Flights suspended that killed military blogger
Wednesday, May 23, 2012, 03:14 AM - Fallen Military Bloggers, News Stories
Captain Carroll “Lex” Lefon, USN (ret), better known as Lex on the internet for his military blog Neptunus Lex, was killed in a jet crash in early March when his F-21 Kfir crashed at Naval Air Station Fallon in Nevada. According to the Daily Press, "Airborne Tactical Advantage Company, a Newport News based defense contractor, said it has temporarily suspended flights after a second crash involving one of its pilots in the past two months. On Friday, Thomas "T.C." Bennett, was killed in a plane crash near Naval Base Ventura County, Calif. Bennett was 57."
"No words can express the utter and complete shock the company is in, losing two pilots in less than 100 days in completely un-related accidents, in different aircraft, in different weather conditions and in different locations," ATAC told the Daily Press.
Lefon was laid to rest in late March.
Since first launching his military blog in the early 2000s, the blog had over 5 million unique visitors and logged over 10 million page views.
Before the Neptunus Lex website was taken offline, thousands of online tributes and condolences had been left on an Open Thread.
Read the full news story here.
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News: Students train as embedded journalists
Wednesday, May 23, 2012, 03:13 AM - News Stories
Journalism students train as embedded journalists for the Army at Fort Bliss, Texas. Riding in a military Stryker with a group of soldiers was not something that Kristian Hernandez imaged he would ever be doing as a college journalism student. But on the morning of May 8, he and several other UTEP students experienced what it is like to be an embedded reporter with the military, as part of a training program on Ft. Bliss designed to train soldiers who will be deployed to Afghanistan later this year...(Borderzine)
Army wants to train on its own private Internet. The U.S. Army wants to build a customizable, on-the-fly Web portal that mimics the Internet in order to conduct scenario-based social media training. Conceived as almost a fake Internet, the password-protected U.S. Army North Exercise Media Web Portal would support training events ranging from 20 users at a single site to national, multivenue events for 1,200 users, with up to 1,000 of them on the site simultaneously, according to a request for information submitted by Army Contracting Command New Jersey on behalf of U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM)...
(GCN)
General’s Blog Entry Reignites Army Suicide Debate. Maj. Gen. Dana Pittard commands Fort Bliss, one the nation’s largest Army bases, so his blunt comments about suicide has raised eyebrows throughout the military. “I have now come to the conclusion that suicide is an absolutely selfish act,” he wrote on his official blog recently. “I am personally fed up with soldiers who are choosing to take their own lives so that others can clean up their mess. Be an adult, act like an adult, and deal with your real-life problems like the rest of us.” The posting was subsequently scrubbed from the Fort Bliss website, but the comments are adding new fuel to a contentious debate about whether the record numbers of troops who are taking their own lives are acting out of weakness and selfishness or because of legitimate cases of depression and other psychological traumas...
(National Journal)
Virtual Terrorism: Al Qaeda Video Calls for 'Electronic Jihad'. Al Qaeda may be turning its destructive attention to cyber-warfare against the United States. In a chilling video, an al Qaeda operative calls for "electronic jihad" against the United States, and compares vulnerabilities in vital American computer networks to the flaws in aviation security before the 9/11 attack. The al Qaeda video calls upon the "covert mujahidin" to launch cyber attacks against the U.S. networks of both government and critical infrastructure, including the electric grid. The video was obtained by the FBI last year, and released today by the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs...
(ABC News)
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Memorial Day named Best Narrative Feature
Tuesday, May 22, 2012, 10:55 PM - News Stories
According to a press release, “Memorial Day” was named Best Narrative Feature at GI Film Festival's "Best of the Festival" film awards ceremony Sunday night in Washington, D.C. "An original screenplay by Marc Conklin, MEMORIAL DAY is about a 13-year-old boy who discovers his grandfather's (James Cromwell / THE ARTIST, BABE) World War II footlocker on Memorial Day. Though reluctant to talk about the war, Cromwell's character Bud, strikes a deal with his grandson to pick any three objects inside, and he'll tell him the stories behind each one. As we flash back to Bud's WWII experiences, we also flash forward to Kyle's future as a soldier in Iraq, where he experiences friendships, loss and moral dilemmas that parallel his grandfather's--bringing a new meaning to that day on the porch."
If you want to learn about the film, visit the official website on memorialdayfilm.com.
Read the full press release here.
