Pentagon wants to predict terrorism via Twitter
Monday, July 30, 2012, 07:59 PM - Twitter, News Stories
Nextgov is reporting that the DoD wants computer programs to predict “cyber terrorism events” by detecting how criminal groups and hackers interact on the Internet.The information was discovered through an online DoD contracting database available to the public.
According to Nextgov:
"The military research arm wants scientists to build the tools to comb through networking sites -- such as Facebook and Twitter -- to analyze the group dynamics of online communities. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency will fund the development of algorithms that make sense of the chatter of over a million Internet users, and track how online groups evolve. The goal is to help strategists identify how communities are recruiting and collaborating, who they are targeting, and the shifting allegiances in these spaces."
Full story here.
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News: Vietnam blogger's mom dies of self-immolation
Monday, July 30, 2012, 07:57 PM - News Stories
Vietnam blogger's mother 'dies in self-immolation'. The mother of a prominent Vietnamese blogger has died after setting herself on fire ahead of her daughter's trial for propaganda against the Communist state, people close to the family said Monday. Ta Phong Tan, a 43-year-old Catholic former policewoman, was arrested in September 2011 and has been held in detention along with two other bloggers, one of whose case has been raised by US President Barack Obama. Tan's mother Dang Thi Kim Lieng set herself ablaze early Monday, according to Catholic activists and lawyers whose accounts to AFP were corroborated by reports on dissident blogs and the BBC's Vietnamese-language service...(Bangkok Post)
IDF's smartphone revolution raises spy concerns. Hundreds of smartphones will be handed out to IDF officers starting Wednesday as the army abandons its outdated Mirs devices. While officers are sure to be eager to explore the exciting world of apps, Military Intelligence officials are worried that the new devices will compromise information security. The concern is that smartphones operating on the GSM network, which is considered less safe than Mirs, will be more exposed to remote attacks which could switch on the microphone or extract messages and photos. It is also feared that enemy agents will be better able to track the smartphone holders' location...
(Ynetnews)
Military-grade IBM kit senses love, hate in Wimbo fans' tweets. Although Andy Murray lost to Roger Federer at Wimbledon this month, he managed to ace the pair's Twitter contest. Britain’s best tennis hope since Fred Perry didn't just feature in more tweets than his Swiss rival, he also surfed a tidal wave of plaudits on the social networking site. More than 490,000 tweets mentioned Murray, of which 42 per cent were positive, compared to Federer’s 487,000, of which just 29 per cent were favourable. The data comes courtesy of IBM, which for just over two decades has run the IT behind Wimbledon. This year branched out into a new area: analysis of watching fans’ “sentiment” by analysing tweets...
(The Register)
A Veteran's Story: Bellville resident served in WWII. Hurley Isbel remembers the plans for the invasion of Japan with an eerie sense. "They wouldn't say what was happening. They just told us 'something big' was about to happen," Isbel said. That "something big" was the invasion of Japan and Isbel, a Navy Fireman First Class aboard a loaded troop landing transport, was going to be part of it. "We were just a day off the coast of Japan at Sasebo when we got the word the war was over," Isbel said...
(Mansfield News Journal)
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YouTube military homecoming video tops 500K views
Monday, July 30, 2012, 04:16 PM
This Operation Homefront and Eckrich YouTube video called "Military Family Homecomings" has topped half a million views as of today.Eckrich, part of the John Morrell Food Group, even issued a press release discussing its support for the military and the video.
Here's an excerpt from the press release:
“Everyone loves a happy ending. That sentiment is proving true with a popular online video that pays tribute to American military families and their emotional reunions. The two-minute tribute, created by Eckrich® in support of Operation Homefront, has already surpassed half a million views on YouTube since its June 5 release. The video is set to the music of Iron and Wine's rendition of "Love Vigilantes" by New Order.
Eckrich, part of the John Morrell Food Group, a subsidiary of Smithfield Foods, partnered this year with Operation Homefront, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that provides emergency financial assistance to the families of United States service members and wounded warriors. Through the partnership, Eckrich donated a portion of every purchase of specially marked products from May 1 through July 4 to Operation Homefront, up to $200,000. Representatives from Eckrich presented Operation Homefront with a $200,000 check at a ceremony at the Operation Homefront Village in San Antonio, Texas, on April 28.”
The Operation Homefront video is good, but honestly, I've always thought this Bud Commercial was amazing.
It was produced in 2008 and it still gets me every time I watch it.
As YouTube user douglasvgibbs so well describes it, "Possibly the greatest commercial ever made - As troops return from the war on terror, the crowd in the airport break out into applause - and in the end, the advertisement says thank you - I would have liked them to have added "Welcome Home," as well."
