 |  |
 
October 2012
August 2012 July 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005 April 2005 March 2005 February 2005 January 2005 December 2004 November 2004 October 2004 September 2004 August 2004 July 2004 June 2004 May 2004 April 2004 March 2004 February 2004 January 2004 December 2003 November 2003 October 2003 September 2003 August 2003 July 2003 June 2003 May 2003 April 2003 March 2003 February 2003 January 2003
     |
 Greetings! You are reading an article from The Mudville Gazette. To reach the front page, with all the latest news and views, click the logo above or "main" below. Thanks for stopping by! March 17, 2005 At Home and AwayBy GreyhawkGlenn Reynolds has your must-read post of the day. In fact I'm tempted to call it your blog from Iraq of the day too. Check it out, it looks like one that will be updated frequently. Stop by here later as I'll update this post too. Update: Note the reference at the link to emails home, etc. That point grabbed me. For several months while I was in Iraq I felt I had a second mission - not to be over dramatic but nearly as important as my official one (though my priorities were always straight). That second-level effort was to counter the doom and gloom reporting that was being sent out from the various hotel rooms in Baghdad for re-writes on international desks in newsrooms in London, Melbourne, New York, Washington, LA, and points between. Stop and think about that for a minute. The troops at the front had to counter the negative (and non-factual) reporting of America's media. Don't just read these words - really, think about the ramifications. America's media had let it's readers/viewers down. By design or by incompetence there was never anything in major media to indicate that Iraq's elections would be anything other than a dismal, bloody, and catastrophic failure. Overall they were guilty of incredible ignorance or unpardonable crimes. Go read this. This. This. And this. You might have some idea why I believed the Iraqi elections would be every bit as successful as they were. Then try these posts - one per day for the week prior to the Iraqi elections. If you read them when they originally went up, try reading them now with the benefit of hindsight, and see what you think. I wasn't the only voice, of course, but I'm proud Mudvile became a place for others to sound off too. While I was still in Iraq I posted a story about action involving John Lucas' son. In no time flat Mr Lucas had emailed clarification and additional details he'd heard from his son. (Note this is the same John Lucas mentioned in Glenn's post) Most of the last year's msm stories of Iraq should be acknowledged as the finest examples of journalistic malpractice in history. But now all the vets of Operation Iraqi Freedom II are coming home. Home to tell the truth about their war. Home to counter the garbage that's been trumpeted by those back here claiming to speak for them for all these months. A great example is this response from a Vermont guardsman to the headline grabbing stunt pulled by the left in that state. Likely the main stories of returning vets you'll see from that same msm now will be of GIs coming home and killing their wives. Guys who's wounds have left them struggling. Guys who can't adjust, guys who wake up screaming... Some will even be true. But it will be increasingly difficult not to tell America the full truth when their sons and daughters, husbands wives and neighbors come marching home. Posted by Greyhawk / March 17, 2005 5:56 PM | Permalink 7 TrackBacksThe Mudville Gazette has an interesting post about how email may be damaging the credibility of the MSM, (such as w/Iraq, etc..) (by way of Instapundit)... Read More Mudville GazetteStop and think about that for a minute. The troops at the front had to counter the negative (and non-factual) reporting of America's media. Don't just read these words - really, think about the ramifications. America's media had let... Read More It wasn't the purpose of the Vietnam War that caused the withdrawl of American troops...it was the reality of the costs. It was the media that "pressed" the end of our military involvment in Vietnam. Graphic pictures of the devastation create... Read More You know, I'm not at a point where I'm willing to cut conventional reporters and media a break. They 'knew' what the story was - that Iraq was a dismal failure - and by heaven they weren't going to report... Read More
Instapundit has an excellent post up showing how many in the military, and many of their friends and family, have viewed the press over the last two years. Grayhawk... Read MoreGreyhawk at Mudville Gazette makes a great point about the media and the war in Iraq: Read More Well, I may be a day or two late here, but on the two year anniversary of the war for liberation of Iraq, it is good to use that perspective to reflect on some of the consequences of our intervention. Charles Krauthammer has a great column in the Wash... Read More 22 Comments |
November 26, 2010America@war [Greyhawk]
I think anyone who's ever pondered the "comment" option - once only available on blogs and bulletin boards, now ubiquitous on almost any web site - will appreciate this:
The so-called faculty of writing is not so much a faculty of writing as it is a faculty of thinking. When a man says, "I have an idea but I can't express it"; that man hasn't an idea but merely a vague feeling. If a man has a feeling of that kind, and will sit down for a half an hour and persistently try to put into writing what he feels, the probabilities are at least 90 percent that he will either be able to record it, or else realize that he has no idea at all. In either case, he will do himself a benefit. That's wisdom from the past, captured for posterity at the US Naval Institute, shared via the web on the institute's 137th anniversary. From their about page:
"The Naval Institute has three core activities," among them, History and Preservation: The Naval Institute also has recently introduced Americans at War, a living history of Americans at war in their own words and from their own experiences. These 90-second vignettes convey powerful stories of inspiration, pride, and patriotism. Take a look at the collection, and you'll see it's not limited to accounts from those who served on ships at sea, members of the other branches are well-represented. I'm fortunate to have met USNI's Mary Ripley, she's responsible for the institute's oral history program (and she's the daughter of the late John Ripley, whose story is told here). She also deserves much credit for their blog. ("We're not the Navy nor any government agency. Blog and comment freely.") We met at a milblog conference - Mary knew (and I would come to realize) that milbloggers are the 21st-century version of exactly what the US Naval Institute is all about. Once that light bulb came on in my head, I mentioned a vague idea for a project to her - milblogs as the 21st century oral history that they are. "Put that in writing," she said (of course - see first paragraph above!) - and here's part of the result. Shortly after the first tent was pitched by the American military in Iraq a wire was connected to a computer therein, and the internet was available to a generation of Americans at war - many of whom had grown up online. From that point on, at any given moment, somewhere in Iraq a Soldier, Sailor, Airman or Marine was at a keyboard sharing the events of his or her day with the folks back home. While most would simply fire off an email, others took advantage of the (then) relatively new online blogging platforms to post their thoughts and experiences for the entire world to see. The milblog was born - and from that moment to this stories detailing everything from the most mundane aspects of camp life to intense combat action (often described within hours of the event) have been available on the web... And et cetera - but since you're reading this on a milblog, you probably knew that. And you know that milblogs aren't just blogs written by troops at war, that many friends, family members, and supporters likewise documented their story of America at war online in near-real time, as those stories developed. The diversity in membership of that group is broad, the one thing we all have in common is the impulse to make sense of the seemingly senseless, and communicate the tale - for each of us that impulse was strong enough to overcome whatever barriers prevent the vast majority of people from doing the same. Everyone at some point has some vague idea they believe should be shared - we were the people who, from some combination of internal and external urging, found and spent those many half hours persistently trying to write it down. But where will all that be in another 137 years? Or five or ten, for that matter. That's something I've asked myself since at least 2004 - when I wrote this:
Membership in the ghost battalion has grown in the years since, and an ever growing majority of those abandoned-but-still-standing sites are vanishing. Have you checked out Lt Smash's site lately? How about Sgt Hook's? If you're a long-time milblog reader you know the first widely-read milblog from Operation Iraq Freedom and the first widely-read milblog from Afghanistan are both gone from the web. If you're a relative newcomer to this world you may never even have heard of them - or the dozens upon dozens of others who carried forth the standard they set down. If you have a vague notion that something should be done about that, (a notion I've heard expressed more than once...) then you and I and the good folks at the US Naval Institute are in agreement. Preserving the history documented by the milbloggers is just one of the goals of the milblog project, the once-vague idea that we're now making real. And it's a big idea, if I say so myself - too big to explain in one simple blog post, so stand by for more. Likewise, it's too big a task to be accomplished by just one person. So if you're a milblogger (and exactly what is a milblogger? is a topic for much further discussion on its own) I'm asking for your help. All I'll really need is just a little bit (maybe just one or two of those half hours...) of your time, and your willingness to tell the tale. We've already made history, it's time to save it. (More to follow...) Posted 4:02 PM | Permalink |
Comments (0) |
|
The Mudville Gazette is the on-line voice of an American warrior and his wife who stands by him. They prefer to see peaceful change render force of arms unnecessary. Until that day they stand fast with those who struggle for freedom, strike for reason, and pray for a better tomorrow.