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Military Social Media's double-edged sword
Monday, May 21, 2012, 11:57 PM - News Stories
Military Addresses Double-Edged Sword Of Troops On Social Media. Inside a plywood shack at a combat outpost in Marjah, in Afghanistan's Helmand province, three Marines sit before a bank of computers provided by the military to help keep up morale. The dingy outpost is made up of a collection of tents where troops live among swarms of flies and the constant hum of generators. One Marine talks with his wife on Skype and another is on Facebook. The sites allow troops to keep in touch with their families, but commanders in Afghanistan have mixed feelings about them. Troops' constant access to social media has led to headaches for the military, including the inadvertent release of the names of American dead before families are officially notified, as well as the release of gruesome pictures of war dead to the American public... (KETR)
Pakistan Blocks Access to Twitter Over Cartoon Contest. The Pakistani government blocked access to the social networking service Twitter for much of Sunday, after publicly holding Twitter responsible for promoting what it described as a blasphemous cartoon contest taking place on Facebook, officials said. The restoration of Twitter service late in the evening was as sudden as its suspension earlier in the day. No official statement or explanation was given for an act that some rights campaigners saw as much as a warning shot at the media and public expression as a reaction to controversial content...
(The New York Times)
Social Media and Suicide Prevention. What would you do if a Facebook friend updated that they were depressed and thinking of ending their life? What would you do if you observed a group of individuals bullying another person on a social media site? Would your actions be the same if the person was a friend or a complete stranger? Your answers to these questions may have important implications for how these scenarios turn out. Fortunately, there are resources in social media to help you reduce the risk for suicidal behavior and to get help...
(Armed With Science)
Navy SEAL recounts Iraq war in new book. Personal Story" segment tonight, you may know the name Marcus Luttrell. He's the Navy SEAL who wrote the big best-seller, "Long Survivor," which chronicled the brutal shootout in Afghanistan. Well, now Mr. Luttrell has a new book called "Service: A Navy SEAL at War." It's about Iraq. He joins from us Dallas tonight. First of all, what did you do in Iraq, Marcus?
(Fox News)
Books tell stories of WWII bombardiers. When I read the obituary for Gordon Manuel this spring in the Bangor Daily News, it really wasn’t his years as a television newsman here that came to my mind first. Rather it was the 1946 book “70,000 to 1,” which I read in the 1960s. Written by Quentin Reynolds, the book was the story of Manuel’s dad, Lt. Gordon R. Manuel, a bombardier whose airplane was shot down over the Pacific in World War II. He survived with the help of “friendly locals” in the area and eventually met up with two other airmen who had been shot down before the three were rescued in 1944. Some 6,000 acres in Linneus in Aroostook County are named the Lt. Gordon Manuel Wildlife Management Area...
(Bangor Daily News)
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Everday life of Air Force Captain becomes book
Sunday, May 20, 2012, 03:17 AM
Leavenworth Times has posted a story that discusses how Ryaja Johnson Rhone, a former Captain in the United States Air Force, who deployed in 2007 to Manas Air Base, published a book about the experience."While deployed, I kept a daily journal in which I emailed weekly to family, friends and co-workers as a means to stay in touch", Rhone told the Leavenworth Times.
She goes on to say, “I received feedback that my entries were entertaining, informative, and exciting. I did not anticipate my everyday life would have such a powerful impact on numerous lives, in various ways. I believe God used my journal to inspire and connect. At the urging of family and friends, I turned my deployment journal, entitled “What’s Happening Now,” into a book, Chronicles of an Airman: Discovering Purpose 6,500 Miles from Home.”
You can read the full story here.
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2012 Mibloggies: Website badges available
Saturday, May 19, 2012, 11:55 PM - Sixth Annual Milbloggies
Congratulations to all the finalists and winners in the 2012 Milbloggies.Many thanks to everyone who submitted nominations and voted.
Also, a Big Thank You to the staff at Military.com who helped make this year’s awards a success.
The winners were announced at last week’s Milbloggies ceremony during the Milblog Conference.
If you haven't received your website badge, please email me at milblogging@gmail.com.
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Yemen drone strike tracked on Twitter
Friday, May 18, 2012, 11:44 PM - News Stories
How Twitter mapped a ‘covert’ US drone operation in Yemen. Though the hour was late, Yemen’s social media was still very much awake. A US drone’s missiles had just slammed into a convoy of vehicles in a remote part of Yemen, killing three alleged militants. The attack – like all other US drone strikes outside warzones – was supposed to be clandestine. Yet within minutes Sanaa-based lawyer Haykal Bafana was reporting the strike in almost-realtime. Just after 1am on May 17 he posted the following on Twitter...(The Bureau of Investigative Journalism)
Seniors Tell War Stories For Book Project. When two people with talents in writing and computers decided to work on a joint project, “Stories of World War II” was the result. Ann Parr, project coordinator and Marla Elmquist, project tech director, brought together seniors who could tell stories of 1940s US history and middle school students to provide computer support. Twenty senior citizens from McPherson County met with the students during 2011 and wrote about their personal World War II experiences. The stories range from veterans to factory workers to those who managed the home front during the war. The students scanned images and formatted text until it was ready for publication. Combining seniors’ historical experiences and students’ natural curiosity has made for a book that is sure to be cherished and appreciated by many...
