggravated assault, theft, forgery and dealing steroids. Around the time this picture was taken, Joe seemed to have turned his misfortunes around by finding solace in philanthropic pursuits. Mammana became active in Philadelphia’s Citizen’s Crime Commission, and offered more than one million in reward money for leads to solving serious crimes.

Earlier this year Mr. Mammana’s dark side resurfaced as he was arrested, prosecuted and is presently serving an eight year sentence for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and tax evasion. Mr. Mammana’s inner demons for now have won a perpetual inner battle……

The Art Of Caring

…..The first time I saw Jimmy Binns, he was driving around town in a beautiful Jag. His distinguished features and white head of hair against the backdrop of a deep blue perfectly clean auto immediately got my attention. After a while I started seeing Jimmy all over town. It appeared as though we lived in the same neighborhood. The other thing that I noticed, is that the car always appeared to be clean, even in the most inclimant weather. People who know Jimmy are not surprised. Fastidious, organized, a clear mind…..all the signs of a powerful attorney.

One day, I was a block away from the studio having coffee at my favorite breakfast place when Jimmy walked in. Tall, dressed to the nine’s, a commanding presence as he proceeded to sit down just across from me. It was very clear, that Mr. Binn’s was a man who enjoyed the finer thing’s in life, along with the custom made suits, a fertile glimse at the beautiful twentysomething year old who was serving us breakfast. It seemed as though Jimmy and I shared a similar aesthetic for beautiful women. We both new where to have coffee in the morning.

About a year later, a call came in to the studio for me to produce a portrait of Jimmy to accompany an article to be published about his career and philanthropy. Jimmy and I spoke over the phone to get acquainted before the sitting. I was flattered to learn that he was familiar with my work, especially the erotic work of the 90’s. He had a copy of one of my books on his coffee table at home, small world. We set up a date for the shoot shortly after the call and I decided to photograph him at his home, just around the corner from the studio, where I could pick and choose from an array of 4 digit suits. Jimmy was enormously accommodating and a bit of a ham before the camera. He even played himself in one of the Rocky movies, so I knew I was working with a man who knew how to control his visual image.

During the shoot we talked about a wide variety of subjects. The thing that stuck with me the most was his ability to care deeply about causes that he believed in.

I was most taken by his Hero Cop Program, whereby plaques are placed at locations where police officers died in the line of duty. Philadelphia has had its share of mourning the loss of fallen police officers. Four come’s to mind in recent memory. I was touched deeply one morning of the perils of police work when I stopped by a Dunkin Donuts on North Broad Street. The police tape was just taken down and the makeshift memorial was burgeoning with flowers and personal notes. I thought of Jimmy Binns immediately……