(Medill School)  Online military blogs -- or “milblogs” -- began to appear in force in 2001 after the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan as a way for troops to share their experiences with those back home.

An important factor in the popularity of the blogs is that “milbloggers go where no other man is going,” said David D. Perlmutter, a journalism professor at the University of Kansas who has written about political blogs.

And the majority of those going to those places tend to be enlisted troops, leading to a perception that most of the milbloggers are younger. But the demographic profile of milbloggers and types of blogs gaining popularity now are the result not only of age: Rank, the progress of the war and the length of the conflict also play roles.

Read the entire story here.

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(Frontline Blogger) NATO Review discusses the effects of new media and blogging upon the amount and quality of information coming out of warzones today. The video discussion includes contributions from the founder of liveleak.com - a haven for bomb blasts, humvee crashes and the like. The discussion accompanies an article by our very own Vaughan Smith about how he got into journalism, military minders and the importance of independent reporting...

Read the entire story here.

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(Doc in the Box)  Last May when I went to the Milblog Conference, there was talk about us being in the last days of milblogging. That military was cracking down on blogging from the front. Being someone who has spent a fair portion of the last 4 years blogging from Iraq, I’m beginning to think it was all a Net Myth.

Unlike many of the anonymous Milbloggers, my real name has been attached to my blog since day one and all over the internet. I talk to our Public Affairs Office (PAO) on a regular basis. In fact, I know for a fact that the New Media Division on the Marine side is embracing blogging done by troops on the ground.

Read the entire story here.

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(Blackfive.net)  Even though spring hasn't officially arrived the snow line is beginning to move up the mountains in Kunar and surrounding provinces in Afghanistan.  The Taliban have already begun attacking the KOP, Firebases and Observation Points where elements of the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team from Bamberg and Schweinfurt, Germanicenza, Ily, are deployed.  Almost 4,000 Soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry (Airborne), 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry (Airborne) and 1st Squadron, 91st Cavalry were deployed to Kunar and surrounding provinces in Afghanistan in May 2007 for a 15 month rotation.  This region of eastern Afghanistan in the Hindu Kush mountains bordering Pakistan has been designated the most dangerous place on earth for military personnel.

Our paratroopers are in the fight of their lives and they need to hear that America loves them.

Please send an email of support to skysoldiers173rd@gmail.com

Or you can mail cards to:
Leta Carruth
P O Box 100
Cordova, TN  38088

Read about the entire support campaign here.  And thanks to super military supporter Sherri for the tip.  

I had the honor and privilege of serving with troops from the 173rd Airborne for about six weeks during my last deployment to Afghanistan in 2005 and I had some exciting stories to tell in my original milblog “The National Guard Experience” (now defunct).  A small detachment of us ran missions with them out of Forward Operating Base Lagman in the southern Zabul province.

I remember how much pride even their Cooks had in their job.  When my battle buddy and I asked one of their cooks why every meal was prepared so well , he told us:  “We treat every meal like it’s the soldier’s last before they go outside the wire.”

Below is a photo I took while we prepared for an air assault mission back in 2005 with the 173rd Airborne.

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(editorsweblog)  The New York Times has launched a new Baghdad-based blog, entitled "Baghdad Bureau: Iraq from the Inside." The blog will aim to complement the Time’s coverage of the situation in Iraq.

“We are excited to launch Baghdad Bureau and hope it will give readers a more vivid, intimate sense of ordinary life in Iraq, as well as the military and political themes we will continue to explore in our coverage," Foreign Editor Susan Chira said in a statement.

Read the entire story here.

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(Yahoo! News) The Air Force has also banned some sites for absorbing too much bandwidth, such as YouTube and MySpace.

The Enemy Has Browsers

Other military branches have also been cracking down on a variety of Net activities. Last May, for instance, the U.S. Army issued an order prohibiting soldiers in Iraq from posting to blogs or sending personal e-mail without first clearing the activity with a superior officer.

But the attitude demonstrated by AFNOC and the U.S. Army is not universally held among military personnel. For instance, Lt. Gen. William B. Caldwell IV, a former leader of the American military in Iraq, has noted that modern wars are, at least in part, battles of information and soldiers should be encouraged to help wage that information war on their own.

Many businesses have come to similar conclusions about attempts to prevent employees from reading what customers or competitors are posting. As noted by Susan Katz Keating, an investigative journalist who runs a national security blog, the blogs that are being blocked by the Air Force "are freely available to the enemy."

Read the entire story here.

