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(Philadelphia Inquirer) If you're surprised that the creator of Doonesbury has started a military blog, then maybe you turned the page a while ago.

Or you never heard Garry Trudeau's explanation why he sacrificed his long-time character BD's leg in a panel back in April 2004, after an explosion outside Fallujah:

"Whether you think we belong in Iraq or not, we can't tune it out; we have to remain mindful of the terrible losses that individual soldiers are suffering in our name."

Trudeau introduced The Sandbox this week through the biggest billboard at his disposal - his Sunday Doonesbury comic strip.

"Hey, folks," soldier Ray Hightower says. "You may have heard how dangerous it's become for the press to cover operations OIF [Operation Iraqi Freedom] and OEF [Operation Enduring Freedom]. Result: The public feels increasingly disconnected from the troops in the field. Solution: Let the troops report on themselves."

What they report is compelling stuff.

The Sandbox's focus is not on policy and partisanship, "but on the unclassified details of deployment - the everyday, the extraordinary, the wonderful, the messed-up, the absurd."

Read the entire story here.

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(Defense Tech) Bloggers: "Big Brother is not watching you, but 10 members of a Virginia National Guard unit might be," according to the Army. The Manassas-based Guardsmen are on a one-year assignment to clamp down on both "official and unofficial Army Web sites for operational security violations."

The team, working "under the direction of the Army Web Risk Assessment Cell" hunts for "documents, pictures and other items that may compromise security" -- and then orders the parties to take the offensive content offline.

Read the entire story here.

Feel free to discuss in the Comments below or in the open thread on Defense Tech.

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(TomPaine.com) Trudeau has just launched a one-stop clearinghouse, similar to other milblog  (military blog) aggregators. Says the introduction to "The Sandbox :"

"This is GWOT-lit's forward position, offering those in-country a chance to share their experiences and reflections with the rest of us ... The Sandbox's focus is not on policy and partisanship, but on the unclassified details of deployment -- the everyday, the extraordinary, the wonderful, the messed-up, the absurd."

But the average Doonesbury reader might or might not be ready for that. So far, as might be expected from a truly disturbing situation, the first dispatches can be, well, disturbing :

"So here I am, educated and enlisted, an infantry sergeant enamored with the violence. And to promote, among other things, the development of a good private, I suggest reading lists. I steer these buggers away from pulp and pop and more towards explorations of the dark night of the soul, hoping, somehow, to get these dudes to realize the enormity of their present baptism in world affairs. So this private, the one throwing on his gear and leaving behind the books, is my little project. A social service product, a kid with no home, a kid who tags along on leave; this is the kid I pick for everything. I hammer his genitals into the wall. I want to make him my son and I his father. I want him to trust me."

Read the entire story here.

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Although I write most of the stories on this website, I’d like to hear from you.  Sure, it’s impossible to top my wit, but give it a shot.  In fact, let’s just forget about how good looking I am, and see if you can write a story half as brilliant.  That’s kind of like a compliment.  I could’ve said a tenth of the brilliance.  Or I could've called you a "jerkface'.

Anyway, if you'd like to submit a story, I'd love to hear it.  Please read the guidelines and tips below before submitting a story, it'll save you time, and reduce the risk of your story not making the homepage. 

Guidelines:

• Choose a topic related to military blogging:  Milblogging reports the news about what milbloggers are doing.  Your story should focus on military blogs, military bloggers, and what's "hot" in the military blog world.  For example, submit stories about military bloggers in the media, milblog events, your opinion or review of a military blog, an interview with a milblogger, and other military blog-related stories.   
  
• Keep it brief: The suggested length is 500 words, 3-4 paragraphs at most, but submissions of any length will be considered.
  
• Add some humor:  We try to keep it funny around here, so please do the same.  Even if you're not funny, try and include at least one or two Zingers. 
  
• Tell us about yourself: Include a brief bio of yourself, website address and your email address. The information will be used for the "About The Author" box.
  
• Hyperlinks can be included

By submitting a story, you acknowledge that you are legally entitled to distribute the work and to allow it to be redistributed.  We read all submissions promptly and will email you within one week if we are going to publish your story.

To submit a story simply fill in the Submit a Story form.  Note: You must be a registered user.

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Well, it’s been quite a week.  A ton of new milblogs have been added to the Milblogging database.  I’m even getting a little better since my tonsillectomy surgery.  And yes, I realize a lot of you are probably laughing when you read “tonsillectomy”, and uh, that hurts.  Truly.  Has not a milblogger feelings?  When you prick us, do we not bleed?

