Hat tip to Matt of Blackfive. Sorry, I’d comment but I’m at work.  Maybe later. I do have a day job people. (Oh shit, gotta run. Damn french fries.  I always over cook them.)

By Kevin Anderson
BBC News

The war in Vietnam is often referred to as the first war on television, and the wars in Afghanistan and now in Iraq will be known as the first wars to be blogged.

A new generation of soldier bloggers in the US, known as milbloggers, are both fighting in the field and writing about their experiences.  It is opening up a new window on modern warfare and is creating a new genre of war-time writing.

However, some of these pioneering frontline bloggers fear that the golden age of milblogging has already passed as military officials begin to clamp down on the unfettered online writing.

Read the full story here.

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I’d rather eat a steaming plate of my own puke-vomit than write about other bloggers who like to insult me because I’m a Conservative in the military who blogs. But, because it’s the season for giving, I'll rebut and send some much needed traffic to their site.  The Left Behinds blog -- which looks like some third-grade school project written by some Marilyn Manson-looking blogger named Solomon Grundy, a childhood friend of Cindy Sheehan,  and a few other contributors – decided to take a shot at me in their homage to David Ignatius.

So....

How about the color of their blog?

Now, I’m assuming the “Left Behinds” are color blind. Please, tell me you’re color-blind.   Unless you’re a Hillary Duff fan blogging about your newest Hillary Duff makeup kit or poster, or you like to blog about pretty flowers, nobody, and I mean nobody, is going to believe you purposely chose that color for your blog.  According to my research, the favorite color of serial killers is Pink. Really.  It is.  

Who comments on their blog?

Is it possible to have a group blog where the only commenters are the contributors? Yes. Apparently, it is - I present you with Left Behinds. Plus, it appears if you comment - and you’re not a contributor - your comment gets deleted.  See how that works? I can only assume you have to have an I.Q. less than a head-of-lettuce to comment. Left Behinds will deny it, but it’s true.

Here’s what Solomon had to say about me: 

“btw, if you go to MILblogging, just ignore the guy who runs it and his partisan ranting about "the liberal lunatic MSM" and go directly to the blogs-- what he doesn't realize is that he's as annoying and unnecessary as any of the dumb intermediaries on Fox or CNN).”

Oh, Solomon.  In case you didn’t know, I’m a milblogger. And I milblogged from Afghanistan long before you started wearing makeup.  I don’t bash the MSM because I like to poke fun at the brain dead vegetables who sit behind a desk criticizing a war they know nothing about, I bash them because people aren’t getting the full story from the News.  And, I really like annoying people like you.

By the way, before Solomon spewed all over his blog about me, he writes about another blogger:
 
”However, he's right that a lot of soldiers seem to resent the MSM portayal of the war. There's some political diversity among milbloggers, but they tend to be pro-war (which makes sense).”

2 + 2 = 4.  Bravo Solomon, Bravo for your enlightening observation. My favorite line: “milbloggers...They tend to be pro-war (which makes sense)”... And Texas residents tend to be pro-Dallas Cowboys (which makes sense, too).
 
What really baffles me is: Solomon, like many who read my blog for the first time, doesn’t realize the blog section of milblogging.com is intended for fun. Yes, it's got a Conservative slant, but half of my loyal readers are liberals.  

Anyway, if I were a member of the MSM, I could care less about your opinion.  But I’m not.  The Milblogging community, like other blogging communities, is a very tight-knit community.

Trackback Update:

LL of Chromed Curses tracked back with:  Oooooo, Fight, Fight!

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Now, we’re over 1,000 milblogs in the Milblogging.com database.  Can you believe it? Oxygen. I need oxygen.  Some interesting milblogs in this latest bunch.  In fact, some interesting blog titles in this latest bunch:  "Drunken Sailor", "Ft. Lost in the Woods", "American by Birth, Marine by choice...KILL", "The Big S Dizzle" and "Yo Mama Wears Combat Boots".  And they say all the good blog names are gone... For rizzle.

Chris' Deployment Journal , Grimes/Chesak, United States, Chris' Deployment Journal to Iraq , 28 Dec 2005

Army Basic Training Journal , Albert Harris, United States,..if I go to Iraq and then it's my duty to do so. ... , 28 Dec 2005

Daze of My Life (An Army Officer's Diary) , Penman's Ship, Iraq, In Iraq... , 27 Dec 2005

Diary of an army wife alone. , Leah Fishman, United States, A year in the life of a deployed solider's wife...... , 27 Dec 2005

Roscoe's Blog: Now a Proud Member of the Sub-Media , Roscoe, United States, I am a former Marine aviator, who specialized in c... , 27 Dec 2005

The Boy Over There... , The boy over there..., Iraq, I am an American Soldier in the Indiana ARMY Natio... , 27 Dec 2005

Kevin's Army Journal , Jakc1, United States, Husband to a loving wife. Officer in the US Army -... , 27 Dec 2005

My Visit to the World - A Military Journal , SeeTheWorld, Japan, I am a member of the United States Air Force, and ... , 27 Dec 2005

I Love My Soldier , Multiple Authors, United States, I made this community as a way to set up a "suppor... , 27 Dec 2005

Civil Airman , Not specified, United States, wo hours of CAP a week just isn't enough , 27 Dec 2005

The Proud Airman , Frank Gilroy, United States, This is a journal of all of my activity in the Uni... , 27 Dec 2005

Drunken Sailor , Jonathan, Van, United States, This site will be where you get to hear all about ... , 27 Dec 2005

Missin Home , Coop_diddy, Iraq, In Iraq... , 27 Dec 2005

Whatever, really... , Nick Bradley, Iraq, Location: Balad, Iraq , 27 Dec 2005

Military Channel , Not specified, United States, Internet's Military Channel is devoted to the news... , 26 Dec 2005

