As I’m sure you’re aware, there are soldiers who will be competing in the 2012 London Olympics. 

But did you know that you can learn more about their stories through blogs and video stories they are posting online?

Reason number 501 why I think ArmyStrongStories.com is a great website and why you should visit them.

Read more below:

Army Strong Stories, the U.S. Army’s signature Soldier blog, is highlighting Soldier-Olympian blog posts and video stories throughout July and August. These stories give insight into life as a Soldier-athlete and how the Army has provided the opportunity for them to achieve their Olympic goals. See how Sgt. Glenn Eller has prepared for four different Olympic teams through the years, and how he is training for the 2012 London Olympics as a member of the Army Marksmanship Unit in his video, “Opportunity to Make My Fourth Olympic Team.” In his post, “Achieving My Olympic Dream,” Pfc. Julio Saunders describes how the Army’s World Class Athlete Program (WCAP) gives him the opportunity to provide for his family, receive an education and work towards his Olympic dream. 

Find new, current and past Olympics-related content on Army Strong Stories at www.armystrongstories.com/tag/olympics/ and check out www.goarmy.com/events/army-athletes for up to date coverage of the 2012 Army Olympic athletes.

Hat tip to Bethany!

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Mobilizing The Army Strong Story. For years, the Army’s online programs have harnessed the social power of the Internet to provide Soldiers with a platform to share their untold stories and perspectives on Army service – from military recruitment and basic training to everyday life and personal development. In 2008, the agency worked closely with the Army to launch Army Strong Stories (www.armystrongstories.com), the first-ever official Soldier blog and storytelling platform. To date, Army Strong Stories has garnered more than 4,500 written and video submissions, more than 4,000 site comments and a 5,000 percent increase in site traffic from 2008 to 2010. With the success of Army Strong Stories and per the recommendation of the agency team, the U.S. Army has integrated mobile strategies and tactics to further reach potential recruits in a meaningful, relevant manner... 
(The Holmes Report)

Lieutenant colonel in soup for befriending ISI agent on Facebook. NEW DELHI: In yet another security breach in the military, an Army officer has been caught for establishing contact on social networking site Facebook with a Bangladeshi woman working for Pakistan's ISI. The woman, in fact, had earlier "honey-trapped" another Indian officer in an ISI espionage operation in Bangladesh late last year.  The Army is conducting a court of inquiry (CoI) against the officer, a lieutenant colonel from the 82 Armoured Regiment deployed in a forward formation in Suratgarh district of Rajasthan, to ascertain whether he divulged or compromised classified operational information along the western front with Pakistan...
(The Times of India)

Analysts use Social Media to Influence National Security. This morning on Wired’s Danger Room blog, David Axe wrote about the rise of Information Dissemination, a blog dedicated to covering and analyzing updates in the U.S. Navy’s strategy, technology and communications. Led by New York City consultant Raymond Pritchett, the group of authors has actively covered updates in naval affairs for five years, and according to Wired, have become the “go-to site for meaningful public discussion of maritime strategy, [and] naval leadership.” According to Axe, the Navy’s recent decision to develop offshore bases for helicopters and other vessels may have been created through Navy policymakers reading Information Dissemination...
(Nextgov)

Historians, others hope to develop Anniston site that played key role in Civil War. A group of Civil War history buffs is looking to help develop an Anniston site that is mostly unknown to locals but that played a significant role in the Confederacy's war effort.  Members of the Civil War Trust, a 55,000-member organization based in Washington, D.C., is encouraging local interest in the development of a park at the site of the former Blue Mountain Industries. Thousands of Confederate soldiers trained at the Blue Mountain rail depot and training camp, the group's members say... 
(The Republic)

Stash of Revolutionary War treasures waits in secret location as Philly museum work continues. A nondescript building on a quiet street somewhere outside Philadelphia holds a secret stash of treasures that have been waiting patiently for more than a century for a permanent place to call home.  Carefully stacked on shelves, hanging on walls and spread out on tables in a large climate-controlled room are thousands of artifacts from the Revolutionary War. They will remain under wraps in their anonymous location until late 2015, when The Museum of the American Revolution opens in Philadelphia's historic district.  "We're still finding things," curator R. Scott Stephenson said during a recent behind-the-scenes tour of the Colonial-era cache...
(Daily Reporter)

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Harry Wilson, who claims to be in the British Army, could be in hot water after sending singer Lily Allen a racist tweet.

Not long after @harrywil2010 sent the racist tweet, Allen who tweets under the username @lilyrosecooper reported the incident to the Ministry of Defence and tweeted, "How do you report someone on here. That guy I retweeted should be banned."