Okay okay, I was never really a poet...I guess it’s the pain medications.  Anyway, check out the newest additions to the database below.

Diary of the Deployed Mama, Prdmomo5, Iraq, I'm a mommy of five, ages 15, 13, 9, 7, and 5. ALL..., 11 Oct 2006

Bluesockwalk, Daniel, Iraq, I am DONE combat ops, so the one mission I have le..., 11 Oct 2006

The Chosen Man, Scipio, United Kingdom, Observations and thoughts of an idiot!, 10 Oct 2006

Eatmorebugs, Chris Hill, United States, The blog is an opinion venue where I try to bring ..., 10 Oct 2006

DPRK Studies, Richardson, United States, My experience in Korea has been both as a student ..., 10 Oct 2006

My Soldier, Jamie, United States, My son is the best thing that ever happened to me...., 09 Oct 2006

Chris' Almost-Daily Update, Chris, United States, My personal blog, featuring my experience in the U..., 09 Oct 2006

Just My Opinion..., Jon, United States, The various Adventures of an 18x Recruit prepping ..., 09 Oct 2006

Humble Patriot, Humble Patriot, United States, The thoughts and observations of an ordinary Ameri..., 08 Oct 2006

Rambling Thoughts from a Future Soldier, Becky, United States, A college senior working towards US Army OCS., 08 Oct 2006

Hub, Daniel Hubbard, United States, A young Active Duty Air Force family, 07 Oct 2006

The Sandbox, Service members currently deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, Afghanistan, Welcome to The Sandbox, our command-wide milblog, ..., 06 Oct 2006

Royal Blue, Blue, United Kingdom, This is the blog of a girl whos boyfriend is a Roy..., 06 Oct 2006

:: OIFtalk.com Operation Iraqi Freedom Blog ::, Not Specified, Not Specified, A forum based community and blog for sharing stori..., 06 Oct 2006

Old War Dogs, Multiple Authors, United States, Two WWII vets, Russ Vaughn, Steve Gardner, 10 othe..., 06 Oct 2006

Daddy is in a sandbox, Military_Wife, United States, A sporatic account of my husbands deployment to "T..., 06 Oct 2006

Rodeo with a Twist of Suspense, Winter, United States, I'm a Christian author determined to break into a ..., 06 Oct 2006

Money for Military, Brandon J, United States, Serving the financial needs of those who serve cre..., 06 Oct 2006

I'm a chick, and a pilot...., Chicpilot, United States, I'm a jack-of-all-trade of sorts, so that's what m..., 05 Oct 2006

The Desert Periscope, Dan, Iraq, What's a submariner doing in the middle of Iraq?, 05 Oct 2006

Mexican Hezbollah, Not Specified, United States, A Website started by a U.S. Army veteran and added..., 05 Oct 2006

Heart, Jim Greenhill, United States, Author Jim Greenhill is a full-time, active duty s..., 05 Oct 2006

The League of Disgruntled Majors, LDM Grand Poobah, Bluto_LDM, United States, A Forum for Warrior and REMF Major alike to vent o..., 05 Oct 2006

Marine Historian, Kurt Wheeler, Iraq, The author is a high school history teacher and Ma..., 05 Oct 2006

A Night on the Line, Arcane, United States, I'm an officer in the U.S. Air Force. I dedicate m..., 05 Oct 2006

The Cannon's Mouth, Ken Reynolds, Canada, News about projects on Canadian military history a..., 04 Oct 2006

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(Michael Yon: Online Magazine) 1. How do you describe Blackfive.net and what inspired you to undertake this work?

A good friend of mine, US Army Major Mathew Schram, was killed fighting his way out of an ambush in Iraq on Memorial Day, 2003. He gave his life to save his soldiers and a journalist that never acknowledged anything for my friend in his magazine.

At the same time, I also had a lot of friends in Afghanistan and Iraq, and their emails and letters and phone calls told a vastly different story that the one I was watching unfold on cable or in the New York Times.

Read the entire transcript of the interview here.

You can read my interview with Matt from Nov 2005 here.

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(Bridgewater Courier News) Trudeau hopes that the interactive environment will help keep the troops, and the sacrifices they are making far from American shores, on the minds of Americans at home.