Corporal James McCauley , James McCauley, United States, Leader of men, teller of tall tales, legend in my ... , 26 Dec 2005

National Guard Tanker in Iraq , Jake D. Snake, United States, Chronicle of a National Guard Tanker who is servin... , 26 Dec 2005

Chris Whong: A Maryland Guardsman goes to war… , Chris Whong, Iraq, 1LT Whong, Christopher 243rd Engineer Co., 1st Pl... , 26 Dec 2005

Call My Al , Al, United States, So, there it is: I'm a pilot in the US Air Force. ... , 26 Dec 2005

Formant Shift , Formant Shift, Iraq, I'm in the Army, been in for about 12 years now. I... , 26 Dec 2005

Soldier Boy !! US Army !! , Wraysd, United States, Keith's journey as he becomes a soldier for the US... , 25 Dec 2005

We love our Army Men! , Multiple Authors, United States, This is a community for Army boys and the girls th... , 25 Dec 2005

An Eagle's Story , Ian, Afghanistan, For friends and family or anyone interested, this ... , 25 Dec 2005

Chope , Soldier187, Iraq, Im 19 years old and in love with my high school sw... , 25 Dec 2005

Gypsy Life , SPC LARON, BOBBY, R., Iraq, A look into the life of a traveller. Industry: Mi... , 25 Dec 2005

My Iraqi Saga , Stacy Sanning, Iraq, On Oct 1st, 2005 I got a letter in the mail. After... , 25 Dec 2005

Warrior's Revenge , Land Warrior, Iraq, Finding myself in a mixed up world where the lines... , 25 Dec 2005

Live from the FDNF , Hydroseven, United States, Analysis and discussion of the 7th Fleet AOR (Area... , 25 Dec 2005

Porphyrogenitus , James Ruhland, Iraq, B Det 502d PSB 4ID(M) Unit #43025 APO AE 09344-3... , 25 Dec 2005

Kbug , KBUG, United States, Thoughts from a military mom/daughter......on the ... , 25 Dec 2005

Saepe expertus - semper fidels - fratres aeterni , Brandon Horsley, Japan, My name is Brandon, I am a 19 year old Lance Corpr... , 25 Dec 2005

Yo Mama Wears Combat Boots , Nandice, Iraq, Just a lil Army Reservist also working as a civili... , 25 Dec 2005

MIDN Williams, Alex D. U.S. Navy , Alex Daniel Williams, United States, Name: Alex Daniel Williams Current Location: U.S... , 25 Dec 2005

PRAWN Blog , Rich Gardner, United States, Philadelphia Regional Anti-War Network. As a memb... , 23 Dec 2005

CPT Schack's Tour of Duty , CPT Schack, Kuwait, Captain in charge of a group of convoy escorts bas... , 23 Dec 2005

The Big S Dizzle , Matt Long, South Korea, I'm 22 and in the Army. Currently stationed at Cam... , 23 Dec 2005

MCxBoiix's Xanga Site , MCxBoiix, United States, U.S. Marine , 23 Dec 2005

Adapt and Overcome... , Andrew Solanki, United States, I am also a UNITED STATES MARINE stationed in Mari... , 23 Dec 2005

Texasmp7860's Xanga Site , Matt Tran, South Korea, Hi everyone, my name is matt tran, im 21. Im curre... , 22 Dec 2005

The Army Lawyer , The Army Lawyer, United States, Drivel from a newly minted Army JAG. , 22 Dec 2005

American, Interrupted: 14 months in Iraq , Dan Thompson, United States, This is the handwritten journal former Army corpor... , 22 Dec 2005

Hero of the Day , Thetonyman, Iraq, Name: thetonyman Location: Baghdad, Iraq , 22 Dec 2005

1st Battalion 39th Infantry Regiment , MHG, United States, 1-39 Inf is a web beacon aimed at helping former m... , 22 Dec 2005

I Love My Soldier , Caity Jones, United States, Caity. I'm a soldier in the MIARNG and my fiance C... , 22 Dec 2005

Let No One Tear Asunder.... , William Martin, Serbia, I have been in the Army for 5 years now. I have be... , 22 Dec 2005

Gijane04's Xanga Site , Laura, United States, Can't say to much because well I dont know much bu... , 22 Dec 2005

Jayfo , Jay Atwood, United States, JAG Captain at Camp Shelby, Miss , 22 Dec 2005

560TH MP CO , Jeff LeClair, Germany, 23 year old MP, currently stuck in Germany. Used t... , 21 Dec 2005

HOOAH - It's an Army thing , Kyle, United States, I'm currently in flight school for the Army at For... , 20 Dec 2005

ChrisLovesBritty02's Xanga Site , Chris Stemple, Iraq, I am 21 years old. I have been in the Army for thr... , 20 Dec 2005

Semper Fi , Geoffrey, Iraq, Reporting live from Iraq... A sniper's journey thr... , 20 Dec 2005

CURRENTLY SERVING IN HIDETHA , IRAQ , MATT, Iraq, !!!MY ADDRESS IN IRAQ!!!/ LCPL MORGAN MATT E/ 2ND ... , 20 Dec 2005

IRAQIDIRTCHICK all the chick and less filling , GO MILITARY! MS AMERICAN CITIZEN, Iraq, Now serving... Chick Lite Subs! More chick, less f... , 20 Dec 2005

Truth on Iraq , Thomas McIntryre, United States, I'm a 58yo male married for 36yrs. Retired militar... , 20 Dec 2005

Ramblings of a medic gone mad... , MedicSimon, United States, Saving lives is my line of work, I'm a combat medi... , 20 Dec 2005

Abrahil's Xanga Site , Abrahil, United States, Interests: My love - Mandy, god, country, the corp... , 20 Dec 2005

Marineguy0311's Xanga Site , Stephen, United States, I'm a locked, cocked, and ready to rock Marine. My... , 20 Dec 2005

