You'll be happy to know we've completed our final mission just a few days ago. All Bad Voodoo soldiers are safe and off the road. Pictured above is myself and "SGT Q" (a fellow Bad Voodoo Team Leader) posing for a photo during our last mission. We both happened to serve in Afghanistan at the same time from 2004-2005, but we were in different units. "SGT Q" was actually a member of the 25th Infantry Division. I served with the Virginia National Guard during my tour, but I was also awarded the Tropic Lightning during my Combat Patch ceremony.
Well, pretty soon this place will just be a memory and I'll be looking at pictures from my deployment saying to myself, "Those were the days. Really takes me back..."
The 3,000 degree weather in full Battle Rattle. Back to back missions, over and over and over. Some times getting little or no sleep. Heck, throw in walking a mile to use the internet and eating sand during dust storms and I'm basically describing utopia.
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(American Enterprise Institute) Stop-loss is now the subject of an eponymous film that tells the story of three soldiers who return from Iraq and attempt to handle the burdens of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) while re-entering civilian life as sons and husbands. When Staff Sgt. Brandon King is stop-lossed and told that he will be returned to the war in Iraq rather than be released from the Army, he flees his post in an effort to escape the orders. King's flight forces his friends and family to choose whether to support him and ultimately brings him face-to-face with the costs of abandoning one's comrades.
Not surprisingly, the movie has met with an unkind reception among milbloggers. Terri, a blogger at A Soldier's Mind whose boyfriend has served three tours in Iraq, watched the movie and panned it as "unrealistic," "inaccurate" and "inconsistent." She points out numerous factual errors, such as the immediacy of King's orders to return to Iraq, the film's treatment of PTSD and the police manhunt for King. Her conclusion: "It's obvious that this is Hollywood's latest attempt to make the military look bad and to glorify desertion."
A more typical response among milbloggers was to pan the movie without having seen it. Both "SSG Thul" at Foreign and Domestic and "Deebow" at Blackfive cheered the movie's poor takings during its opening weekend, as the film posted eighth at the box office. Thul concludes that the film did poorly because "Americans don't want to go see a movie that tells them that they are stupid because they are Americans." Deebow asks why there have been so many movies that criticize the war but none celebrating real-life heroes who fought in Iraq and have died for their brothers in arms.
The one sympathetic milblogger review of "Stop-Loss" that I found was by Carissa Picard, on the Military.com Daily Election Center Blog. Picard, founder of the soldier's advocacy group Military Spouses for Change, attended the movie's sold-out premier at Fort Hood, Texas, and interviewed audience members afterward. A notable (and vocal) segment of the audience included members of Iraq Veterans Against the War, which had organized a group to attend the premier and distribute anti-war literature. They agreed with the film's premises and thought that it provided a fair treatment of what they view as a betrayal of American soldiers. (AFJ staff writer Chuck Vinch reviewed "Stop-Loss" favorably, concluding, "'Stop-Loss' is not an anti-war film; if anything, it's pro-troops.")
Read the entire story here.
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Below is some information about the 2008 Milblog Conference, along with the final agenda. I'm gonna keep everyone updated here about the conference as more information becomes available.
Date: SEPTEMBER 20, 2008
Location: Blog World Expo, Las Vegas
Registration Info: Coming soon...
Agenda:
10:30a – 11:00a: Opening Remarks
Presentation of 2007 Milbloggie Awards
11:00a – 12:00p: Are MilBlogs Still Relevant? In the wake of a successful military surge in Iraq, waning media attention and an election year, are MilBlogs as relevant to the national conversation on war as they once were?
12:00p – 12:15p: Break
12:15p – 1:15p: MilBlogging as a Community. A fascinating look at how the milblogging community was built, what it’s achieved and how deep and wide its reach has become. We’ll explore how milblogging gives a voice to supporters, parents and spouses of service members, and how that voice is effectively used to support an entire military community.
1:15p – 2:45p: Lunch Break
2:45 – 3:45p: The New Cadre of War Reporters. Reporting from the Green Zone is not an option for this gritty band of milbloggers. Today’s technology enables milbloggers and embedded reporters to report directly from the battlefield. We’ll talk with some of these milbloggers about their experiences in the combat zone.
3:45 – 5:00p: Free Time (Sit in on other panels or stroll the vendor floor).
5:00 – 6:00p: Panel TBA
6:00p: Closing Remarks
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(Telegraph) In a ground-breaking departure for newspapers, The Sunday Telegraph has "embedded" a video camera with a front-line infantry regiment in southern Afghanistan.
Readers will be given a soldier's eye view of life in Helmand, where 8,000 British troops are locked in an increasingly bitter conflict against the Taliban and al-Qaeda forces.
