Ryan Conklin in Return To Duty on MTV

The MTV special about Ryan Conklin being deployed to Iraq is finally going to air. The show is titled "Return to Duty" and will be broadcast on traditional Veteran's Day, November 11th, 2009 at 9pm.

It was announced earlier in the year that Ryan had been video recording his training in the United States and then his deployment to Iraq. Also, that a camera crew had traveled to Baghdad to record Ryan's work and conditions there. The purpose was the making of a special that is an hour long follow-up of what happened to Ryan after he left The Real World Brooklyn and went back into uniform. The coverage includes scenes of what Ryan's life has been like at Joint Security Station Saydiyah in Iraq and what it is like working as an infantryman patrolling the streets of Baghdad.

Here is MTV's description of the show:

Any viewer of The Real World Brooklyn vividly remembers the emotional moment when cast member, and Army vet, Ryan Conklin was unexpectedly recalled for a second tour of duty in Iraq. Return to Duty is Ryan's gritty and very personal document of his return as a patrol gunner to the sweltering streets of Baghdad. Equipped with his own video camera, and the addition of a camera crew embedded with his unit, it's a soldier's view of America's changing military presence in the long war in Iraq. His very close-knit family back home must cope with the fear and absence of their son fighting overseas once again; while his new found relationship with Brooklyn Real World roommate Baya is put to a critical test.

In the following clip, Ryan compares the timing of the premiere with what had happened one year prior. He reminds viewers that a year ago he had received the notification from the Army that he was being recalled from the Individual Ready Reserve. Now on the anniversary of that fateful event, Ryan wants to do something he feels a lot more favorable about. He wants to show everyone what being in his situation is like, and what it means to soldiers' families.



Sneak peek clip from the show, in which Ryan is shown finding a dead body:

Ryan Sings About His Views On Iraq

After many months of being stationed in Iraq, Ryan Conklin created a musical lament of how he felt about being there. It's a song he wrote about some of the things make him him unhappy about the experience. To showcase the song, Ryan also recorded a performance video of himself singing it, showing him in various scenes around his Army base.

Ryan chose a rap music style for the piece (in sort of a Gettysburg version of hip-hop), but he does an excellent execution of it. The accompaniment parts are topnotch, especially considering they are all vocally produced. The refrain of "this place blows" that Ryan sings melodically is memorable and will stay in your head for awhile. The repeated punch word of "Iraq" fits perfectly with the musical theme, using drawn out and striking stress and intonation.

Oh, as if it were possible to be any other way, Ryan of course looks mighty fine throughout.

The song mentions several subjects that are of concern to Ryan. These include the understandable things, such as the terrible heat, the fear of being attacked, the lack of food quality and variety, and the weight of protective equipment. There is also the unfortunate situation with the uniform, which doesn't blend in or go with anything, and the military-issue boots that are not as good for the feet as are commercially available ones.

Ryan also adds some issues that are meant to be light-hearted. For example, men's magazines with scantily clad women are popular, but they lead to long occupations of port-a-potties as the men use the magazines there as an aid for masturbation.

Ryan's greatest expression of frustration is focused on his experience with the Iraqi army. He relates several difficulties that he has had in his interactions with them.

Finally, an important message contained within the song is a call to President Obama to make good on his promise to withdrawal troops from Iraq. The message requests that he do so soon so that the U.S. military personnel in Iraq can return home as quickly as possible and enjoy the simple satisfactions of life once more.

Ryan Conklin And Paranormal Activity

In a real-life situation that eerily mirrors a scene from the movie Paranormal Activity, Ryan Conklin recently experienced a frightening encounter with the beyond and the inexplicable.

One dark and foreboding night, Ryan and his company were required to investigate rumors of strange activity occurring in a seemingly normal house in an ordinary neighborhood in Baghdad. To document their findings and to record his observations, Ryan brought along his video camera.

At first Ryan was not concerned about the call to the old house in the dead of night. On the way there, he recorded himself making casual remarks, such as that he realized that in general, it would not be pleasant for residents of a home to awaken and find soldiers such as himself in the house and upon the roof searching for they knew not what.

His mood started to change after his arrival at the house. He began to feel an odd presence near him. To the camera he laughed nervously, and perhaps to appease the spirit world, claimed that he did believe in ghosts. Nor sure what was real and what wasn't anymore, he joked as a way to keep his courage up that he thought maybe a ghost was following him as he patrolled the rooftop of the house.

Things then abruptly changed as a panicked Ryan spoke to the camera, not knowing if the recording would be the only evidence that people would find of what he had just experienced.

Ryan told of seeing a dreadful apparition of an old man whose nature was unknown. He managed to turn the camera toward the shape and captured its horrifying appearance. It had the characteristics of an elderly man with an outstretched arm, just standing there, staring with its lifeless eyes towards Ryan.

