At the end of last month's 2024-year photography review, blog # 79, I shared the loss of my friend and fellow photographer Al Pochek; this blog is difficult for me to write. He suffered a heart attack while going through a medical procedure, was unconscious for a few days, but never regained consciousness. Here are some highlights of this extraordinary person from his family's obituary-

Al was a proud Vietnam War Veteran, serving in the US Air Force, whose failing health was a result of exposure to Agent Orange. He retired in 1994 after serving over 26 years as a Police Lieutenant with the Woodbridge Township Police Dept. Al was an accomplished amateur photographer who gained satisfaction in capturing a "great shot". He enjoyed subjects such as lighthouses, birds, and he especially enjoyed shooting Revolutionary War Reenactments.

Al and I had known each other for over 15 years. Here's how we met. It was at a Washington's Crossing event when I was starting to photograph American Revolution reenactments. He saw me with my camera and introduced himself. I gave him my business card and thought nothing of it then, but we started emailing each other and never stopped. 

Al was always my biggest supporter. He was the first to view my new photo gallery sites and blog postings. When meeting new folks, he took the time to promote my photography and website. 

Al consistently updated me about upcoming events, many of which I didn't know about. And the ones he was attending. When spotting each other, a quick fist pump. Immediately then, we'd start chatting about our numerous physical ailments (that took a while between us), move on to what's happening with our families, and end with discussing photography stuff. We didn't stay together all the time during the events. Sometimes, we met for lunch. We'd each take photos separately for awhile and regroup later. In the last few years, we'd shoot the reenactments together and chat most of the time. Then, we say our goodbyes and email regularly. Below is a good example of our time at events—a lot of waiting and talking.

Al was always smiling, outgoing, and schmoozing. He was wholly involved in the American Revolution Reenactment community. His outstanding images have been posted on unit websites and for publicity purposes.  

By mentioning Al's name, I gained access to restricted events, secured special parking, granted exclusive admission to events, and more. He knew everyone, and everyone knew him. We often joked about trying to save money by rooming together on overnight trips. So, we tried it on a visit to Mt Vernon, George Washington's home. That didn't work out well! We both snore loudly, so neither one of us got any sleep. That experiment ended quickly.

Here are a few interesting fun facts about Al: Before photographing American Revolution reenactments, he was interested in lighthouses. He also posted flower photos on Facebook almost daily. In addition, he was fond of hot dogs. and always searching for new locations to visit. The hot dog picture below was from an eatery near my home. They have since closed.

This photo of me on my website was taken by Al. Some of my other pals shared photos for this blog.

In my final email to him, I discussed my short trip to the Colonial Williamsburg region. Al in his last email to me, mentioned his upcoming surgery and stated

"I always had Great Bridge as an event to visit & then a visit to Williamsburg."

Unfortunately, that won't happen now. Al's been a great friend all these years, and I'll miss him.

Rest in Peace, Al!!!

Thank you for reading! Blog #81 will be posted on February 1, 2025. Be safe & well!

Ken Bohrer