According to Metro.co.uk:

"An Army spokesman said: ‘Racism of any kind is completely unacceptable and the Army has a zero-tolerance approach to all forms of harassment and discrimination. 

‘We are aware of the alleged offensive comments and are investigating the matter. It would be inappropriate to comment further while this is ongoing.’

You’ll notice if you try visiting the Twitter account of Harry Wilson, you'll be presented with a page that says, "Sorry, that page doesn’t exist!". 

The screen shot at the top of this post that shows the Twitter bio of Harry Wilson, is from a cached page that I found on Google.

It appears Wilson deleted the account since the tweet was reported to the MoD.

There is quite a bit of reaction on Twitter.

More details here.

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Captain fired over sexy emails he sent. The married commander of a recruiting unit in Iowa was relieved after it was reported he and a former Des Moines schools superintendent exchanged racy emails from their work accounts.  Capt. John Hintz was relieved pending the outcome of a Recruiting Command-led investigation, according to John Largent, an Army spokesman. Hintz headed a Des Moines-based recruiting company.  “This type of conduct doesn’t uphold Army values and what the Army stands for,” Largent said.  The revelation of the emails between Hintz and Nancy Sebring led to her resignation from administrator posts in Des Moines and Omaha, according to WHO-TV in Des Moines...
(ARMY TIMES)

Kentuckian documents brother's post-war struggle. With help from his filmmaking brother, Joe Edwards is ready to tell others about his struggles since returning from Iraq.  How his Kentucky National Guard unit was trained to be military police but ended up in the center of the fight. How he turned 21 in Iraq during his extended 18-month tour and came back changed.  "The Joe that went to Iraq wasn't the Joe that came back," his brother, Jason, told the Lexington Herald-Leader.  Jason, 32, a film student, is helping in his brother's recovery by making a documentary, Two Brothers, about his brother's journey...
(The Republic)

Civil War 150 Road Show to Make Stop at Penn State. From Thursday through next Sunday, the Centre County Historical Society will join with the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission and the Pennsylvania Heritage Society to host the Pennsylvania Civil War 150 Road Show.  It is a 53-foot expandable tractor trailer exhibit about the Civil War and its impact on Pennsylvania.  Housed in the Bryce Jordan Center parking lot, the Civil War 150 Road Show will convey numerous accounts of how Pennsylvania residents experienced the war through interactive features, an LED-lit map, Civil War era photographs and music, hands-on artifacts, animated stories, online scrapbooking and a story recording booth...
(State College)

Museum chronicles Wisconsin veterans' stories. They range from former Gov. Lucius Fairchild, who was wounded in the left arm at Gettysburg and had the limb amputated, to Medal of Honor winner Clayton Slack, who captured a German machine gun nest in World War I, to Don Heiliger, who was shot down over North Vietnam in 1967 and survived seven years as a prisoner of war. There's no better place to learn their stories - and the stories of those who served with less fanfare - than the Wisconsin Veterans Museum, an educational arm of the state Department of Veterans Affairs.  Located on Capitol Square in Madison, the museum has two award-winning galleries covering 10,000 square feet...
(JSOnline)

Story of youngest Civil War enlistee, 12, to be told in song at presidential museum. Joseph Henry Monroe was 12 when he became the Civil War's youngest enlistee. He was captured at the Battle of Shiloh, escaped and rejoined his regiment for 26 more battles.  Now the drummer's story will be told on July 14 in original music and popular period songs by performer Barry Cloyd at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum. Performances of "The Drummer Boy of Shiloh" are at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. in the central plaza. Paid museum admission is required to attend...
(Chicago Tribune)

Vet Uses Music To Heal — But Says He's No 'Hero'. Don't call Iraq War vet Jason Moon a hero. Don't phone him on Memorial Day or July 4th or Veterans Day to say thank you.  Instead, just listen as he strums his guitar and sings about the "things I've seen I won't forget," about the sacrifices, emotional and physical, that a warrior must bear.  It can get raw, as it did one evening in a backyard in suburban Los Angeles, a recent stop on a concert tour that has taken him all over the country.  "All this welcome home, good job, we're-so-proud-of-you bull—— is wearing thin," he said, half-singing, half-speaking, as firelight flickered on his audience's faces...
(NPR)

BBB warns of possible scam monopolizing on the patriotic spirit.  Better Business Bureau recently received reports of a possible scam targeting businesses near military depots and installations. Business owners have said they were contacted by a company selling ads in a "CFNR Guide" or a "Referral Guide" to soldiers moving into the area.  The business claims to be working with local military officials to create the guide. Corpus Christi Army Depot recently received word that the business was using their name to sell advertising space. However, military officials there say they have never heard of the company and do not know anything about a guide for service members... 
(KXXV-TV)

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The Ballduster McSoulpatch Memorial Stolen Valor Tournament is underway.