"There is some truly memorable found journalism in existing milblogs", says Trudeau, "but its exposure is generally limited. We mean to provide a wider window into the daily lives of frontline troops by making The Sandbox available for rapid-response blogging from anyone serving in Iraq or Afghanistan. We hope these posts -- occasionally amusing, sometimes provocative, always fascinating -- will put readers on the ground with our troops and help them to better understand what they are enduring during deployment."

Read the entire story here.

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I submitted Milblogging.com to Wikipedia.  That said, it was originally rejected because I didn’t assert it’s notability.  You can help keep it listed by adding to the page in Wikipedia, so it’s more “noteable”.  That, or you can just start using the word “Milblogging” when you speak to people.  That should definitely make it “noteable”.  Try saying it in every sentence, too.  Seriously.  People will you think you’re awesome!  I even wear a little Crown on the top of my head that says "Milblogging" when I talk.  And I pretend to have an accent...

However, once the novelty wears off of saying “Milblogging” in every sentence, you’ll probably be left with no friends.  And you'll  have a black eye from all the round house kicks to the face.  Don’t get me wrong though, it’s still worth it...

And yes, I'm still laid up in bed recovering from my tonsillectomy.  Hence, this post. 

Please feel free to add to the contents of the article in Wikipedia.  There is still tons of information to cover.  And don't forget to check out Uncle Jimbo of Blackfive in Wikipedia.

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I know I’ve been posting mostly news these past few days, but I had a tonsillectomy on Wednesday.  My wife has been taking real good care of me since my surgery.  I'm getting better, although if my wife thinks for one minute I'm actually able to type on a computer, the "baby treatment" ends. 

Wait a minute, shhh, I better put this laptop away...I think she's coming. And I don't want this "baby treatment" to stop!  I hear tomorrow she's making making my favorite chocolate cake with icing that spells "Get Well Soon My Handsome Little Prince!"  And then she's gonna make me my own bubble bath.

Man, after a week of this, I'm gonna have to paint some fake flames on the side of my Honda Accord to feel tough again. Or something...

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(PRWEB) Garry Trudeau, creator of the long-running daily comic strip Doonesbury, has announced the launch of a new military weblog, or "milblog", on his website Doonesbury.com.

New York, NY (PRWEB) October 6, 2006 -- Garry Trudeau, creator of the long-running daily comic strip Doonesbury, has announced the launch of a new military weblog on his website, Doonesbury.com. The Sandbox, a "milblog" featuring entries emailed in by service members stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan, will be officially introduced in the color Doonesbury comic strip that appears this weekend in newspapers nationwide.

"This is GWOT-lit's forward position, offering those in-country a chance to share their experiences and reflections with the rest of us," says the site's introductory text, adding "The Sandbox's focus is not on policy and partisanship, but on the unclassified details of deployment -- the everyday, the extraordinary, the wonderful, the messed-up, the absurd."

Read the entire story here from PRWEB. 

Check out 'The Sandbox' by clicking the image below.

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(The Philadelphia Enquirer) If you're tired of negative media reporting coming out of Iraq (and, increasingly, Afghanistan), Matthew Currier Burden's The Blog of War: Front-Line Dispatches From Soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan will be a welcome respite.

The author is a former Army intelligence officer who has kept in touch with many of his former comrades. One of them, Maj. Mathew E. Schram, was killed in a May 2003 ambush while escorting a supply column to a forward operating base in Iraq. His death, like so many in Iraq, was truly heroic.

"Major Schram ordered his driver, Specialist Chris Van Dyke, to accelerate from their position in the convoy into the insurgents' position," Burden writes of his friend's last action as a soldier. "The Iraqi grenadiers recognized the threat and shifted their fire from the rear truck to Schram's Humvee."

You've probably never heard his story - and many others like it.

The shortcomings of news coverage and the emotional trauma of Schram's death led Burden to start www.blackfive.net. It became one of the best milblogs - Internet shorthand for "military Web log" - that feature the writing of soldiers and their families.

Read the entire story here.

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(bit-tech.net) It’s one thing to see what’s happening with the eyes of those at the front, but those snippets of action are only the tiniest fraction of the big picture. To find out what is really going on, or at least as close as you can get without going out there yourself, you have to ask the people that are really there, or have been there.

