The current group is different. As part of a modern all-volunteer force, they explore the timeless theme of the futility of war — but wars that they for the most part support. The books, many written as rites of passage by members of a highly educated young officer corps, are filled with gore, inept commanders and anguish over men lost in combat, but not questions about the conflicts themselves.
Read the entire story here.
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What is “Stolen Valor” you ask? Signed into law by President Bush in 2006, the Stolen Valor Act is a law that makes it a federal crime to lie about being a war hero or posing to be a war hero by wearing military medals that were never awarded. Many bloggers from around the Military Blog community came together to call out the latest imposter, Michael Patrick McManus, who was finally nabbed by the FBI after posing as a war hero (watch video here). Mrs. Greyhawk over at Mudville Gazette who has a knack for graphic design, even created a WANTED poster that went viral on the internet and in the news media (image above). I have no idea what to even say about this guy, except: "kids, stay away from drugs".
A little advice: If you wanna fool people into thinking you’re a war hero, make sure to wear dozens of medals on your uniform that you’ve never earned like a Distinguished Service Cross (minimum: 2). Also make sure to wear something around your neck that says you’re the "Commander of the British Empire".
And if nothing else, don’t forget to sport a sweet goatee...
On a sidenote, I'm pretty sure the reporter who surprised Michael McManus at the door with a camera was half-expecting Michael to be wearing knight’s armor and speaking in old English. I know I was.
UPDATE: Apparently this guy was previously convicted in the past for pretending to be a U.S. Marshal among other things. If I didn't know better, I'd swear this guy probably dresses up as a Transformer on dates, then claims to be Optimus Prime or Megatron. Which, by the way, is not a crime. My pal Bouhammer has the latest update.
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Back in early December Google announced the integration of real-time search results from sites like Twitter. The way it works, is if you’re searching for a term in Google (say,#MilitaryMon), the latest real time results will be displayed on the first page of Google from Twitter feeds. It’s actually really cool because it allows people to find the latest breaking news or information straight from Google, instead of having to visit Twitter.
I started tweeting over a year ago with @Milblogging and I can tell you first hand, Twitter brings so many benefits, especially to bloggers looking to expand their reach outside of just a web site. Take a look at the screenshot above, taken earlier from Google when I typed in: milblogging. Results from my Twitter feed appear on the first page of Google.
I’ll be the first to admit I can think of a better use of my time than using all these social networking tools. Namely, sleeping and playing video games. But when Google is integrating real-time search results from Twitter in its search engine, you know it’s every bit as awesome as people say it is.
And then some.
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The Ministry of Defence recently published the Defence Green Paper “Adaptability and Partnership: Issues for a Strategic Defence Review”. According to the MoD, “The Green Paper is the first part of the process leading to a new Strategic Defence Review, which will decide the future shape and role of the Armed Forces.” Shortly after publishing the paper, The Register wrote a story based on their review of the paper called, “MoD turns to bloggers for advice on UK defence policy.” Here’s a snippet:
The government also reveals that when pondering defence policy, it consults a blog run by armchair generals at King's College London, including a junior US army officer, a German academic living in Israel and a former BBC journalist.
Whatever your opinion on these issues, it seems that if you really want to influence British defence policy you'd best get on over and start commenting on the armchair-general web portal du jour, as the MoD and defence minister Bob Ainsworth informs us that "preparation of this paper benefited from discussion on the Kings of War blog".
There’s more to the story, but I hate to break it to you, when it comes to serious topics my attention span is very short. Normally when I end up in a conversation about politics or some other dry subject with a group of friends...I start yawning and rolling my eyes.
In case they still don’t get the point, I purposely swallow my own tongue.
You can read the entire story here.
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In the past year, Montalván has soaked up the spotlight, even pursuing a degree at Columbia Journalism School, and maintaining a personal Web site with his latest articles and media appearances. But then, some stories are just too good to be true. And it looks like Montalván's is beginning to unravel.
Read the entire story here.
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A lot of military bloggers have published their blogs into books since the early 2000s. The latest book set to launch, is Kaboom, by military blogger Matt Gallagher. But have you ever wondered, sixty or seventy years from now, what your wartime diary would fetch if it went to an auction? The answer might depend on a lot of factors, but the diary of British POW Private William MacDonald who was taken prisoner in 1940, just sold at auction for £4,000. In USD that’s about $6,257 according to my calculations. While it might not sound like much, this diary looks to be priceless.
