The NYPD subpoenaed Twitter earlier this week to get the identity of a user who tweeted under the username @obamamistress.  The user caught the attention of authorities after threatening to copy the Colorado mass shooting at Mike Tyson’s one-mad Broadway show.

“This s--- ain’t no joke yo I’m serious people are gonna die just like in aurora,” read one of the tweets posted in late July.

According to the NY Daily News, police identified the Twitter user and would be interviewing them this week.

The Aurora tweets weren’t the only threat-messages.

@ObamaMistress whose description read in part, “having an affair with barack obama,Eric Holder, lamar Odom, Reggie Bush, and many many more,” even had celebrities on their hit list like Twilight star Kristen Stewart.

One message posted on July 30 read, “Wow I got like six hundred people on my hit list and I still ain't finished yet. Wow that's gonna be a mass mass murder for real. #excited.”

The Twitter account has now been deleted, but with the help of Google cache [screenshot above], you can see several  of the messages.

Mashable has a timeline of the mass murder tweets that include messages like "its not a threat it's a promise" and "Planning a murder is harder than I thought but people are going to die just like they did in the theater."

Full NY Daily News story here.

[ Add comment ]   |  [ 0 trackbacks ]   |  permalink  |  Discussion  |  Digg this  |  Add to del.icio.us

---

Disinformation flies in Syria's growing cyber war. On Sunday, it was a hijacked Reuters Twitter feed trying to create the impression of a rebel collapse in Aleppo. On Monday, it was another account purporting to be a Russian diplomat announcing the death in Damascus of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.  As the situation on the ground becomes ever more bloody, both sides in Syria are also waging what seems to be an intensifying conflict in cyberspace, often attempting to use misinformation and rumor to tilt the war in reality...
(Reuters)

Veteran of Guadalcanal finally tells his story of WWII battle. A group of World War II veterans are convening today in Washington, D.C., on the 70th anniversary of the start of the Battle of Guadalcanal. They plan to tour the national memorial that commemorates their service and share their recollections.  Paul Castiglione, 91, of Monroe is among them.  "Probably more children of those veterans will be on hand than the guys I served with," Castiglione said last week. "Fewer and fewer of us are around."
(HeraldNet)

Sack soldier for Bloody Sunday slurs, urges brother of victim. There have been calls for a Royal Irish Ranger to be discharged from the Army and charged with inciting hatred after he posted offensive comments about Bloody Sunday on the internet.  The soldier from Belfast put a banner on his Facebook page featuring the Parachute Regiment logo with sectarian slogans about the killings.  It was removed from the site yesterday...
(Belfast Telegraph)

Two local authors tell new stories about the Civil War. A Virginia and a Maryland author are each scheduled to speak this week about their recently published books contributing new information about the Civil War, a sometimes difficult undertaking when there are already more than 75,000 other books on the subject.  Carl Sell of Alexandria, Va. will discuss his book, “Thank God, He Survived Pickett’s Charge” on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. at the Fairfax Station Railroad Museum. He has researched the military record of his great-grandfather, Confederate Pvt. James Farthing, who was wounded during Pickett’s Charge at Gettysburg on July 3, 1863, and survived only to be wounded again a year later...
(The Washington Post)

Couple's post-war trauma experience spawns book. Andrea Carlile's husband made his commitment to the military before he did to her. So his deployments were expected.  But what Andrea wasn't prepared for was that her husband, Wes Carlile, formerly of Kokomo, would return from those deployments a man she didn't even recognize.  Andrea, a Logansport native, wanted her story of struggle and heartache to do some good. So she's written a book talking about the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder from the spouse's perspective...
(10tv)

[ Add comment ]   |  [ 0 trackbacks ]   |  permalink  |  Discussion  |  Digg this  |  Add to del.icio.us

---

The first annual Milblogger Family Reunion is being held Labor Day weekend, August 31 through September 2, in San Antonio, Texas.