The Sunday Telegraph will receive regular video dispatches from Corporal Billy Carnegie, a section commander with the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, the 5th battalion of The Scottish Regiment (5 Scots), which will appear on the Telegraph website on a regular basis.
Read the entire story here.
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Smedley "The Camel Spider" is still living with us in our tent. I took it upon myself to do some scientific research so I went on over to Wikipedia and read more about camel spiders. Here's what Wikipedia says:
"In the Middle East, it is widely rumored among American and coalition military forces stationed there that Solifugae will feed on living human flesh. The story goes that the creature will inject some anaesthetizing venom into the exposed skin of its sleeping victim, then feed voraciously, leaving the victim to awaken with a gaping wound. Solifugae, however, do not produce such an anaesthetic, and they do not attack prey larger than themselves unless threatened. Other stories include tales of them leaping into the air, disemboweling camels, screaming, and running alongside moving humvees; all of these tales are dubious at best. Due to their bizarre appearance many people are startled or even afraid of them. The greatest threat they pose to humans, however, is their bite in self-defense when one tries to handle them. There is no chance of death directly caused by the bite, but, due to the strong muscles of their chelicerae, they can produce a proportionately large, ragged wound that is prone to infection."
I was a non-believer, until the other day. So I was packing my belongings and a spider ran out from underneath my duffel bag. I hit it with my boot several times and I'm not sure if he got away. Well, later that night while I was talking to one of my battle buddies --- and in the corner of my eye --- I swear Smedley was staring straight at me with those little beady angry eyes. Like he wanted to eat my flesh or something.
Smedley Update1: Turns out, Smedley escaped from his cage. He's small, just over an inch so it wasn't too hard. Not that I'm scared, but I now sleep with my eyes open. And all my body armor. And my M-4. Hell, I'm not ashamed, I even clutch a Woobie.
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(Pier System) Since January, the Thirteenth District Public Affairs Office has been maintaining a blog and podcast as an additional way to tell the Coast Guard story. In the interest of transparency and to enhance our ability to tell the Coast Guard's story we are looking for motivated Coast Guard members, active duty, reserve, auxiliary and civilians, who would be interested in blogging about their Coast Guard experiences. Blogs can be written about almost anything that you are doing in the Coast Guard. Remember that this is an official blog so keep it to the Coast Guard and stay in your lane. Talk about your experiences, cases you've been involved in, boating safety, important topics, training, etc..
Read the entire story here.
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(The Patchwork Quilt II) Being a blogger, more so than being a member of Soldiers Angels, is what led me to meet the Founder of Soldiers Angels,Patti,when I attended the Milblog conference last year in DC. And also meeting Robert Stokely and briefly speaking with him, one of the most towering men of Christian faith I've ever had the privilege to meet. Over a year later, the brief conversation we had while in the lunch line still resounds within me, and, now that my husband/'s son is deployed, brings me a great deal of comfort and peace.
Read the entire story here.
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(Milblogs) The second annual
GI Film Festival will take place in Washington, DC from May 14-18. In addition to film screenings and other fun happenings, the festival will present a series of panel discussions.The festival has added a panel on milblogging to this year's agenda.
Read the entire post here.
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Smedley is a camel spider that we caught while cleaning our weapons after a mission. He lives in our tent in a tiny terrarium Ranger Nievera bought him. Smedley is pretty much the cutest thing on the planet. Just look at those beady little eyes. And his legs? Not 1, not 2, not even 6 or 7, but 8 of the most adorable little furry legs you've ever seen. We're considering entering him into the "World's Cutest Pet" contest. I'll keep you updated on his story.
Smedley Update1: Apparently, people keep telling us Smedley isn't all that adorable. They say there's no way he could win any "Cutest Pet Contest". Puh-leeeassse. Once we dress up Smedley in a baby diaper and pacifier, I guarantee a win. We might even have him drive a little red fire engine. Oh, I smell victory.
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In case you missed Bad Voodoo's War (the personal story of my Platoon), you can watch it online. If you did watch the show and want to share your thoughts, please feel free to share in the Comments section below.
Oh, and yes folks, that's me at the top of the PBS website raising one eyebrow like James Bond. I mean, you can't look like me and not raise one eyebrow during photographs. It's unnatural. Shoot, it was hard enough to resist ripping off my shirt and flexing my pecs and back for the camera.