This Ain’t Hell has 96 candidates selected in this year’s tournament  ranging from Jacob “read my plates bitch!” Cruze  to Jasper Land “My moustache alone is SF qualified” Holland.

The full list of candidates can be found here.

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When I began blogging in 2004, I got my start in Afghanistan, so I always enjoy coming across military blogs being written from Afghanistan more so than anywhere else. 

In the past month, two more frontline blogs have been added to the Milblogging database:

Go David Strong (www.godavidstrong.com) is a blog written by David Moore, a U.S. Army soldier who enlisted into the United States Army Reserve in 2010.

Books, Bombs and Brothers (www.todduebele.com/blog/) is written by Todd Uebele, also in the U.S. Army who describes himself as, “A self-styled author on his first deployment to Afghanistan”.

Now another blog called The Kabul Cable written Tyrell Mayfield, will soon be posting, Facebooking, and tweeting from Afghanistan.

According to the site’s bio page:

Ty Mayfield is a Political Affairs Strategist in the U.S. Air Force.  He has over 18 years of defense experience with multiple deployments to Southwest and Central Asia.  He holds a MA in International Relations from the University of Oklahoma and an MA in National Security Studies from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California.  Ty is currently participating in the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS) directed AFPAK Hands program and splits his time between Washington, D.C. and Kabul, Afghanistan.

Hat tip to Ky Woman

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According to the GlobalPost, one of AlJazeera.com's official Twitter accounts was hacked by supporters of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

"For several hours today, tweets from @AJStream, the account for the network's social-media show The Stream, carried a distinctly pro-government message.

They are critical of Syrian rebels fighting to overthrow Assad, of other Arab states that have called for him to go, and of media and human rights organizations that they accuse of misrepresenting the conflict."

Full story here.

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I've compiled a list of Twitter reactions to Republican Rep. Joe Walsh's comments about his rival, Democrat Tammy Duckworth.  Duckworth is a double-amputee who lost her legs while serving as a Black Hawk helicopter pilot in Iraq.  Earlier in the week Walsh said, "She is a hero, and that demands our respect, but it doesn't demand our vote. All she does, guys, is talk about her service."  Walsh’s comments have sparked a lot of discussion and debate in the news and on social media websites.  I've posted the Twitter messages below, without paying attention to their political persuasion.

@TheDailyEdge
QUIZ: Who attacked his opponent for being a double-amputee war veteran? a) Joe Walsh; b) GOP deadbeat dad; c) a scumbag; d) all of the above

@Wolfrum
Tammy Duckworth lost her legs in Iraq. Joe Walsh got a leg cramp running away from child support. #Equivalency

@mattduss
Shorter Rep Joe Walsh: I support the troops, except when I have to run against one.

@johnkriesel
It's funny that Rep. Joe Walsh, who never served in the military has the gall to criticize someone who received a Purple Heart's service.

@owillis
tammy duckworth got a purple heart. joe walsh got a notice in the mail asking him to please pay for food for his children.

@PamMcAllister
Will be great to see @RepJoeWalsh trounced. By a woman. From Hawaii. Who was a brave military helicopter pilot. Walsh has nothing. Sweet.

@beardedstoner
Rep. Joe Walsh says true heroes don't talk about their service. Maybe. But true dads definitely support their kids.

@GailSimone
Democrat or Republican, you have to find Rep. Joe Walsh a disgusting human being.

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Facebook Army postings trial adjourned.  The case of a teenager accused of posting an offensive Facebook message about the deaths of six British soldiers in Afghanistan has been adjourned.  Azhar Ahmed, 19, was due to go on trial today, charged under the Communications Act 2003 with sending a message which was grossly offensive on March 8.  But a district judge at Huddersfield Magistrates Court told the packed courtroom she needed to adjourn the case for a month...
(British Forces News)

Israel Enlisting its Own Twitter Army.  Every once in a while (all too often I’m afraid) articles come along like this one from today’s Jerusalem Post. While reading them you stare at the page in a cross between utter disbelief and hilarity that someone in a position of authority in the IDF actually believes that the idiocy they’re peddling is a good idea. In this case, Ruth Eglash, the Post’s intrepid “digital media editor” (at least that’s what her Twitter bio states), writes that the IDF is looking for a few thousand good men–and perhaps even a few women. They should be pro-Israel Walter Mitty types who may’ve dreamed of joining the Israeli army but couldn’t either because they’re long in the tooth or wide in the paunch. Now, the hasbara brigade is inviting them to do the next best thing: join the virtual army and play a game called “Israel Ranks”...
(mideastposts.com)