Mail Online did a great write up with lots of pictures (My fave).
A soldier's wartime diary that contains incredible drawings of British PoWs digging the tunnel immortalised in the film The Great Escape has come to light 67 years on.
The pencil and watercolour sketches doodled into Private William MacDonald's log depict a humorous side of life at the infamous Stalag Luft III camp during World War Two.
Some of the 28 sketches are harmless jokes at the expense of the Germans but one drawing shows servicemen working on the tunnel nicknamed 'Harry.'
Read the entire story here.
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Everybody knows that military bloggers are one of the most passionate groups of bloggers online. Each military blog has its own unique audience --- from military spouse bloggers who attract husbands and wives from every branch of the military, to frontline bloggers who capture a wide audience ranging from recruits to high-ranking officers to supporters and everyone in between, including the mainstream media. One of the most powerful things about military blogs is their ability to draw in readers with close ties to the military community.
In my experience, I’ve personally connected with hundreds of military supporters over the years, who have sent me care packages, cards, words of support and lasting friendships, all because I was able to connect with them online through my blog which I originally started in 2004.
What’s my point to all this? While we’re a passionate group of bloggers, there’s nothing wrong with earning some money by blogging. Some military bloggers (like any blogger in general) turn to monetizing their websites with pay-per-click ads such as Google Adsense, affiliate marketing, books, sponsored posts, and a variety of other channels to make some cash.
There is also handful of us who have been fortunate enough to sell their blog/website. After I returned home from Afghanistan in 2005, I built Milblogging.com from the ground up and before I knew it, I was able to sell the website to Military.com – and I’ve been blogging ever since here on Milblogging.com, even through my deployment to Iraq in 2007-2008.
While I don’t earn a living from blogging, I certainly think more Organizations will take notice of military-oriented social media (particularly with bloggers), and we could see more military blogs acquired and/or more Milbloggers paid for their services. The ability to reach a very targeted military audience is something many companies look to do, and blogging offers a way for companies and organizations to build a more personal relationship.
I recently had a chance to chat with Jeanette Kozlowski with CAT5, the company who recently acquired A Soldier’s Perspective, run by CJ Grisham (a good friend) and a cast of other military bloggers – and asked her about CAT5's thoughts on social media and what it meant to their company - who sell military merchandise. Here’s what Jeanette had to say:
Engaging the communities we serve is a priority for us. That means reaching out beyond the retail transaction level. We want to be a part of the conversation and contribute to the dialogue that surrounds our industry. Many milbloggers are already doing that and more. These blogs allow us to better understand our customers. Sometimes we just listen; sometimes we contribute. Above all, we want to provide a forum for passionate individuals to exchange ideas.
Social media allows us to keep our finger on the pulse of our customer base. We monitor Twitter and Google for mentions of our web properties, insights into the merchandise we supply and news within the industry that we operate. If something comes across our desk that is relevant, we act. We are creatively engaged in social bookmarking sites, social and professional networking destinations and forums. We also operate our own blogs and participate in others. This includes writing relevant articles and humorous anecdotes as well as seeking out other appropriate media such as images and video. We highlight our blogs on the front page of our company site, which can be viewed at http://cat5.com
If you want to check out some of CAT5's more popular stories, here are a few links to check out:
11 Military-Inspired iPhone Apps
Top 101 Military Twitters
10 Holiday Gifts to send to our Troops
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For example, in 1988, he received a letter from a retired teacher in Phoenix, Ariz. The woman had been going through her grandfather’s belongings and found a diary from the 1700s which belonged to Stoughton native Ezra Tilden.
In the diary, Tilden, a Revolutionary War soldier who recruited 12 area soldiers to fight in a campaign in New York, documented his journey to the battle.
After reading through the journal a number of times, the ever-curious Hansen had questions he wanted answered. On a Sunday morning in 1989, he jumped in his Jeep and followed Tilden’s route.
Read the entire story here.
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You ever wonder what you should and shouldn’t write about if you run a blog or other social media site like Twitter. Fret not, Tech. Sgt. Nick Choy has shared with me some talking points that are provided to Oregon Guardsmen.
