Blogging is no longer worth the trouble. Everything is fine as long as the stories are happy and positive. The military wants happy stories, not honest stories. Everything must be 100% in concert with the Army spin. If it's not, you're considered an "embarrassment" to the Army, the installation, and/or the NCO Corps. Integrity is no longer an accepted method of leadership. If I can't be honest and open, I won't write at all. I refuse to allow my private blog's message to be dictated with threats and intimidation. It's been a fun six years!
-CJ
I've been pretty absent from writing here at ASP for quite some time. I really appreciate CJ for being a great "boss" for the last few years, and have found an extended family in CJ, Emily, and their wonderful children that I couldn't imagine not knowing. While I wish the last year was easier for us here at ASP, I'm grateful for the opportunity to meet some amazing people and form friendships that will last for a very long time. Thanks to everyone for the great ride!
-Marcus
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(Photo of my youngest son)
Since I started blogging in 2004 from Afghanistan, a lot of time has passed. I figured I’d recall some of my favorite memories since I started blogging. Given all the buzz surrounding the DoD’s policy on social media, I thought I’d contribute my two cents. Blogging has certainly opened doors for me. And one of the great things about blogging, especially military blogging is the people who I’ve connected with over the years. It’s been an eye opening experience and I don’t think any other blogging community is like the Milblogging community. I feel like social media is really starting to gain more momentum with tools like Twitter, and I feel lucky that I’ve been able to be part of it.
10: Bad Voodoo’s War – After I launched Milblogging.com in 2005, I was contacted by Deborah Scranton who produced the War Tapes, a documentary film that won a number of awards for its innovative filmmaking. She had reached out to a number of Military Bloggers to help spread the word of the film, me being one of them. Shortly before deploying to Iraq, I contacted Deborah and asked if she wanted to tell the story of my Platoon and with my Platoon Sergeant Toby Nunn behind the wheel we got the film made. Telling our story on film was bitter sweet. My family finally got a chance to understand what I did on deployment, but having the film air while we still had six weeks of missions left in country made it difficult for my family to watch. But they still appreciated every moment, and were grateful for Deborah telling our story.
9: Milblogging.com and Military.com – I launched Milblogging.com after returning home from Afghanistan. The purpose of the site was to create an aggregator site of military-related blogs from around the world. In an effort to accelerate the spread of soldier-journalism, the Milblogging website was acquired by Military.com in January 2006. This was a big surprise and a no-brainer for me. Having the largest veteran and military organization take notice was a big deal. And since that time, the staff at Military.com have been awesome – going above and beyond in the military blog community with conferences, support and so much more.
8: Care Packages – I’ll get to my supporters in a few bullets, but writing candidly about my previous deployments has gained me friends, haters, but best of all – I’ve gotten some of the best care packages in the world that I was able to use both in Afghanistan and Iraq. And I was able to share them with soldiers in my Unit who weren’t so fortunate to receive stuff from home. Writing candidly gained me some notoriety, but trying a crack at humor helped me better cope with each deployment. And writing about care packages was one of my favorite outlets. In fact, the care package rules even made Newsweek and other news sources. Rules including things like, “1. Do not send party invitations for weddings or Independence Day or any other festivities while we are deployed. Probably, because we can't attend. Anybody who sends a party invitation to a deployed soldier is clearly retarded.
7: Lack of writing skills – You don’t have to be a writer to blog. Never in a million years did I think I’d be writing a regular blog. If somebody had to told me back in College I should pay attention in English class because I’d be writing a regular column online, I probably would’ve paid attention better, so my Mom wouldn’t nagging me with each and every post. But early on, everyone was very encouraging and the folks at GX Magazine really encouraged me to keep going when they published stories about how my son coped with deployment. It made his day and mine. Even through my Iraq deployment they continued to publish stories, particularly about my son and I - like Flat Stanley Visits Iraq.
6: Sharing my experience - whether or not my experience in Afghanistan or Iraq encouraged or discouraged others to be part of the military, being able to share my experience through the past five years has been something more personal for me that allows me to reflect on my military career as I wind down my 8 years of service next July.