The New York Times -- Neil Genzlinger
"… this is a very different view of the war than you'll see on the nightly news. …
"The platoon draws the seemingly mundane duty of escorting trucks all around the country, but in this roadside-bomb-based war, of course, it's not mundane at all. [Director Deborah] Scranton, aided by creepy nighttime video, builds the tension effectively toward the inevitable explosion, pausing along the way to fill in the back stories of a few of the soldiers. …"
The Wall Street Journal -- Nancy deWolf Smith
"… What kind of person can face months of such danger, day in and day out? Only the brave, undoubtedly. Beyond that, it is difficult to say much more specific about the men of Bad Voodoo Platoon. Of its 30-something members, only two have been chosen to speak at length here. What they have to say is disturbing on many levels. …"
United Features Syndicate -- Kevin McDonough
"… moving …
"You can't help but be touched by the dedication of these men to their country and to each other. …"
The Star-Ledger -- Alan Sepinwall
"… while admiring the complexity and achievement of [last week's 4.5-hour series] 'Bush's War,' I couldn't help but be more affected by 'Bad Voodoo's War.' Admittedly that's just the nature of the two films -- one a clinical dissection of foreign policy and inter-agency turf battles, the other an intimate, first-person look at only a handful of soldiers -- but if forced to choose one or the other as the proper fifth anniversary commemoration, I'd likely pick the latter…"
The Hartford Courant -- Roger Catlin
"Should be mandatory, albeit not easy, watching. ...
"If last week's massive summary brought us up to date on the history of the Iraq engagement, this week's episode … puts us vividly and uncomfortably in the present. …"
Contra Costa Times -- Susan Young
"… Unlike a journalist embedded with the troops, the camera makes no judgment; no color commentary spews from its lens. Just hard reality that viewers can filter through their own eyes. …"
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"… compelling television …"
The Cincinnati Enquirer
"… these guys make ideal subjects, combining strength and humanity. …"
The Huffington Post -- Leslie Griffith
"… the mother lode of all reality shows …
"Director Deborah Scranton (The War Tapes) uses her brilliant 'subject as reporter' theme to tell Bad Voodoo's War. With very few 'embeds' (journalists reporting from Iraq), Scranton jars us into the reality of war by forcing us to see through the eyes of the soldiers. …" [Read
Blackfive.net
"… The reason I like Scranton's work is that the soldiers tell their own stories - the good, the bad and the ugly - and you get plenty of that in the interviews. Yes, some just want to go home, others want to do the job they've been giving, and others worry about the (lack of) ability for Iraq to provide it's own security. …" [Read more…]
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My youngest son Joseph turned 2-years old today. It's the second birthday I've missed because of my deployment. But it's ok. My wife has been great about sending me photos and videos of him so I don't feel far away. He's a real cute kid. But are you thinking what I'm thinking? He's not even human, right? It feels like every time I see a photo or video of him, it's like I'm watching some Saturday morning cartoon. I, for one, am convinced he's a Care Bear. I'm pretty sure he's just made of fabric and stuffing.
He even comes fitted with a sound box that says lines like, "Poo-poo" and "Woof woof".
But honestly, I don't know how well this Care Bear product line did though for Marketing, because my wife still claims to find brown stuff in his diaper at least 5 or 6 times a day. Some times 7. Oh, and one time he just stood up, grabbed a box of Crayons and started drawing all over the wall. I swear, it said nothing of the sort on the box when we bought him.
Happy Birthday Joseph!
Feel free to browse through some of my previous entries on him:
How my kids cheer me up during deployment
Check Out The Milblogging.com Store!
My kids enjoying their Halloween treats from a reader
My 1 year old son, having a good hair day
My 1-year old son using his manners
My 1 year old doing Karaoke back in the States
My 1 year old rocking to iPod music - Part 2
My 1 year old rocking to iPod music back home
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Here's one of the latest and greatest music videos to come out of Iraq. It was featured in a Jacksonville paper. It's pretty rad. By the way, my own music video is near completion. Right now I'm just shopping it around looking for a record label. It involves me, a unicorn, Guitar Hero II, and the occassional hand-to-hand combat scene with ninjas.
I think my video has some serious potential.
Here's an excerpt from the story:
(Jacksonville.com) Mark Middlebrook, 23, of Ponte Vedra Beach returned with his platoon, 1st Platoon, Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne, from Baghdad in November after 15 months in Iraq stretched over 2 deployments. While there, the platoon made this fun music video, Baghdaddy Beat. Mark is a 2003 graduate of Nease High School.
Read the entire story here.
Click here to visit Mark's Milblog.
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Registration will be available in a couple more weeks.
See the schedule, location, and date/time for the conference here.
Like I said, just some real quick items because the whole "mission" thing here in Iraq really cuts into my personal time.
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My wife took this picture back home of my 1-year old doodling on our perfectly good family room wall. These types of pictures always cheer me up on deployment. If you haven't seen his artwork before, my son is quite talented. I mean, just look at that masterpiece. I'm still sitting here at the computer in awe.