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(Danger Room from Wired.com) The Air Force is tightening restrictions on which blogs its troops can read, cutting off access to just about any independent site with the word "blog" in its web address. It's the latest move in a larger struggle within the military over the value -- and hazards -- of the sites.  At least one senior Air Force official calls the squeeze so "utterly stupid, it makes me want to scream." 

Until recently, each major command of the Air Force had some control over what sites their troops could visit, the Air Force Times reports. Then the Air Force Network Operations Center, under the service's new "Cyber Command," took over.

Thanks to my pal Charlie for the tip.  If this is the case, I guess I might have to switch up the domain name 'milblogging.com' to something different so Air Force personnel can access this website.  I still prefer: UnicornsAreMyFavorite.com.  And if Air Force officials decide to block that one, I can always go with: NinjasAreBetterThanPirates.com.

We should be ok.  In fact, we should be better than 'ok'.  Because I have a never ending supply of these brilliant domain names.

Read the entire story here.

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(Danger Room) Canadian soldiers: "Be careful who you are poking, al-Qaeda may be watching. The Canadian military is warning soldiers not to post personal information on social networking sites such as Facebook, due to security concerns."

Read the entire story here.

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(Nichole’s Blog) These men and women who have taken the time to share their stories and opinions are stronger than I will ever be. But they did not force me to change my views of the war. Instead, they reinforced the idea that I have no clue what is going on, and can never possibly understand the lives of those who live war.

In fact, I feel more than ever that I will never understand. Although the Milblog has not changed my opinion of the war, it has made me more compassionate to those men and women who serve. Supporting war should not be about supporting an idea or belief. It should be about people, individuals and what they live. In my opinion, I do not have to support the war, or be against it even, to feel compassion and a desire to help those who fight in it. My opinion of a war has nothing to do with it. In the long run, I can hate the fighting for a cause I don’t understand till my dieing day, but it will not make a difference. I am one person, one in millions who either support or do not support the conflict our country is in. Instead, I choose to have a neutral ideal, neither hating or liking the war. But no matter what I will support those people fighting. The Milblog has shown me I can do no less for those people that fight for something I will never understand, but they believe in wholeheartedly.

Read the entire story here.

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You might notice some changes taking place on this website.  The most excellent crew at Military.com is working to improve it, so please be patient while the site undergoes an overhaul.  I can't give you any timelines, but I’ll make sure to keep you updated on all the awesome new changes as they are completed.

This website is going to be super awesome once the folks at Military.com finish with it.  Their ideas really can’t be topped.  Although, they do plan to leave out one of my brilliant ideas (I must say).  But I’m guessing it’s because ninjas really have nothing to do with military blogs.   Normally, I’d be pretty disappointed, but I’m still waiting for their feedback about my design that incorporates unicorns and fairy dust.

I’m pretty sure not hearing anything back is a really good sign.

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(National Review Online) I can't wait until Ralph Peters and the milblogs get ahold of Sen. Obama's claim that American forces in Afghanistan are forced to capture the ammo they need to fight.

It's the kind of ludicrous claim one expects to hear from a caller on late night talk radio, not from a potential president of the US.  Does Sen. Obama have ANYTHING to back this up?

Read the entire story here.

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(Zachary Golden’s Blog) There’s been a bit of a back log in my posts recently, luckily for me however, the blog keeps quite a bit of history with it so all the old posts can be read for quite some time. So I’ll be able to give you my much sought over expert opinion on all these articles that I missed.

Read the entire story and discussion here.  By the way, it appears these students are using Doonesbury - The Sandbox – Military Blog for their studies.

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Sorry for the lack of posts the past few days, but there’s been sand storms going around Iraq and as a result I was stuck on a FOB that didn’t have the best internet access.  Therefore, I’m behind on email and blogging. 

So until I get caught up, go ahead and read through some of the new military blogs added to the database. Which, by the way, is my sly way of saying I don’t really have time to post anything new.    Although, maybe next time when I don’t have time to post something, instead of me always calling it “New Milblogs Added”, I’ll just rename the title of the post something like “Ninjas attack FOB in Iraq”.  Or, “Soldier adopts Unicorn while on Deployment!”.

Stay tuned for these stories and more.    