(KSALlink)
‘Stories of courage and inspiration’. Mike Allen comes from a military family, but the 48-year-old Vienna man and Microsoft executive never served. But that hasn’t stopped him from making a difference in the lives of returning soldiers and their families. Allen, along with partner and film producer Brad Keller of Dallas, Texas, recently founded the nonprofit organization Homefront Heroes, which since late 2010 has been producing short documentaries detailing the stories of wounded soldiers and their families...
(FairfaxTimes)
Pentagon Channel Introduces Movie Night to Programming. The Pentagon Channel has teamed up with the annual GI Film Festival to produce a movie night for its viewers in a two-hour block of feature and short films each week, Scott Howe, the channel’s operations manager, announced. The first feature film on “The GI Film Festival on the Pentagon Channel” will be “Flag of My Father,” with William Devane and Tom Schneider, at 8 p.m. EDT tomorrow. “This is different than anything you’ve ever seen on the Pentagon Channel before,” Howe said. “We have had individual documentary feature films, historical docudramas combining old footage with recreations, but we’ve never had narrative drama with scripts and actors with a blend of drama and news.”
(Department of Defense)
'Reporter's Privilege' Under Fire From Obama Administration Amid Broader War On Leaks. The Obama administration Friday morning continued its headlong attack on the right of reporters to protect their confidential sources in leak investigations. Before a panel of the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, a Department of Justice lawyer argued that New York Times reporter James Risen should be forced to testify in the trial of former CIA agent Jeffrey Sterling, who is charged with leaking classified information to Risen about a botched plot against the Iranian government. Rather than arguing the specifics of the case, DOJ appellate lawyer Robert A. Parker asserted that there is no reporter's privilege when a journalist receives an illegal leak of national security secrets...
(Huffington Post)
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MOH Recipient regularly blogging since March
Thursday, May 17, 2012, 02:21 AM
If you haven’t checked it out yet, you can read U.S. Marine veteran and Medal of Honor recipient, Dakota Meyer’s blog called Action Not Words @ http://dakotalmeyer.blogspot.com/.
Meyer has been actively tweeting since last year using the handle @Dakota_Meyer and has been blogging for a few months since announcing the launch of the website back in March.
I wrote about his Twitter account and blog at the time they went online and he shares a lot of things including his struggles.
In his latest blog post entitled Struggle, Meyer writes, “So, I have to say this week was by far one of the hardest weeks of my life...They say time heals all wounds, but for me, it seems that the longer I wait and the more time that has passed, the harder it gets. Marines are supposed to be the toughest men on Earth, but I'm not ashamed to admit that I'm struggling. This week was especially hard because Tuesday was the 8th of the month. My guys were killed on the 8th of September, 2009. I'll admit that this week was filled with lots of tears, bad days and bad thoughts.”
To follow Dakota Meyer on Twitter go here.
To keep up with his story through his blog, go here.
Image Source: Defense.gov
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Soldier allegedly left suicide note on Facebook
Wednesday, May 16, 2012, 11:22 PM - News Stories
U.S. Army soldier from Round Rock found dead in Afghanistan. The United States Army is reporting the death of an Army specialist from Round Rock from over the weekend. Alex Hernandez, 21, was found unresponsive in his room in Kandahar Province of Afghanistan Saturday. Earlier the same day, Hernandez posted a message on Facebook which said, in part, “To everyone who ever knew me, I hope the best for you. To my family, I love you always and even though I never showed it , ife is worth every precious second. I thought I’d be stronger but I can’t deal anymore,” said Hernandez...(KVUE)
Local veterans record war stories in studio. Close to two dozen World War II veterans told their old war stories into a studio microphone. They met at the American Sound Studios in Bakersfield where the Bakersfield College drum line honored them with a cadence. "I carried supplies for the front line," said Elwon Williams, a truck driver in the U.S. Army from 1941 to 1943. "That was really interesting for me." He will be joining other veterans for the first Honor Flight from Kern County to the Nation's Capitol in less than two weeks...