The event is being organized by the folks at the You Served military blog, winners of the 2012 Milbloggies in the U.S. Military Veteran category. 

Madison Rising, Soldiers’ Angels, food, drinks, military bloggers, supporters and much more is taking place.

While I can’t attend myself, if you’d like to attend, pay a visit to You Served to get all the details.

[ Add comment ]   |  [ 0 trackbacks ]   |  permalink  |  Discussion  |  Digg this  |  Add to del.icio.us

---

The DoD issued a press release yesterday titled You posted what on Facebook? warning civilian and military personnel that not every thought or opinion should be expressed in public, especially when it involves politics.

The article highlights some of the guidelines that are spelled out in “Political Activities by Members of the Armed Forces” (PDF) and "Civilian and Military Personnel Participation in Political Activities" (PDF).

With the 2012 election fast approaching, the DoD wants both civilian and military personnel to know the guidelines that affect what they can say and do on public media sites such as Twitter and Facebook. 

For example, Active-duty military personnel, should not engage in activities that suggest others "like," "friend," or "follow" a political party.

The press release gives real-world examples of some military personnel who have gotten into trouble because they violated DoD rules.  Like an Army Reservist who found himself in hot water last year after he took the stage at a Ron Paul campaign event while in uniform. This kind of political activity is prohibited because he was in uniform, says the DoD.

In terms of guidelines, here are some of the no-nos for military personnel spelled out in the documents. 

In general, active duty Service members may not:

- actively participate in partisan political activities, including fundraisers (mere attendance does not constitute participation);

- serve as an officer of a political club;

- speak at a partisan gathering or participate in any radio or television programs (including organized blog debates or discussions) that advocate for or against a political party, candidate, or cause

- seek nomination or candidacy for civil office (see DoDD 1344.10 for limited exceptions);

- display a large political sign, banner, or poster (as distinguished from a bumper sticker) on a personal vehicle;

- display a political sign, poster, banner, or other campaign material visible to the public at one's residence on a military installation (including homes located in privatized housing);

- attend political events as an official representative of the Armed Forces unless authorized by the Service Secretary concerned.

Full article here.

[ Add comment ]   |  [ 0 trackbacks ]   |  permalink  |  Discussion  |  Digg this  |  Add to del.icio.us

---

EdgeFuse: A Pinterest For Making Weapons. It was inevitable that defense contractors would embrace social media for R&D sooner or later. Mav6, a smallish aerospace outfit, is promoting a new platform called EdgeFuse that lets defense contractors, military personnel, and government employees trade relevant tweets and Instagram photos via smartphone--in short, a hybrid of Delicious and Pinterest. Will social networking build better weapons?
(Co.Exist)

Syrian Students Hold Facebook Protest. In the face of widespread hacking by supporters of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad, Syrian exiles are trying a new tactic: Internet literacy protests. Members of the Union of Free Students in Syria, an inter-university resistance organization, held an Internet-based protest in the city of Homs and in Saudi Arabia. Protesters held signs with slogans like “Protecting Your Account = Protecting Your Friends: A Different Password for Each Account"...
(Fast Company)

Vietnam: instigator of monkey torture photos fired from military. What's dumber than buying extremely rare primates, forcing them to feign smoking and having them skinned?  Snapping photos of your monkey torture session and posting them on Facebook.  That unfortunate chain of events has prompted Vietnam's army to dismiss a soldier whose Facebook-uploaded monkey torture snapshots have gone viral. According to outlets Asia One and the Associated Press, it appears the monkeys were bought off villagers and abused for kicks...
(GlobalPost)

After war, telling story is therapy. Brian Castner calls it "the Crazy," and he introduces readers of his debut book to this uninvited guest in the opening sentence of his Iraq war memoir.  "The first thing you should know about me is that I'm Crazy," writes Castner, employing the capital C to differentiate his affliction from run-of-the-mill, lowercase crazy.  "The Crazy" is Castner's name for the pressing, constricting feeling in his chest that started after he returned from Iraq, where he commanded Air Force Explosive Ordnance Disposal units during two tours in 2005 and 2006...
(Times Union)