5: The White House, Wall Street Journal and more - I’ve had the chance of lifetime to do some pretty cool things, ranging from going to the White House as a Military blogger to being on the cover of the Marketplace section of The Wall Street Journal. The overall experience has been a treat and never in a million years did I expect any of that to happen. But without Milblogging, it would’ve never happened.
4: The Official Milblog Conference – If you’ve attended the Official Milblog Conferences, you know how awesome they are. After missing out several years in a row, I finally got a chance to attend after returning home from Iraq – and had the chance to not only attend, but to also MC the 2008 conference, which gave me the opportunity to “roast” other bloggers in person, rather than online. My first conference was especially amazing, because I finally had a chance to meet the people who had supported me and my family through two deployments – people like Wendy, Sherri, and dozens more. And my entire family joined me at the conference and they had the opportunity to meet the very same people that I had been connected with over the years. Andi, who works tirelessly to organize these conferences each and every year - is absolutely amazing.
3: Making new friends – my top 3 are all pretty close. I thought college and high school was about making lifelong friends, but with blogging I have made more lifelong friends than any other time in my life, with people from all over the world.
2: Communication with my friends and family – with limited resources in the middle of Afghanistan, blogging was the only way I could reach everyone at once. And when I went to Iraq that was the only way I knew how to do it. I’ve never been big on writing about missions or other things, but writing about everyday life and writing about my family back home, was the best way to stay in touch with all my friends and family so they knew I was ok – and more importantly so they knew my family was ok.
1: Supporters. What more can I say? I have had the pleasure of meeting some great people, but the people who deserve the most recognition are those who supported me and my family back home. You all know who you are and you all know how important you are. If nothing else, the supporters who have been there for me and family have made military blogging all worth it.
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The Toronto Star has an interesting story about how the Canadian Military documents their official war history. In Afghanistan, Canada sends Military Historians to the frontlines in Kandahar to gather the war stories that ultimately goes into their history books.
"I've been shot at, rocketed, mortared, all of it. My view always was that I needed to understand these things so I could do the job properly," he says.
Maloney is not a soldier, but he is on a mission. When he ventures outside the relative safety of Kandahar Airfield, there is a Canadian flag on one arm of his military-issued shirt and a patch on the other arm identifying him as a military historian.
He's one of a small group employed by the Canadian Forces who are gathering the facts and details of today that will make up the official record of the country's involvement in Afghanistan for generations to come.
It is their year-round work that defines the Nov. 11 experience for countless Canadians. But for the corps of military historians, every day is Remembrance Day.
War histories have been around as long as there has been conflict between factions, cultures, nations or ideologies, but the job of an official military historian demands an urgency and sometimes reckless devotion to the profession that is far removed from the academic's reflective perch.
At its safest, Canada's military historians are in constant contact with the bomb-strewn front lines in Kandahar, demanding precise, detailed, written accounts of soldiers' experiences which are recorded in war diaries. From the weather to operational plans and results, to casualties and nuances of the fight, the war diary is the traditional treasure trove for historians.
Speaking of November 11, I’m headed to Applebee’s for Veteran’s Day. If you’re wondering why I’m going to Applebee’s, they’re giving away free meals to Veterans and Active Duty. And if you don’t have proof that you were in the Military, no worries - you can bring a picture of yourself in uniform. It’s also my son’s birthday on Wednesday so I should be able to score a free cake.
It’s like Applebee’s is making this the best Veteran’s Day yet – but with Fire Pit Bacon Burgers. Mmmmmm.
Read the entire story here.
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(StandardNET) It may be that Bill Allen, 81, was the youngest World War II vet in Saturday's Veterans Day parade, because he was almost certainly the youngest of every-one there when he enlisted in 1942 at the ripe old age of 14.
How did he do it? "I lied," he said.
"And he signed his mother's name," said his wife, Geri.
That's how Allen ended up wading ashore at Normandy and fighting in the Battle of the Bulge as a 16-year-old.
Read the entire story here.
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I stumbled across this story that was published on The Huntsville Times about the difference Maj. Ken Arnold and the people of Hunstville, Alabama made in Afghanistan, simply by donating shoes. Maj. Arnold wrote a blog called “A Soldier’s Diary” from Afghanistan that was published weekly by the Times. He recently returned home and made a visit to the offices of The Times.