Horror and humor mark story of service on World War II destroyer: Military Notes.  The captain was depressed, popping barbiturates and having strange dreams. No way the ship's medical officer was going to let him command a destroyer in combat at the height of World War II.  So that physician, a Navy Reserve lieutenant, risked the wrath of a fleet admiral by having the captain transferred to a hospital for treatment of "anxiety neurosis." "I wasn't worried. At the time, it seemed like the right thing to do," said Barry Friedman, author of the recent book "Survivor," detailing his experiences aboard the USS Russell during the war...
(cleveland.com)

Navy vet tells his World War II story through a camera lens. Hockessin Historical Society member John Harrison spoke at Tuesday’s meeting about his life as a Navy photographer in Brazil during World War II and his new book, “Fairwing - Brazil, Tales of the South Atlantic.”  Harrison joined the Navy in 1942 at the age of 17. He grew up in Yorklyn and was shipped to Brazil in June in 1943 as a member of the Fleet Air Wing 16. He said it took over a month to get there.  Joe Lake, President of the HHS, has read Harrison’s book cover to cover more than once and raved about the book’s historical perspective...
(The Community News)

Grandfathers' Stories Inspire Military Service. When asked how he ended up in uniform, he replies: "I always knew from an early age. My parents weren't military at all." He says his parents were products of the 1960s and 1970s — they weren't exactly the military type. It was their parents who served in uniform. Larpenteur can recite the places his grandfathers served during World War II.  "One actually was a Marine and was on the island-hopping campaign [in Asia]. He fought on Guadalcanal and Peleliu and Iwo Jima with the 1st Marine Division," says Larpenteur. "And my other grandfather was actually a bombardier that flew bombing raids out of the Aleutian Islands along Japan during World War II. I grew up listening to stories from them."  It was their stories that began his journey to this soldier's life — an infantry soldier, close to the action. He can't quite explain how it all led to this outpost in Taliban country...
(NPR)

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The military blogosphere is getting a bit smaller this week.  Line of Departure blogger and Iraq war veteran, Carl Prine, who took over the blog in 2011, published a post saying “Goodbye” to his readers.  A week earlier, Carl had blogged about a lasting migraine that made it difficult to write, hinting that if things didn’t change, he would not continue blogging.

This will be his last week.

Although I don’t know him well, I did get an opportunity to meet Carl at this year’s Milblog conference.  I wish him all the best.

Here’s an excerpt from Carl’s Goodbye post:

For much of my days, I’m holed up in a cool, dark room surrounded, ironically enough, by many thousands of my books, all of them glaring at me much as I do the Carl I vaguely remember, a hazy figure in the distance of weeks who always was quick with a phrase he turned as if on a lathe.

I’m no longer that man.  I’m a diminished, pathetic and stupid creature who now looks forward only to the reassuring clucks of doctors in an antiseptic room overlooking a river, a man who pointlessly rubs at his skull to get to the headache that might never leave.

This is what happens when a brain that got bludgeoned by overblast in Iraq suffers two quite different, really maudlin, spills in Pennsylvania.  It’s also why at 1139 on Saturday I begged Ward Carroll to do the right thing for my readers and fire me.

This morning he did.  This week shall be my last at Line of Departure, a swell site I inherited from Jamie McIntyre and grew into a curmudgeonly – and very successful — oasis of sanity in the milblogosphere.

To read the full story or leave him a comment, visit Line of Departure.

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According to The Fayetteville Observer, an hour before Fort Bragg Spc. Ricky G. Elder fatally shot his commander and then himself Thursday, he posted one last Facebook message that read, "My mind in the past couple of years has folded on itself. I just went to the Dr. and they said I just tested positive for Dementia."

There is a lot more to the story than just that one message, so I strongly encourage you to read the full article.

Facebook has been at the center of many recent military social media stories.

In the past week, Facebook and the military grabbed headlines when Gov. Nikki Haley's husband used Facebook to call members of the state Senate cowards for not voting on a bill favored by his wife.  Her husband, who is an officer in the National Guard, was found not to be in violation of any rules.

In mid-May, Alex Hernandez, 21, was found unresponsive in his room in Kandahar.  Hernandez had posted a message on Facebook earlier in the day that said, “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 , life is worth every precious second. I thought I’d be stronger but I can’t deal anymore,”

That same month, a military wife's racy pics ended up on the social media site after a Fayetteville-area mother paid for a private boudoir photo shoot at her home.  The sexy photos were supposed to be for her husband's eyes only.

In April, Ariell Taylor-Brown found out her husband Staff Sgt. Christopher Brown was killed through Facebook after another soldier in his platoon posted a message on her Facebook page that there was an emergency.

You don't have to search the news headlines very long to encounter a story that involves Facebook and the military.