I LOVE MY MARINE LCPL TROXELL , Britney Troxell, United States, I'm a 21 yrs old...I'm a mother and a wife....my h... , 20 Dec 2005

BayerBoysnAction , Cheryl Bayer, United States, I am a member of the non-profit group Soldiers' An... , 20 Dec 2005

Talking Salmons , Joshua, Iraq, I am a military journalist serving in Iraq. Born i... , 20 Dec 2005

Ask the Soldiers , Gigotti, Mr.Matt, Iraq, Do you have a question that needs to be answered a... , 20 Dec 2005

American by Birth, Marine by choice...KILL , Lance Corporal Guziak, United States, I am a United States Marine. I like lifting weight... , 20 Dec 2005

Ft. Lost in the Woods , Jung Lee, United States, Occupation: Military Industry: Government , 20 Dec 2005

Reporter in Iraq , Matthew D. LaPlante, United States, Matthew D. LaPlante is military and homeland secur... , 20 Dec 2005

Daily Terrorist Roundup , Jim, United States, News from the War on Terror that the MSM is not ke... , 19 Dec 2005

The Unseen Wounded , Valerie, United States, In Honor of those wounded in the service of our co... , 19 Dec 2005

Liberating Iraq , Patrick, Iraq, The American soldier is trying to protect me from ... , 19 Dec 2005

Addie collins , Addie Collins, United States, I'm a Broadcast Journalist and a Soldier. 1999 Gra... , 19 Dec 2005

Keystone Military News , Margot and Keystone, United States, This blog is the combined news from all of our web... , 19 Dec 2005

4th Battalion 12th Infantry Regiment , MHG, United States, 4-12 Inf is a web beacon aimed at helping former u... , 19 Dec 2005

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By the way, I'm no longer a slimy-filthy-mcnasty-scum-sucking-feces-eating-microbe in The TTLB Blogosphere Ecosystem.  Now, I’m a Large Mammal.  Thanks everyone for spreading the word of milblogs.  And, milblogging.com.  Alright, I’m off to eat a nice huge plate of "Texas Steamers".

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I’m not the only that hates the left-wing MSM.   I quit going to the MSM for news from the frontlines a long time ago.  Now, today, I’m digging into my mailbag and posting some comments from my brilliant brilliant readers.   Anyway, here are some reasons why you should read military blogs instead of getting your news from the left-wing liberal news media who think the biggest headline of the day should be “Dog adopts abandoned calf”.  The left MSM sucks, people. They suck bad (except of course, for keeping me updated on my beloved Jessica Simpson).

You don"t like Communist News Network?  Or Continuous B***S***? Or . . . let's see, what else is out there? Oh, yeah - the New York Slime? Or the Washington Compost? That last one is courtesy of Oliver North.
Maybe you and some of your friends could bombard Armed Forces Radio
with more requests for Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham, or some other conservative hosts who understand and actually appreciate what you guys are doing over there.  One other thing, do you believe it's possible to "Support the troops but not the war"?
by Stephen

Found you via BLACKFIVE. Prediction: your sitemeter will steadily increase. People are sick of the lies from the MSM. I personally am sick of some blow-dried airhead packaging the news in a manner fit for poor pointy headed me. Attaboy-Hoowaa.
by Doug

The Ignatius piece has driven your traffic today.  He's among the better foreign affairs pundits, but I think the reason his column prompted many people to visit this site is that most people in his audience had no idea it existed.  Among the general public, the whole concept of blogging is not always well understood, but there are a lot of people who would be glad to read the better military blogs if they knew where to find them.  Now they do.
by Zathras

Holy moly, having said nice things about the military, I bet Mr. Ignatius will be shunned by his fellow MSMers or will even lose his job.
by James Howell

It's about time someone of the MSM said something postive about the military's progress in Iraq. Barring a few items from the Wall Street Journal and the OpinionJournal.com, Mil blogs were the only source of postive and truthful news.
by Ledger1

I found you site through Blackfive, by way of Soldiers' Angels (another great organization). I would also rather eat my own liver than watch CNN.  I think bogging is the best thing to happen to the media since the printing press!
by SoCalGal

I hear you about the liberal news outlets.  It is very frustrating for me to constantly hear about it and see how it influences American's views on the war and other issues.  My only consolation is that FOX news exists.  And I don't even completely trust everything they report. These journalists and political analysts claim to know everything that is going on in the oval office and on the battlefield.  NOT!!! I just want the truth.  I refuse to believe our military is losing the war and I refuse to believe that our troops are quite happy to drop everything and come back home.  We've gotta finish what we started and leave it with dignity, honor and respect.
by Ana Guzman

I spend countless evening hours searching and reading milblogs. Long ago, I stopped watching and reading the main stream media. I have never trusted them to tell the truth on anything.
by dyzgoneby

I've just started blogging out of final disgust with media like NYT and lack of leadership within the Democratic party.  Instead of celebrating an amazing victory for our troops, a vote for free Iraqi's, we hear nothing from the media with the exception of a few and Fox.
by Michael

Outside of Fox News I give little credence to the media. Most use their slant to skew the news. Thanks to blogs like yours we can get the real truth.
by Charles

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It’s the final week of the 2005 MILBLOGGIES.  For those of you who have voted, these are exciting times!!!  Merry Christmas everyone! And don’t forget, you have until midnight (EST) on December 31^st to vote for your favorite milblogs.  Anyway, let’s review the current standings in the 2005 MILBLOGGIES...

Top 100

1.  365 and a Wakeup (Votes: 76) (Move: +19) (Prev Week Rank: 2)
2.  A Soldier's Perspective (Votes: 67)  (Move: +11)  (Prev. Week Rank: 3)
3.  Blackfive (Votes: 65) (Move: 0) (Prev Week Rank: 1)
4.  Michael Yon: Online Magazine (Votes: 58) (Move: +4)  (Prev. Week Rank: 4)
5.  One Marine's View (Votes: 41 (Move: +2) (Prev Week Rank: Unk)
View Complete Chart...