Egypt military pardons blogger after criticism. Egypt's military said on Thursday it has dropped charges against prominent blogger Asmaa Mahfouz of insulting the country's ruling generals after a wave of criticism from rights groups. The military, in a statement on its Facebook page, said it also decided to drop charges against another activist, Loai Nagati, who also faced trial by a military court for insulting the generals...
(Business Recorder)

Soldiers posting classified data, photos on Facebook. “I`ll be away to participate in a two-week company tactical drill and battalion general tactical drill and then come back.”  An active-duty lieutenant of the Korean Army recently uploaded on Facebook photos of armored vehicles in queue that were about to maneuver for a nighttime drill in addition to news on the exercise. The photo showed armored vehicles with vehicle ID numbers and weapons attached...
(donga)

Czech World War II re-enactor visits Cleveland: Military Notes. If you think the lessons of World War II are lost on the young, better check with Marek Malafa.  Malafa, 25, is a college student in Pilsen in the Czech Republic, who recently visited here to meet his relatives who live in Northeast Ohio.  He's also a dedicated World War II re-enactor, who is part of a group of about three dozen fellow Czech enthusiasts of that conflict who re-create the spirit and times of 1945 when Czechoslovakia was liberated by Allied troops...
(cleveland.com)

War Historian Keegan Chronicled Individual Toll of Battle. John Keegan, a British military historian whose groundbreaking book "The Face of Battle" cast a fresh look at warfare, capturing the fears, anxiety and heroism of the front-line soldier, died Aug. 2 at his home in Kilmington, England. He was 78.  The Telegraph newspaper in London, for which he had been an editor and writer, announced his death but did not disclose the cause...
(OregonLive)

[ Add comment ]   |  [ 0 trackbacks ]   |  permalink  |  Discussion  |  Digg this  |  Add to del.icio.us

---

I think it’s important and interesting to hear first-hand accounts of what takes place during conflicts and I’ve been searching for blogs written from Syria.

Well, the search is finally over.

CNN has featured a blog written from Homs, Syria, in one of its latest news stories titled Syrian blogger: ‘I live or die here’.

The blog is called Thoughts and feelings of a Syrian freedom fighter written by a man who calls himself “Big Al”.       

CNN summed up some HIGHLIGHTS from the story:

"Big Al" began blogging about his life in Homs, Syria, in September

Stuck inside while war happens outside, he watches "The Simpsons," listens to Nine Inch Nails

Al argues with his parents about whether to stay or leave Syria

Most protesters are young, like him. "I know my rights as a human being," he blogs

I recommend reading both the CNN story and Big Al’s blog to learn more.

Thoughts and feelings of a Syrian freedom fighter is the first Syrian blog listed on Milblogging.

Big Al is also on the social networking site Google+.

If you know of other blogs, please feel free to submit them here.

[ Add comment ]   |  [ 0 trackbacks ]   |  permalink  |  Discussion  |  Digg this  |  Add to del.icio.us

---

The blog of Army Sgt. Eric E. Williams, who was killed last month in Afghanistan, has been the focus of several recent news articles, after North County Times had originally reported that Williams had chronicled his military experiences online.

Williams’ military blog has now become an online memorial, giving people a chance to remember and learn about his life in a personal way.

The blog has over 50 posts dating back to 2008 and several photos.

As I wrote about it in late July, his last post titled Coming Home was published only days before he was killed.

One stranger commented on his final entry:

“Hello, im a complete stranger that stumbled across this on facebook and im writing this in tears, but know that hes never gone and one day through some higher power beyond our control you will hold him again. Words cant even begin to scratch the surface of what your going through, but know that your son has changed the way i see american servicemen & women on a whole new level with a whole new profound appreciation.  Please take this to heart, and know that your son changed my life without ever shaking my hand or knowing anything of me. Peace be with you and your family, with a heavy heart.”