Full story of Fort Bragg shooter’s Facebook post can be found on fayobserver.com.

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Banned WW1 diary details trench warfare. A remarkable piece of Australian war history has been handed over to the State Library of New South Wales.  The handwritten diary of a World War One soldier details his life on the frontline before he died in the Battle of the Somme in 1916.  Australian diggers were banned from keeping diaries, but 25-year-old Gunner Norman Pearce took no notice, neatly writing down the harsh reality of life on the western front.  "He was obviously studying and following the war on a variety of levels, as someone on the front would be doing, and that's what gives it particular value," said The Trust Company CEO, John Atkin...
(SBS World news)

Want to help defend Israel? Become a virtual soldier. It could be the solution that millions of Jews and supporters of Israel worldwide are looking for: A chance to sign up for the Israeli army and help in the fight to defend the Jewish state – virtually.  A new initiative launched this week by the IDF Spokesman’s Office on its blog provides an online option for those cannot or do not want to physically join the army, but nevertheless want to contribute to the well-being and future of the Jewish state.  “Have you ever wanted to join the military and fight to defend Israel?” reads the introduction to “IDF Ranks,” an online game that allows participants to sign up via social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter and earn points by disseminating as much positive information about the army and its activities as possible...
(JPost)

Whippany man's World War II stories help him cope with loss. Sunday was a bittersweet day for Robert Ferraiuolo and his family.  His wife, Mildred, died in February, and July 1 marked the Whippany couple’s 61st wedding anniversary.  One of the things that has helped the 89-year-old World War II veteran cope is telling his war stories to his children — not in a boastful way, but more out of pride for living through history.  “Sometimes the kids get carried away,” Ferraiuolo said recently. “Last week we were looking over some old photo albums when I was in the Navy. I lived in foxholes because I was in a communications outfit.”
(Daily Record)

A revolution and a presidential election: Egypt’s social media mania. Egyptians have won the right, for the first time in 7000 years, to democratically elect their president. From the outset of the revolution Egyptians took to social media to express their opinions, thoughts and concerns. Subsequent to the first round of the recent  presidential elections, two candidates went head to head into the runoff which led to two polar opposites competing: Ahmed Shafik, the last Prime minster for the former regime and Mohamed Morsy a former Muslim Brotherhood member. The first candidate, perceived by some to be a “liberal” (albeit part of a former oppressive regime) and the latter formerly part of a religious party that was persecuted for several years under the former regime...
(memeburn)

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Military spouse bloggers Tammy Munson and Greta Perry are spreading the word about the Sangria Summit:  A Military Writers' Conference.

What is the Sangria Summit?

"New and established writers, agents, editors, journalists and subject-matter experts will gather Sept. 12-14, 2012 at the premier Sangria Summit: A Military Writers’ Conference, at the Denver City Center Marriott. Writers working in this niche-market will share ideas, learn from the experts and build lifelong connections.

Active-duty personnel, veterans, military spouses, and other enthusiasts interested in finding inspiration for their next book, can register at www.sangriasummit.com."

According to a recent press release:

The early bird conference price is $195, and runs through Sept. 9. Afterward, the price is $225. The conference includes: All workshops, presentations and two lunches. Rooms are available at the Denver City Center Marriott at the group rate of $179 per night. Lunch is included Thursday and Friday.

The official website can be found here.

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Fort Bragg's 525th BSB Facebook Page Brings Support. Following Thursday's tragic shooting at Fort Bragg, the 525th Battlefield Surveillance Brigade posted this on their Facebook page:  On behalf of the Command, Soldiers, and Families of 525th Battlefield Surveillance Brigade, thank you for your thoughts, prayers and condolences. At this time we would like direct all inquiries to the Fort Bragg Public Affairs Office. Due to the nature of this tragedy and the ongoing investigation, we ask that you please refrain from discussing specific information about this incident out of respect for the Families and unit members who are directly involved.  By Sunday afternoon, over 40 comments had been left on the page...
(Fort Bragg, NC Patch)

‘Military Experience’ coming to Eastern. Madison County veterans will have the chance to engage in creative, therapeutic expressions for free during a three-day symposium this week at Eastern Kentucky University.  The “Military Experience and Arts Symposium” is scheduled for July 5-7.  “We have award-winning authors and artists coming from all around the country to volunteer time,” said event coordinator Travis Martin, who serves as editor of The Journal of Military Experience. “And your skill level does not matter at all. Many of the classes are basic introductions. If you’re concerned about not being able to bring your family or loved ones, don’t be...
(The Richmond Register)