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News: Horror Hospital, Westboro, Battling BARE, more
Sunday, July 29, 2012, 11:28 PM - News Stories
Horror Hospital: The Most Shocking Photos And Testimony From The Dawood Military Hospital Scandal. An explosive Congressional investigation revealed horrific new details this week about a U.S. funded military hospital in Afghanistan that kept patients in "Auschwitz-like" conditions. The investigation also revealed that Lt. General William B. Caldwell, then commander of the $11.2 billion dollar a year Afghan training program, tried to block the probe and ordered a cover-up...(BuzzFeed)
NSA Director calls on hackers to help secure the internet. In a rather unusual speech to the 20th annual Def Con gathering in Las Vegas, four-star General Keith Alexander, Commander of U.S. Cyber Command, Director of the National Security Agency and chief of the Central Security Service asked hackers to help to secure the internet. "You're going to have to come in and help us," Alexander said. Hackers in attendance included secret members of Anonymous, the Shadow network, Computer underground and others. About 10,000 people attended the Defcon event this year, including the director of the NSA...
(Examiner)
Westboro Baptist Church Military Protest Countered By Zombie Demonstrators (VIDEO). A Westboro Baptist Church protest was overshadowed Friday when demonstrators dressed as zombies gathered at a DuPont, Wash. military base to counter the radical group's efforts. After members of the controversial Kansas-based church announced plans to picket Joint Base Lewis-McChord, a military base south of Seattle, 27-year-old Melissa Neace decided to organize a counter-protest, launching a Facebook group titled "Zombie'ing Westboro Baptist Church AWAY from Fort Lewis!"
(HuffPo)
This Army Wife Who Founded Battling BARE Explains How It All Began. Dear ____________, I’m not sure how to address this letter because I am not really sure to whom I am writing. Not being one that believes someone is going to swoop in and “fix” my problems I don’t sit here holding out hope that I’ll wake up and everything will be ok, nor do I place the impetus on searching for a solution on anyone but myself. Everything in life truly happens for a reason and for everything in life there is a season, right? So, that being said, I’d like to share with you a story—one that begins long before April 20, 2012...
(Business Insider)
Veterans tell their stories for history. Harlan Twible, making his way to a seat at the front of a meeting room at Suncoast Hospice, said he never will forget his last moments aboard the USS Indianapolis. It was almost 67 years ago to the day. The ship, a heavy cruiser, just had dropped off a special load to the island base of Tinian. "There were armed guards," Twible said. "We knew we had something, but we didn't know what." Twible said he later learned the cargo was "Little Boy" — the first atomic bomb. But that wasn't even the highlight of the journey. Steaming out of Guam for gunnery practice, the ship was rocked by a torpedo fired by a Japanese submarine...
(TBO.com)
War connections a world away: A hero’s memory lives on. Editor’s note: Thomaston-Upson Archives Archivist Claude Burgess answers historic questions from all over the United States and across the world. Sometimes, the questions lead to amazing stories. The following story written by Archivist Burgess is one such remarkable story. It is a tale of a connection of countries, an appreciation for the heroes of the United States from a war 67 years ago, and a world away. In Claude’s own words, the following is a story of sacrifices never forgotten...
(Thomaston Times)
Historians to tell New Zealand’s WWI story. The Centenary History project group is calling for historians to help tell the story of New Zealand’s involvement in the First World War. Massey University, the New Zealand Defence Force, Ministry for Culture and Heritage and the Royal New Zealand Returned and Services’ Association have joined together to produce a series on New Zealand’s efforts in the First World War. The project, called the Centenary History of New Zealand and the First World War, will form part of the centenary commemorations of the conflict...
(Scoop News)
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Reporters have difficulty covering war in Syria
Saturday, July 28, 2012, 06:07 AM - News Stories
The Huffington Post published a story yesterday about the difficulty of reporting on the war in Syria.The story says that President Bashar al-Assad's regime has severely restricted press access and that journalists must rely on information provided by sources like social media and anti-regime groups operating outside the country.
Michael Calderon writes:
"Several Beiruit-based correspondents told The Huffington Post that their outlets have gotten better at vetting information throughout the lengthy conflict and have built a large network of reliable sources in the process. Still, news reports on the latest explosion, firefight or alleged massacre routinely acknowledge that key details cannot be independently verified and correspondents say that this is not the ideal way to cover a war."
There is a lot more to the story, so I recommend you visit HuffPo to check it out.
If you know of any blogs being written from Syria that are covering the conflict, please feel free to submit them to Milblogging.
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Military blogs added to Milblogging (July '12)
Friday, July 27, 2012, 11:30 PM
There have been lots of great military blogs submitted to Milblogging in July.
The military blogging community sadly lost a member earlier this week. As I wrote about yesterday, SGT Eric Williams was killed on Monday in Afghanistan as he was on his journey home.
Eric Williams, Eric Williams, Afghanistan, My name is Eric Williams and I am a flight medic...
My Camo Kids, Lora, United States, My husband is Active Duty Army, Infantry, currentl...
MOMentarily Distracted, Ginny, United States, A proud Army wife and stay-at-home-mom to 3 amazin...