This week, as William’s flag-draped casket arrived in his hometown, more news outlets wrote of his blog.

LOVE: Thoughts of fallen soldier on his blog appeared in The Press-Enterprise.  The writer Carl Love writes:

“The sacrifices soldiers make for us are immense, especially the precious time away from loved ones. My father fought in Vietnam 2 ½ years and words can’t describe how much I missed him growing up. Or the countless nights I was in bed restlessly praying for his safe return.

Back then my dad recorded his experiences to my mom in letters he wrote home almost every day. Williams was able to post his thoughts in a more new-age way on a blog “My Friend The Medic.”

There, Williams laments all the birthdays he’s missed, including his mom’s for five years.

“I wish I wasn’t gone for everything, and it always weighs heavily on me,” he wrote.

And then there are the goodbyes. Perhaps it’s because the soldier thinks this time it could be for good.”

Stars and Stripes wrote a story called Coming home blog post becomes heartbreaking memorial instead. 

"In his online posting, Williams voiced concerns about returning from the seriousness and somberness of combat to an America where citizens “want their Starbucks and celebrity gossip and their ‘16 and pregnant.’” He voiced pride in his service, but also worry about what would become of him and his fellow servicemembers", writes Leo Shane III.

Williams is one of many fallen military bloggers and the second military blogger to die in 2012 to my knowledge.

In March, Captain Carroll “Lex” Lefon, USN (ret) of the military blog Neptunus Lex died after the jet he was flying crashed at Naval Air Station Fallon in Nevada.

A public memorial service was held yesterday for Williams.

Image credit:  myfriendthemedic.blogspot.com

[ Add comment ]   |  [ 0 trackbacks ]   |  permalink  |  Discussion  |  Digg this  |  Add to del.icio.us

---

Military blogger Charlie Sherpa explained why he has been writing about writing on his blog recently, as opposed to writing about developments in the National Guard or Afghanistan or other stories readers have come to expect.

While his regular material is still on the radar, Charlie states his blog has two missions:

1.  To explain in plain language the roles, responsibilities, and routines of the U.S. citizen-soldier, with particular focus on the U.S. 34th Infantry "Red Bull" Division.

2.  To illuminate ways in which citizen-soldiers past and present—as well as their families—can be remembered, supported, and celebrated.

"One of the ways people can "remember, support, and celebrate" is to record and share their experiences with the military through the written or spoken word. You don't need to be an seasoned writer or story-teller. You don't need to have done heroic things, or to have witnessed the horrors of war", writes Charlie.

Red Bull Rising is a great resource for anyone interested in military writing.

Here are five things to look forward to on Red Bull Rising:

1.  A static web page devoted to resources for aspiring and perspiring citizen-soldier-writer-veterans, and those who love them!

2.  A list of recommended up-and-coming blogs from those with eyes and boots still in Afghanistan!

3.  Book reviews! Lots of book reviews!

4.  Continued coverage leading up to the inaugural Sangria Summit in Denver, Colo., a Sept. 12-14 conference for writers of military-themed fiction and non-fiction!

5.  News of the upcoming annual 34th Infantry Division Association reunion! "Attack! Attack! Attack!” 

Read more over at Red Bull Rising.