Diary recounts experiences of Larne First World War veteran. A FASCINATING new book has been launched detailing the experiences of a former Larne Grammar School pupil who went on to serve in the 36th Ulster Division during World War One.  Young Citizen, Old Soldier is the eagerly-awaited diary of James McRoberts, who as a 19-year-old enlisted in the 14th Battalion of the Royal Irish Rifles and was shipped off to fight in the trenches of France and Belgium.  From a farming background, James was educated at Larne Grammar School for five years before going on to study at Queen’s University Belfast. But he set aside his engineering studies in 1914 to answer his country’s call to arms... 
(Larne Times)

Tecumseh Library to present Civil War stories event. Tecumseh District Library’s Clara Waldron Historical Room presents “Civil War Narratives and Stories from the Michigan 4th Infantry” at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, July 17. The presentation will be held at Franklin Township Hall, located at 3922 Monroe Road in Tipton.  Martin Bertera and Kim Crawford, co-authors of The 4th Michigan Infantry in the Civil War, will tell the story of a regiment at the center of Civil War history. The real-life adventure emerges from accounts of soldiers who served in the 4th Michigan Infantry, gleaned from their diaries, letters, and memoirs; the reports of their officers and commanders; the stories by journalists who covered them; and the recollections of the Confederates who fought against them...
(The Daily Telegram)

NJ Race Fans Join NASCAR on Facebook to Salute our Heroes. NASCAR has always been a big supporter of our military, it's personnel, and their families. A race weekend does not go by without some inclusion of one or more of our country's military divisions participating, whether it is a presentation of colors, or the much loved fly over. As the Fourth of July approaches this week, NASCAR has dedicated it's Facebook page to honoring our heroes with the help of their fans.  New Jersey residents, especially race fans, have a long history involving the military as well. The Garden State has a military history that dates back to the Revolutionary War, and still has active bases within a short drive of most of our homes...
(NJ.com)

Army baker can tell you some gruesome stories. Retired Mansfield baker Jack Palmer has one good memory from his service in Italy during World War II.  He didn't eat Pauline. He didn't even know she was on the menu.  "Pauline was a good cat that wandered into our bakery in Livorno," Palmer said. "There weren't many cats around there (in wartime Italy). They were getting eaten."  Palmer, now 93, was an Army baker running a civilian bakery while on detached duty. He said Italian prisoners of war did the work, while he and other Army bakers ran the show. There were problems with mice and other pests. So when she showed up, Pauline was a welcome addition to the staff...
(Mansifeld News Journal)

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I’ve put together a shortlist of Twitter responses to the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down the Stolen Valor act.

@PaulRieckhoff
How's the old joke go? There were about 500 Navy SEALs in Vietnam, and I've met all 20,000 of them. #StolenValor

@mattspencedc
Hey everyone! I'm a medal of honor recipient! The Supreme Court says I can do this. Awesome. #stolenvalor

@mpoindc
Stolen Valor Act struck down. People have a First Amendment right to lie about military honors, to the delight of wedding crashers.

@LeoShane
From #StolenValor ruling: Faking a Medal of Honor isn't a crime, but those jerks should be ridiculed by newspapers

@laurenist
As a Navy SEAL, I approve. RT @JesseRodriguez: NBC: Supreme Court strikes down Stolen Valor Act

@USMC
Today, the Supreme Court ruled the Stolen Valor Act unconstitutional http://bddy.me/MEhzND  #Marines

@tonyquartararo
#SCOTUS says it's ok to pretend and masquerade as a #Veteran, lie about medals as "freedom of speech". #SCOTUS just stole #Valor from Vets

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Here’s a quick look at some of the military blogs added to Milblogging.com in June.

Shayla : Praying. Loving. Teaching., Shayla, United States, Coast Guard Wife that writes about the military, h...

Go David Strong, David Moore, Afghanistan, Hi! I'm David Moore and I am an American Soldier. ...

Switch, Lisa Nagorny and Dan Pick, United States, A career transition blog for veterans by veterans

Army Wife, Mommy Life, Alejandra, United States, My journey as a military wife and stay at home mom...

The Gunship Escorte, Mohd Ismail Bin Mohd Hashim, Malaysia, An ex-Royal Malaysian Air Force Warrant Officer II...

Enlisted Mom, Tamara Charles, United States, A voice for a female soldier who is also a mother

Books, Bombs and Brothers, Todd Uebele, Afghanistan, A self-styled author on his first deployment to Af...

Paving the Road Back, Rod Deaton, United States, I am a psychiatrist working at the VA Hospital in ...

Diamonds, Dog Tags & Diapers, Chelsea Hickey, United States, THE outlet for a Shopping Addict, Marine Corps Wif...

Military Wives Central, Ken Muise, United States, A blog developed around helping military spouses c...