MilitaryAvenue.com - Our Letters to You, The MilitaryAvenue.com Team, United States, Supporting the Relocation, Travel, and Lifestyle N..., 20 Feb 2008

Navalgazing, Mitja Ng-Baumhackl, United States, Military family blog written by a civilian husband..., 18 Feb 2008

Morning Coffee, Darrell, United States, I am a Retired Navy Chief and as such I may not al..., 18 Feb 2008

Another monday, Melinda, United States, just another busy week, 18 Feb 2008

Chronicles of a modern warrior, John Halbrook (Troy Ruffin), United States, A small town Iowa boy enlists with the Army. Foll..., 18 Feb 2008

ROK Drop, GI Korea, South Korea, The ROK Drop is the top milblog out of South Korea..., 15 Feb 2008

Married to the Military, Mrs. Staff Sergeant, United States, The life and times of an Air Force wife trying to ..., 13 Feb 2008

Navy Pride Blog, Stephanie, United States, All things Navy Pride. Proud to be in the Navy. Pr..., 10 Feb 2008

Soldier 2 Soldier Support, Soldier 2 Soldier Support, United States, Soldier's helping Soldier's with everyday military..., 08 Feb 2008

The New Normal, Streetgang6, Afghanistan, Just another American Citizen-Soldier trying to hu..., 07 Feb 2008

The Navy Wife Life, Battleship Bettie, United States, Personal experiences and insight from a Navy wife ..., 07 Feb 2008

False Motivation, Toy Soldier, Iraq, Reports and random thoughts from Iraq., 06 Feb 2008

Indonesian Military, Indonesianmilitary, Indonesia, Ini adalah blog yang berisi analisis dan berita pe..., 06 Feb 2008

Trigger Man, SSG Kyle Hausmann, Iraq, I happen to be one of these people, through and th..., 05 Feb 2008

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(Armchair Generalist) I'm catching up on the fact that we've lost another milblogger... Lurch, one of the guys at Main and Central, has passed away from unknown causes. His blog buddies tracked down his absence but are refraining from an explanation on the family's request. As Firedoglake says, Lurch was a real professional, a good soldier and a friend to the Army.  I was lucky to have him visit over the last year and comment on this blog on military issues.

Read the entire story here.  I just read about this, so if you have more details on this tragedy, feel free to email me at milblogging@gmail.com.

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(David Kirkpatrick) Just a resource for anyone interested who doesn’t know about Milblogging.com. The site is a clearinghouse for blogging military members. Lots of interesting stuff in these blogs. Frontline reports, photos; tales of bravery, heroics and abject fear.

The US DoD has developed an ongoing internal dialog (sometimes positive, sometimes contentious — do a google search on the issue for more) with military blogs, especially from sensitive deployments. The upside is milblogs offer a window into the life of a soldier for their family and friends, and can be great source of PR for the military. For example, Gen. Petraeus is a supporter.

Read the entire story here.

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(Military.com) The wounded Soldier flying toward home aboard a C-17 Globemaster can’t talk -- he utters a few sounds that make no sense to anyone. The surgeon aboard the flight tells a reporter along for the ride that the Soldier -- who suffered a traumatic brain injury -- also suffers from hearing loss, but thinks it may have been a pre-existing condition.

The Soldier, unable to speak but fully aware, "thinks out" the cause of the hearing problem: "Yup. Nine Inch Nails. Worth it!"

Welcome aboard an Air Force aero medical evacuation mission from Iraq to Andrews Air Force Base, Md., as presented in the popular "Doonesbury" strip recently by Garry Trudeau, who incorporated the mission into a story line about a wounded Soldier returning from the war with a traumatic brain injury, or TBI.

Click here for Military.com's Q&A with Garry Trudeau

By many accounts, TBI has emerged as a signature wound of the Iraq war -- not so much from gunshots or even shrapnel from improvised explosive devices, but often from the powerful force of a shock wave created by the IED that can literally rattle the brain.

Read the entire story here.

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I’ve been finding more stories of students studying military blogs in the classroom.  See here and here.  I even found one post that discussed one of my entries on care packages.

I have to say, judging by the material these students are learning, they probably attend Yale.  Or Harvard.  I mean, if you're reading anything I wrote it's definitely challenging.  Particularly, the Golden Rules of Care packages.  It’s a complex literary masterpiece.  These students obviously will go on to do great things.  Living on the street?  Unemployed?  Licking windows?  Who knows?

The sky’s really the limit.

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(Nichole’s Blog)  It never ceases to amaze me what people will come up with to make the time they have more enjoyable. The first week of class we had the assignment to explore the Military Blog site and comment on what was seen. This week, we have the same assignment and I have to say, I enjoyed it. It was not as shocking, coming back to the site after already knowing the emotional posts that some of the men and women in our military have sent. This also may have to do with the fact that all of the posts I read were really funny, except one. Hence the first sentence…when left to their own devices, humans will always find a way to laugh and turn an experience into a game.