It's so rich in color and texture. There's a level of passion one can't even begin to describe in words. The jagged lines and even the irregularities of the bagel-shaped circles further underline his sense of anger.
Artist Update1: My wife told me by email he got pretty upset when she interrupted him. By the look on his face, no amount of Oreo cookies or ice cream cones will get rid of this level of rage.
Artist Update2: Based on what I can see in his latest piece, I believe the message he is trying to convey is his frustration with the moral decay of urban America. My wife on the other hand, however, says he just started scribbling on the wall after she told him it was "nappy time". Puh-leeassssse.
Artist Update3: This masterpiece has now been named "Nap Time". Arguably my 1-year old's best known work --- inspired by his outrage at having to take a nap in the middle of the day.
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(
Cheese's Milblog) Well, it's been some time since I last posted, but I didn't have access to internet at Fort Bragg and I actually just got my blog registered through the Public Affairs Office. It was actually a pretty painless process, but we'll see if they try to hassle me now that I'm posting again.Read the entire story here.
More about the author
I'm a student and infantry soldier from the Binghamton, New York area. I'm definitely new to this blogging thing, but I'm hoping to capture and share the experience of my second combat deployment.
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Jami: I had been in the National Guard for 5 years before I was deployed to Iraq in 2005. I never thought about blogging until my deployment to the Middle East. I think I started maintaining a blog mostly to keep in touch with everyone back home. I knew they would be worrying about how I was or what I was doing. Even though I wasn’t able to update my blog during that deployment as much as I do today, I think it still helped people understand what was going on with me and with the war in Iraq.
Part of me also maintained the blog to help document the experience. Today I’m so glad that I did! Memories tend to fade and distort with time. It’s my own personal time capsule.
Read more here.
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This is a picture of Flat Stanley flying home on a helicopter. I took this photo about a week ago shortly after the ugly breakup between Pixelated Patty and Flat Stanley. The person in the photo is my Squad Leader Ranger Nievera saying his Goodbye (those two really became good friends). Flat Stanley wanted to fly home on a C-130 but I'll be damned if I'm caught holding up a piece of paper colored in Crayola next to a large aircraft. So this was the best we could arrange for his flight home.
Now that Pixelated Patty and Flat Stanley are gone, things have been pretty boring around here in the tents. I've packed up most of my personal belongings (including all my family photos accidentally) to ship home as we to prepare to finish our mission. I got so lonely the other day I drew a picture of my wife and two boys on an index card with crayon. I think it looks pretty damn sweet. If you ask me, it's always a good idea to carry a wallet-size photo of your family on mission. Now, any time things get tough while I'm on the road in Iraq, I just open up my wallet and look at their photo and see the close resemblance.
Well, sorta...
I mean, my 1-year and 7-year olds came out pretty close. They're basically two circles with sticks popping out their sides. And both of their left eyes are tiny circles and colored 'yellow'. Their right eyes are about 8 times the size of their left ones and purple (hey, brown Crayola is tough to come by). But it's my wife who looks truly beautiful. Her legs and arms are thin long sticks that stick out of a bottom cirlce that's shaped like a bagel. And her head is the sexiest little rectangle you've ever seen.
God, I miss my little Crayola family (tear drop).
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(A Soldier's Perspective) I learned an important lesson on April 1st - People are gullible!! I also learned that you can draw a lot of attention by saying the right (or wrong) thing on a military blog. Not long ago the military tried to crack down on military bloggers with new and improved regulations (we didn't take it lying down!). In an effort to prevent drawing unwanted attention by Big Brother, I humbly offer some rules to those military bloggers concerned about crossing the line (and how to avoid it).
1. Violate Army and related regulations. Get to know them. Know your left and right limits. Once you know them, you can get as close to that line as you want, but do not EVER cross it. Knowing the rules keeps you out of trouble. It's just not as fun!
2. Avoid embarassing photos or videos. If it's going to bring discredit on the military or may be illegal or unethical, report it to the chain of command. Don't blog about it. Let them decide if it needs to be released. Our job is hard enough without us making it harder. This goes along with Rule #1 of the "You Served" rules.
3. Verbally slay your Chain of Command. A sure way to get the microscope focused on you is to embarrass or belittle your chain of command. For one, it's against regulations. If you're a senior enlisted NCO, it's a myth that "only an act of Congress can take your rank." Don't go there. Focus on the issue you're pissed about, not the individual.
4. Ignore your wife to write that one extra post. There's a reason she's been lying next to you in lace for the past hour. If that doesn't distract you, maybe the government needs to relook your security clearance and/or next promotion!.
Read the story and see the entire list here.
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Many soldiers have agreed to share their experiences and thoughts with News online readers, and several have already begun writing. Go to the Voices from the War blog to join in the conversation.
Read the entire story here.
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