LinLori: Brace Yourself, This Could Be Awesome, Lin Clements, United States, A Navy wife with prior active duty experience shar...
U.S. Army War College, United States, The purpose of the Information as Power blog is to...
ISAF - International Security Assistance Force, Afghanistan, In support of the Government of the Islamic Republ...
Navy Medicine Live, United States, Navy Medicine is a thriving, global health care sys...
NORAD and U.S. Northern Command, United States, The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORA...
Human Performance Resource Center (HPRC), HPRC, United States, HPRC is a DoD initiative with a mission to provide...
Joining Forces Blog,, United States, The First Lady and Dr. Biden have met with militar...
Blog Brigade, Multiple authors, United States, The Blog Brigade is the place to discover what mil...
Warriors Arts Alliance, Deborah, United States, Veterans' Writing and Visual Arts
Grand Rapids Home for Veterans, AngryCitizen, United States, News of what is going on at the Veterans Home in G...
Back in the Mainstream, Northern Arizona VUB, United States, This blog highlights free resources for veterans, ...
The Kabul Cable, Tyrell Mayfield, United States, This website will serve as a portal into the curre...
MCU Center for Teaching & Learning, United States, Welcome to Marine Corps University’s Center for ...
FlySafe, Major General Greg Feest, United States, Insights and Views from Major General Greg Feest
We See the Same Stars, Carmen, United States, Read about my journey from military wife to civili...
Magnolia Lane, Melissa Lyons, United States, The life of a miltary wife and family including to...
God Squad, John, United States, HELPING VETERANS, SERVICE MEMBERS, AND MILITARY FA...
My Army Experience, Brandon McGuire, Germany, The daily live of a 25B in the Army. This blog cov...
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Milblogger killed on return home from Afghanistan
Thursday, July 26, 2012, 04:49 AM - Fallen Military Bloggers, Afghanistan Military Bloggers
Army Sgt. Eric E. Williams died Monday in Afghanistan. He was assigned to Company C, 3-82 General Support Aviation Battalion of the 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade.According to North County Times, Sgt. Williams was just starting his long journey home when he came under enemy fire and died.
Williams was also a military blogger who had kept an online journal on Blogspot since 2008.
The blog’s title is called: Eric Williams and can be found at http://myfriendthemedic.
In his last post published only days before he was killed he wrote of coming home.
“This deployment is coming to an end, in a few days we will be on a plane back to the United States to rejoin our family and friends and to try to readjust to a certain semblance of what we think life should be. The truth is everything has changed, we collectively have changed. We have changed as people, as an army, as citizens of the United States. We face uncertainty in nearly every aspect of our lives. Our families have been without us for a year and we have only two weeks to try to enjoy the extremely limited time we have with them before its back to the daily grind. Two weeks to try to reconnect, although this process can take weeks, months or even years. There is no promise that any of us will return unchanged. But we collectively have been granted access to something few ever see, or choose to see for that matter. We have bared witness to the atrocities of war. We have thrust ourselves into the midst of chaos in order to do something so important, so visceral, that few will ever understand what it means. We collectively have risked it all and put everything on the line to save our fellow man, regardless of nationality, race, religion or sex. I for one will reflect on these experiences for decades to come. And I know my comrades will as well. I cannot begin to describe the things we’ve seen, felt, or heard. We have lost brothers and colleagues. We have felt the sting of losing someone we tried our hardest to save. We have cleaned up the blood and reset our equipment in order to go back out and do it again. These people I work with are some of the most dedicated men and women I have ever met. They come from all walks of life and although different in so many aspects, all come together collectively to accomplish this mission. I’m proud to say that I work with some of the most professional people there are. But now we are going home. Were out of this god forsaken country, but we take with us the weight of a thousand missions. To try to dissect them as best we know how.”
North County Times has two good articles (hereand here) on Sgt. Williams.
The story published Tuesday also spoke of his blog saying, “He also wrote eloquently of his growing disillusionment with the "general American public," which didn't understand the sacrifice of his brethren.”
Read more of Sgt Williams’ blog here.
RIP Sgt. Eric E. Williams.
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NTSB issues update on milblogger's fatal crash
Thursday, July 26, 2012, 04:08 AM - Fallen Military Bloggers, News Stories
The NTSB has released another update into its investigation in the F-21 Kfir crash at Naval Air Station Fallon in Nevada that killed military blogger Captain Carroll “Lex” Lefon, USN (ret), back in early March.Although an official cause hasn’t been ruled on, Lefon told air traffic controllers he was running out of gas before he crashed, according to the Associated Press.
The NTSB released its preliminary report back in mid March where it discussed the fact that Lefon stated to air traffic controllers that he was in a “critical fuel state”.