Arnold wrote about the boys who needed shoes. Soon, shoes began pouring into The Huntsville Times.
"After that, both of us wondered what their lives will be like in the future," Arnold said. "Will they think about the two Americans who threw them shoes over the fence? Will they remember? Did we make a difference?"
Did they make a difference? The answer was waiting for Arnold on Monday when he walked into lobby of The Times, boxes of shoes everywhere.
"I guarantee you, these shoes are better than any shoes I saw there," said Arnold, plucking a pair of inexpensive tennis shoes from a donation box. "They'll touch a lot of people, and they're coming from the people of Huntsville, Alabama."
Note: That photo above isn’t Maj. Arnold, it’s actually a photo I found on AfghanistanChildren.org. A web blog run by Bagram AFB hospital who accept shoe donations, then deliver the shoes to the children who need them. And they blog, upload photos and share the great stories about what they’re doing.
You can read the entire Huntsville Times story here.
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The discussion is unabashedly frank. Many bloggers vehemently reject media speculation that post-traumatic stress may have played a role. Hasan's religion and race are by far the most-discussed topic. A Muslim of Palestinian heritage and American nationality, Hasan's identity--and any role it might have played in yesterday's events--is of great interest and controversy.
Read the entire story here.
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(Leicester Mercury) They tell of the harsh life in the trenches, coping with tough conditions while under fire and thoughts for family back home.
Now letters, diary entries and postcards revealing a Leicester soldier's experiences in the First World War are available to see online.
The powerful memories of Private Arthur Trolley are being used by teachers and museums to bring history to life for youngsters.
Read the entire story here. Visit the following URL to see the documents:
www.learnwithmuseums.org.uk
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(The Collegian) Echoes of contemporary war tales and first-hand accounts of experiences in Iraq filled the air in the Performing Arts Center on Oct. 27, as the Harding Distinguished Lecture Series and the South Dakota Humanites Council featured U.S Army machine-gunner Colby Buzzell.
The book My War: Killing Time in Iraq is a compilation of Buzzell's blog posts while in Iraq.
"Buzzell brings a diverse perspective on the war," said Laura Wight, assistant professor in Briggs Library and chair of the Harding Lecture committee. "Students don't always hear a person with his experience from the war."
Read the entire story here.
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That reminds me, when is the DoD gonna publish the “DoD Policy on Social Media” already? Just putting that out there.
Kate writes:
Dear milbloggers: I’m writing a book about the urge we humans have to idolize and demonize other humans. Part of it is about what it’s like to be in the military, whose members (I don’t have to tell you) are often idolized AND demonized—sometimes by the same people at different times, and often by the people in whose name they’re fighting. Because these one-sided portraits are usually second-hand and often inaccurate, I want this part of the book to mostly consist of quotes from current or former servicemembers on how they see themselves and what they do. No one person’s voice will dominate, and a number of views and positions will, I hope, come through.
Milblogs are ideal for this, because you’ve already chosen to make these views and positions public. You’re already speaking for yourselves—what I want to do is bring those selves together to create a kind of chorus. Reading your blogs has been an eye-opener for me and I would like to pass that experience on. The milblogs I’ve been following, and whose text I know I’d like to include, are:
Boots on the Ground, Armed and Curious, Captain Kj, Soldiergrrl, Craig Cox, Eighty Deuce on the Loose, Fun With Hand Grenades, Just a Decurion, Notes from Tommie, PFC Pleyte, Apache 6
Some of those writers have already agreed to contribute their words to this project, and others have agreed to consider it once they see the final draft. Others I’m still waiting to hear from, and hope they will see this and respond. If you’re not one of those people, and you’re interested in the project, please get in touch as well, at heroes.monsters AT gmail DOT com. I won’t include anything without the writer’s permission.
If you choose to let me include your words, you can be as anonymous or as credited as you would like to be in my list of sources, and you can look over the parts of the project that include stuff you’ve written before I submit the book for publication. If it’s ever published, I’ll be donating my share of the profits, if any, to the Wounded Warrior Project.
Please write to me at the above address if you’re interested, have questions or would like to see a sample piece of the book.