“The Golden Rules of Care Packages”
This post was very amusing, and even came with a warning label. The author stated upright that his post was going to be a stab at humor, whether everyone got it or not. The warning was well-noted. The author went on to give a list of the things to, and not to, send in a care package for our soldiers overseas. He gave it is such a funny, humors manner that I did not take too much offence, but can easily see where others can. He was rather rude in his attempt, but I believe he just wanted to make a shocking tribute to the rather interesting things that people have sent in care packages. The confusion goes both ways. People who send care packages just want to help, to feel good to help because they cannot or do not want to face the horrors of war. But often such individuals do not know what to send, and resort to the generic brands of household items and puzzle games(the author had a unique view on this…he would rather have the name brands than generics and encourages those who send generics to save their money for “a real house”). What the soldiers may not realize is those are the exact things people who put care packages together are TOLD to pack. My church sends out care packages regularly, and in letters were told to send generic household items and puzzles to help with boredom. it’s a never-ending continuum everyone needs to realize.

Read the entire story here.  Make sure to check our Nichole's archives for more entries on exploring milblogs in the classroom.

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(English 101, Sec 1409 (Group B) Since I support our military no matter what the reason for war may be, this excerpt was a very effective piece for me. Scott-Singley starts off by talking about the number of people he has killed in Iraq and makes it clear why he killed them. He was there to do a job, and he did it, but it also meant seeing his family again. However, he makes sure the reader knows that he is not just a cold-blooded killer by saying that he cannot forget about the things he has done in Iraq. He and his platoon killed 192 people, and this has not left his mind. This is where his thesis starts to become clear. Scott-Singley begins asking multiple rhetorical questions that make the reader think about the death that takes place in war. It seems like Scott-Singley, like many soldiers do returning from war, feels guilty about what he has done. He wants to let the reader know that he does not feel pride for what he has done, but instead feels sympathy for the loved ones of the men he has killed, setting the mood for the rest of the blog.

The most effective part of the excerpt is the blog from May 4, 2005. He begins going into what his mission was going to be and the reader, at least I did anyway, thinks that he is just going to raid a house and talk about killing some men and that would be about it. However, we soon find out that is not the case when a young soldier begins firing his weapon and we find out that a young boy has been shot in the head and killed. Then it is revealed that there was no real threat from the black truck and the child was killed for no reason. This is heartbreaking, especially to anyone who has a child. Again, Scott-Singley shows his compassion by mentioning how he can still remember that moment to this day, recalling the blood and scattered pieces of skull and talking about how he still cries about the incident. I must say, it is a rather rough piece to read.

The last three blogs of the excerpt are rather interesting to me. Scott-Singley wants to make the reader realize that not every Iraqi is a monster like many of us seem to think. He wants us to realize these people have families, they have friends, they are humans. However, as he points out, we still give them names to “peel away their humanity.” These people are still people, they just happen to be in a terrible place in a terrible time, and we make assumptions about them. I have done it, and I am sure the majority of Americans have done the same, and it is a shame, so I would say Scott-Singley is pretty dead on with his blogs.

Read this entry and more at English 101, Sec 1409 (Group B).

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I wanted to share some personal Valentine's cheer.  I opened a box this morning and discovered a heartwarming wonderful gift.  My wife and 2 boys sent me a quilt they handmade.  It stands 4 feet tall and each square has a different picture or personal message for me. 

Honestly, receiving gifts like these from my wife and kids really makes me miss home.  But as much as I enjoy these types of gifts, I would rather open a box one day and have my wife and two kids jump out.  That would be nice, and definitely a step up from a card.

I imagine though, it would get kinda cramped traveling in a cardboard box and it would probably cause long-term back pain, but it's the price you pay for love.

SHIPPING UPDATE 1:  I'm so excited! My wife just sent me an email after reading this and said she's found a box that might work.  She's looking at pricing right now.  I told her to go with FedEx Nextday service.

SHIPPING UPDATE 2:  After my wife talked it over with the kids, apparently my 1-year old and 7-year old refuse to be shipped in a box.  Unless of course, they can bring their Xbox 360.  So, I guess it's back to the drawing board. This should only be a minor setback.

SHIPPING UPDATE 3:  Shipping box development has been in progress for almost 24 hours and already my wife has several boxes ready for testing.  She's gonna mail me another test box and I'm gonna let her know how the contents turn out.  Only, instead of shipping herself and the 2 kids: she's testing it with a Care Bear doll, Penelope Cruz and some really short guy she met on the street.  The first box I received didn't turn out too well.  Hopefully she remembers to poke holes in the box this time.

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