Here’s a look at the preliminary report released on March 13:
On March 6, 2012 at 0914 pacific standard time, an Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) Kfir F-21C2 single-seat turbojet fighter type aircraft, registration N404AX, operated by Airborne Tactical Advantage Company (ATAC) under contract to Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) as a civil public aircraft operation, crashed upon landing at Naval Air Station Fallon, Fallon, Nevada. The sole occupant pilot aboard was killed, and the airplane was substantially damaged by impact forces and fire. The flight had departed Fallon at 0752 the same day, and attempted to return following an adversary training mission. The pilot initiated two Ground Control Approach (GCA) radar approaches to Fallon and then attempted to divert to Reno but was unable to land there as the field was reporting below minimum weather conditions. The pilot then turned back toward Fallon and stated to air traffic controllers that he was in a critical fuel state. The pilot descended and maneuvered first toward runway 31, then toward runway 13. The airplane struck the ground in an open field in the northwest corner of the airport property and impacted a concrete building on the field. Weather at the time of the accident was reported as snowing with northerly winds of 23 knots gusting to 34 knots, and visibility between one-half and one and one-half miles.
Full story on the NTSB’s latest update available here.
I have not seen the newest update mentioned in the AP story on the NTSB website yet.
Related stories:
Flights suspended that killed military blogger
Military blogger Neptunus Lex laid to rest
Services for Capt. Carroll "Lex" Lefon, USN (ret)
Over 1,000 comments in tribute to Neptunus Lex
Open Thread on Neptunus Lex for condolences
RIP Milblogger Carroll LeFon (aka Lex) of Neptunus Lex
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News: Why agencies need a social media policy
Thursday, July 26, 2012, 02:29 AM - News Stories
7 Reasons Every Government Agency Needs a Social Media Policy. The popularity of social media across many different demographic groups has allowed for an unprecedented level of openness and connectedness, which also provides substantial opportunities for “good government.” By using inexpensive and widely accessible social media platforms, government agencies can engage and communicate with a citizenry eager for conversation in ways previously impossible or impractical. However, employee use of social media is not without risk. In the absence of a formal, institutionalized policy on social media communications, there is a very real possibility of the rapid spread of misinformation, unauthorized leaks of classified or sensitive material, and damaging off-the-cuff interactions that can cause public relations nightmares... (OhMyGov)
Discharged Tea Party Marine says military publication made example of him. Two months after former Marine sergeant Gary Stein was discharged from the service for founding the Armed Forces Tea Party Facebook group and making strong political statements, he thought the flurry of publicity surrounding his disgrace was finally over. Not so, he discovered last week. Stein was briefly the unexpected star of a public affairs article informing troops how they could stay “social media savvy during the election season,” appearing in the lead sentence as an example of what not to do. “Basically what it says is, ‘don’t be Gary Stein,’” he told Human Events. “It just went through everything that you cannot do as a service member. It was basically a scare tactic.”
(Human Events)
Mobile App Helps Families with Military Life. JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash., July 24, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Department of Defense has a new smartphone mobile application to help service members and their families manage the challenges of military life. LifeArmor has seventeen behavioral topics with information, assessments, videos with personal stories and interactive exercises to develop coping skills. LifeArmor can be downloaded for free at the App Store, Google Play and soon on the Amazon Marketplace...
(Digital Journal)
Ohio extends time for submitting stories of World War II-era life. The state government is allowing more time for Ohioans to submit stories by or about people who lived during World War II, including veterans and family members who stayed at home. The Ohio departments of Aging and Veterans Services said they will accept submissions through Aug. 20 for the War Era Story Project, extending the original deadline by nearly three weeks because of public interest. The stories should focus on experiences during the war and the years that immediately followed, state officials said. The project was begun in June. The departments are to begin sharing the stories with the public in November. It is a follow-up to the Department of Aging’s 2009 Great Depression Story Project...
(Dayton Daily News)
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Military Blog rankings according to Invesp
Wednesday, July 25, 2012, 02:12 AM
Invesp, an e-commerce website that specializes in conversion optimization, has a section called blogRank that collects data on thousands of blogs, evaluates them against common metrics like Alexa rank and Google indexed pages, then ranks them using a unique formula.The site has an entire section on military blogs that includes rankings in a variety of different categories including:
Military Blogs: The ultimate rank
Military Blogs: by Feedburner RSS membership*
Military Blogs: by unique monthly visitors
Military Blogs: by Google indexed pages
Military Blogs: by number of incoming links (via Bing)
Military Blogs: by Google PR
Military Blogs: by Alexa rank
Military Blogs: by Compete rank
You need to add your blog to the list to get ranked, but getting ranked is not instantaneous. According to a message on the website, once you submit your blog it could take months to show up online.
Many of the top military blogs include Michael Yon: Online Magazine, Blackfive, The Mudville Gazette, Doonesbury-The Sandbox-Military Blog and U.S. Air Force Live.
Ranked as the #1 blog right now according to blogRank's ultimate ranking system is Michael Yon: Online Magazine with a site score of 100, followed closely by Blackfive with a site score of 99.68.