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The Daily Mail has a story online about the Online Engagement Guidelines published by the Ministry of Defense, although the MoD published the guidelines way back in early August so the Daily Mail is a little behind.
British troops have been given new rules about what they can and cannot post on the internet – after being warned that careless Tweets cost lives.
Military chiefs have issued 13 pages of guidelines about the use of websites such as Facebook and Twitter – where messages are known as Tweets – amid fears that service personnel could accidentally reveal sensitive operational secrets online.
The Ministry of Defence also fears they could be embarrassed by troops posting racist or other offensive opinions on such websites.
The new guidelines relax earlier rules that banned troops from posting anything related to their job on the internet without permission.
If you’d like to read the 13-page guidelines published by the Ministry of Defence you can go here. The date stamp on the guidelines is August 5th. Meanwhile, I’m still waiting for the new Social Media policy formulated by the DoD to be published to the Public. The rumor is the DoD policy should be here any day now. I’m NOT holding my breath though, even though I’m pretty good at it. Like David Blaine good.
I tried it for hiccups once and nearly passed out.
Screw it, I’ll try anything twice. *1, 2....exhale.* Shew!
Anything on the Policy, yet?
Read the entire story here.
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(Raw Story) The New York Times lied when it said it had not paid a ransom for the release of report David Rohde, a freelance war correspondent is alleging.
In a series of Twitter statements, blogger Michael Yon asserted that the Times "paid millions to get Rohde released," and suggested the paper was being hypocritical by having kept Rohde's kidnapping a secret while publishing details of the kidnapping of a British couple by Somali pirates.
Read the entire story.
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Dr. Chris Coppola, a Military surgeon and blogger who deployed to Iraq in 2005 and 2007 has published a book. Dr. Coppola blogged about his deployment over at Made a Difference for That One and now has a blog about his book.
Coppola: A Pediatric Surgeon in Iraq is the fierce, true-life account of Dr. Chris Coppola’s two deployments in Operation Iraqi Freedom as an Air Force pediatric surgeon. Twice stationed at Balad Air Base, fifty miles north of Baghdad, in what was first a rude M*A*S*H*-style tent hospital and later became one of the largest U.S. military installations on foreign soil, Dr. Coppola works feverishly to save the lives of soldiers and civilians as word spreads among Iraqi families that, no matter what the infirmity, he can save their children.
Dr. Coppola also has a website to learn more information about the book here which includes photos, reviews and much more. With all the military bloggers writing books, makes me interested to do the same, but then, I have a hard enough time writing a tweet.
Fun fact: The last time I tried writing anything close to a book was an essay I had written in high school for a college application. I shared it online while I was deployed to Iraq in 2008.
Please write an essay about an activity or interest that has been particularly meaningful to you. We ask that you limit your response to the space below
In the locker room I could feel the vibrations in the stadium as the crowd roared my name, "JP, JP, JP!" I took my time as any fine virtuoso must. The game would never begin without me, it never had and it never will. Of course after having my beauty sleep I would finally decide to go up on field to stand ominously before the crowd. The doors I would pass through would automatically open, not electrically but out of sheer intimidation. As I walked onto the field with a nonchalant gait, the crowd "ooooohhhhhed" and "aaaaaahhhhed" after each of my heavy steps.
The shoes I had on were specifically designed to fit my feet, and of course they had the logo "JP" on the soles. Every step left a deep impression in the soil with my name on it; so someday people could return to this stadium and erect a shrine honoring where I had once walked the earth. I would turn to one of my thousands of loyal young fans and say in a deep cool voice, "Here’s looking at you kid." After those few incredible words, the young women in the stands would faint.
If you feel like it, you can read the full essay here. It’s over fifteen years old.
Thanks to my pal Kathi for the tip on Dr. Coppola.
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On October 28th 2009, Dena Yllescas recalled the day she learned her husband Captain Robert Yllescas was seriously injured in Afghanistan in 2008. Dena had started the blog shortly after he was injured to share the story of his fight to live, but sadly Captain Yllescas lost the fight and succumbed to his serious injuries. Over the last year, Dena has kept up her blog, writing about her children and sharing personal stories and memories. In her most recent post, Dena shares the journey she has taken since learning of her husband’s injuries:
There was a purpose he gave Rob to me for the short amount of time he did. Although I may never know the complete reason, I have figured out a few things. Before I met Rob, there is no way I could have handled a situation like this the way I have. He taught me how to live independently and gave me the confidence in living life without him through his 3 deployments. He taught me to “suck it up and drive on”. He showed me that through hard work and determination, anything was possible. He made an impression on everyone he crossed paths with. He would fill a room up with his presence. And to this day, I still feel his presence. I have no doubt he is up in heaven, guiding me.