Salam Pax, the now famous Baghdad Blogger, was one of the first and most popular voices from Iraq during the invasion and subsequent occupation, but he is by no means the only Iraqi with access to the internet and a desire to be heard. The Iraq Blog Count site contains links to over two hundred blogs written by Iraqis about what is going on in their country. While these are very often well written and for the most part are regularly updated, there is a reason why Salam Pax was cherry picked from the internet to become a writer and commentator in his own right. His own blog has not been updated since August 2004, but for an impartial, on-the-ground view of how an eloquent yet otherwise ordinary Iraqi experienced the invasion and removal of Saddam’s regime, it is unbeatable.

For a view from the soldiers themselves who are currently serving then the first port of call should really be Milblogging. This site serves as a hub for blogs of serving military personnel. Just as with the Iraq Blog Count there are too many blogs to really appraise them all in one go as they vary greatly in quality and in the politics and status of those who write them. One of the critical differences between the blogs of active service personnel and the blogs of private citizens, however, is censorship. Just like the letters home during WW2 and other conflicts the top brass gets the final say on what is said by its men and women in uniform, so don’t expect to read anything too controversial from Milblogging's contributors.

Read the entire story here.

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(MSN News) Canada's top soldier has ordered military personnel to obtain authorization from their superiors before putting any information online.

CBC News

Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Rick Hillier fears that troops may be revealing sensitive details of military operations through their internet activities, potentially jeopardizing missions as well as the lives of personnel or their families.

"[Canadian Forces] members are to consult with their chain of command before publishing [Canadian Forces]-related information and imagery to the internet, regardless of how innocuous the information may seem," Hillier's order reads.

The order applies to blogs and other personal websites, digital photo and video sharing sites, and even e-mails.

Read the entire story here.

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Here’s a list of the newest milblogs added to the database.  I’m on my way to get a tonsillectomy this morning, so I might not have any cute milblog stories to share for a few days.  I realize most of you will be on the edge of your seat waiting on my next post, so I suggest you check out all the milblogs listed in the Milblogging.com database.  And by “all”, I mean all 1,524 military blogs.  Because the only thing better than reading my milblog, is reading another military blog.  Or maybe watching a Chuck Norris movie.  Or even a Vin Diesel movie. Because a lot of people say I look like Vin. Or at least my biceps do.

Active Duty - A Harvard Military Blog, Various, United States, A nonpartisan blog space for Harvard alumni to sha..., 02 Oct 2006

The News, Samantha West, United States, News on America's Armed Forces and the War on Terr..., 02 Oct 2006

PTSD Soldier, Mom with a Hurting Heart, United States, My perfectly normal, happy son joined the US Army ..., 01 Oct 2006

Can't Spell Lost Without The LT, Chris Carnahan, United States, New Army butter bar LT making his way though train..., 01 Oct 2006

ODG's Blog, Dustin Garner, United States, A veteran who has recently left the Army as an inf..., 30 Sep 2006

The Discomfort of Thought, PigBoatSailor, United States, 30-ish former submariner, current reservist, fathe..., 29 Sep 2006

USMC Things, Candy, United States, A blog about all things military, some politics an..., 29 Sep 2006

Girl raised in the South, Amy, United States, As long as I have my family, I will be a wife, mom..., 29 Sep 2006

Coalition Angel Projects, Sandra Weiland (Tanker Angel Nelly), Germany, Coalition Angels are part of Soldiers Angel Europe..., 29 Sep 2006

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I love Soldiers Angels, especially Kat over at Yikes!.  She and the rest of the Soldiers’ Angels do so much for the troops.  With the upcoming holidays, Kat has launched Operation: Love from Home.  I can tell you from my own deployment experience, getting support during the holidays made the separation from family and friends easier.  Small televisions help, too. And iPods. I asked for lots of iPods.  Yes, I was bold.  I think this might be why I didn’t get too many care packages in Afghanistan.  Or why I didn't make too many friends online.  I can't be sure... 

Operation: Love From Home

During this holiday season, let's show our troops we love and support them!!!! From September 30 to November 30, I will be collecting holiday cards for troops stationed in high-combat areas in Iraq and Afghanistan. Being away from home and living in harsh conditions during the holiday season is especially difficult ~ they need to know we have not forgotten them!!! Mail from home helps to keep our troops' morale strong, making a very real difference in their lives.