Details as to how the “Site Score” formula is calculated are unknown.
Rankings are a tricky thing.
Going solely off Alexa rank, then U.S. Air Force Live takes the cake as of today.
Go by RSS membership, then Blackfive clearly dominates with over 13,000 members.
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Upcoming military writing event Sept. 12-14
Tuesday, July 24, 2012, 06:16 PM - Bloggers turned Writers
If there’s one blogger who knows what’s going on in the military writing world it’s Randy Brown (aka “Charlie Sherpa”) of the military blog Red Bull Rising.Earlier today Randy posted information about an event taking place in Denver this September for military writers called the Sangria Summit: A Military Writer’s Conference.
Via Red Bull Rising:
“Writers with interests toward publishing military-themed works of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry are invited to the inaugural "Sangria Summit: A Military Writers' Conference" Sept. 12-14, 2012, at the Marriott City Center, Denver, Colo. The event is sponsored by Victor Ian LLC, a military media and gaming business. The business publishes Lanterloon, an eclectic lifestyle, technology, and military blog; and has a physical storefront called "Dragons and Dragoons" located in Colorado Springs, Colo.
Bloggers and brothers James and William Burns are co-founders of the event. "I have an interest in creative writing," says James Burns. "Our game store customer base is largely military. Fort Carson is right next to us. The effort to know my customer led me to Carl Prine [Until recently, the blogger at "Line of Departure"] and Isaac Cubillos. I wanted to do something to help."
Lanterloon editor Isaac Cubillos, author of the Military Reporters Stylebook and Reference Guide, is serving as the Sangria Summit conference director.”
More information about the event can be found here.
The official Sangria Summit website can be found at sangriasummit.com.
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Facebook Memorial set up for Navy K9 Handler
Tuesday, July 24, 2012, 05:57 PM - News Stories, Facebook
Navy K9 handler Michael Brodsky died on July 21 from injuries he suffered while serving in Kandahar, Afghanistan.According to news reports Brodsky stepped on a mine as he was returning to a fire fight shortly after rushing his K9 partner to shelter.
Via WPTV:
“Friends and family members of a U.S. Navy sailor from Tamarac are in mourning after learning the 33-year-old died from injuries he sustained earlier this month in Afghanistan.
Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael J. Brodsky, 33, died from the injuries caused by a blast from a dismounted improvised explosive device in Kandahar Province, the Department of Defense announced Tuesday.
Family members said he had lost both legs and was struggling to stay alive.”
A Facebook memorial page has been setup by Nicole Arbelo who runs a group called K9 Heroes.
Since going online earlier this week, the page has nearly 1,000 likes and has been quickly filled by video tributes and messages.
You can visit the memorial page here.
Full news story here.
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News: War stories endure on DVD
Monday, July 23, 2012, 11:35 PM - News Stories
Plymouth veteran's war stories endure on DVD. In 2003, Haver's youngest son, Jay, talked him into writing down his memories and telling his story on video. The result was two hours of storytelling. Some stories are sad. Some are hilariously profane. Pierre Haver had a storyteller's basic skills. When he entered the service, Haver said, the Army Air Force needed drivers. He never learned to drive. So, instead of going to Europe with the Army Air Force, he headed for the South Pacific as a hospital attendant...(Mansfield News Journal)
Pentagon issues new stricter rules for unauthorized disclosure of information. In a “closed door” secret Congressional hearing on the subject of “unauthorized disclosure of classified information”, the defense department said DOD “must do more to protect sensitive information”, Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said in a press briefing. This policy change came after members of Congress complained about leaks of classified intelligence information to members of the press on the floor of the floor of the United States Senate...
(Examiner)
Twitter to appeal ruling on Occupy protest tweets. Twitter Inc. says it will appeal a court's ruling requiring the company to release an Occupy Wall Street protester's tweets. The Wall Street Journal (http://on.wsj.com/MNU977 ) reports that a lawyer for the company announced the decision to appeal on Twitter on Thursday. Lawyer Benjamin Lee said the ruling "doesn't strike the right balance between the rights of users and the interests of law enforcement." The tweets are expected be used against Malcolm Harris...
(KEYC)
Civil War Road Show coming to Schuylkill County Fair. Civil War history buffs will want to make sure they get out to the week-long Schuylkill County Fair, which opens July 30. The Pennsylvania Civil War 150 Road Show, a traveling exhibition housed in an expandable 53-foot tractor-trailer, is making its debut in Schuylkill County. And, according to Fair President Paul T. Kennedy, it will be one of the fair's centerpieces. "It will be smack-dab in the middle of the fair between the Indoor Midway and the Fruit and Vegetable Building," Kennedy said Thursday. The Road Show will be part of the festivities throughout the fair, which runs from July 30 to August 4. The fair will open at 4 p.m. that Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. The fair will open at 11 a.m. that Tuesday and Saturday, Kennedy said...