(KGET)
Bennigan's Employee Honors Fallen Soldier With Facebook Memorial. Hannah Hobbs, an employee of Bennigan's Borger, TX restaurant, has recently sparked the national restaurant chain to create awareness and help raise funds for the families of U.S. military personnel and wounded warriors. During the month of May, Bennigan's Restaurants will be launching a social media effort on its Facebook page entitled the "Wall of Heroes," to pay tribute to our servicemen and women. Hobbs recently served a guest who ordered a beer for his friend who was a fallen comrade...
(MarketWatch)
Slain journalist Marie Colvin remembered in London. Leading politicians and journalists gathered in London on Wednesday to pay tribute to slain war correspondent Marie Colvin, a woman they remembered as fearless, dedicated and kind. Colvin, 56, was killed on Feb. 22 when army shelling struck the building that served as a makeshift media center in the Syrian city of Homs. She worked for the Sunday Times of London...
(USA TODAY)
Blogger Shines Light on U.S. Shadow War in East Africa. An innocuous-seeming U.S. Air Force press release. A serendipitous satellite image in Google Earth. Snapshots from a photographer on assignment at a Spanish air base. The crash of an Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle fighter-bomber in the United Arab Emirates. These are some of the fragments of information that Italian aviation blogger David Cenciotti has assembled to reveal the best picture yet of the Pentagon’s secretive war in the Arabian Peninsula and East Africa...
(Wired)
Iraq war veteran uses rap to treat his PTSD. On one of the many days Leo Dunson wanted to die, the Iraq veteran put a gun to his temple and pulled the trigger. The loaded weapon misfired. For the troubled former soldier, it was another inexplicable failure, like his divorce or inability to make friends after returning from the war. In a Las Vegas recording studio, Dunson rapped about his life: "What's wrong with me? Got PTSD. These pills ain't working, man, I still can't think."
(USA TODAY)
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The Air Force guide to effective social media
Tuesday, May 15, 2012, 03:50 AM - Milblogging/Op Sec Guidelines
Via Tech. Sgt. Karen Tomasik, Air Force Public Affairs AgencyJOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO -- LACKLAND, Texas (AFNS) -- Airmen and families have a new resource at their fingertips with the recent release of an updated and revised social media guide by the Air Force Public Affairs Agency in San Antonio, Texas.
The guide features sections geared toward all Total Force members and their families as well as Air Force leaders. It highlights topics including using social media effectively, security awareness, social media platforms, public affairs programs and social media policy among others.
"Our social media team has made great strides in updating this guide," said Larry Clavette, Air Force Public Affairs Agency director. "Airmen and families will see a lot of information they can apply to their social networking practices, whether they've been using social media for years or are just coming onboard with the technology."
While information on social media has been around for several years, the types of platforms people use evolve and new ones start up nearly every day. No matter which social media platform you use, and whether you use social media personally or professionally, many basic principles apply.
Operations security ranks first and foremost in the minds of many military members, but the casual nature of social media can easily lead to inadvertent sharing of sensitive personal information via personal profiles and accounts. Everyone should make sure they share personal information only with people they trust and understand that no matter how secure they set up their own accounts friends can unintentionally share details about their lives with people who may have malicious intentions.
Though the desire to protect personal information is one reason people may not join social media platforms, unfamiliarity with the platforms is another commonly cited reason for staying out of the social media arena.
"By now, many people are already using social media so this guide doesn't focus on how to set up new personal accounts," said Capt. Amber Millerchip, the deputy director of public communications at AFPAA. "Instead, we focused on how to communicate more effectively on some of the most commonly used social media platforms. We hope everyone finds something in the guide they can use in their personal or professional communications on these platforms."
Full story and link to Air Force social media guide here.
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Frontline stories told on ArmyStrongStories.com
Tuesday, May 15, 2012, 03:47 AM - News Stories
Deployed unit returns home from Afghanistan and shares frontline experiences on ArmyStrongStories.com. During a year-long deployment, a group of soldiers from the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, “Task Force Duke,” dedicated themselves to sharing their experiences bringing security and stability to the Khowst and Paktya provinces in Afghanistan. They did this on Army Strong Stories – the U.S. Army's premier blog and story-sharing program where every soldier is invited to blog about his or her day-to-day life in the Army. Based out of Fort Knox, Task Force Duke was made up of soldiers from a wide array of branches including public affairs officers, field artillery specialists, infantrymen, medical specialists and many more... (dvids)
MilBlogger’s Conference – The Impact of Defense Budget Cuts. I attended the MilBlogger’s Conf in Arlington on May 12. It turned out to be a very interesting event. They were focused on military personnel, military spouses, and military issues. The attendees were animated, it was a relaxed atmosphere and it was a family-like environment. Congressman Randy Forbes (R-Va.) was the keynote speaker. He exhorted the audience to understand that they are making a difference. Bloggers that have military experience and connections may not know all the answers, but they are among the few folks asking the right questions...
