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 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! November 19, 2005 Kevin Sites in FallujahBy GreyhawkOne year after the battle (and his own notorious part therein) Kevin Sites is back in Fallujah, where he recently interviewed U.S. Marine Col. David Berger, commander of the 8th Regimental Combat Team there: A year ago, U.S. Marines were storming Fallujah in a fierce bid to wrestle the Iraqi city from insurgent control.Many of his posts include video. Don't miss his look at Fallujah "then and now". He's doing a great job conveying the cost of freedom too. Here he tells the story of Pvt. Carl Gaskin of Knoxville, Tennessee: "I joined the Marines after seeing the Nick Berg execution," Gaskin says of the 26-year-old U.S. contractor who was beheaded in Iraq in 2004. "I saw it on the Internet and it just infuriated me. I thought the least I can do is give four years of my life."When the shooting stopped last year the media abandoned Fallujah. It's great to see Sites return for the rest of the story. It can't be easy - he got a bad rap last year, but most of it was due to media interpretation of what he reported, not his actual report. (My initial response here and here and a more recent followup here). But with Michael Yon currently in the States, Sites is consistently producing the best reporting you'll find from the "Hot Zone". Posted by Greyhawk / November 19, 2005 5:31 PM | Permalink 1 TrackBackWhat we have here is mission creep. The original goal was to overthrow Saddam and install a new government. OK, I can see adding the task of protecting Shi'a in a civil war, but daggone, they will never be free until they defend themselves. Read More 14 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 |
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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 |
Kevin Sites is a damn good man, and everything a war reporter should be. He's not a shill for either side, but he does give a damn about real soldiers and civilians. Check out the dudes resume sometime, he's been to practically every hotspot on the globe, from Iraq to the Balkans to the Tsunami, to the worst parts of Africa. Brave man, in a lot of ways.
Damn good at what Mark? Doing his "duty" as he sees fit? And who determines what duty that is? What duty does the media have? Where are their rules written? Who governs them? Do they have something equal to a AMA Board? Like doctors? Any other "profession"? Uh, no. They answer only to themselves and I persoanlly think Sites idea of "duty" sucks. Their "journalistic ethics" change with the wind and they should really print a memo every week to let the rest of us in on it for that week.
Yeah, read the dispatch where he was feeling sorry for himself for watching an old man die? After he made the point of making sure we knew that a young Marine wouldn't put the man out of his misery and instead let him bleed out? Gotta' make sure we understand the callousness of war and all that don't you know. Oh the humanity! At least he didn't name this Marine this time. Couldn't even put his damn camera away to end suffering. I'm sold. The man is a god and humanitarian first class.
OK, you sing his praises. The Marines will watch their six if that's alright with you. Pardon me if I don't give a rat's a** about him. I do still have that right don't I or is that not allowed either? I am so relieved he's not a shill for either side. That might put his "duty" to himself at risk now wouldn't it?
Why don't you check with the parents of the young Marine his "duty" required him to throw under the bus. I'm sure they'll back you 100% in your assertion of what constitutes a damn good man. Funny how that works.
I know, I know. I'm being unfair to a man that has saved Marines and grabbed a handle on a stretcher. He and Murtha have that in common, one moment of decision cost them both a lifetime of trust!
But have no fear Mark, there is a silver lining. Marines being Marines they will not have any problem with Sites. He will be well protected and taken care of. Marines will give their lives to see to it. But they will never, ever trust him. He will be given everything those men have to offer with no qualms or hesitation. Period.
Now if he moves north a bit, south a few clicks, or heads out west he'll be right back with the same group that did fight down those streets of Fallujah. He's in the middle of some right now. They too will give him the same gracious treatment and will trust him even less. Yeah I know, I'm such a cynic! My world is so black and white and Kevin is Da Man. How could I not possibly savor his Pulitzer moment and get on bended knee.
Oh well, I'm trying to live more in the gray! heh!
THE BEST COMMENT YET:
"The war in Iraq is not going as advertised. It's a flawed policy wrapped in illusion. The American public is way ahead of the members of Congress," said Rep. John Murtha of Pennsylvania as he called for an immediate U.S. withdrawal from that country.
"The United States and coalition troops have done all they can in Iraq. But it's time for a change in direction," Murtha said. "Our military is suffering. The future of our country is at risk. We cannot continue on the present course. It is evident that continued military action in Iraq is not in the best interest of the United States of America, the Iraqi people or the Persian Gulf region."
- Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa.
True to form, the Republicans responded by attacking his patriotism. They should have remembered that Mr. Murtha is a twice-decorated marine. Keep digging that hole, wingnuts.
No one is questioning Colonel Murtha's patriotism ... they are questioning CongressmanMurtha's judgment.
We reserve questions of patriotism for the likes of you, who have no problem making our enemies bolder to further your partisan political and Utopian ideological aims, at the expense of the troops who are fighting both a legitimate and an inevitable war.
Keep riding those polls ... hope you got your G-suit on nice and tight.
I can't bring myself to read anything of Kevin's reporting since the Marine incident. Guess I hold a grudge and can't let go, but I thought what he did was to promote himself at the expense of that Marine and to me that is unforgivable.
Hey Rich, are you perhaps related to Baghdad Bob? Maybe you could explain why 56% of veterans think your Idiot Liar in Chief is screwing up in Iraq vs. 41% who think he's doing a good job. Damn commies. They're everywhere.
p.s.: If the Iraq War was "legitimate," then why did your Fake President feel the need to lie his way into it?