Afghanistan Frontlines

1.  Firepower Forward (Votes: 15) (Move: +1) (Prev Week Rank: 1)
2.  Going Down Range (Votes: 3) (Move: +1) (Prev Week Rank: 2)
3.  Miserable Donuts (Votes: 2) (Move: +2) (Prev Week Rank: Unk)
4.  The Siegrist Blogs (Votes: 2) (Move: Unk) (Prev Week Rank: Unk)
5.  My World (Votes: 1) (Move: 0) (Prev Rank: 3)
View Complete Chart...
 
Iraq Frontlines

1.  365 and a Wakeup (Votes: 76) (Move: +19) (Prev Week Rank: 1)
2.  One Marine's View (Votes: 41) (Move: +2) (Prev Week Rank: 2)
3.  Wordsmith At War (Votes: 19) (Move: Unk) (Prev Week Rank: Unk)
4.  Major K. (Votes: 19) (Move: 0) (Prev Week Rank: 3)
5.  2005 Tour of Duty (Votes: 13) (Move: 0) (Prev Week Rank: 4)
View Complete Chart...

U.S. Army

1.  365 and a Wakeup (Votes: 76) (Move: +19) (Prev Week Rank: 1)
2.  A Soldier's Perspective (Votes: 67) (Move: +11) (Prev Week Rank: 2)
3.  Ma Deuce Gunner (Votes: 33) (Move: +1) (Prev Week Rank: 3)
4.  From My Position... On the way! (Votes: 28) (Move: +2) (Prev Week Rank: 4)
5.   Major K.  (Votes: 19) (Move: 0) (Prev Week Rank: 5)
View Complete Chart...
 
U.S. Air Force

1.  The Mudville Gazette (Votes: 40) (Move: 0) (Prev Week Rank: 1)
2.  Dude, Where's the Beach? (Votes: 18) (Move: +1) (Prev Week Rank: 2)
3.  Can I Have Some Whine With That Cheese? (Votes: 6) (Move: 0) (Prev Week Rank: 3)
4.  SlagleRock's Slaughterhouse (Votes: 4) (Move: 0) (Prev Week Rank: 4)
5.  Desert Odyssey (Votes: 3) (Move: 0) (Prev Week Rank: 5)
View Complete Chart...

U.S. Marine Corps

1.  One Marine's View (Votes: 41) (Move: +2) (Prev Week Rank: 1)
2.  The Gun Line (Votes: 9) (Move: 0) (Prev Week Rank: 2)
3.  Hurl's BLOG (Votes: 6) (Move: 0) (Prev Week Rank: 3)
4.  Warrior Jason (Votes: 4) (Move: 0) (Prev Week Rank: 4)
5.  Akinoluna (Votes: 4) (Move: 0) (Prev Week Rank: 5)
View Complete Chart...

U.S. Navy

1.  The Indepundit (Votes: 23) (Move: 0) (Prev Week Rank: 1)
2.  Froggy Ruminations (Votes: 18) (Move: +1) (Prev Week Rank: 2)
3.  Doc in the Box (Votes: 10) (Move: 0) (Prev Week Rank: 3)
4.  Ultraquiet No More (Votes: 9) (Move: +3) (Prev Week Rank: 5)
5.  CDR Salamander (Votes: 7) (Move: 0) (Prev Week Rank: 4)
View Complete Chart...

 U.S. Military Veteran

1.  Blackfive  (Votes: 65) (Move: 0) (Prev Week Rank: 1)
2.  Michael Yon: Online Magazine (Votes: 58) (Move: +4) (Prev Week Rank: 2)
3.  Dr. Phat Tony`s (Votes: 30) (Move: +2) (Prev Week Rank: 3)
4.  PCS to LinkedInUSAF (Votes: 11) (Move: +1) (Prev Week Rank: 4)
5.  The stupid shall be punished (Votes: 6) (Move: Unk) (Prev Week Rank: Unranked)
View Complete Chart...

U.S. Civilian

1.  Blog Them Out of the Stone Age (Votes: 16) (Move: +5) (Prev Week Rank: 1)
2.  Soldier's Angel - Holly Aho (Votes: 9) (Move: +1) (Prev Week Rank: 2)
3.  The Gunn Nutt (Votes: 8) (Move: +1) (Prev Week Rank: 3)
4.  In Training (Votes: 7) (Move: +2) (Prev Week Rank: 5)

5.  Bear Creek Ledger (Votes: 5) (Move: 0) (Prev Week Rank: 4)
View Complete Chart...

U.S. Military Spouse
1.  Air Force Family (Votes: 24) (Move: +1) (Prev Week Rank: 1)
2.  Andi's World (Votes: 15) (Move: +1) (Prev Week Rank: 2)
3.  Most Certainly Not (Votes: 13) (Move: +4) (Prev Week Rank: 3)
4.  A Texan Abroad (Votes: 6) (Move: +1) (Prev Week Rank: 4)
5.  Hooah Wife (Votes: 6) (Move: +1) (Prev Week Rank: 5)
View Complete Chart...

U.S. Military Parent

1.  Soldier's Mom (Votes: 27) (Move: +1) (Prev Week Rank: 1)
2.  Army Mom in Training (Votes: 5) (Move: +1) (Prev Week Rank: 2)
3.  You Betcha I'm a Proud Army Mom (Votes: 5) (Move: +1) (Prev Week Rank: 4)
4.  Keep My Soldier Safe (Votes: 4) (Move: 0) (Prev Week Rank: 3)
5.  Updates On My Soldier (Votes: 3) (Move: 0) (Prev Week Rank: 5)
View Complete Chart...