Ryan was freaked out by what he saw through the camera sight, but even more so when he turned it to himself to record his fear and then back to where the spirit had stood. It was gone. Ryan wondered aloud what was going on. Then in a life-altering instance, the nightmarish creature reappeared in the camera view. Ryan gasped and let the camera drop away.

Fortunately, unlike the fictional horror films, Ryan lived to recount the tale. He expressed his assessment shortly thereafter that with his own eyes he had verified the existence of supernatural beings haunting accursed locations in Baghdad.

Morning broke and Ryan was able to calm his unnerved consciousness and put the night of terror behind him.

Strangely, this was not the only such experience that Ryan has had this Halloween season. In a second video Ryan recorded a Poltergeist like encounter where a TV was left on and something beyond belief was seen. What he saw was too horrible to describe. Watch if you dare.

Ryan Conklin And Baya Voce

In reviewing the search terms that people use to find this Ryan Conklin fan site, it can been seen that the number one thing people have searched for in connection with Ryan's name has been "Baya Voce". As in, "Ryan Conklin and Baya Voce", "Are Ryan Conklin and Baya dating?", "Are Ryan and Baya still together?".

Frankly, I haven't had any interest in knowing the precise definition of their relationship. Maybe it's more of a girl thing to want to know exactly. As a guy, I just found it noteworthy that they have been very close friends and that they have spent a lot of time together doing stuff since The Real World Brooklyn ended, at least while Ryan was in the U.S. So it hasn't bothered me that they have been very coy about whether or not they have ever been boyfriend/girlfriend.

Well, now in a major burst of candidness about it, Ryan has provided very clear answers to the questions that have so interested people. Yes, they have been in a close relationship for a period of time. Yes, they recently agreed to be boyfriend/girlfriend. No, they are not still together.

After Ryan broke up with his previous girlfriend Belle, Ryan and Baya got very close, spending a lot of time together before Ryan went back into uniform. She was very important to Ryan in helping out during the difficult time of readjusting to going back into the Army. About her, Ryan says he loves her and thinks she is a beautiful person.

They continued to have some kind of relationship after Ryan deployed to Iraq, being in communication with each other. Then as absence makes the heart grow fonder, Ryan looked forward to the time that they he would be able to spend with her during the few weeks in September, 2009, when he had his R&R "vacation".

When he got back to the United States, and to New York, the first thing he did was hightail it to her door. It then turned out to be everything he had hoped it to be. They had a great time while in each others company. Ryan said they were never more than 10 feet, or at least 10 minutes, apart from one another.

It was during this time in the middle of September that they made it official to each other: they would be a couple.

However, the warmth and happiness and certainty of September gave way to the cooling temperatures of October. After Ryan returned to Iraq, the relationship continued for about a month. Then in the latter part of October, Ryan got the news that any serviceman would dread to hear while he was away from home. Baya dumped him.

Ryan explained that there was no specific instance of anything that caused the break-up. He said from her point of view that the timing wasn't right for their relationship. He said he understood that they were on different paths in life, which only seemed to cross occasionally.

The turn of events has been very unhappy for Ryan. He called it a "kick in the face". He tries not to let it get him too down, giving the understatement, "Being dumped by someone you love is not the best thing in the world."

However, in usual Ryan fashion, he tries to think positively about the situation. To keep going through the last few months in Iraq, he thinks about how short the time is and how he can never be forced back again. He also things about the huge amount of wild oats he will now be able to sow when he gets home.

To the single women of America, Ryan has issued a strong warning, and the implication of a rather enticing invitation: "Single Ryan A. Conklin is going to take America by storm, dammit! And I'm going to have good times."

About Ryan Conklin's Book

By now everyone with a 2010 Ryan A. Conklin calendar* will have marked April 6th as the publication date of Ryan's book, An Angel From Hell. Or maybe have the whole period from the 1st (Ryan's 25th birthday!) to the 6th highlighted as one big Ryan fest. It's a time to celebrate all things related to that zany, creative, determined, dutiful, warm-hearted son of a gun that we have all come to love so much.

The book itself is going to be an opportunity for fans to connect to one of the most important aspects of who Ryan Conklin is. It's a window onto the soul of the roused and resolute young man who like many others sacrificed the early years of his adulthood to put his life on the line in service to his country after 9/11. Most people have seen only the fun-loving scamp portrayed on The Real World Brooklyn, but with this book, they will see the real reason why he and people like him should be celebrated.

On Amazon, the following is currently being displayed for the product description:

An edgy, gripping report from the front lines by a young veteran and cast member of The Real World: Brooklyn.