(Security Debrief)
CamoConnect links military family, friends. The next social networking site isn't coming from some Harvard genius in Silicon Valley; it was started by a 20-year-old college student who missed her boyfriend. Allee Campbell was sitting in church two months after the deployment of her Marine boyfriend, listening to the priest give a sermon on the greater good and how to help others – and the idea just came to her: A Facebook website where military loved ones can connect online - CamoConnect.com...
(WAFF)
Jerry Davich: War diary to feed the mind, soul and body. The makeshift diary is more than six decades old, yet still in remarkably good shape. It’s made from a cardboard box and brown paper bag pages, strung together with leftover string and a thread of hope. “Notice: Entries in the log are for my own personal use. If you don’t like them, (expletive) you,” wrote its World War II author, Doyle W. Waggoner, a U.S. Navy ordnance specialist who was originally from Shreveport, La...
(Post-Tribune)
Army Corps of Engineers in Center of Twitter Gossip. The Army Corps of Engineers may not be on the minds of many Americans right now, but they were on the minds of thousands of Twitter users last week. According to OhMyGov Analytics, the agency experienced an increase of Twitter mentions for the period May 5 to May 11, amounting to 1,406 references to the Corps of Engineers — an elevation of 65.4 percent from the previous week. The sudden spotlight on the Corps came amid opposition to the Environmental Protection Agency's plans to approve the corps' plan to rubber stamp the controversial Keystone XL tar sands pipeline, a would-be mechanism which would allow the US to pump synthetic crude oil from Alberta, Canada to mult...
(OhMyGov)
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Military wife's racy pics end up on Facebook
Monday, May 14, 2012, 07:31 PM - News Stories
What were supposed to be sexy photos for her husband's eyes only also turned up online on Facebook.According to WRAL.com, "A Fayetteville-area mother paid for a private boudoir photo shoot at her home. It was an anniversary gift for her deployed husband. She purchased a deal from Groupon for $65."
However, when her husband who is deployed went online to learn more about the photographer, he found the very same photos on her Facebook page.
"The photos were among dozens of pictures of other women in lingerie."
If you're planning to do the same for your military spouse, you may want to read this story first.
Full story here.
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Lexi Thompson picks Facebook Military prom date
Monday, May 14, 2012, 07:15 PM - News Stories
A couple weeks back I wrote about professional golfer Lexi Thompson looking for a date for her prom taking place on May 18th.Well, she's announced the winner.
Her choice according to ESPN:
United States Marine Corps wounded warrior and Purple Heart recipient Lance Corporal Mark Scott.
Full story here.
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GI Film Festival news roundup, May 14, 2012
Monday, May 14, 2012, 04:06 PM - News Stories
Hollywood Stars and 42 Film Screenings Mark Sixth Annual GI Film Festival, May 14 - 20, 2012, in Washington, DC. The award-winning GI Film Festival (GIFF), the nation's only military-themed film festival, is pleased to announce the full schedule of events for the 2012 event, which will feature premiere military film screenings, celebrity appearances, red carpet parties and more. The festival will take place Monday, May 14 through Sunday, May 20, 2012 in Washington, DC. For ticketing information and the program schedule, visit www.gifilmfestival.com . The 6th annual GIFF film line-up offers 42 film screenings representing every branch of the military and spanning five wars. Over the course of the six-day event, the festival will offer 23 narrative films and 19 documentaries covering every genre conceivable - from action and adventure to drama and romance. And with at least a dozen World Premiere screenings, GIFF offers plenty of opportunities to discover emerging directors, writers, producers and actors. GIFF is proud to welcome many promising and established military veteran filmmakers as well... (MarketWatch Press Release)
G.I. Film Festival recalls history's great war movies. Do you love the smell of napalm in the morning? This week brings a special way to honor the military as we march toward Memorial Day. The G.I. Film Festival kicks off Monday and runs through Sunday, with movies being shown at various locations around the District. The films focus on the sacrifices of the military, including "Doughboy" (2012), which features real-life vets sharing thoughts on patriotism, freedom, and the attitudes of today's youth...