[ Add comment ]   |  [ 0 trackbacks ]   |  permalink  |  Discussion  |  Digg this  |  Add to del.icio.us

---

Reuters Blog Hacked, Fake Syria War Story Posted. News service Reuters was the target of a blogging platform hack today.  The company first tweeted the news just after 10 a.m., saying that its blogging platform was compromised and "fabricated blog posts were falsely attributed to several Reuters journalists."  One of the stories, which Reuters deemed as "illegal," was posted today under Jeffrey Goldfarb's name. It falsified an interview with Riad al-Asaad, the head of the Free Syrian Army...
(PC Magazine)

Library Seeks to Record Local WWII Veteran Stories. Port Jefferson Librarian Samantha Winter blogged on Tuesday about an ongoing project to record the stories of local World War II veterans as a part of the library's "Living Heritage Project."  "Through oral and/or video interviews, staff from the library will sit down with willing veterans to discuss their personal accounts while fighting in our country’s deadliest war," she wrote.  Many of the veterans who fought in World War II are dying off and it is important to record their experiences for future generations...
(Miller Place-Rocky Point Patch)

Assad spam fills social media networks. The Syrian conflict is filling social networks like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Supporters and opponents of the Syrian regime are engaged in a fierce propaganda battle.  "Here are e-mail addresses and passwords of Al Jazeera employees" reads a message on the website of the "Syrian Electronic Army." The message goes on to say that the group has 40 British and 150 US news pages under its control as well as the websites of Syrians abroad "who are supporting the terror against our country."  The Internet portal is conceived as a propaganda arm of Bashar Assad's regime, encouraging its users to support the beleaguered dictator through spam attacks. The attacks are targeted at media critical of the Assad regime...
(DW.DE)

11 Social Media Tips for the Public Sector. Social media applications have become an (almost) accepted standard to explore new ways of communication between government and its stakeholders.  However, government agencies willing to jump onto the bandwagon had to jump over many hurdles to make social media work for them. As early as December 2008, the powerhouse behind what is now known as HowTo.gov — Bev Godwin, Sheila Campbell, Jeffrey Levy and Joyce Bounds — have published a manuscript describing the hurdles and perceived barriers for new forms of online engagement.  Many of these barriers prevented the rapid and risk-free adoption of social media technologies...
(Mashable)

War hero from Alva gone; his stories survive. Solon Duncan of Alva was a quiet man who fought hard, loved life, suffered much and died a quiet hero.  It took the federal government 50 years to recognize his military contributions with full veterans benefits and medals due him.  But he did not leave the world unrecognized.  Duncan, 82, a Korean War veteran and former prisoner of war, was buried in Alva Cemetery on Thursday with full military honors.  His stories remain behind...
(The News-Press)

Smartphone App Developed at JBLM Helping Families With Military Life. 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 17 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.  LifeArmor is a comprehensive learning and self-management tool to assist members of the military community with common mental health concerns...
(Patch)

[ Add comment ]   |  [ 0 trackbacks ]   |  permalink  |  Discussion  |  Digg this  |  Add to del.icio.us

---

Emily Heil has an article about the CIA and Twitter over at The Washington Post.

According to the story, someone was impersonating the CIA on the microblogging platform using the name @US_CIA. 

For those of you who don’t know, the CIA is not on Twitter.

Shortly after the CIA discovered the fake account, it was suspended by Twitter.  However, if you'd like to see some of the content that was posted by the user like the screenshot above, it can still be viewed through Google's cache which temporarily stores web content.

The postings in many cases, linked directly back to the official CIA government website.

For example, one tweet read:

"Veterans: the CIA wants YOU. You have proven your dedication to your country through your military service. http://t.co/Oc4AWSfU #Veterans"

The shortened URL takes visitors back to a jobs page on CIA.gov.

While many of the tweets seemed rather professional, as Emily Heil points out, “Then the tweets grew increasingly wacky and it became clear that the folks behind it weren’t genuine g-men.”

The wacky tweets included messages like:

“The Agency is an equal opportunity employer. Here at the CIA we respect all religions, not just the Church of Latter Day Saints,”

Say what? Then this: “Dear Ayatollah @khamenei_ir, please consider tweeting in English. Our sole Arabic speaking NED analyst is out on vacation this week. Thanks!”

One of my favorites on the cached page reads:

@GoldsGym Think you are tough? Come & join the Agency! At the #Farm we'll raise you to be bigger, stronger, & faster.