Ryan Conklin enlisted in the Army at age seventeen, following 9/11, and joined Angel Company. As a turret gunner with the famed 101st Airborne "Screaming Eagles," and a member of the famed "Rakkasans" regiment-the most decorated regiment in the U.S. Army-he endured hellish conditions in the war-torn city of Tikrit, Iraq.

When he returned to the States, he became a cast member on The Real World: Brooklyn in 2008. That came to an end when he received his notice recalling him to duty.

An Angel from Hell is a gritty, blunt, and laugh­ out loud funny war memoir from the grunt's perspective. Conklin reveals what the Iraq war is really like, day to day - the misery, the boredom, the absurdity, the horror, and even the moments of grace. With stunning candor and wisdom beyond his years, Ryan Conklin has documented a complex and unavoidably life-changing experience for his generation.

*There currently is no 2010 Ryan A. Conklin calendar, but I think there should be one. It would be easy for Ryan to create one on CafePress.com with 12 of his photos and sell them there. Perhaps he would if people nicely requested him to do so? Then I could take one to work along with my Ryan Conklin notebook and Ryan Conklin lunch box.

Ryan Conklin Reveals The Answers

In response to questions that he had solicited from his fans, Ryan Conklin has provided an entertaining and informative set of answers for the first batch of questions that he has selected from those that were sent to him. Ryan had previously set up an email address for fans to send him questions and had stated that the scope of the submissions would be wide open. He had made it clear with the address he chose, AskRyanAnything@yahoo.com. With the questions that Ryan selected to respond to, we can see that the public took him up on the offer.

The first question that Ryan replied to was, would he participate in any Real World/Road Rules Challenges. As predicted here, it was one of the most popular questions, and in fact, according to Ryan, it was the most asked question. Ryan said (to his credit) that it was something he doesn't have any interest in doing. He made a point of stating that he thought the game itself seemed like fun and that some of the regular participants that he had met are cool people; however, the format is not the kind of game he would like to do. If he were to participate in a television game show, he restated that he would want to be in a show like The Amazing Race where he could play it as part of a two person team.

Ryan also said the he didn't want to jump right back on to television after returning from Iraq because he has a lot of other interests that he wants to pursue. So Ryan wants to do something with his life and not be a perpetual fame wh0re, making a reoccurring game show his part-time career. [Sorry, fans of the show.]

The second question was, would Ryan ever consider moving to Arizona. Showing how considerate he is to fans, Ryan replied that he would, and even proved it as he showed himself on camera in the act of pondering leaving one desert environment (that he couldn't wait to get away from) and moving to another one, permanently. He gave it about two seconds.

The next question was about his attitude concerning strangers wishing to take a photograph of him. He said he had no problem with it and that it was all good. It is not clear if this includes requests for him to pose shirtless in gym shorts like Scott Herman does. We will have to wait and see on that.

Fan Ellyn asked, "If you could have any super power, what would it be and why?" Ryan replied, "If I was a super hero, I would definitely have the ability to be invisible, so I could sneak up on people and see them naked." Ryan chuckled after saying this and corrected himself, saying his true answer would be the ability to fly.

Next, the question came up about Ryan's book and would he be doing signing events. He noted again that the publication date has been delayed until April, and that he would probably be traveling around to do promotion. At this point, there is no schedule, but it could conceivably include any city, town, or "hamlet".

The most unexpected question came from Joably L., who was rather cheeky when he asked Ryan, "If you were single, gay, and had a thing for plus-sized guys, do you think I would have a chance?" It would be expected that the first batch of questions would include the most often asked, with a few more banal ones sprinkled in, but apparently Ryan wanted to show that when he said, ask him anything, he meant it. Ryan replied that if the three given conditions had been true, then (logically) Joably would not be excluded.

The question was a demonstration of why Ryan has such a variety of fans. Beneath his sometimes sardonic and sometimes misunderstood humor, Ryan is a very inclusive person, including being gay-friendly. He continued to show this with the next question, which was about his opinion on the repeal of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. Ryan reiterated his view that gay people who are otherwise qualified to be in the military should not be discriminated against.

On the subject of making music, Ryan said that recording is not a priority for him. He still loves to play music, but there are other aspirations that he rates more highly.

Q: If Ryan were an animal, what would it be? A: Bigfoot. [Making it easier to bust down doors?]

Favorite moment on The Real World Brooklyn? Hands down, Katelynn Cusanelli pole-dancing on the support beam at the Pike restaurant in Gettysburg.

The last question: can Ryan be sent back to Iraq after he returns again to the United States? Answer: No, never again.

Ryan remarked that this was only the first installment and there would be more editions in the future. So people should keep writing in and asking what they would like to know about the always amazing, always entertaining Ryan A. Conklin.