Foreign National (Military)

1.   Universal Soldier  (Votes: 8) (Move: +2) (Prev Week Rank: 1)
2.   Airstrip One (Votes: 2) (Move: 0) (Prev Week Rank: 3)
3.   A GUARDS Platoon Commander (Votes: 1) (Move: 0) (Prev Week Rank: 4)
4.   Life as an Officer(Votes: 1) (Move: 0) (Prev Week Rank: 2)
5.   RMC's Navalcadetis Minorae (Votes: 1) (Move: 0) (Prev Week Rank: 5)
 View Complete Chart...

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Milbloggers, send me your 728x90 banners.  You could see your "miltary blog" banner published at the top of this page.    

I'm reserving the top section of this site for promoting military blogs.  It's simple, I'll explain: Write me at milblogging@gmail.com and attach a 728x90 banner of your military blog.  Once it's accepted, it'll randomly appear on this site.  I know what you're thinking: Geez, you truly are a modern-day saint.

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Don't read too much into my sick humor of the liberal media.  Since I'm usually typing away at 3 AM in the morning scouring the internet for military blogs, while cursing the MSM for little coverage on the troops and what they really think.And yes, I'd still rather stick a pencil in my eye than turn on CNN.  My biggest complaint is the lack of military voices from the frontlines and around the world being heard in the mainstream media, but it appears military blogs are picking up more and more steam:

PIMP THIS..

Hat-tip to Dlthor for pointing out this great article by David Ignatius from the Washington Post. Wow, I never thought I'd say that, but I'm pleased.  A great article in the WashPo about milblogging called “Slogging and Blogging Through Iraq”.

Here’s an excerpt:

”The military blogs coming out of Iraq are some of the most interesting reading I've found this holiday season. Soldiers have sent letters home in every war, but this is the first time civilians back home have been able to read over their shoulders. The best collection I've found is at a Web site called Milblogging.com. It has compiled more than 1,000 military blogs in 22 countries, including 258 coming out of Iraq.”

Other milbloggers mentioned in this article, include: Lieutenant K, Captain B, 365 and a Wakeup, and one of my recent additions to the Milblogging.com database: Iraqidirtchick.    Oh yeah, here's a link to the full article:  Slogging and Blogging Through Iraq

Readers: If you can free up about an hour or two each day (and Yes, that means no more eBay), read some milblogs.  Check out the Top 100 or other charts on the left sidebar like Afghanistan Frontlines and Iraq Frontlines.

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Merry Christmas everyone.  Well, my sitemeter is apparently getting it's ass kicked this morning.  I've spent the last few minutes trying to figure out why my sitemeter is off the charts (and by off the charts, I mean more than two visitors at the same time).  Since most of my site traffic is usually diehard fans who followed me while I was deployed to Afghanistan, all I can do is hope by some miracle you will leave a comment and tell me how you heard about this site.  Usually, the traffic peak on this site occurs when my Mom, my sis, and my brother all log on at the same time. For you shy types, you can send me an email: milblogging@gmail.com Honestly, it's just nice to see military blogs getting more attention.  Especially, when you're only options on T.V. for frontline news are "The Real World" and "CNN".  And I'd rather eat my own liver than watch CNN for frontline news.

And for those of your experiencing slow website performance, this site is being upgraded to a new server next week.  Because of the number of queries done against the Milblogging.com database, often it'll take several seconds for a web page to load.  There are some things I do well: drink, play Halo, read milblogs... One thing I don't do well: server maintenance.  Remember, I just work on this site as a project in my spare time, so I do appreciate your patience.

Anyways, Merry Christmas!  And don't forget to vote for your favorite milblogs in the 2005 Inaugural MILBLOGGIES.  And spend some time visitng milbloggers who are currenlty in Iraq and Afghanistan and send them some holiday wishes.. and maybe some votes! Cheers!

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Milblog fans should check out Wizbang's Milblogger of the Week.  This week, Miserable Donuts.  That's right, "Miserable Donuts".  Check it out. Interesting title, huh?

Once upon a time I tried to come up with creative blog names.  Thank Gawd Milblogging.com was still available. It was that, or milfblogging.com (trust me, I've heard that joke about hundred times... and it never gets old).

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Now, after two months of building Milblogging.com into the world's largest index of military blogs, and prepping for the 2005 MILBLOGGIES into the wee hours of the morning --- I've got good news. Really really good news.  And no, it's not cash for every winner.  Receiving the title for an entire year should be enough. Now, you're thinking: "What kind of award is a MILBLOGGIE??". It's only the most coveted Military Blog award on the internet.  It recognizes the best military blogs in their respective category:Top 100, U.S. Army, U.S. Airforce, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Navy, U.S. Military (Spouse)., U.S. Military (Parent)., U.S. Military (Veteran)., U.S. Civilian, Foreign National (Military)., and of course, best milblog from Iraq Frontlines and Afghanistan Frontlines.  
 
So, it is with great pleasure to announce that the winners of the 2005 MILBLOGGIES will be published in the GX: The Guard Experience Magazine in 2006 (in addition to other sites), as well as appear on their website in a story, and in their e-newsletter.  The GX Magazine is distributed to 250,000 Guard homes bimonthly. The GX Intel e-newsletter is distributed biweekly to approximately 20,000 subscribers. And GXonline.com receives an average of 30,500 hits per day.  It's a great opportunity for military blogs to get more exposure in a pro-soldier magazine. Did I mention, yours truly will get to write up the story in GX Magazine.  Sorry. 
 
You still have until December 31st to spread the word on your blogs and get your friends to vote.  You can even add this nifty logo if you want..
 
 
 
Me, I can't wait to see who the "Susan Lucci" of military blogs is every year. That thought alone will keep my interest.  Who will it be?
 
And yes, I know the performance of this site has slowed.  Don't worry, it's not being caused by site traffic. It's because of the number of milblogs in the database and the number of dynamic charts I have on the sidebars are so many.  We're working on it.