I have to say, most people demonstrate common sense when it comes to the do’s and don’ts of social media, but let’s face it, there are still a handful of you out there having difficulties. Yeah, I’m looking right at you Linguini (my cat). How many times have I told you, videos of you licking yourself are completely inappropriate for YouTube?!
Tech. Sgt. Nick Choy writes:
Why should Oregon Guardsmen blog?
Oregon’s citizen-Airmen and citizen-Soldiers are the best spokespersons we have in the Oregon National Guard. They are subject matter experts, and well-versed in the history, traditions and customs of our organization.
Blogs are another way to convey news and human interest stories, many of which go unreported by the mainstream media. Blogging is a way for Oregon’s Airmen and Soldiers, and their families to tell these stories.
We are not entering the digital age—we are already in it. According to recent studies, there are currently 250 million blogs worldwide.
Oregon’s Guardsmen must take heed to avoid security risks, and observe prescribed OPSEC (Operational Security) guidelines.
There are a limited number of topics about which Oregon’s Airmen and Soldiers cannot blog. A few of these include casualty information, the location of, movement dates, and troop strength of units assigned to the area of responsibility.
OPSEC is not new to our Guard members. Any member of the United States military receives initial training, and annual refresher courses on OPSEC issues.
For specific guidelines and references, interested persons should refer to the following official publications:
AFI 35-107 (Public Web Communications) and AFI 33-129 (Web Management and Internet Use)
DOD Directive 5230.9, (Clearance of DOD Information for Public Release)
DOD Instruction 5230.29, (Security and Policy Review of DOD Information for Public Release).
Access to technology has changed the way Airmen and Soldiers are able to communicate with their families and communities.
Blogging was started as a way to convey stories and human interest news that is under-reported by the traditional news media.
With the number of Oregon’s citizen-Soldiers and citizen-Airmen located in deployed locations throughout the world, blogs are an easy way for Oregon Guardsmen to communicate to the rest of the world stories about life in a deployed environment.
Technical limitations may limit the ability for our Guard members to blog.
Because bandwidth is a limited quantity in many deployed locations, it may sometimes be difficult for Guard members to access to sites such as YouTube.com, Facebook, and personal blogs.
Certain specific videos and blogs which fall under “questionable” or “restricted” content, may however, not be accessible to our personnel via official networks.
This is the exception in the deployed environment, not the rule, however.
While Facebook and Twitter access may be available to users on some networks, access may be restricted by certain commands. It is therefore recommended that Guard members keep abreast of new information via person computers or mobile devices.
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Down below you’ll find a press release that Tech. Sgt. Nick Choy sent me via email, which basically claims the title by Oregon for the “Most socially connected National Guard State”. It’s a brilliant PR move that should stir up some healthy competition and trash-talking among Guard units. Which is always fun.
But now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go reply to all my followers on Twitter. Jumping out of computer chair, HIGH-FIVING the Wifey...
“ALL 77,000 of THEM BABY!!!” WOO HOO! *Chest Bump*
The Oregon National Guard’s social media program is a model for other states’ guard units, according to a spokesperson for the Oregon Military Department.
The social media program, launched in January 2009, includes an official blog and several other social media sites which highlight stories, videos and photos of and about Oregon’s citizen-soldiers and citizen-airmen.
Oregon’s program led a push by the U.S. military to encourage its members to engage in social media tools, including blogs and social networking sites like Facebook, in mid 2009.
“Oregon’s citizen-airmen and citizen-soldiers are the best spokespersons we have,” said Tech. Sgt. Nick Choy, Social Media Manager for the Oregon National Guard. “They are the subject matter experts, and well-versed in the history, traditions and customs of our organization.”
Based on research conducted by the U.S. Air Force in early 2008, many military members already have a Facebook or MySpace page, and maintain personal blogs. A 2008 article by an online publication which tracks blogs throughout the world estimated the count at around 250 million, while Technorati estimated there were over 113 million blogs worldwide, not including the estimated 73 million blogs in China.
Furthermore, a blog which tracks Facebook statistics estimated in January 2010 that there are currently over 350 million Facebook members.