Send your signed, unsealed holiday cards to:

Mrs. Kathy Orr
OPERATION: LOVE FROM HOME
P.O. Box 1660
Loganville, Georgia, 30052

The cards can be handmade or store-bought... for that matter, they don't even have to be cards; a hand-written or typed letter is just as wonderful! This is a great opportunity to get your Scout troop, school, church and other civic organizations involved in doing something to show support for our troops.

If you wish to send an email greeting (which will be printed off and mailed along with the holiday cards), please send an email to: LoveFromHome@Gmail.com

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(The Phantom Observer) "A while back I’d posted some stuff about Canadian Forces blogging policy. One that I’d neglected, because it was only available on the DIN (DND’s Intranet), was this CANFORGEN (CF General Message) on blogs. (Because it’s unclassified, I don’t think I’ll be in too much trouble if I posted the full text here.

CANFORGEN 136/06 CDS 050/06 011318Z SEP 06
Guidance on blogs and other internet communications - CF operations and activities
UNCLASSIFIED
REFS: A.QR AND O 19.36, 19.37, AND 19.375
B.DAOD 2008-1, 2008-4, AND 2008-6
C.NDSP CHAPTER 30

Recently there has been considerable information posted to the Internet describing the experiences of CF members, particularly those deployed on operations. These postings have included commentaries on personal websites, web-logs (blogs) and e-mails, and uploaded still and video imagery. This material has been posted by CF members deployed on operations or in garrison, families and acquaintances of CF members, embedded journalists and other media, and the general public.

This CANFORGEN is intended to ensure CF members, the chain of command, and specialist advisors at all levels are aware of the risks inherent in making some types of information or imagery available to the wide audience using the internet, and of the measures to be taken to prevent such risks.

Operational security is paramount. It is incumbent upon all CF members to consider the potential for creating risk to themselves, their families, their peers, and the mission by publishing information to the Internet. Such information or imagery may, either individually or in conjunction with other information, provide expert analysts insights into CF current operations, equipment, capabilities, tactics, and intentions, or may provide information that puts personnel in specialist roles or their families at risk."

Read the entire story here.

Thanks to kasee for the tip.

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(Blogger News Network) "Bush is lying to you about Iraq, Americans told

Yaaaassss, it’s a neat reversal of the usual main-stream media lies, omissions and plain old papering over the news from Iraq… don’t any of these people ever read milblogs? Sheesh.

More here. Airsickness bags available on request."

Read the entire story here.

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Here’s a list of the newest milblogs added to the database.  Oh yes, more milblogs. Face it, deep down, you live for this moment each week.  I must continue to warn you though; this site is going to get even bigger and better in the next few weeks.  I’m not sure the regular person will be able to handle the awesomeness of the new site changes.  This afternoon I showed my wife the new site, and...Poof!  She exploded right in front of me.  Just like that.  True story.

The Internet Examiner, IS2(SW) Kolenc, Justin, United States, This blog is not exclusively military but as I am ..., 27 Sep 2006

Operation-Support Blog, Parris, United States, This site is dedicated to the men and women whose ..., 26 Sep 2006

PFC Smeltz, Ryan, Myself, United States, TIS = 17 mos, 26 Sep 2006

Soldier`s Angels Europe, Willie, Germany, Soldiers Angels Europe - supporting deployed and i..., 25 Sep 2006

Lets Fix This, Gary, United States, A military related blog to express some of my idea..., 25 Sep 2006

U.S. Cavalry OnPoint, Not specified, United States, ON Point is similar to George Friedman's STRATFOR,..., 25 Sep 2006

Ernie Goes To Ottawa, Ernie Kosanyi, Canada, One Man's Journey to Join The 48th Highlanders, 23 Sep 2006

Troop Talk Radio, Troop Talk Radio, United States, This is the official blog for the pro-military tal..., 22 Sep 2006

Journey to the Corps, JerseyWM, United States, My journey to the United States Marine Corps, alon..., 21 Sep 2006

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(BlackAnthem.com) As part of his attempt to inform Americans about the sacrifices servicemembers are making, Trudeau is launching a military blog on his Web site: www.doonesbury.com, he said. The blog, which launches Oct. 8, will be called "The sandbox" and will feature entries from servicemembers in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"It's important that people understand," he said. "I think the wars are just too remote for people's minds. They see two, three minutes on the evening news, maybe, if they don't look away. And people just get on with their lives. I understand that; there's just so much stress that you want in your life. But at the same time, there's a lot of people over there fighting in our name, so I think we need to pay attention to what they're doing."

Read the entire story here.

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