Read the entire story here on FRONTLINE PBS, including a letter to PBS from SFC Nunn.
Stay updated on SFC Nunn’s blog over at TobyNunn.net.
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Read the entire story here.
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Anyway, if you live in the D.C./VA/MD area, I was hoping to find a restaurant/bar to meet up with other milbloggers and supporters in the next week or so. Nothing formal, just a casual gathering. It would be an opportunity to meet supporters and military bloggers who live in the area.
If you’d like to get together, leave me a note in the Comments or send me an email so we can decide on a location and pick a date.
UPDATE: The purpose of the get together is to put faces with names and chat about milblogs. So anybody in the D.C. area that's down to discuss military blogs this is going to be way fun. And if we run out of things to talk about, we could always play games. Like “Name that Milblog”.
Or, my favorite: Milblogging.com Trivia.
Loser buys a round.
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But one reaction is common: Most returning veterans are startled that the wars that absorbed every minute of their lives and every bit of their attention have been all but forgotten by their fellow Americans. Life here at home goes on as if nothing has changed, with news of the war relegated to the back pages of the newspaper and a few fleeting minutes on the evening news shows.
It's as if the American people have become bored by the wars that others fight on their behalf, and in their name. But for those Americans who do still care and want a sense of the sacrifices, difficulties, patriotism and professionalism of our men and women in uniform, the Internet offers a valuable, real-time window into war, as told from many different perspectives.
Read the entire story here.
Thanks to Troy of Bouhammer for the tip.
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B-6 has been instrumental in getting the ground truth out about what has been going on in Ramadi - Falluja. He shared the stories of the soldiers of Company A, 321st Engineer, the progress they made and the lose they incurred.
Read the entire story here.
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My kids wanted to thank everyone for all the support they received this past year while I was deployed, so they made this poster. Special thanks to: Ms. Shoemaker, Ms. Sherri, and Ms. Marlo
Really, the list of names is too long and I'm running out of space in this entry, so I'll just say "Thank You" to everyone who thought of my kids throughout the year.
UPDATE: I've been getting emails from supporters who thought I was trying to pull a fast one on them by claiming the "list of names is too long". Ok ok, so I can't remember everyone's names off the top of my head. I personally blame it on my youngest son, Joseph. Two-year olds should really be expected to keep better records. I mean, he could've at least written their names down when he got gifts in the mail. I swear, I can’t count on him for anything. He doesn't help pay bills. He can't change his own diaper. And I still have to hold his hand when crossing the street. What a baby.
Awesome "Thank You" poster though.
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Would Senator John McCain use verterans or our troops today for political purposes? My wife has a saying, 'Same dog, different collar.' Meaning that all politicians are the same. They will do anything to enhance their election chances.
There's a milblogger named Chuck Ziegenfuss, he's an Army Officer. Here's a link to Chuck's blog, before today I hadn't visited the blog in a while.
Read the entire story here.
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In the summer of 2006, "Doonesbury" comic creator Garry Trudeau and Stanford, an editor, launched a military blog called "The Sandbox."
"There was a period where
Read the entire story here.
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His dispatches have been frequently hailed as among the most accurate and unbiased accounts of the situation in
Apparently, the unvarnished reality Yon presents has generated friction on all sides.
Read the entire story here.
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(Mashable) Blogger and former Fred Thompson for President eCampaign Director Sean Hackbarth brought up an interesting set of observations today regarding the military and its policy towards soldier-blogging. As the late military blogger Andrew Olmstead noted (along with a number of other tech blogs and news sources), many of the members of the military had been blogging in violation of Defense Department directives.
It turns out, though, that that certain folks running things at the US military are changing their minds. Lt. Gen. William Caldwell, the man who heads up the Combined Arms Center and Ft. Leavenworth, has recently issued a memo directing students and faculty to begin blogging as a part of the curriculum. The blogs will reside both on .mil domains as well as in the general wilds of the web “in an effort to communicate the myriad of activities that CAC is accomplishing and help assist telling the Army’s story to a wide and diverse audience.”
Read the entire story here.
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Lt. Gen. William Caldwell, who heads the Combined Arms Center [CAC] and Ft. Leavenworth, told his soldiers in a recent memo that "faculty and students will begin blogging as part of their curriculum and writing requirements both within the .mil and public environments. In addition CAC subordinate organizations will begin to engage in the blogosphere in an effort to communicate the myriad of activities that CAC is accomplishing and help assist telling the Army’s story to a wide and diverse audience."
Read the entire story here.
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And don't forget, the Conference begins at 10:30 AM on Saturday, September 20th. While I realize that sounds like a late start, I imagine it's more than enough time for alot of you to get rid of your hangover.
I'm just saying.
Click here for more information on the date/time and agenda.
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But site owners said the retraction may have come too late to help their online business.
Read the entire story here.
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Not a bad question to ask. I mean, I was just thinking the other day, why are so many ninjas interested in military blogs, but I didn't think it was an appropriate post. But now it seems ok. Of course I'll probably never get an answer, because from my experience ninjas are hard to track down and they get bad tempers when you ask them questions. And the last thing I wanna do is piss of a ninja, so actually I'm better off not trying to get the answer.
Did I mention, in an average room "there are 1,242 objects ninjas could use to kill you?"
I don't understand how a ninja could kill me with a mousepad, but somehow I don't want to find out.