(WTOP)
Homefront Heroes Takes Compelling Wounded Warrior Stories to GI Film Festival. For those not directly connected with an active-duty military person or a veteran, you often only hear their stories vaguely, or in passing. Now, two very different people have created Homefront Heroes to deliver veterans' stories to you in a very compelling, human way. Mike Allen, a Microsoft executive in their public sector division, and Brad Keller, a producer and film distributor, live 2,000 miles apart. Despite the differences in their jobs and location, however, they have teamed up to commit their free time to telling the stories of the wounded warrior community...
(HuffingtonPost)
'Army Wives' actors coming to GI Film Festival. The GI Film Festival is taking place this week with former presidential candidate Ross Perot kicking things off Monday and cast members of the show "Army Wives" coming to town this weekend. Actress Sally Pressman, who plays army wife Roxie LeBlanc, and actor Brian McNamara, who plays Major Gen. Michael Holden, will be on hand at an event Saturday at 7 p.m. at the U.S. Navy Memorial to accept the "GI Family Award" on behalf of the entire cast of the Lifetime show...
(Washington Examiner)
D.C.'s Unique GI Film Festival Brings Our Warriors Close to Us. The GI Film Festival (GIFF), the nation’s only military film festival, begins Tuesday, May 15, and runs through Sunday, May 20. The festival of "Reel Stories, Real Heroes" commemorates, depicts and celebrates those of our citizenry who go to war in defense of our nation and of us. One big attraction will the May 17 advance screening of the action movie, "Battleship."
(Georgetowner)
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Winners announced in 2012 Milbloggies
Sunday, May 13, 2012, 03:42 AM - 2012 Milblog Conference, Sixth Annual Milbloggies
The winners of the 2012 Milbloggies were announced on Friday, May 11.Congratulations!
Best U.S. Army Blog – The Rhino Den
Best U.S. Military Spouse Blog – **Wife [Widow] of a Wounded Marine**
Best U.S. Military Parent Blog – Semper Fi Parents
Best U.S. Military Supporter Blog – Character Does Matter
Best U.S. Marine Corps Blog – One Marine’s View
Best U.S. Navy Blog – USNI Blog
Best U.S. Coast Guard Blog – ryan erickson
Best U.S. Air Force Blog – Aim High Erin
Best U.S. Military Veteran Blog – You Served
Best U.S. Reporter Blog – The Unknown Soldiers
More to follow on the website badges for finalists and winners.
Award trophies for winners not in attendance at the 2012 Milblog Conference will be shipped.
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GI Film Festival starts May 14
Saturday, May 12, 2012, 11:16 PM - News Stories
The 6th annual GI Film Festival begins in the district on May 14. Beginning May 14th, the 6th annual GI Film Festival will begin its seven-day run in our nation’s capital, screening movies that focus on America’s military and their families. The Festival is the only one of its kind to specifically honor the members of the armed forces, viewing war films, documentaries and shorts throughout the week. This year’s festival is marked by a special advanced.screening of Battleship on May 17th...(Examiner)
ninemsn blog: Embedded in Afghanistan. Nine News producer Wes Hardman is currently embedded with the Australian troops in Afghanistan and is writing a blog for ninemsn. Here is his latest entry: We’ve almost reached the end of the world. And — great travellers that we are — there are Australians here. More than a hundred but less than two hundred. The exact number is a secret,,.
(Ninemsn)
D.C. film festival portrays soldiers in a better light. Like a lot of Americans, Brandon L. Millett and his wife, Army Reserve Maj. Laura Law-Millett, are movie fans. But some years ago, they decided that something wasn’t quite right with Hollywood’s accounts of the military. “We just had seen some films coming out that weren’t necessarily portraying GIs in the most favorable light,” Millett recalls. “We wanted to do something to address the situation. And we said, ‘We love movies, why not host a film festival?’ So that’s what we did.”
(Washington Post)
GI Film Festival includes Canadian soldier Marc Diab documentary. Young Marc Diab and his family would halt, standing still on the roadside, whenever Israeli tanks lurched through the streets of their Lebanese village in the 1990s. In the security zone along the Israel-Lebanon border, the military vehicles were a steel-plated reminder of the region’s political instability, an uncertain state in which some Ain-Ebel villagers saw no future. But in those tanks, filled with gun-toting troops, little Marc saw his: life as a soldier. “He used to say, even back in Lebanon when we used to have the Israeli army go through our streets all the time, ‘I want to be a soldier, I want to be a soldier,’” recalls eldest sister Jessica Diab, 30, of the time her brother was about 8...
