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(San Jose Mercury News) Iraq and Afghanistan are very far away for most Americans. Yet in hundreds of military blogs it's possible to read the experiences, thoughts, fears and hopes of the men and women serving there.

``Technology has made this a new war,'' writes ``Molly Pitcher'' (http://molly pitcher.blogspot.com), an Army wife. ``I think the recent `Doonesbury' series on e-mail and spouses is pretty on target. . . . The communications technology can be a mixed blessing. When you hear from your loved one every day and then suddenly not for 48 hours, you begin to picture all sorts of horrors.''

Technology isn't just changing how we fight wars. It's allowing those who fight to speak directly to those who wait at home, unfiltered by a journalist, general or politician. GI Joe and GI Jane can speak for themselves. And we're all better off because of it.

Hundreds of military bloggers are linked at www. milblogging.com, including some who are currently serving in combat zones and others who have served overseas in the past three years.

Read the entire story here.

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Here’s a recent excerpt from Bouhammer’s Afghan Blog.  Listen. You don’t mess with a soldier who has Troy’s military experience.  It’s not smart, not smart at all.  Especially when he’s wearing a Milblogging.com t-shirt.  Like, just the other day I spotted a pack of highly trained ninjas getting ready to attack a group of unsuspecting college kids.  I thought to myself, "This looks like a job for JP". So I ran to a phonebooth, tearing off my shirt, revealing my "Milblogging.com" emblem..and fought off the ninjas single-handedly.   There must've been like 10 of them.  Maybe 15.  I'm sure there are one or two people out there who would've done the same...

The really good news is, Troy’s okay. Read his story below.  

Last night I was up fairly late enjoying my time back here in my normal FOB and having my room to myself.

I ordered the new Godfather Game for PS2 and was up playing it. About 1:45, the explosions and gunfire in the game took on a new 3-D effect as the explosions and gunfire started coming from outside and not from my TV. I threw down the controller, ran to my area and started stripping and dressing. I cursed myself for not taking the time that day and prep my new ACU pants. I had changed uniforms that day, and even though I had re-velcroed (not sure that is a word) everything on my ACU top and put everything in their proper pockets I did not do anything with the pants. So I was scrambling trying to put the belt on, throw my top on, look for boots and all the while hearing shooting from all directions and quite a few RPG explosions. Our siren went off and guys were scrambling. I threw my ACU top on over my milblogging.com t-shirt that I was wearing, threw boots on without socks, grabbed my body armor, helmet, M4 and pistol and I was out the door heading to the TOC to get the truck keys.

Read the entire story here.

Thanks to Seaurchin for the tip.

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(PilotOnline.com) Whatever your ideology about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, a new military blog created by "Doonesbury" political cartoonist Garry B. Trudeau provides a glimpse into the minds of those on the front lines.

Postings on his blog, The Sandbox, can be thought-provoking and raw. One soldier, describing his first Memorial Day as a combat veteran, said he finally understood what his father struggled with after the Vietnam War. Another describes an encounter in a stateside airport, when a familiar face turned out to be the crew chief who tended to him as he was flown out of the country on a stretcher.

Read the entire story here.

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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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