The Best Defense, Tom Ricks, United States, Tom Ricks' daily take on National Security

Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans, Group blog, United States, Mixture of national news, vets' stories and inform...

The Firearm Blog, Group blog, United States, This blog is dedicated to all things firearm relat...

GearScout, United States, News and reviews on the latest gear

USMC OCS Blog, Group of Patriots, United States, Teaching future candidates about how to properly p...

AskTOP, CSM (ret) Mark Gerecht et al., United States, AskTOP is a blog that con­nects you to a net­wor...

The Marine Sentinel, Marine Sentinel, United States, Communicating with todays warfighters and their ex...

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Haley cleared of ethics charges, still faces questions over husband's Facebook post. South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley was cleared of ethics charges Friday for the second time in two months, though her family continues to deal with a separate controversy after her military husband took to Facebook to call state lawmakers "cowards." The House Ethics Committee on Friday cleared Haley of charges she illegally lobbied while a member of the House.  Haley's attorney Butch Bowers said the verdict ends the matter and shows Haley's conduct was appropriate. Haley issued a statement saying she is pleased with the results.  "The Ethics Committee did its job thoroughly, professionally and well," she said. "It's just a shame that our judicial and legislative bodies have had to waste so much of their time on phony political charges that never had any evidence behind them or any basis in fact."
(Fox News)

Air Force mulls smartphone gaming app for new recruits. The Air Force is considering rolling out a smartphone application to ease new recruits into military life, contracting databases show.  It’s casting the net for ideas for launching a mobile application for the Air Force Reserve Command’s development and training flight program. The initiative will help orient newly enlisted airmen and acquaint them with the Air Force’s rank structure and practices, documents indicate.  The mobile app is likely to include a gaming element for service members to interact with one another. The agency’s vision is “to obtain a smartphone application that allows all participating Reserve members the opportunity to engage in training and gaming activities with other members across AFRC,” reads the request for information. The Air Force is mulling over ways the app could connect airman, for instance by facilitating carpooling, the document indicates...
(NextGov)

Boris campaign chief gives Twitter generals lesson in psy-ops. While Twitter and Facebook were on everyone's lips, one military chief broke from the cover of anonymity granted by the conference's Chatham House rule to insist propaganda units were not permitted to work on civilians in their home countries - only those overseas.  General Edward Burnley, who completed a 2010 tour as head of the 2nd Psychological Operations Group of the US Army, said: "Social media is very controversial. Primarily forces use it more for public affairs. For US military forces it's a rule set down in law: we are not able to do influence or psychological operations activity that could possibly impact US citizens."  But experts warned the distinction had been lost in the twittersphere where information operations could not be confined to a "target audience".
(Computer Weekly)

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Jonn Lilyea and Mark Seavey, who run the military blog This Ain't Hell, were featured on MSNBC today.

While their blog covers a wide range of military topics, the pair have been the first to expose people with phony claims of military service and heroics for years.

One of the biggest stories so far that was broke online by This Ain't Hell is the story of "America's Got Talent" contestant Timothy Michael Poe, who told the television audience and judges earlier this month that he was injured in Afghanistan in 2009 by an RPG.

Here's an excerpt from the MSNBC story titled “Lying about your military service? These bloggers have you in their sights”:

“But almost as soon as the standing ovations Poe received had died away, his story began to fall apart. A lieutenant colonel for the Minnesota National Guard issued a statement saying that Poe’s records didn’t show he was injured by a grenade. His fellow service members began posting online that Poe left Afghanistan due to an ear infection, and that he’d broken his back in an earlier incident back in the United States. Some questioned his stutter, which disappeared completely when he spoke excitedly to “America’s Got Talent” host Nick Cannon after his performance, and pointed out that he was hardly new to singing, as he’d fronted a Minnesota band for years. And it was revealed that Poe had previously claimed medals he didn’t earn, and had provided the talent show with a photo of another soldier from the Department of Defense website when they asked for one of him.

Fans of the show may have been shocked, but Poe's discrepancies didn't faze Jonn Lilyea and Mark Seavey. The two men, both veterans, run the military blog This Ain’t Hell, and they’ve been on the phony soldier beat since 2008.”

You can read the full story here which goes into much more detail about the Poe story and discusses more about the military blog.

Congrats to Seavey and Lilyea for all their hard work.

