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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! May 25, 2009 OBAMA Speech Addressing Nation on Monday 2/9/09 - Did I hear the question I thought I heard Ed Henry CNN ask?By Mrs GreyhawkFrom February, 2009... Guest post from Gold Star father, Robert Stokely: Tonight, as I watched President Obama's speech on his plan for the stimulus, I could not believe some of the lame (nice way of saying stupid) questions he was asked out of context for the message he was delivering.
Obama Reviewing Ban On Photos Of Military Coffins -- [AP] Gates Orders Review of Policy on Soldiers’ Coffins -- [NY Times] God, I hate the media. - [Chuck Z - From my Position] Has The Time Come To See The Fallen? -- [Wolf - BlackFive] Dear President Obama -- [Carrie - Villianous Co.] Tug of War -- [Cassandra - Villianous Co.] Propaganda, Agendas, And The Sanctity Of Dover -- [Old Blue - Bill and Bob's Afghan Adventure] A must read from Robert Stokely -- [Greta - Hooah Wife] Public or Private: A Policy Under Review -- [Andi - Spousebuzz] Another Must Read -- [Tammi's World] UPDATE II: 2009-02-10 07:55:28 Posted by Mrs Greyhawk / May 25, 2009 3:27 PM | Permalink 4 TrackBacksLot of people upset about people in the press reopening the “can we photograph dead bodies now please” can of worms. Blackfive reports. Mudville doesn’t like it, with roundups of milblog buzz and a well-written argument from Robert ... Read More Gates orders review of ban of photos of coffins. Then check out the post and comment at The Mudville Gazette from people who actually have a clue. Of course, the best link is to the fabulous Chuck Z who sums it up with the comment "First, any American... Read More The Sunday New York Times editorial courageously demands the right for their reporters to get pictures of flag-drapped caskets of U.S. Service members arriving at Dover Air Force Base:At a news conference last week, President Obama promised to review t... Read More Guest post from Gold Star Father, Robert Stokely: Met with Under Secretary of Defense, Arthur J. Myers, for 30 minutes today. Good meeting regarding the Dover Policy, but we need to keep the letters going to Secretary of Defense asking that the policy ... Read More 13 CommentsLeave a comment |
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 |
Robert, Thank you ever so much for your sacrifice as well I know that you son Mike and my son Jason are smiling on you today. I sure hope and pray that BHO has the common sense to not pass anything like this. as you see I am a Gold Star Parent also.
God Bless you
Michelle Arnette Bryant
Proud Mom SSG Jason R Arnette
KIA Baghdad April 1 2007
2BCT 10th MTN 2/14 C CO FT DRUM, NY
Michelle:
Small world - my son's unit replaced a unit of the 10th Mountain at Yusufiyah and he was killed 10 months later. I am so sorry for your loss, and hopefully, the President will never let this come to pass.
God Bless you and your family. Families like us share a special privilege of sacrifice, one we did not want, but if we did not bear it, who should bear it for us? Remember with Honor, our sons, for they have given as much as can be given for America.
proud dad SGT Mike Stokely
KIA 16 AUG 05 near Yusufiyah Iraq
USA E 108 CAV 48th BCT GAARNG
I was rendered beyond speechless (if there is such a thing) at that question. I was horribly uncomfortable during the entire "show" but that question put me over the edge. And the smug look on his face when he asked it....made my blood boil!
But truth be told I'm terrified that it WILL happen. I have no confidence in the man who is our President that he will honor our fallen heroes or their families. I have no faith that he understands ANY part of the words "honor" or "sacrifice".
I hope I'm wrong.....
A very small world indeed, as I moved into the MND-C AO (2/10 was a part of that) in May, 2007.
You all might appreciate this brief recap of 2/10's time in the belts. I hope it ties things together a bit.
And one of the first things I wrote from there was this:
SSG Jason R Arnette was one of them, Michelle. He wasn't forgotten. God bless you and yours.I am a civilian so I am ignorant of the process, but when does the fallen stop being controlled by the military? When does control revert back to the family?
The body of the fallen soldier is under the strict control and authority of the United States Government until cleared through the autopsy process at Dover and delivered to the family at the soldier's home destination. We were given about 24 hours notice of an actual date Mike would be returned to us and that was firmed up with a 2 hour call window he was actually on the way to the airport and what airline he was coming in on.
proud dad SGT Mike Stokely
KIA 16 AUG 05 near Yusufiyah IRAQ
USA E 108 CAV 48th BCT GAARNG
I really hate that he's even considering lifting the ban but I am glad you spoke up, Robert.