(The Star)
Body of Army Medic Who Died Skyping Wife Arrives in New York. The body of a U.S. Army medic who died suddenly in Afghanistan during a Skype chat with his wife arrived Saturday in New York, in advance of his planned funeral. More than 100 mourners and admirers assembled at a Rochester airport to pay tribute to Capt. Bruce Kevin Clark. Many carried American flags. The group included veterans of four other U.S. wars, and members of Clark's family...
(NBC New York)
Army sued on gay hate scandal. VICTIMS of a Facebook hate page that exposed and threatened gay members of the Australian military have launched legal action over the army's handling of the scandal. At the same time, Defence Minister Stephen Smith has confirmed that ''a small number of allegations of assault against gay or lesbian personnel'' are included in a report on complaints of abuse in the Australian Defence Force...
(Brisbane Times)
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2012 Milblog Conference Kicks Off Today
Friday, May 11, 2012, 10:21 AM - 2012 Milblog Conference
The 2012 Milblog Conference (Twitter hashtag: #milblogcon) starts with a cocktail hour at 6pm at the Westin Arlington Gateway.Here's a look at the full agenda.
2012 Milblog Conference Agenda
Friday, May 11, 8 PM-12 AM
Westin Arlington Gateway, Arlington, VA
Reception
801 North Glebe Road
Arlington, VA 22203
Friday’s agenda
6:00-7:00pm: Check-in / Cocktail Hour
7:00-9:00pm: Dinner and Milbloggies Ceremony — Featuring Special Guest Speaker: former Tuskegee Airman, Col. (Ret.) Charles McGee
Saturday, May 12, 7:45 AM-5:00 PM
Westin Arlington Gateway, Arlington, VA
Breakfast and Conference
801 North Glebe Road
Arlington, VA 22203
Saturday’s Timeline:
Breakfast Served in the Atrium 7:45 – 8:45 AM
Opening Remarks – T. McCreary 8:45 – 9:00 AM
Bloggers Roundtable with Congressman J. Randy Forbes of the House Armed Services Committee 9:00 – 9:45 AM
Panel 1: Military and the Media 9:45 – 11:00 AM
Break 11:00 – 11:15 AM
Panel 2: Benefits: Promises Delivered, Delayed or Dismissed? 11:00 – 12:15 PM
Lunch Sponsored by Wal-Mart 12:30 – 1:15 PM
Guest Speaker! Scott Waugh Producer/Director of Act of Valor – on Blu-ray and DVD June 5 – will be the guest speaker for this year’s program. Mr. Waugh will do a Q&A with the bloggers about the making of this innovative movie with real Navy SEALs and answer questions from the audience. 1:15 – 2:00 PM
Panel 3: Rise of Social Media in the Service Branches 2:00 – 3:15 PM
Break 3:15 – 3:30 PM
Panel 4: The Pen and the Sword: MilBloggers Who Had An Impact 3:30 – 4:45 PM
Closing Remarks 4:45 – 5:00 PM
Visit the Milblog Conference website for more information.
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Facebook offers suicide-prevention for military
Thursday, May 10, 2012, 04:34 AM - News Stories
Facebook offers suicide-prevention lifeline for military families. Facebook is connecting with military-support and service organizations to offer customized suicide-prevention services for veterans, active service members and their families. For many members of military families, social media serve as a lifeline, connecting them to various supportive communities to help them cope with their specific strains and stresses. So, in conjunction with the Department of Veterans Affairs and the nonprofit organization Blue Star Families, Facebook has unveiled a literal lifeline within the site, with informational and response tools customized for service members and their families...(Los Angeles Times)
Who is the military’s best dad? An Army dad, Navy dad and Air Force dad are vying for the 2012 Military Fatherhood Award, with voting open through noon on May 25. The National Fatherhood Initiative, which winnowed 450 candidates down to three, is asking the public to make the final decision by voting on its Facebook page. Videos made by the three families using brand-new HD cameras donated to each of the finalists are featured on the site...
(NavyTimes)
Should Journalists Be Protected? Thursday was World Press Freedom Day. On Friday, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CJP) published an article listing the arrests, injuries, and assaults of at least eighteen journalists covering recent clashes near the Egyptian Ministry of Defense. Some reporters were beaten, others shot at, a few captured or detained by the military...
(The Huffington Post)
Local man writes about experience in Army. Originally from St. Johnsville, Ken Conklin grew up in the Mohawk Valley. As he got older, he worked as a paperboy delivering newspapers for The Evening Times. Eventually, Conklin stopped delivering papers, graduated from high school and joined the U.S. Army. During Conklin’s time in the Army he served four overseas tours, two in Iraq, one in Afghanistan and one in Korea. In June 2011, ten years after serving in the Army, Conklin decided to attend college...