 
 
 Furthermore, I will occasionally use satire or parody herein. The bottom line: it's my house. I like having visitors to my house. I hope you are entertained. I fight for your right to free speech, and am thrilled when you exercise said rights here. Comments and e-mails are welcome, but all such communication is to be assumed to be 1)the original work of any who initiate said communication and 2)the property of the Mudville Gazette, with free use granted thereto for publication in electronic or written form. If you do NOT wish to have your message posted, write "CONFIDENTIAL" in the subject line of your email. Original content copyright © 2003 - 2011 by Greyhawk. Fair, not-for-profit use of said material by others is encouraged, as long as acknowledgement and credit is given, to include the url of the original source post. Other arrangements can be made as needed. Contact: greyhawk at mudvillegazette dot com  Tending Distant Far from hearth and home, watching What tales we'll tell When things grim Some distant sunset, vision fading Saluting fallen friends whose names - Greyhawk, Baghdad, December 2004 |
Thanks for refreshing our memories. Those "archive" articles were great. You are still doing a great job.
Grayhawk -
God Bless and keep you. you - with your comrades - are part of a new "Greatest Generation" of this new century. selfless, dedicated, proud yet humble, you - with your comrades - show the best and the brightest this country has to offer.
how embarrassing for the selfish, self-aggrandizing cry-baby candy asses that are the Baby Boom generation.
Boarwild,
Greyhawk? Humble? This guy is one of the most shameless self-promoters going.
Sorry, but "sticking it out till 20" doesn't automatically make one qualify for "greatest generation" status. Maybe I just see it that way because I'm not a wannabe sycophant that desperately needs to live vicariously through "our brave troops." Been there, done that, got the T-shirt and I'm still liable to be recalled for more duty.
The thing that torques me is that at the 20 year mark of military service, an individual, if they are worth anything to the organization, generally is placed in a position of great responsibility. It amazes me that at with his length of service that "Greyhawk" finds the time to devote to his blog. Sorry, but the Field Grade officers, CW4s and 5s and Senior NCOs I served with had a lot on their plate with professional development, work responsibilities and family. To keep up this "project" going, something obviously has to give. I pray that it is not the time, energy and unity of purpose in leading those that follow you.
Greatest generation my ass!
What makes a baby boomer a candy ass is his parents.
IRR,
Some of us can walk and chew gum at the same time, IRR. Some of us can be effective at work, at home and have hobbies. Don't hate on those who have gifts that you don't. I'm sure that God has given you some other gift. It's up to you to find it, instead of wasting your time being envious of others.
And it is envy, isn't it? You don't have to be honest with Greyhawk's reading public, but at least be honest with yourself.
Wow Juliette - great sentiments.
Juliette,
"walk and chew gum at the same time" - That's Cute.
Call me all the names you want, but you have no idea what you are talking about or what the workday is like for most persons with 20 years of active military service that are worth any value.Talk to any Brigade XO, Battalion Commander, Operations SGM, First Sergeant or non aviation warrant officer and you will find damn few that have time to "sharpen their ax", keep their subordinates trained, equipped and alive while maintaining a right-wing blog. Basically, your pithy and sarcastic comments are an insult to many currrently and formerly serving that gave every measure to their unit, faith and family - the very population you allege to "support." To make light of their responsibilities in coming to the defense of a servicemeber whose blogging probably takes away from his work performance and professional development.
You know what they say...the most sucessful men have a damn good women behind them and supporting them.
Way to go MR.and......Mrs.G.
IRR,
How much time do you spend READING blogs to the possible detriment of service to our Country?
IR Reservist bravely(?) taunts baldilocks with:
Call me all the names you want, but you have no idea what you are talking about or what the workday is like for most persons with 20 years of active military service that are worth any value.
Yep. Baldilocks has absolutely no idea what serving 20 or so years in the military is like. You are so knowledgeable about your debating opponents, it's absolutely amazing.
Ross: Actually, I get the feeling that no matter how much time IR spends reading blogs, certain details escape him. Though I must admit some people don't put huge essays on their life experiences in a section marked "Hey! IR must read this before insulting me!" or anything. It's so unfair... ;)
Greyhawk,
Keep up the good work. It's critical that the Ameerican people hear these alternative view that the MSM are not reporting.
This thread is in several essays at:
Link Here
This also key to assist the Iranian people to effect a regime change and implode the ruling Mad Mullahs of Iran:
RAN - WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY FOR REGIME CHANGE
Greyhawk,
Thanks for all your effort to work through your archives to contrast the quality of soldier vs. media reportage.