To read the entire post, please visit The Yllescas Family blog.
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(The Australian) Here he writes home from London after being evacuated seriously ill
Wandsworth London SW
August 30, 1915
Dearest Mother
You will be getting anxious about me I am sure and you will also be surprised no doubt to see my new address. I hardly in my wildest dreams a short while ago, ever thought that so soon I should be in England -- and in London.
But I suppose you would sooner hear my story in proper sequence, then. To begin you saw in the papers of the new landing at Suvla Bay on August 7 -- my! it was awful -- everything else was a picnic to it. Even the first day in April last.
The shells we poured into them and the shells they poured into us made such a deafening row that it's a marvel the fallen in their graves did not rise. There were awful scenes -- piles of dead, streams of wounded -- groans incessant -- dead Indians -- dead mules -- dead Turks and visions of men dodging hither and thither, or scuttling for their lives along the gullys and valleys to escape the tornado of shot and shell. And what they failed to get with their artillery, they tried to get with a couple of German aeroplanes which flew and circled over us dropping heavy bombs and steel darts.
Read the entire story here.
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The military continues to launch new blogs and connect on more social media sites. From the Army.mil website:
The Army is launching a new blog to help Soldiers and the public discover a little-known side of the Army: the research, development, engineering, testing and evaluation that goes into the technologies that make Soldiers safer and more effective.
The U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command will launch Army Technology Live Nov. 2. It will join the growing family of Army blogs hosted by the Department of Defense's DODLive blog hosting service. The Web address will be armytechnology.armylive.dodlive.mil
RDECOM and its eight subordinate elements create a wide range of technologies used by Soldiers every day, and it's but one of a number of Army organizations that focus on technology, according to RDECOM Public Affairs Officer Robert DiMichele.
Is anyone else seeing a trend here? Seriously, the social media policy by the Pentagon hasn’t been made public, but the Army and other services continue to get connected. This (and the 4,563 other Official DoD Blogs/Social Media sites) is probably the BIGGEST clue to the Public that the Pentagon is going to fully support social media (without actually saying it).
Perhaps the Pentagon will offer more clues about their seemingly undecided stance on social media, by hosting a Tweetup. Or maybe by writing Official press releases using hashtags. Under 140 characters.
Read the entire story here.
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(The Daily Mail) With shells screaming overhead and German snipers only 75 yards away, just staying alive was a remarkable achievement.
Yet huddled in the mud-filled trenches, Sapper John T French found the time to compile a remarkable diary.
Its pencil-written pages, in immaculate copperplate, give an astonishing insight into life on the front line between 1915 and 1917.
Read the entire story here.
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It’s not really blog related, but photos tell stories too and I found an awesome list of National Guard photographers while surfing the net which led me to Afghanistan Today: A Photo Essay by U.S. Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Russell Lee Klika. The photos are truly amazing.
As an added bonus, turn up the volume on your computer while you flip through the Photo Essay.
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(Combined Arms Center) The workshop, held in January 2008, brought together experts from the Department of Defense, Department of State, Intelligence Community and academia.
According to the USAWC DIME Web site, this report is a synthesis of workshop discussions in terms of key takeaways addressing what is required to "win" in today's operational environment, where cyberspace and new media capabilities are significant components of the battlespace.
You can download the report here.
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Those security risks continue to be the subject of considerable debate within the Defense Department, but the U.S. Army nevertheless is seeing important benefits in using social-media applications such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, Arata said.
Read the entire story here.
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It was the first time I felt whole since I’d woken up wounded in Landstuhl.
–Major Charles "Chuck" Ziegenfuss, on using a voice-controlled laptop.
Learn everything you need to know about Project Valour-IT from the history to joining a Team, to Sponsoring and more, by clicking here.
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