Full story here.

[ Add comment ]   |  [ 0 trackbacks ]   |  permalink  |  Discussion  |  Digg this  |  Add to del.icio.us

---

Syria's video activists give revolution the upper hand in media war. In April last year Ahmad Mohammad left his village in northern Syria filled with its pomegranate trees, figs, and goats, and moved to Lebanon. He came back five months later with a certificate in mobile phone maintenance – a weapon more powerful than Bashar al-Assad's helicopters and tanks.  While he was away Mohammad learned how to upload video to YouTube – a website banned by the Syrian regime. "Nobody in Syria knew how to do this," he said. In the meantime Syria's revolution snowballed from a handful of protests into a seething nation-wide revolt, characterised by nightly anti-regime gatherings, shootouts with the security forces and a growing number of casualties...
(guardian.co.uk)

Blog: Underground with the Free Syrian Army.  From the outset of the conflict, there have been many reports of journalists who’ve had to leave Syrian opposition strongholds because of mistrust that snowballed into direct threats against their lives. Simply doing your job and playing devil’s advocate can get you on their wrong side.  Surely, in their minds, if you ask questions about failings or weaknesses of the rebel army and the opposition then you must be working for the ‘other side’? Many don't understand that's part of the job.  While in Syria, I couldn’t film freely without being accompanied by one of my rebel hosts. Townsfolk were suspicious, even then. Who is she? Why does she want to film this square? This butchers shop? These cars driving past?
(SBS World News)

Vietnamese army dismisses soldier over photos of him torturing monkeys posted on Facebook. State media in Vietnam say a soldier has been dismissed from the military after photos of him torturing two monkeys posted on Facebook outraged the public.  The Laborer newspaper says 20-year-old private Nguyen Van Quang was dismissed from his unit in central Gia Lai province and two other soldiers were given a warning.  The three bought the monkeys from villagers for $57 before torturing them and hiring villagers to slaughter them. A photo shows a monkey having a cigarette pressed into its mouth...
(Washington Post)

Artifacts Tell Story Of Revolutionary War. There are museums dedicated to barbed wire and Spam, hobos and yo-yos -- even trash. Yet there is no major museum for the treasures of the American Revolution. But there are plans to right that wrong -- with a museum to be built with public and private funds in the city where America was born. In a secret location in the suburbs of Philadelphia, Scott Stephenson has been cataloging artifacts form the Revolutionary War...
(WKRG)

Nikki Haley takes to Facebook as husband trains for Afghanistan. Although it’s not being definitively described as a first, no one can remember it happening before. The spouse of a sitting U.S. governor is being deployed for active military duty. South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley’s husband, Michael Haley — a first lieutenant in the state’s National Guard — is training for a year-long deployment to Afghanistan, set to start in January... 
(Washington Post)

Key WikiLeaks supporter bashes Assange and triggers a rift among whistleblowers. A month and a half into a stay at London’s Ecuadorian embassy, Julian Assange and WikiLeaks took credit this weekend for a Twitter hoax that captivated the world — and that’s exactly why a rift is emerging within the very community he helped create.  MIT researcher David House, a friend of accused US Army whistleblower Bradley Manning and a witness in the federal Grand Jury convened to investigate WikiLeaks, is rethinking his support for Julian Assange following a well-received charade over the weekend that was credited to Assange’s site...
(RT)

Local Korean War veterans share their stories. After on-again, off-again negotiations and a prolonged combat stalemate, that’s the date the Korean War’s armistice was signed. It was one of the occasions when the Cold War between the U.S. and the Communist powers in the East became hot. In 1949, Don Anderson of Upper Gwynedd was 19 years old and on board a Naval destroyer near South America, when the ship received orders to head toward the Panama Canal...
(The Times Herald)

[ Add comment ]   |  [ 0 trackbacks ]   |  permalink  |  Discussion  |  Digg this  |  Add to del.icio.us

---

Circle of Moms, a website dedicated to making the lives of moms easier and more enjoyable, is running a contest for the Top 25 Military Mom blogs of 2012.