“Many of our members are already engaged in their own blogs or on Facebook,” Choy added. “Rather than trying to locate these people so we can tell them our story, why not simply go to where they already are.”
The official Oregon Guard social media sites include a Facebook page which includes daily updates, stories and photos, a YouTube page which includes ‘favorite’ videos from others’ pages as well as internally-produced videos, an official blog, and a Twitter page.
The Oregon National Guard recently opened up access to Facebook on some of their internal networks, and while access to a number of the sites is still restricted on some office networks, military members are encouraged to visit the sites from their personal computers during off-work hours.
Choy hopes participation and membership in social media and social networking sites will enhance the online community which already exists, but also allow guard members another venue to communicate with, and about their organization.
Members who participate are prohibited from releasing certain types of information by military regulations, such as security information or personal data. Users are also encouraged to abide by a code of ethics and standards on their personal blogs and social networking pages, he said.
“Common sense should prevail,” Choy said. “If it’s something you wouldn’t say out loud in uniform in public, then you probably shouldn’t say it online.”
To visit the Oregon National Guard’s official social media sites, see the links provided below.
Blog: http://oregonmildep.blogspot.
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.
Twitter: http://twitter.com/OregonGuard
YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/
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OhMyGov! A news site dedicated to government news has selected Military.com as the top government social network, beating out GovCentral and other social networking sites. Here’s what OhMyGov! had to say about Military.com.
I actually think Military.com is one of the best government social networking sites but I would’ve nominated Call of Duty or Halo for a prize, too.
And I promised I’d never violate op sec by revealing military weapon details, but if you have trouble shooting down a Banshee (the Covenant one person aircraft) in Halo, make sure to shoot it as it flees. Never head on or with a pistol. Rookie mistake.
Read the entire story here and see the rest of the picks.
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Fellow milblogger Matt Gallagher has announced his soon-to-be published book. Described as “at turns hilarious, maddening, and terrifying,”, subjects in the book range from mission details to immortality, grim stories about Bon Jovi cassettes mistaken for IEDs, and the daily experiences of the Gravediggers.
My aim was to make it unlike any other modern war memoir out there, in terms of voice, literary style, and bringing my soldiers to life out of the banal silhouettes they are all too often described as. Only time and your feedback can determine is such an ambition was achieved.
On the personal front, I've settled into big city life in New York. The adjustments to the crowds and to the winter has been interesting, but the subway offers endless entertainment, and being able to see City Girl regularly is definitely worthy of hyperbole. I'm in the throes of grad school applications, and will likely be in school next fall channeling my Iraq experience into Islamic Studies or Middle Eastern History of some sort.
Read Matt’s latest blog post here.
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2009 was a good year for Milblogs. Our community started the #milmonday hash tag on Twitter, Milblogging.com reached 2,500 Milblogs, and the leaders of the Department of Defense stopped ignoring social networking. The Army now advertises its use of social media on their own site. Heck, Admiral Mullen got a twitter account.
At the same time, the ups have been followed by downs. In December, Milbloggers went silent in support of CJ Grisham at A Soldier's Perspective after he received pressure from his chain of command to stop blogging. Milblogs have also failed to earn acclaim in the larger blogging community; the 2010 Bloggies awards did not nominate a single Milblog for an award.
My co-blogger and I have been blogging for seven months or so. I have learned an incredible amount in that time, and I thought I would share what we know. Hopefully I can provide some tips and tricks to help new (and old) Milbloggers improve their writing, avoid common mistakes, and join the community. Additionally, Milbloggers will confront dangers most bloggers will never have to face. I want to address these problems as well.
Part 1- Put the Blog in Milblog
1. Learn from the pros. I don't get paid to milblog and my Amazon Associates referrals definitely don't pay the bills. You may not want to blog professionally, but that's no reason not to learn from the pros. Make your blog better, specifically:
- Problogger.net - Darren Rowse has the premiere blog on blogging. If you're a beginner, check out this collection of links.
- Dailyblogtips.com - Daniel Scocco writes another very excellent blog on blogging. Check out his list of 101 tips to make your blog better.
- I also recommend Trent Hamm's Building a Better Blog series at thesimpledollar.com. It's a great primer on blogging.
2. Join the Milblog community. Obviously, register your blog with milblogging.com so that this resource continues to grow. Click here to register.