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Is it taking like a long time for a web page to load on Milblogging.com?  Having other problems with the site?

We're aware of the issue and we're currently working on the problem. If you're experiencing S-L-L-L-O-O-O-Oooooww performance, I apologize.  Rest assured, the greatest minds are at work on this problem.  The gratest.

Keep in mind, the maintenance of this site is handled by one person (me).  I don't have a staff of hundreds behind the scenes thinking up new ways to improve the site. Well, it's me, and one incredible-badass developer. 

This is a project I truly enjoy working on in my free time.  I hope you find some value in it, too.  And I appreciate your patience...

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On December 18, 2005, Paul Berkley (aka Legibletrout), a milblogger who was milblogging from Bahrain, was killed, while home on leave. I would like to convey my sincere condolences at the sad news to his family and friends.  You can read the story here on Military Outpost.net.  

Shortly after returning home from my deployment to Afghanistan, a soldier from my National Guard unit was murdered.  It's so hard to believe that a person survives a deployment, only to be murdered after coming home... 

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I've added Recently Added.  By Country. By Language. By Gender. By Branch. Alphabetical Listing.  Top 100 Favorites.  Top Afghanistan Frontlines.  Top Iraq Frontlines. and much much much more - all to make finding your favorite milblog easier.  We all know it's about you.  Anyway, this site is getting ready to reach 1,000 milblogs, so it's important I continue to improve the site.

Now, I'm giving you a chance to submit new ideas for making this site easier and better to use (Sorry, no telepathy requests like: "I'd like your site to automatically display the milblog I'm thinking about).  I'm good people, but not that good. 

Seriously, please request enhancements to the site that you'd like to see that would make it easier to use and navigate. Wants? Likes? Dislikes? Repetitive problems?  Annonying colors? What? You can leave them right in the comments. 

Next week I'll be including a "Submit a Story" section that allows you to submit your own stories to Milblogging.com when you're signed in and it might help send traffic to your site.  The general theme here is milblogging. That means everthing about military blogs, be it gossip or news about milblogs or what you like about milblogs. The bigger picture, such as how CNN sucks and Milblogs rule - stories like that. 

And don't forget about next week's Carnival of Milblogs.

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Instead of running through each and every one of the 50+ milblogs added since December 10th, and analyzing them for you, I’ve decided to let you do it yourself.  I’ve loaded up Milblogging.com with almost one thousand milblogs. Wow.  And to be honest, I'm only beginning to scratch the surface.  So, if you don’t like reading milblogs you don’t belong here.  No matter what us bloggers do, there are still people who prefer crap. And by “crap”, I mean CNN...  You know? "CRAP".  And by the way, you can always read the complete chart of Recently Added Milblogs by going here.

Rangerwife2000's Xanga Site , Armywife2000, United States, Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Sanity as a Army... , 18 Dec 2005

...and I wish that I could fly away, between the stars into the sky... , Ron Chau, United States, I won't put shoe polish on the eye-cups of the lon... , 18 Dec 2005

One Chance , Michael Forrester, United States, Soldier, looking for a war worthy of my life. , 18 Dec 2005

SGT Skintaro , Steven J Donovan, United States, Politics, mackin' on 'dem fly honeys, Army happeni... , 18 Dec 2005

For Richer For Poorer , Sarah, United States, I am a 20 year old Proud Wife of An American Soldi... , 18 Dec 2005

Tales from the Sandbox , James, Iraq, I am a sergeant currently deployed in Iraq. My sol... , 18 Dec 2005

Confused Web of Thoughts , Kyle, Iraq, Hey I'm kyle, I'm a Marine, currently in Iraq.. st... , 18 Dec 2005

Cavalry Scout , Brett, United States, New Graduate of the United States Army 19Delta Cav... , 18 Dec 2005

Life of a 19 Year Old Army Girl... , Nina Barnhart, Germany, I'm 20, and have been in the Army about 2 years. I... , 18 Dec 2005

Live in Iraq , USMC, Iraq, Account of events as it happens here in Iraq. This... , 18 Dec 2005

What's Happening with Me? , Jason Williamson, Iraq, Hello everyone my name is Jason and I am presently... , 18 Dec 2005

Words from Ar Ramadi, Iraq , Jonathan Stewart, Iraq, Currently deployed on a 18 month tour to Iraq in a... , 18 Dec 2005

Navydoc's Xanga Site , Mike, Iraq, I'm a Navy corpsman (medic),26 yrs old, single. I'... , 18 Dec 2005

Freedom was never free. , David Francis, United States, I'm Sgt. David Francis of the Iowa National Guard,... , 18 Dec 2005

Promise to Always Hold Them Close and Never Let Them Go , Kyra, United States, Field Artillery Wife. Georgia Tech Undergrad. Husb... , 17 Dec 2005

Phyllistully's Xanga Site , Phyllis, Germany, 3 boys (14, 4, 2), military wife, living abroad in... , 17 Dec 2005

Surviving Deployment , Nikki, United States, I am currently dealing with my husband's deploymen... , 17 Dec 2005

LIVE LIFE... , Ashley, United States, I'm the proud wife of an army soldier. "If you're ... , 17 Dec 2005

When you saw only one set of footprints... , April, United States, I'm April... 21 years old, and married for 3 years... , 17 Dec 2005

Mario&Roz , Rosalyn, South Korea, I'm currently serving in the Army in Korea. I'm in... , 17 Dec 2005

Embedded With the 101st Airborne , Ryan Lenz, Iraq, AP writer Ryan Lenz is embedded with the 3rd Briga... , 17 Dec 2005

Gone, but not for good. , Garry Chisholm, United States, I'm 20 years old. I live in Iowa. I play drums and... , 17 Dec 2005