Via Circle of Moms:

Are you a military mom blogger? We're looking for moms who blog about military life, whether you're serving in the military yourself or are partnered with someone who is.

We are trying to promote and recognize the work of moms who blog with this contest, rather than blogs that are intended for mom readership. Therefore, this contest is only open to moms.

To ensure that votes are fairly acquired we do not allow for any prizes or giveaways in exchange for votes.

Help us find the Top 25 Military Moms - 2012 by Aug 16, 2012 at 4pm PST by voting once every 24 hours for your favorite blog. All votes acquired through bots (or any other unfair voting mechanism), and blogs that do not fit in this category will be removed before the list is finalized.

Voting ends in 16 days.

If you have any questions about voting or including your blog, check out the FAQs page here.

There are over 40 blogs in the running.

The Top 10 as of today include The Meat and Potatoes of Life, Random Rants of an Army Wife, The Deployment Diatribes, Nuts in a Nutshell, The Crow Family, Writings of an Air Force Wife, This Fabulous Army Life, Singing Through the Rain, and CourtneyKirkland.net.

Military.com’s very own SpouseBuzz is also in the running and is currently in the 13^th spot at the time of this writing.

[ Add comment ]   |  [ 0 trackbacks ]   |  permalink  |  Discussion  |  Digg this  |  Add to del.icio.us

---

Military blogger Uncle Jimbo (@Uncle_Jimbo) and actress/comedian Roseanne Barr (@therealroseanne) had a war of words on Twitter yesterday afternoon following a Twitter exchange she had with a Navy wife and told her she was on the dole "living off tax$$$ forever.”

Uncle Jimbo wrote about the exchange on Blackfive and included a timeline of the tweets listed in order.

[ Add comment ]   |  [ 0 trackbacks ]   |  permalink  |  Discussion  |  Digg this  |  Add to del.icio.us

---

Gary Stein, the Marine who started an Armed Forces Tea Party Facebook page and was later discharged from the service under "other than honorable" conditions, is considering running for a Murrieta City Council seat.

Murrieta is a city in California about 30 miles from Camp Pendleton.

According to North County Times, "Gary Stein said Monday he's been asked to run by Southwest Riverside County tea party and Republican Party activists."

Just over a week ago, Stein made headlines after the public affairs personnel at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point put out a public service announcement that warned Marines about the career risks of misusing social media.  The PSA was later pulled.

Stein is an avid social media user.  He tweets, Facebooks (here and here) and hosts a BlogTalkRadio show.

More on Stein mulling a City Council seat over North County Times.

[ Add comment ]   |  [ 0 trackbacks ]   |  permalink  |  Discussion  |  Digg this  |  Add to del.icio.us

---

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.

[ Add comment ]   |  [ 0 trackbacks ]   |  permalink  |  Discussion  |  Digg this  |  Add to del.icio.us

---

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)

[ Add comment ]   |  [ 0 trackbacks ]   |  permalink  |  Discussion  |  Digg this  |  Add to del.icio.us

---

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."

[ Add comment ]   |  [ 0 trackbacks ]   |  permalink  |  Discussion  |  Digg this  |  Add to del.icio.us

---

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)

[ Add comment ]   |  [ 0 trackbacks ]   |  permalink  |  Discussion  |  Digg this  |  Add to del.icio.us

---

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.

[ Add comment ]   |  [ 0 trackbacks ]   |  permalink  |  Discussion  |  Digg this  |  Add to del.icio.us

---

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...

JOURNEYS, Kait, United States, Hi! I'm Kait! I'm an army wife, a wanna be chef, a... |

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...

[ Add comment ]   |  [ 0 trackbacks ]   |  permalink  |  Discussion  |  Digg this  |  Add to del.icio.us

---

<< <Back | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | Next> >>