Mrs. G. posted a mention of the just-released IRI Iraq poll. I think this poll illustrates exactly the media problem you are addressing (the poll results are now published, so I 've accessed the detailed graphics). I found the contrast to the ABC-WaPo poll to be startling to say the least "Majority of Iraqis Are Optimistic- Majority of Americans Pessimistic":
Note also that Cori Dauber wrote a thorough trashing of today's NYT "restaurant story", where they struggle to completely invert the story told be the Iraq poll - one of her best pieces IMO:
The blogosphere did good work today, thank you.
Shame you didn't serve under me IRR. I'd love to have you at Captain's Mast. It's obvious you need the reprimand and denunciation for your behavior. But alas, you're so full of yourself you'd probably wear it as a badge of honor. Unfortunately for you there is absolutely nothing honorable about you. Your drivel at B5's and now at Mudville gives you away as a pantywaist first class. You are not even credible enough now to be annoying. IRR simply stands for IRRelevant! Heh! Try looking up my record since you are a master investigator in your own mind! Some lessons are learned the hard way by hardheaded folks and some folks are simply too dense to learn. I put you in the latter category.
So far I believe you've tried, quite unsuccessfully, to attack people that have more credibility in their little finger then you do in your entire being. Makes you a little man there hoss. Baldilocks is spot on with her comments on that envy thing you got goin' on. I believe they make medications for that disorder now. You might give it a whirl. You're obviously already maimed from the neck up. Might as well try and fix the rest! And now you've become so irrelevant as to be ignored. Enjoy! ;-)
Well said Hawk. I get allot of the same stories from the Jarheads that have already come home. The biggest thing that draws amazement is the way the news is presented. Took some getting used to and for some they never could. Most of the Grunts I know seek the internet for their news updates and have already given up on the MSM as a whole. They still read some of the guys and ladies that were embedded with them but rarely anyone else. In a way it is sad, the death of an era and all that, but at the same time it speaks volumes about the credibility of sites like yours and the other milbloggers. The guys are entering work-up and have a list of sites they'll take with them on their return. Maybe we'll see more milblogs as well when they get back in-country. This will be the third trip for most, some going on four. It's funny to me how these guys don't have mikes stuck in their faces by rabid news hounds as in previous times! ;-)
Keep on truckin' Papa Hawk. You and the lovely Mrs. G are truly pioneers of the positive kind and your work is greatly appreciated!
In matters of principle, stand like a rock! --Thomas Jefferson
IRR
Go back to the du. Spew your troll blather here no longer! Go take on the Rott(nicedoggie.net) if you are so smart. Leave these good people alone. NOW!
JarheadDad, You got this boy figured out bout right! I'll bet he'd of had a boot up the backside had he worked for you!
IRR,
I am in Iraq right now as a Company Commander and I have time to keep a blog. This is how I relax at the end of the day. I work my butt off taking care of the troops and the mission. But at the end of the day, I need to wind down or I will never get any sleep.
How dare you accuse someone of dereliction of duty when you do not know the facts.
IRR soldier,
I don't normally resort to name calling, it's not my style, but you're an Idiot. You're not fooling anyone.
BTW, two people run this blog.
"That's all I have to say about that"
IRR
20-year+ Field Graders, CW4s and 5s and SNCOs are the product of two decades of trial-by-fire, and a vetting process the likes of which you're apparently trying hard to avoid. Our main responsibility, in my opinion, is one I'll simplify to "care and feeding of junior troops." Since obviously few have taken the time to discharge this duty with you, I'll spend a minute of my precious time (my secret: I don't watch television) on your behalf.
First though I must correct a false impression you may have left with a number of readers. Military people actually have spare time - in fact it's crucial to sanity, and though you might prefer readers to think otherwise I will assure them that the service life is actually not 24/7 drudgery, and there's ample time to spend at self development, hobbies, and other pursuits. These are in fact encouraged by the powers-that-be. In many regards there's even more available time when we're deployed - those many days when the worst enemy we face is boredom.
But back to you. An important thing for you to remember as you while away the hours surfing the web and reading about the thoughts and accomplishments of so many others in the big wide world - do not embarrass yourself or your profession. Take it from me, you're doing so here. But hurling insults in comment threads of blogs is one thing - violating comsec/opsec is another. I honestly meant to send you a private and friendly email when I read some of your earlier comments on Blackfive's blog, but before I could do it you had actually used AKO to access personal information on an E4 and posted it on a blog run by someone you admittedly don't know and who's legitimacy you question. That you can access AKO indicates you are indeed a soldier; that you would pull personal information about a fellow soldier - most likely a junior troop - and post it on a web log indicates you lack the judgment and discretion necessary to keep the title. (I'm being kind. There are other interpretations of your actions.)