(LT Nixon Rants) I too have noted a number of nurses in the milblog world. Guess it's in our nature, empathy and reaching out to others. Don't wish to go into detail, our family has been involved in troop support through various organizations for almost four years. A Marine relative served in the early Ramadi fighting and is now back in country. We currently flat rate support a female medic for the second time on her second tour as well as many, many fine soldiers from the Any Soldier site throughout the years.
Read the entire story here.
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RAF technician deletes blog after criticising Condoleezza Rice’s visit to Afghanistan
from the frontline
...Sensei Katana is, (or was), only one blogger, but his story begs the following questions: Do these same concerns mean other British servicemen don’t blog? And does this episode help explain why there are so few British blogs written by military personnel?
Apart from the Commanding Officers of HMS Somerset and Nottingham, a blog by a member of the TA, and a new project with The Guardian, there aren’t many British milblogs. In fact, I challenge you to find another one that is updating from theatre.
After the launch of Lachlan MacNeil’s 'blog’ (note: there’s no space to comment) in conjunction with The Guardian, Audrey Gillan wrote this article.
I thought she was going to address the key issue that her article hinted at all along – why are there so few British milblogs when there are so many US servicemen and women publishing their experiences?
But she didn’t. I don’t really have an answer either but I am willing to offer a few more ideas.
It’s not because the regulations are different. US military regulations on blogging (OPSEC AR530-1) appear to be fairly similar to those of the Ministry of Defence...
Read the entire story here.
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(MOAA) Fifteen months ago Army wife and journalist Jan Wesner started a blog to educate civilians about military life. But her posts took on the feel of diary entries when her husband of 17 years deployed to Iraq — with one difference: Anyone can read and respond to a blog.
"I talked about the times when I drank too much and how I started smoking and how I worried if we would be different when he got back," says Wesner, who lives near MacDill AFB, Fla., and whose blog,
Because of her openness, Wesner was able to form friendships with military spouses from across the country she had never met.
"There are things I say on my blog that I would never say to someone face-to-face," she says.
Virtual community
Welcome to the military spouse blogosphere, where "milspouse bloggers," as they are known, share experiences and opinions, rally support, seek resources, and find friendship in the virtual world. In many ways military spouse blogs are a fusion of the unit newsletter, holiday greeting card, snail-mail letter, and journal entry.
"Describing how it feels to be a military spouse is extremely important. There are so many spouses out there who can turn to spouse bloggers for therapy, for friendship, for guidance, and for so much more. Plus, troops on the front lines can turn to their blogs to keep tabs on home and see how everyone is doing," says Jean-Paul "JP" Borda, a deployed guardmember who is the founder and webmaster of Milblogging.com, an aggregator site of nearly 2,000 military-related blogs that features more than 200 spouse blogs.
Read the entire story here.
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(A Soldier's Perspective) I get a lot of solicitations for links and other things in my inbox. Most of the time I delete them. It's not that I don't support their cause or believe in their product, it's just that I don't usually have the time to personally respond to each one.
But, today I got an email and for some reason I decided to click on the link and see what it was about. What I found is probably one of the neatest sites I've personally come across. It's called Alltop and helps you "explore your passions by collecting stories from 'all the top' sites on the web."
The thing that caught my eye that I thought you all would be interested in is the military page. One visit to the site and you can see which of your favorite milblogs have put up new content.
Read the entire story here.
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The article below titled "Return to Sender - Iraq Veteran Gets the Call Again" was written by Colby Buzzell and appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle on Thursday, May 8, 2008.
According to the article, Colby is headed back to Iraq for a second time. However, it's anyone's guess if he'll be able complete the mobilization process or if he'll even blog again.
(San Francisco Chronicle) When I voluntarily enlisted in the Army, I remember asking my recruiter about the fine print on the contract about being called back up to active duty once my enlistment was completed. He assured me not to worry, that every contract said that and it would only happen if "World War III" broke out.
That was a little over five years ago. After serving in Iraq, I elected to use my GI Bill to enroll in a photography course at San Francisco City College. I felt good, and I had a feeling that the days to come were all going to be good as well.
On way out of my building two weeks ago, I checked my mailbox and found a letter from the Department of the Army with "Important Document" printed in all caps on the middle. I immediately felt sick, so I went back to my room, locked the door, grabbed a beer from the fridge and stared out my window for a while.
Read the entire story here.
Thanks to Mary Ellen for the tip.
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I wanted to wish my Mom and my wife and all the Mothers reading this post a Happy Mother's Day.
I decided to post a recent photo of myself for my Mom. That’s me on the far right. Her "little noble". Yup, that's what she called me growing up as a kid.
Since it is Mother's Day, I have to say, don't believe that baloney about quality time, flowers and gifts on Mother's Day. My Mom's "little noble" (that's me) used to go all out by scribbling with Crayon on paper bags and I'd tell her it was a Mother's Day card. I know what you’re probably all thinking: “Ahhhhhhhh, what an amazing son! Why can’t mine be as thoughtful?”
Yeah, I know. And to top it off, I was 23 years old at the time and living at home. I mean what more could a Mother ask for?
So, uh, all you Moms out there eat your hearts out on this Mother's Day!
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The NEA will host 25 writing workshops across the country this year, including several at veterans centers for the first time, according to program directors. Nationally acclaimed writers such as Jeff Shaara, Andrew Carroll, Tobias Wolff and Marilyn Nelson will lead the monthlong workshops.
The program, now in its fourth year, is linked to the Endowment’s open call for essays, poems and short stories about life in combat. Officials said they’ve received more than 1,200 submissions since 2004, about 100 of which were featured in a nonfiction anthology two years ago.
Read the entire story here.
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