SPC Sherry Klander, live from Iraq , SPC Sherry Klander, Iraq, Interests: "I will cut off the horns of all the wi... , 17 Dec 2005

MRMUSH's Xanga Site , John Lee Ouyoung, United States, 140th Chemical Company - 40th Infantry Division, C... , 17 Dec 2005

The Burning Begins... , Chrisss, Iraq, So I hate life. I am attached to 2nd Batallion, 1s... , 16 Dec 2005

Pain is inevitable... suffering is optional , Xcptudo, Iraq, Of course, i'm the first to admit that i'm putting... , 16 Dec 2005

I don't know , Patrick, Iraq, In Iraq for a year, yippie wippie, I'ma go insane. , 16 Dec 2005

USMC Mum , Susan Johnston, United States, This is a blog that shares the insights of the mot... , 16 Dec 2005

Girl Gone Mil , GirlGoneMil, United States, From Blahniks to BDU's, martini's to MRE's, and to... , 16 Dec 2005

In From the Cold , Spook86, United States, Commentary on developments in the intelligence com... , 16 Dec 2005

PFC_McKinney: Chronicles of Boredom , Daniel McKinney, United States, Im 6'2'', 195 lbs, brown hair, blue eyes, slightly... , 16 Dec 2005

Hikaru_119's Xanga , Dale Mortensen, United States, As of 1142 2005/ 12/ 14 I am 100% pure Army. For t... , 16 Dec 2005

Welcome to Baghdad! , Bigjdm, Iraq, somehow ended up as a foreign contractor in the in... , 16 Dec 2005

Regime Change in Iran , F14 Pilot, United States, It is advocating a peaceful regime change in Iran.... , 16 Dec 2005

Daddyhoo.com , Jay Adkins, United States, Politics and world events in an ever changing worl... , 15 Dec 2005

No End But Victory , Not Specified, United States, The President has done an admirable job in holding... , 15 Dec 2005

Blogging Baghdad: The Untold Story , Richard Engel as well as other producers and staff on assignment in Iraq, Iraq, Blogging Baghdad aims to provide a dynamic look at... , 15 Dec 2005

The Mission First , DTK, Iraq, Follow a C-23 Sherpa pilot's flight path to Iraq..... , 15 Dec 2005

Intel Dump , Phillip Carter, Iraq, Phillip Carter is an associate in McKenna Long & A... , 15 Dec 2005

Live from inside the mind of MISTERSCOTTMURRAY , Scott, United States, I'm going to write about my adventures in the Penn... , 14 Dec 2005

Life of a Redleg Wife , Cristin, Germany, The wife of a Field Artillery Platoon Leader who i... , 13 Dec 2005

DET KMAR ISAF PRT , Not Specified, Afghanistan, Rotatie 3. , 13 Dec 2005

DET KMAR ISAF PRT rotatie 4 , Not specified, Afghanistan, Nog drie weken... Nog drie weken en dan gaan ... , 13 Dec 2005

United States Air Force - Military Training Instructor (Drill Sgt) , Rick Halsell, United States, Location: Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, United ... , 13 Dec 2005

Canada to Kandahar , Chris Surrey, Afghanistan, THe month of november is all work and so is the ha... , 12 Dec 2005

Kurt McAfee's Army Bootcamp Graduation , TRAVIS S. MCAFEE, United States, Fort Sill Oklahoma June 2005 , 12 Dec 2005

Soldiers Against Cindy Sheehan , Anon E. Mous, United States, There has been much in the news lately on Cindy Sh... , 12 Dec 2005

Sensei Katana - Reporting In From 30,000ft , Sensei, United Kingdom, Life and times of an RAF aircraft technician from ... , 12 Dec 2005

Ramblings of A Horny Housewife , K.R.C., United States, The life of an Army Vet turned Army Wife, raising ... , 12 Dec 2005

Modern Day Code Talker , Jeremy C, United States, I am a member of the southern ute Indian tribe loc... , 12 Dec 2005

Victor Davis Hanson's Private Papers , Victor Davis Hanson, United States, Commentary on national security and military affai... , 12 Dec 2005

Irregular Analyses , Anthony Cormack and others, United Kingdom, Group blog by a UK MA candidate in War Studies and... , 12 Dec 2005

Helloqtip21's Xanga Site , Daniel aka, Iraq, Let's face it. "Welcome to An Army of One" Intere... , 12 Dec 2005

TheForgottenSoldier's Xanga Site , Lieutenant Dan, United States, The future of the greatest Army in the world. Pfc.... , 12 Dec 2005

Mindless Meanderings , Bryan Forester, United States, I am a soldier in the greatest Army on the face of... , 12 Dec 2005

FireMech's Xanga Site , Brian Tucker, Iraq, I'm a Specialist in the Michigan Army National Gua... , 12 Dec 2005

War: One Guy's Opinion , Nightsoldier, Iraq, OK. I will try to be as positive as I can because ... , 12 Dec 2005

It's only funny when someone gets hurt , Luke Bialczak, United States, infantry in the 4th id down in texas. I'm from chi... , 12 Dec 2005

Jarhead2007 , PVT. JARHEAD, United States, I am in the Mississippi Army National Guard right ... , 12 Dec 2005

EvilAznBoi111's Xanga Site , Nguyen Pham, Iraq, Interests & Expertise Interests: Think I like to ... , 11 Dec 2005

Catch- 22 , Hideonomo, Afghanistan, maybe i can use this thing to update from afghanis... , 11 Dec 2005

Goooood Morning, Iraq! , Baghdadbobby, Iraq, Just a Firefighter for Hire with a simple dream. G... , 11 Dec 2005

Journey of a Soldier's Lady , Kristen Drake, United States, A website dedicated to my soldier Joe. A look into... , 11 Dec 2005