(HerkimerTelegram)
Todd, Crystal Nicely in Homefront Heroes film. Osage Beach, Mo. — Homefront Heroes, dedicated to sharing the stories of courage and inspiration of returning Wounded Warriors including a Lake of the Ozarks couple, announces that one of its short films will be featured at this year’s GI Film Festival. The Homefront Heroes film, “He’s My Best Friend: The Crystal Nicely Story,” will be featured on Sunday, May 20, in the short film section of the festival...
(LakeNewsOnline)
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Info needed for 2012 Milbloggies finalists
Wednesday, May 9, 2012, 03:26 PM - 2012 Milblog Conference, Sixth Annual Milbloggies
This is a reminder that this Friday, May 11, kicks off the 2012 Milblog Conference.Congratulations again to this year’s finalists in the Milbloggies. Full list of finalists can be seen here.
Winners will be announced this week at the Milblog conference. The results are not even shared with me until the presentation.
If you are a finalist, you are not required to attend to receive an award if you do win.
But I do need a little information in the event you are the winner in your category and because I don’t have everyone’s contact information, I am posting this request again.
1. Will you be attending?
2. If not, is someone attending who can accept on your behalf?
3. What is your preferred name or alias?
4. Military.com can arrange to have the award shipped. If that's your preference, please contact me.
If you have already provided this information, please ignore this post.
I can be contacted at milblogging@gmail.com
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Outspoken Marine, Social Media, FB and more
Tuesday, May 8, 2012, 02:40 AM - News Stories
MILITARY: Outspoken ex-Marine looks ahead. Meet Gary Stein, outspoken anti-Obama social-media poster and former U.S. Marine Corps sergeant, now a blogger, fledgling radio host and real estate agent. And don't rule out candidate for office sometime soon. Stein may have lost his battle to stay in the Marine Corps ---- he was booted for repeatedly bashing President Barack Obama on Facebook ---- but says he can still win the war. Stein woke up Friday morning a civilian, after being dismissed from the service and busted to lance corporal for violating a Pentagon regulation governing service members' political speech. "It's a little surreal," Stein said minutes after departing Camp Pendleton after his last day in uniform Thursday. "I didn't want it to end this way. It's a little sad."(North County Times)
Tragic News Demands Marine Corps Social Media Leadership, Not Retreat. Moments after I posted my sympathies about the loss of two Marines in Afghanistan on their unit's Facebook page, it was gone. Deleted. Arbitrarily removed as a violation by their public affairs office. The Department of Defense had published a release about them, but the unit rarely mentioned combat casualties on their page. One of the public affairs Marines with Regional Command Southwest scolded me in a private message and said he took it down. What were the reasons? Did it violate any of the official terms of use of military social media sites?
(Marine Corps Gazette Blog)
Army says there was no bullet wound in captain who died in Afghanistan chatting on Skype with his wife... despite her insistence he was shot. Foul play is not suspected in the death of an Army captain who died in Afghanistan as he chatted with his wife on Skype, the military reiterated on Monday. Army investigators found no bullet wound in Bruce Kevin Clark's body and they believe he died of natural causes. Despite this, his wife, Susan Orllana-Clark, insists her husband was shot. He lurched forward when he died and that she saw a bullet hole in the closet door behind him, she says...
(Daily Mail)
Army officer fakes FB identity, cheats. The ministry of defence has passed instructions to all defence personnel, especially its officers, to refrain from social networking sites. The apprehension: A non-Army person faking an identity might get his/her hands on vital information. Here is a case that’s the other way around. According to sources, an Army officer from EME, while presenting a falsified profile on Facebook, claimed to be a bachelor. That’s how he started an “online affair”. The girl was reportedly an air-hostess...
(DECCAN Chronicle)
TV Show Casting Host For Combat Warrior Show. High Noon Entertainment (http://www.highnoonentertainment.com) is currently casting for an "Ultimate Warrior Host" for a modern day, combat warrior competition show. In this show, modern day badasses compete in the tactics and weapons of different warrior cultures throughout history. We are searching for a high-adrenaline host who is an expert in combat and warrior tactics. If you would like more information, please reach out to Email: msebastian@highnoontv.com
Guardsman, wife win $1M on ‘Amazing Race’. A Madison couple who appeared on the CBS reality-TV show “The Amazing Race” outlasted 10 other couples to claim top honors and a $1 million grand prize. On their way to victory, Dave and Rachel Brown raced across five continents, nine countries and 22 cities. They won in December, but their win was only revealed during Sunday’s season finale...
(ArmyTimes.com)
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