Next, befriend other milblogs on facebook and twitter, add them to your blog roll, and comment on their posts. One of the most rewarding aspects of milblogging has been the new connections I have made.
3. Let's Begin Guest Posting. For some reason, the milblogging niche doesn't guest post as commonly as personal finance, advice or other meta-blogs. Well, I think it is time we start. Share your voice on other blogs, and encourage others to post on your blog. For a new blog, guest posting is the single best way to get new readers. Guest posting on your own site introduces your readers to new voices.
4. Emphasize Your Niche. There are at least 2,500 milblogs out there, what separates you from them? Answer: your niche. Find out what makes you unique. Wings over Iraq is written by a pilot who just returned from Iraq. Blog Them Out of the Stone Age links military history and contemporary operations. Spousebuzz.com tells the story of Army wives. Figure out who you are, and write to that.
5. Choose a good name. Abu Muqawama, Army of Dude, The Best Defense, and Blog Them Out of the Stone Age are all names that stick in the head beautifully.
6. Expand you Interests. Let's be honest, you're probably going to do this anyways. We say go for it. Celebrate it. Blackfive does politics, A Soldier's Perspective discussed school uniforms (to his chagrin though), and Dan Drezner compares foreign policy and Avatar. Don't worry about staying on the military theme too much, we all like going off topic. And if you can relate your interests back to the military, your writing will be better for it.
7. Prepare Ahead of Time. We've all heard the phrase "Hurry up and wait." If you've been in the military for more than a week, then you know the military has busy times and down times. Prepare your blog for them. If you know you're going to be deployed, or going to a training program, write material ahead of time so your blog doesn't have a huge gap between posts.
8. Avoid Army Bureaucratic Language. The Army hates language. It chews it up and spits it out into some unrecognizable thing filled with too many adjectives (full spectrum operations) and acronyms (METT-TC). So do what you can to solve the problem. Avoid the stuffy language demanded during your day job when you go home at night to blog. If you have to use an acronym, remember to explain it to your readership.
9. Stick To It. The number one blog killer is apathy. Keep at it. A good tip is to write as many extra posts as you can. This way, on days when you don't feel like blogging, you can still stay current. When your energy picks up you can write new posts.
We hate watching Milblogs die. Liberal or conservative, happy or disgruntled, deployed or in garrison, the military perspective needs to get out there.
Part 2: Stay out of hot water on your milblog
10. Learn Opsec. Avoid Opsec. This is kind of obvious, but it needs to be said.
- A great rule of thumb: if it involves numbers avoid it. So the number of men on a patrol, the time an attack occurred, or how long units take to respond should never go on a blog.
- Always avoid current or future operations. If it just happened, don't blog on it. If it might happen, definitely don't blog on it.
- It is not OPSEC but be cautious about breaking the news of wounded or killed soldiers. For courtesy to the family, please wait until the Department of Defense releases the information.
11. Practice Polite Politics - It is expressly against Army policy to disparage command. So don't do it. Whether it is about ex-President Bush, President Obama, or Nancy Pelosi, the chain of command is the chain of command. Polite commentary on policies is fair game; overly harsh criticism of officials could land you in hot water. The official Army blog has some good guidance on this. Definitely no disparaging remarks. If you wouldn't say it about your pastor, don't say it about the politicians in Washington.
12. Wait until you leave a unit to discuss that unit. The Kaboom blog is the best example of a blog shutting down because of outside pressure. Due to a variety of circumstances, Matt Gallacher's blog was ordered to close. I too worry about getting pressure to close down my blog. My solution is to wait until after I leave a unit before I write about it. This helped me on numerous occasions:
- Many times during deployment I felt frustrated, angry or just pissed. Posting in in these mindsets could have had a negative impact on my career and myblogging.
- I took over a job on a battalion staff a few months after we returned from Afghanistan. When things didn't go my way, I wrote blog posts about my frustration. When I read those posts now, I can choose the posts that actually offer my readers valuable information and throw out posts that are just rants.
I look forward to reading Milblogs as we move into 2010. We provide a valuable viewpoint that Americans want and need to hear. Hopefully this list of tips will help.