I'm not playing silly online games here IRR. You're in a hole. Stop digging.
I wanted to sleep on this post before commenting on the importance of the communications that are now available.
It's pretty common knowledge that my generation's war in Southeat Asia was lost at home rather than in the field.
I wonder how many Vietnamese would have died in the reeducation camps and at sea, trying to escape had we been able to tell the stories of what was going on. I wonder how many of those Cambodians killed in Pol Pot's camps would have lived.
If we'd had Blogs and E-mail would the sacrifice of some 58,000, mostly volunteer, members of Boarwild's candy ass generation been for nothing?
If we'd had Blogs and E-mail would we have been able to counter the lies? Could we have undone some of the insane restrictions we worked under?
If we had the same ability to complain about the shortcomings of our equipment would so many men have burned to death because of the insanity of gasoline engines, rather than diesel, in the APCs?
Would the Tet Offensive in '68 be known for what it really was, a defeat of the VC and NVA on a scale of Hitler's defeat in the Battle of the Bulge?
These are the questions I slept on. I awoke with no answers.
Peter
The cause was noble and right! The sacrifice was not in vain.The micro-management from D.C. is what lost that war. Our military was up to the task! Those that would lead in the future learned from the mistakes made then. Look at how awesome our military and the people in it are. They have the same dedication as those in Vietnam,but they are better equipped, better trained and most of all, better led. What if those lessons were just being learned now? We are stronger in this war on terrorism because of those lessons.
As far as the rest goes, NEVER AGAIN will the msm be able to spoon feed the public and now the everyday G.I. Joe and Jane have a voice. Their own!
Am I in a "hole" Greyhawk?
That "troop" you are defending was an E-4 that publicly misrepresnted himself as an NCO. In committing this misrepresentation he 1) utilized a government issued e-mail account (that was clearly visible to all readers on that site); 2) his e-mail account@us.army.mil plainly stated his name - for all to see.
I called him out as a fraud and sure enough - he was one. This bolstered my consistent and principled point that the service records and experiences claimed by many "blog warriors" differ markedly from reality.
You accuse me of violating opsec? Spare me. Both his name and e-mail address were visible in the comment section of Blackfive.net. I deleted his phone number and personal address. I left his rank and unit of assignment as verification that he was, indeed, a fraud. Would anyone have believed me otherwise? Remember, the mysterious Blackfive isn't in the IRR so I needed to post my "smoking gun." You are so quick to defend a complete poser that tried to paint me as a callow, inexperienced officer that doesn't know what I'm talking about. I do, whether you care to entertain that notion or not.
If I wanted to be especially vindicative, which I am not, I could have easily gotten and posted the offending fraud's personal home phone number and home address. Sorry, I won't do that. A soldier's name, rank and unit are fair game - especially when publicly claiming to be something he's not.
What's that old saying about "never walking by a correction..." Oh yeah, you're too busy blogging away to be bothered with a fraud claiming to be an NCO when he's not. You're doing a pretty great job of embarrising YOUR profession by 1) defending a turd that lies about his rank to get more "respect" on a mil-blog and uses his AKO address to do it; and 2) you chastize me for uncovering this hoax after I was not-so-politely told to "shut the %$#@ up" by a fake-NCO.
Another thing...
Yes, that 98% ACC selection rate to Captain and 93% rate to Major sure are some arduous vetting processes...
... So is the new, automatic SGT stripes after 48 months TIS. You know that this effectively grants anyone that stays a 20 year career now that the RCP for E-5 is 20 years.
IRR, you've gone from posting private information you downloaded from secure Army web sites to calling an Army E4 a "turd" and making false claims about him (I actually read the comments you're referencing, and your "quotes" are fabricated.) The implications of your final statement are even more indicative of 'conduct unbecoming'.
Young lady, you are in a public forum, and I will second that fine advice you got from Greyhawk: you're in a hole, stop digging.
And add this:
Yes, we know people like you are out there, no one is shocked or surprised, but your public display is still embarrassing. When everyone tells you you're drunk it's time to sit quietly down.