(Republican Herald)
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Staff Favorites: Veterans History Project stories
Sunday, July 22, 2012, 04:39 AM
Veterans History Project staff selected some of their favorite stories from the VHP collection of first-hand military accounts.Here’s a look at the veteran stories they picked:
Edward Bayon (chosen by Alexa Potter)
After the fighting in World War I ended, Edward Bayon, formerly a staff sergeant with the Army, married a French girl and decided to stay in France when he signed on with the American Graves Registration service. In April 1923, he was charged with taking a barge laden with the caskets of 952 American soldiers through the canals of France, Holland and Belgium, on their way back home. Bayon recorded his memory of this singular event in the one document in his collection. He was not prepared for the remarkable reception that the Belgians provided him on his mission.
[More here]
Howard Catton Gilbert (chosen by Stephanie A. Weaver)
Growing up in Seattle in the 1930s, Howard Gilbert developed a fascination with the water and ships. Enlisting in the Navy once the U.S. entered World War II was almost a foregone conclusion. He served on a troop ship and Liberty ship in both Pacific and Atlantic. Being on the water didn't remove him from action or its consequences: he saw two ships in his convoy sunk by a German submarine, and his troop ship took on wounded from the battle for New Guinea.
[More here]
John Horn (chosen by Alexa Potter)
John Horn, a staff sergeant with the 3rd United States Army Intelligence Center, was a German-Jewish émigré. While some members of his immediate family left Germany for America or Palestine before the war, many remained. Most of Horn's letters home deal with general topics—the routine of Army life—but in October 1945, Horn writes from Berlin with a heart-wrenching account of the fate of his family. In only a few lines, Horn encapsulates the murder of Germany 's Jews: the round-ups, the danger of living under assumed identities, the efforts of a few who would save Jews undermined by the actions of traitors, and finally the deportations to certain death at Auschwitz.
[More here]
Arthur Roland Keller (chosen by Tom Wiener)
Arthur Keller enlisted in the Marines at the age of 19 during a trip to Chicago from his home in Fairfield, Iowa. At that time, the spring of 1918, the U.S. was starting to send over replacement troops to replenish their losses. Keller, who was interviewed by his daughter in 1974, offers a vivid portrait of life in the trenches, dealing with relentless German shelling and just as persistent body lice. Though he considered the Marines the best disciplined of the services, Keller acknowledges the spirit of cooperation among all those serving. After the Armistice, Keller and a comrade spent six months of the Occupation living with a German family, forging an unlikely bond that prompted a tearful farewell in July 1919.
[More here]
Otto Ferdinand Leven (chosen by David Sager)
Otto Leven served in the army during World War I. He was of hearty German stock (his parents immigrated to America around 1886) and spent most of his twenty-three civilian years on his family's farms in Kay County and Newkirk, Oklahoma. Drafted in October 1917, he was assigned to the 90th Infantry Division and served in the 357th Regiment. Leven apparently wrote home copiously, his surviving letters projecting earnestness charm, and enthusiasm. Leven was mortally wounded while on patrol on September 29, 1918 and died two days later. His last letters home offer the reader an irony created by the contrast between Leven's generally cheery prose and the harshness of war. The irony is further defined by Leven's description of a dream he has where he envisions his mother and sister laying out his clothes.
[More here]
Geraldine Fisher Litvak (chosen by Yvonne Brown)
After World War II broke out in Europe in 1939, Indiana teenager Geri Fisher never questioned her grandmother as the woman severed ties with her relatives back in Germany, fearful that some were sympathetic to the Nazi cause. It was common for her grandmother to provide shelter and clothes on her farm to European Jewish refugees, whom Geri called "Aunt" and "Uncle." At 18, attending a business college in San Antonio, Texas, Geri started to understand the personal impact of the war on December 8, 1941, when she heard President Roosevelt's words, "We are at war." She participated in USO-sponsored "invitation-only Tea Dances" attended by military personnel from Randolph Field and other installations. Later, she obtained a high security clearance to be able to enter the base and entertain veterans returning from Europe suffering from battle fatigue.
[More here]
Robert B. McCollum (chosen by Stephanie A. Weaver)
Robert McCollum's life took an unexpected turn during his tour of duty in Assam, India, in World War II. His performance in a variety show titled "Hump Happy" led to an assignment as part of a traveling troupe of entertainers who worked bases in India, Africa, Sicily, and Yemen. Though the troupe was disbanded and the men went back to their original assignments, McCollum had been bitten by the show business bug, and after the war he continued to delight audiences in nightclubs and other venues, working with some of the biggest names in entertainment.
[More here]
More staff favorites here.
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Facebook chat: First military base gay wedding couple
Saturday, July 21, 2012, 04:16 AM - News Stories, Facebook
Slate.com’s Katherine Goldstein hosted a Facebook chat for people to ask questions of civilian Will Behrens and Tech. Sgt. Erwynn Umali-Behrens, the first gay couple to be married on a military base.The ceremony took place on June 23 at the chapel at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst reported the NY Daily News.