FlashBang , Chris, United States, Travels of a young Marine , 11 Dec 2005

An American Soldier's Angel , Not specified, United States, An American Soldier's Angel , 11 Dec 2005

Angel in Camo , Aminda Higdon, United States, Kick back and relax a bit while ya read stories of... , 11 Dec 2005

War and Piece , Laura Rozen, United States, Weblog of Laura Rozen, who reports on national sec... , 11 Dec 2005

Arms and Influence , Tom Grant, United States, Arms and Influence focuses on the principles of st... , 11 Dec 2005

Hello Iraq , Devildog6771, United States, Dedicated to memory of nephew killed in Kuwait. A ... , 11 Dec 2005

Blog Them Out of the Stone Age , Mark Grimsley, United States, WarHistorian.org is an attempt to reconsider the a... , 11 Dec 2005

The View From Here , Matthew Halbe, Iraq, Name:Matthew Halbe Location:Tikrit, Iraq , 11 Dec 2005

The Deployment , Sgt. Jonathan Davis, Kuwait, I am hopping this will be an easier way (possibly)... , 11 Dec 2005

MedicEvolved.net , Troy, United States, A journal of my experiences during my deployment t... , 10 Dec 2005

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Capt B over at One Marine's View has an entry up about the President's speech.  My favorite line out of his entry: "We do the right thing and they want the left thing."  I'll add it to my list of other favorite bumper stickers like: "Vote Democrat.  It's easier than working."

Here's an excerpt from his blog:

"The Honorable Mr Bush gave his Address the Nation speech Sunday night. You can read the entire transcript by clicking here. It was a great speech and said what many of you are saying with one voice. In past blogs I mentioned “one person can make a difference” and many of YOU are doing that. The President apologized and took responsibility (democrats look that up it’s a new word for you) and stated “It was the right thing to do” and he is right that it defiantly was the right thing to do. However I don’t think he had to apologize. Lets help the left sided thumb suckers remember Sadam killing those hundreds of Kurds in his own land with a variant of mustard gas and cyanide. (Note: Mustard gas, yea its WMD.) A truly horrific, painful, slow technique used to kill people. They may not have had it when we went into Iraq but they defiantly had it before we went in as they stalled the UN inspectors to move the stuff."

Read the entire story here.

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Okay okay, this is my first time hosting a BlogCarnival.  For it to work, you need to send in submissions.  In this first edition of the Milblogging Carnival, we're going to chit-chat about the history of military bloggers.  When military blogging started? Who were the first milbloggers? You know, the history.

What the heck is a BlogCarnival? Honestly, it's my first time hosting one but it sounds like fun.  Basically, we all take the time to find really good blog posts on a given topic -- next week's episode will focus on the history of milbloggers --- and then the host puts all those posts/permalinks and your remarks together in a blog post called a "carnival".  I'll host the first one, then, it's open to others to host other Milbogging carnivals.

Anyway, here's how the Milblogging Carnival works:

Submit your blog article to this edition of “Carnival of Milblogs”! Use our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Now remember, this first edition is about the history of milblogs. So, here's a great example of a permalink/post that will be submitted for this first episode. It's called "A Brief History of Milblogs" written by Greyhawk.  In future episodes, the host can decide whatever the topic will be.  And yes, you can submit your own posts, or write your own episode-related posts and submit them.

It's a good way to meet other milbloggers and learn something about the importance of milblogs, maybe even meet new friends.  For me, the latter is important because I can count all my friends on both hands.  I'm really not that popular.

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Make sure to read Wizbang every Thursday.  That's the day Kevin Aylward set for Milblogger of the Week. Kevin Aylward is the same person who runs the Weblog Awards. His site is best described: "If trashy pop culture and angry conservatism had a baby".  How can you not love that?

Past milbogs of the week include:

Milblog of the Week December 8, 2005

"The MilBlog of the week here at Wizbang is "USMC", from Live In Iraq. There's a bit of irony in this choice, as USMC tends to devote nearly his entire blog to singling out and praising others -- a father and son, both Marines, both stationed in Iraq; a sailor who left her "religious program" specialty and spent time working with Marines on guard duty, to search female potential bombers at checkpoints; even a tale of a Marine whose life was saved by a genuine dogface..."

Milblog of the Week December 1, 2005

"The new MilBlog Of The Week is Thunder6, an Army company deputy commander currently serving in Baghdad. T6's latest post is about capturing a terrorist cell that had planted an IED recently. He's going back to find it, once it's lighter out..."

I was doing something similar since October, but it was my personal favorites like "Love from the Latrine".  Now, I'll open it to the readers.  So, send me your nominations via Contact Us or in the comments.  And yes, I'll give you credit. I am happy to report that there are all types of milblogs.  Troops writing from the frontlines. Veterans.  Military spouses. Parents.  Even Wannabes. You know what I mean by wannabes? There's always some CNN embedded reporter pretending to blog from the frontlines (did I say that?).  If by some miracle my readers actually send me email or comments for nominations, make sure to include why.  And if you need help with ideas, click on By Branch.

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I'd love to see the Weblog Awards (ahem, actually the MILBLOGGIES) have their own Awards ceremony on T.V. I mean, I could tell a corny joke as I open the envelope to announce the Utlimate Milbloggie and watch my co-hosts Mary-Kate and Ashley chuckle and blush.  Make sure to get out and vote for your favorite Military Blogs.  Here are the results from the 2005 Weblog Awards:

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Since I didn't get nominated for a Weblog Award (thanks alot, MOM), and I'm not eligible for a coveted MILBLOGGIE, looks like I'll be receiving some recognition for my milblogging. I won one of  "Greta's Stupid-Ass End Of The Year Awards 2005" over at Hooah Wife.  

Me.  What else but for Most Modest Blogger. Greta writes: "...(this is extremely sarcastic)"

I'll be honest I've changed my ways since returning from Afghanistan.  But I'm still extremely handsome.  

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