*********************************
Michael C writes for www.onviolence.com. He is an active duty military officer who deployed to Afghanistan in support of OEF VIII with the 173rd ABCT.
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After finishing my Basic Training at Indiantown Gap PA, and having settled into my new Quarters with the 301st Port Co., an event took place, that at the time, was very uplifting for my morale.
My Father, who had gone to work on the West Coast for Kaiser Shipyards, constructing Liberty Ships for the Maritime Commission as an overhead welder, impulsively dropped in to visit me. In an interval between Ships, on a train bound for New York from Washington State, my Father got off at the Harrisburg, PA. stop, some 20 odd miles from, Indiantown Gap. The Camp Service Bus gave him a lift from the Station to the Gap. He left after having Dinner in our mess hall but regretted being unable to stay because he was anxious to be on his way home to my Mother and 4 siblings.
Many, years later, waking from a Dream, I walked into my kitchen at Four A.M., sat down in my underwear at the kitchen table, and composed the following recollection of the dream and what it revealed to me, less it be lost forever....
My Father Loves Me!
On Feb. 14th 1995, I had an insight that was quite remarkable to me, that after 52 years I realized that My Father Loved Me ....Very Much!
I’ve written about Solomon several times including interviews (here, here, and here) and his vivid accounts of his war experiences dating back to WWII are simply amazing. How people can remember past events in such remarkable detail is beyond me.
I mean, Christ, my wife asked me this morning if I remember what movie we saw on our first date and I all I could answer with was, “You’re sooo beeauuuutiful…”.
Some times I throw in “my little snookums” or “cuddle muffin” at the end, to completely throw her off.
Check out Solomon's blog here.
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We are seeking volunteers to stuff attendee gift bags on Friday, April 9 (time/location TBA) and to man registration tables Friday evening from 6:00 - 6:30 pm and again from 7:30 - 8:30 pm. We'll also need volunteers to man registration tables on Saturday, April 10 from 8:00 - 9:15 am. If you're interested in volunteering, leave a comment in the comment section and someone will touch base with you as the conference date nears. Thanks in advance for those who can help, The MilBlog Conference truly is a group effort.
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The stress has also been intense on families stateside, who for nine months were glued to whatever media outlets carried the latest from the war.
Mary Edgecomb, 63, read a military blog every morning and every evening, tracking the movements of her son’s unit to the best of her ability. If there was a report of a downed helicopter, she was sleepless until word arrived that her son was OK.
“A couple of times, you’d be shaking, so sick to your stomach. It’s horrible,” Mary Edgecomb said. “You just think about them a lot. You say a lot of prayers.”
For the younger Edgecomb and the other civilian soldiers, the days ahead could be challenging as well as they fit themselves back into society and tackle responsibilities such as family and career.
Read the entire story here.
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While the DoD continues to debate social media, they’ve turned out several new sites including their latest creation the milBook. The DoD also launched a social media information web site back in November in order to assist members of the DoD and the public, called the Social Media Hub. Since November the site has only published a handful of stories, with a total of one new story in January. Has the DoD given up on the Social Media Hub while they continue to debate social media’s place in the DoD?
Even though the site has been pretty inactive, they’ve increased the number of sites listed on their Social Media Registry (located on the Social Media Hub) with dozens of military related blogs, Delicious accounts, Facebook pages, flickr, MySpace, Twitter, iReport and more.
At this pace, I’m guessing the next blog entry could be posted sometime in July. But if anybody needs their Social Media fill before then, you can head over to FaceTube. According to the results of one of the DoD’s latest web polls, FaceTube is one of the most frequently used sites on the web for social media.
More of my coverage on DoD and social media as soon as I finish finding this FaceTube thingy.
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(Times Online) CARELESS tweets cost lives. Some military personnel are being disciplined after leaking secrets on Twitter and Facebook, the Ministry of Defence has admitted.
At least 16 potential security breaches have been spotted and 10 people disciplined in the past 18 months. The MoD refused to comment on whether the actions related to operations in Afghanistan or elsewhere. However, it is known that troops in Afghanistan have regular internet access.
The department’s latest guidelines require soldiers to seek permission before publishing any information relating to operations. Service personnel are also barred from giving opinions on armed forces activity or blogging on “controversial, sensitive or political” matters.
Read the entire story here.
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