You can read an edited transcript of the chat here on Slate. The full conversation is available on Facebook here.
Many people chimed in on the conversation with positive messages, but not all the comments were supportive.
Fred Blevins wrote, “I think it's time i took Slate off my news feed. This gay military thing just doesn't make sense. If these two are ever on the same battlefield together, where will their focus be? Answer: on each other.”
While news was spreading of the first military base gay wedding, The House of Representatives passed an appropriations bill on Thursday with an amendment that would ban same-sex weddings from taking place on military bases in the future.
More on that here.
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News: Anti-Obama Marine used in Corps' PSA warning
Friday, July 20, 2012, 07:27 PM - News Stories
Anti-Obama Marine miffed by Corps’ PSA. A Marine booted from the service earlier this year after using Facebook to bash President Obama is unhappy with the Corps for describing his travails in a public-service announcement about the career risks of misusing social media. Former Sgt. Gary Stein, who administrates the Armed Forces Tea Party page on Facebook, received national attention when he was ousted in April with an other-than-honorable discharge. The Corps’ PSA, “Staying social media savvy during election season,” was published online Tuesday by public affairs personnel at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, N.C., and uses Stein’s ordeal to warn other Marines about not repeating his mistakes...(Marine Corps Times)
Anti-Obama PAC Uses Military Logos Without Permission. An anti-Obama political action committee has been caught brandishing military logos on their website without proper authorization. Adam Weinstein at Mother Jones found that the “Special Operations For America” — a group purporting to speak on behalf of active duty troops and veterans against the Obama administration — is using the trademarked insignia of the Marines, Air Force, Navy, Army, and U.S. Special Operations Command on its website and social media pages...
(ThinkProgress)
My Little Pony Has Invaded The US Military. The My Little Pony fan club extravaganza BronyCon went down at the Meadowlands in New Jersey a couple weeks ago, and some news from the scene has bled over into the military world. Joe Gould at Outside The Wire reports that some of the BronyCon attendees were military servicemembers who include themselves among the My Little Pony fans called "bronies". The Military Bronies even have a Facebook page that jumped from about 1,500 to over 2,000 "likes", after Gould's post went up, and is filled with interesting comments about what military life is like for such a unique subculture...
(Business Insider)
Documentary Channel Takes You Into the War Zone With the US Television Premiere of "Under Fire: Journalists in Combat". This August, Documentary Channel (DOC) explores the increasingly dangerous, emotional conditions faced by our nation's war correspondents with the US television premiere of director Martyn Burke's "Under Fire: Journalists in Combat" on Saturday, August 11 (8 pm ET/PT). As battle lines continue to be drawn around the globe, now more than ever our country relies on those gathering news and information in extreme war conditions. An eye-opening look inside the lives of these war reporters, "Under Fire: Journalists in Combat" shares the firsthand account of the brutal circumstances, unimaginable experiences and psychological and emotional toll endured in the quest to share the stories from the war zone...
(PR Newswire)
Documentary tells the story of the creation, expansion of Fort Drum. LeRaysville, Wood’s Mills, Sterlingville, Lewisburg, Alpina and North Wilna...These used to be hamlets in eastern Jefferson County. They were wiped out in the early 1940s, ramping up to World War II, when the U.S. Army tore apart the settlements and displaced nearly 2,000 people in what’s called the largest use of eminent domain in New York state history. This incident, adding 84,000 acres to the expanding base, is part of the story told by R. David White and his son, Matthew White, in a new documentary film, “Fort Drum: The First 100 Years.”
(Syracuse.com (blog))
Navy vet shares story. Like many young teenagers of his generation, U.S. Navy veteran and Jefferson County resident Nathan "Nat" B. Hughes couldn't wait to sign up to serve following the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. A native of New Jersey, Hughes, 83, would still have to wait a few more years before he was eligible to join the fight overseas. His father would play a part in the war effort after being ordered by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to begin work engraving Allied invasion charts...
(The Journal)
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Soldier found dead spoke of funeral on Facebook
Thursday, July 19, 2012, 03:05 AM - News Stories, Facebook
21 year old Pvt. David Vines was found dead in his barracks at Fort Lee on Monday.Foul play isn't suspected but the cause of death has yet to be determined.
According to the Beaumont Enterprise, Vines spoke of his funeral on Facebook, although it was months earlier in April.
On April 14, Vines posted the following message to his Facebook page:
"When I die (hopefully not until I'm 100) I want my funeral procession to have a fireworks display, a marching band and lots of food. So everyone can celebrate my life as it was. I hate the morbidity of death when we should celebrate someones life as it affected ours. After all who actually wants someone to cry for them when they are in a better place anyway? Maybe that's just me."
Full story here.