You can find "This Ain't Hell" online at http://thisainthell.us

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Michael Haley’s Facebook post not a violation. First gentleman Michael Haley did not violate federal rules when he posted comments on Facebook comparing the deaths of three S.C. soldiers in Afghanistan with the state Senate’s failure to vote on one of his wife’s pet political proposals, the head of the S.C. National Guard said Tuesday.  Adjutant General Robert Livingston said he spoke Tuesday with Haley, a civilian technician with the Guard and a lieutenant with a medical corps unit, about why he wrote the post. After a review of rules about federal and Army personnel making political comments, Haley returned to work, Livingston said.  “I understand that he was expressing some frustration,” Livingston said, noting Haley had met disabled soldiers on the day he wrote the post. “He has the right to make these comments.”
(The State)

Meet Fort Stewart Patch Blogger Kaleh Sapp. Do you read the blogs on your local Patch? Blogging is fun, easy, free and open to everyone. This summer we are going to take some time to get to know our local bloggers. Today we are featuring Kaleh Sapp, whose blogs may be found on Fort Stewart Patch.  What are your ties to the Fort Stewart Patch? How did you become involved with blogging here?  I was looking for a job after moving to Fort Stewart in November 2010. I responded to an ad on Craigslist of all places looking for freelance writers. Shortly after, I spoke to my editor (Ryan Smith) on the phone, and he assigned me my first article. Working for Patch has been a great experience, because I’ve been able to learn a lot about the area, as well as build my experience and resume for future writing gigs. When my husband found out that he was going to be deployed, I asked Ryan if I could start a blog about it...
(Fort Stewart Patch)

Vet-targeted website to be turned over to feds. A California-based company accused of preying on veterans for their education benefits agreed Wednesday to pay $2.5 million to 20 states and turn over its website - GIBill.com - to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.  The consumer protection settlement between the states and QuinStreet Inc. was filed Wednesday in a Frankfort, Ky., court.  "The actions were unconscionable and purposefully drove veterans to for-profit colleges who were perhaps more interested in getting their hands on the federal benefits than in educating our soldiers and their families," said Kentucky Attorney General Jack Conway in announcing the settlement...
(KFVS)

Scarborough man saving stories of World War II vets. Just in time for Independence Day, the experiences of two Scarborough veterans who fought to preserve democracy during World War II have been preserved in the Library of Congress.  Mark Dyer, a 35-year Central Maine Power lineman and troubleshooter, completed the first round of 25 interviews between 2003 and 2007 in cooperation with one of the subjects, Kenneth Dolloff, now 92, who went ashore at Omaha Beach on D-Day.  Dolloff was then an active member of Libby-Mitchell American Legion Post 76, and through that association learned of the Veterans’ History Project, launched by the Library of Congress in 2000 to preserve oral histories and other artifacts from those who fought on the front lines in the nation’s various wars...
(Keep Me Current)

Rascal Flatts Contest Earns Military Wife Opening Performance Spot at Va. Show. A military wife and mother, who is also an aspiring country singer, earned the opportunity to sing at Rascal Flatts' concert last Sunday (June 24) at the Farm Bureau in Virgina Beach, Va. FOX News reports that Kimberly Morlino, 28, of Virginia Beach, was the Grand Prize winner in the nationwide Flatts Fest Karaoke Challenge.  Her soulful karaoke performance of the pop-country hit "Black Velvet" nabbed nearly 15 percent of the more than 35,000 votes cast via Facebook, giving Kimberly the chance to perform for the crowd just before the trio took the stage last weekend. (Watch her karaoke video below, followed by her performance at the Flatts' show.)  In a statement announcing her win, Kimberly credited Rascal Flatts with helping ease the difficulty of spending time apart from her husband, who is currently serving with the U.S. military...
(The Boot)

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According to DefenseNews the U.S. military is launching a website that mirrors Reddit called “Eureka”.  

Because it’ll be a restricted site as part of its milSuite, access will be very limited and likely so will participation.

Via DefenseNews:

If all goes according to plan, the U.S. military will soon have its own analog of Reddit, the popular social site where user votes push the best content and ideas to the top for all to see.

Called Eureka, the project is slated to go up in mid-July, joining a collection of other Defense Department-only Web tools that mirror popular social media sites such as Wikipedia and YouTube. Eureka will be a part of the Facebook analog known as milBook, though the site has been designed to feel independent.

The idea is to host discussions that lead to revolutionary solutions; for example, improved training, better ways to secure mobile devices, or any other problems that plague the military and hamper efficiency.

Over at Wired, Robert Beckhusen had this to say about the Reddit knockoff:

For years, the military has struggled over what to do about social media. One response has been to create dull, Pentagon-controlled versions of popular websites Facebook and YouTube. Now the Pentagon is preparing to launch its own version of Reddit, in another small step in the military’s quest to strip the fun out of everything on the internet.

Personally, I’m a huge fun of Reddit myself.

So if Eureka achieves even a fraction of the success that Reddit enjoys, I’m willing to bet that Eureka may become one of the more popular offerings of milSuite.

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