Wilson ... what lies?
I already showed you how my President was good to his word ... check the last half-dozen comments or so.
The WMD stockpiles were a judgment call ... and unfortunately, do-nothings like you don't understand the need for judgment calls.
Slowly but surely, the truth comes about about Fallujah.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/11/20/nphos20.xml
Again, I'm agnostic about the use of white phosphorous in battle. I don't know enough one way or the other to comment on whether or not it should be used. What I do know is that it WAS used as a weapon; that civilians were affected; and that the United States lied about its use just as it has lied about the rest of the Iraq War.
I guess I shouldn't be surprised about the lying, given the nature of the Liar in Chief who dragged us into Iraq with a pack of lies to begin with. And I can predict the response from Baghdad Rich, who will click his heels, give a stiff-armed salute and shout "Jawohl!" to any lie his Fuhrer should blurt out.
Sad, really.
Hello M/M Greyhawk and all Mil Bloggers....will you help? My name is Scott Hennen, a radio talk show host/blogger in the Midwest. I have started an on-line petition seeking support for the President and our troops. It's called Stop The Madness, because I am fed up with the "war" of words over the Iraq war. Info and link to sign up options are here:
http://www.areavoices.com/hottalk/?blog=854
It's also been linked by Sean Hannity at www.Hannity.com and the PowerlineBlog at:
http://powerlineblog.com/archives/012321.php
Soon, Cliff May will plug it at NRO's Corner.
It would mean so very much to have the readers of the Mil Blogs join in this effort. I can't take it anymore and had to do something. It started Thursday and we're already over 10,000 signatures....Please join in. Thanks!
While the debate about what lies or misjudgments brought us to this point, the bottom line is we can't abandon those trying to make Iraq better now that we've started that process. Neither a question of the war hero's patriotism or the Congressman's judgment, it's more the fact that America has inspired people to action before and left before things stabilized. Those people died for it in Cuba, Vietnam, and Somalia.... We made a pledge to help in Iraq and now our obligation is to see it through. Let history and the key-board-bored battle for the past. The future needs to be helping the Iraqi military, police, and leaders secure peace and a better tomorrow for their sons and daughters.
Zarqawi may be dead again, but the bigger question is how do we stop the next Zarqawi from enlisting more suicide bombers? Probably not by leaving before the Iraqis can deal with the security issues. Looking at the IRA recently, it’s probably through some security and prosperity.
Whether or not he's caught, Zarqawi's presence in Iraq, along with a group calling itself al-Qaeda in Iraq, proves that there IS a tie between Iraq and the GWT.
http://punditsmyass.blogspot.com/2005/11/zarqawi-why-were-still-in-iraq.html
Anyone else you want to add to your purge, Williesnout?
Let me add something to distract the Jawohl! crowd here. Here's some news: In spite of your Fake President having invoked WW2 imagery, this is not that kind of war. Unlike Uncle Adolf, the al-Qaeda terrorists have no stated aim, nor even the remote capability, to conquer the West. Nor does the West want to conquer the Arab world; even the neocons are after oil and a bit of Lebensraum for Israel as opposed to a far-reaching suzerainty.
Now, this means that I reject the high-blown rhetoric of spreading democracy throughout the Middle East. It's political hyperbole, a joke on the American public and the soldiers in the field. No one with two brains to rub together ever took it seriously.
The Bush administration cares about Iraq for two reasons. First is that, just before the war started, they tried to price their oil in Euros rather than dollars. This is extremely threatening to the structure of U.S. economic dominance. Since the Iraq War started, Venezuela has priced its oil in Euros and is now on the American shitlist. Iran has also set up a Euro market for its oil, and suddenly we hear rumblings about a nuclear war.
Secondly, the Israelis are desperately seeking a long-term solution to their predicament. They've awakened to the reality that they cannot hold onto Gaza and the West Bank because it would mean an Arab voting majority within two generations. So they've opted to shrink the country back to the 1948 borders to buy more time, and in the long run they want Israel to become another Lebanon as Lebanon was before the civil war there.
Part of Israel's goal requires that Syria be brough to heel, and it requires that Israel play a central role in the oil business. They're trying to make themselves indispensable. Apparently none of you has noticed that Israel will be pipelining Iraqi oil to new refineries it intends to build. From Israel's viewpoint, the Iranians are a bigger danger than Saddam ever was; they were hoping that a successful U.S. occupation of Iraq would intimiate Iran.
What went wrong is that the U.S. totally failed at the political side of this. It was never a "total war" in WW2 style. It was always a counter-insurgency, i.e., a political operation. The 9/11 attack was modern-day piracy, not a modern-day Pearl Harbor. The answer was never to devastate Iraq the way we devastated Japan and Germany. It was never that sort of war, but apparently the planners in the Bush administration were too stupid to realize it.
Wingnuts, you don't know it but regardless of what happens on the ground the United States has already lost the Iraq War. We lost it the day that your boys Cheney and Rumsfeld ordered the torture of civilians at Abu Ghraib. Do you know that, as I write, there is an organization of 40,000+ people in Iraq who do nothing but research and (try to) publicize the torture committed by American troops?
Memories are infamously long in that part of the world. We will harvest this bitter crop for generations, maybe even centuries. You don't know it, children, and even if you did know it you'd never admit it. The war is over, and the U.S. lost. And your people are responsible for it. Specifically, the Fake President, the VP of Torture, the Idiot Secretary and the Military Yes-Men. They have failed, and now they're taking the rest of the country down with them.