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Free Syrian Army soldiers chronicle life on Facebook
Thursday, July 19, 2012, 02:53 AM - News Stories, Facebook
The online news site Al Bawaba headquartered in Jordan tells the story of how Free Syrian Army soldiers are keeping some records of their daily lives through Facebook, including the minutiae.“He was talking about apricots to his exiled brother on Facebook, when a bomb exploded close to where he and a group of Free Syrian Army soldiers were in the outskirts of Homs.
He and some of his comrades were mildly injured, but this is daily life for FSA soldiers: everyday is bitter sweet.
Mohammad talks to his brother via Facebook about the meals he and his comrades prepare. It’s not exactly home-cooking as they have to stop every time the bombing starts, meaning most of the dishes end up ruined. For breakfast they cook meals made of semolina and sugar: anything that doesn’t require electricity.”
I have yet to find any mention of blogs or Twitter accounts, but if you come across a Free Syrian Army military blog or Twitter account please feel free to submit it to Milblogging.com.
Full story here.
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Air Force Social Media Guide published online
Wednesday, July 18, 2012, 03:34 AM - Milblogging/Op Sec Guidelines, News Stories
The Air Force Guide to Effective Social Media Use, which was originally published in March 2012, has been posted online by Public Intelligence, a website that dedicates itself to defending the public's right to access information.The 22-page guide is split up into 13 sections:
- Introduction
- Social Media for Airmen and Their Families
- Social Media for Leaders
- Social Media Considerations
- Security
- Common Social Media Platforms
- Social Media and Your Public Affairs Program
- Social Media and the Air Force Public Affairs Agency
- Air Force Symbol
- Policy
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Glossary
- Acronyms
Here are some snippets:
- In general, the Air Force views personal social media sites positively and respects your rights as Americans to use them to express yourself. However, by the nature of your profession, you are always on the record and must represent our core values
- It’s highly recommended that you set privacy settings so that only “friends” can see specifics. Even after establishing privacy settings, don’t assume your information will remain private; there’s no guarantee.
- Always use common sense: For example, don’t inform potential criminals you’re going out of town!
- When using social media in an official capacity, it’s important to be honest about who is posting information on behalf of senior leaders.
- The primary concern for Airmen using social media is maintaining operations security.
- If you’re using smartphones or tablets to take pictures and access social networking sites, you or your family could be inadvertently posting the exact geographic location of your home, workplace or even daily travel patterns. This technology is known as geotagging.
- The Air Force Office of Special Investigations has seen an uptick in the number of senior leaders impersonated online.
- It can be difficult to keep up with the social media realm because it seems that a new social media platform like Storify or Pinterest is born every day.
- Only units with a compelling need to communicate with the public may have an official Air Force social media property.
Download the guide here (PDF).
Source: Public Intelligence (via Wired)
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News: YouTube weapons training and more
Tuesday, July 17, 2012, 11:54 PM - News Stories
Syrian Rebels Use YouTube, Facebook for Weapons Training. Rebels fighting against Bashar Assad in Syria’s civil war are outgunned, outmanned and largely aren’t professional soldiers. So they’re turning to social media for tutorials in how to use their weapons...(Wired News (blog))
Armed Forces Casualty Notifications Taken Over by Facebook. Imagine you have been waiting for your loved one to call you from Afghanistan or you are counting the days until they come home, instead as you log on to Facebook, you find a message from someone in their unit telling you that person, who you love so much, is dead. No warning, no preparation, and no one in the room to help you process the tragic news. Casualty Notification Officers are trained to deliver personal notification with compassion and understanding...
(Flip the Media)
Civil War Oil Paintings On Display At Virginia Museum. More than two dozen Civil War oil paintings are going on display in Virginia. An exhibit of paintings by Mort Kunstler opened on Monday at the Virginia Museum of the Civil War at Virginia Military Institute's New Market Battlefield. The paintings were selected by Col. Keith Gibson, who is executive director of the VMI museum system. They were featured in the VMI Museum's main gallery earlier in the summer...
(WRIC)
Korea develops apps for battlefield usage. The Korean government has developed and completed nine battlefield applications for Samsung's Galaxy S and other Android-based smartphones. A senior defense official told The Korea Times on Sunday the government had been looking into using smartphones for military operations and development work started last year. Military units and other organizations also jointly assessed the suitability of these new-developed apps and concluded mobile software were assets to the country's armed forces...
(ZDNet)
U.S. ARMY LAUNCHES APP COMIC. The U.S. Army announced today that it has launched America's Army Comics, a free iPad and Android tablet app for viewing issues of the America's Army comic series. The app, which can be downloaded from iTunes (http://bit.ly/NkcahT) and from Google Play (http://bit.ly/ScK4FS), explores the storyline behind America's Army. Created by the same team that produces the highly successful America's Army PC games, America's Army Comics offers a groundbreaking digital comic reading experience highlighted by revolutionary animated panels, authentic sound effects and bold musical scores...
(Game Industry News)
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