It was eloquent, honest and honorable. Just like you.
as I commented at B5:
I also sent this to DoD via their site asking that SecDef NOT lift the ban.
here's the address for the DoD comment form:
http://www.defenselink.mil/faq/questions.aspx
Mr. Stokley,
Once again you are an inspiration and have shown what it takes to be a true American Patriot. I certainly hope your words reach the President and he considers the thoughts and feelings of the families of our fallen hero’s when he makes his decision.
Salute Sir!
Mr. Stokely Sir, please excuse my spelling error.
Mr. Stokely,
Thank you for saying so well what so many of the rest of us feel about recent efforts to make our government overlord and master of all of us. I served our government willingly for 21 yrs. I was always told that our thoughts were our own, but our actions were not. We could not support discrimination or policies antithetical to those of the institutions we served. And almost to a man, we never did.
But I, too, am troubled by the very recent tendency of politicians turned government "servants", or perhaps government Overlords is more accurate, to trample on the feelings and rights of the little guys in their country. (While I do not include President Obama in that category, I most certainly do include the leaders of Congress and the Press corps).
It is most unfortunate that "enlightened minds" today insist upon using the deceased, the afflicted, and the mentally and physically incapacitated to try to win political points and gain political power for themselves, at the expense of the loving parents and family of those who raised them, cared for them, and nurtured them.
Your burden will never be easy to bear, and will never leave you. I can never repay you or be as brave and stalwart as you must. But your burden will only receive the attention and correction you and I seek so desperately if you are twice as strong as the cretins who dishonor Mike's service, and mock your own grief as the father of a slain serviceman.
I pray for you every day. I remember Mike's sacrifice every day. And the Courage and Determination he felt to render aid to comrades under fire sustain me through the worst of my days, and inspire me on the best of my days. When I see your words I always remember Kipling:
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by Knaves to make a trap for Fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with wornout tools; ........
And I hope someday, we will both be able to say what we truly feel without a reporter twisting it, and without a politician using it to hammer our own intentions and beliefs.
God bless you and your entire family. Thank you for your inspirational words, and for standing up for the little guy against the government juggernaut that is a foul and traitorous press, and the political sycophants who use them for evil purposes.
Subsunk
Mr Stokley,
Though I mourn your loss, I do think you are taking the wrong idea of this entire subject.
I am a National Guard soldier and an Iraq Veteran. 1060th TC assigned to convoy security element , A.115 FA. 2006-2007.
SIr I think your son's homecoming SHOULD have been filmed. The jackals and vultures in the media would get their 5 minutes of using Sgt. Stokely but to the rest of the world there would have been a lingering moment. That would last a lifetime.
Mr Stokley, Less than 1/3rd of 1% of the American population has served in this war since it began. ANd Fortunately less than 1/3 of 1% have died.
In years to come, when the movies are made with erroneous stories, and out and out hollywood fabrications, every goofball, stockbroker,ex highschool quarterback working in a dead end job, and panhandeling bum on the corner will be claiming to have been an Iraq/Afghanistan Veteran.
I do not question your motives, your loss or you grief sir, I simply point out a different point of view. Only from a distance can I share your grief, but Sir I would like to point out that your son, should not be forgotten. He was a MAN, A Team Leader, He was a Soldier, and he was an American!
SIr I beleive that if we did show some of our brothers and sisters coming home for last roll call we could then have the ability to pont to the rest of America and say " what have the other 99% of you done, besides make political capitol off of our Deaths, Wounds, and mental pain?
Hopefully I will be deploying to Afghanistan soon. And if I am involved in an "incident" not only do I want it filmed, I want it Soundtracked.
maybe some Sgt Dunson , Linkin Park, and Kid Rock.
Keep the faith Mr Stokley. Sgt Stokley did!
To each of you, thank you for taking the time to care.
Bierman, don't worry about the name - State of Florida spelled it wrong and then simply took a marker and struck through it and hand wrote correct spelling above - really, that is my actual birth certificate to this day - I was not even worth retyping the document. And most people spell it wrong anyway, but thanks enough for caring to correct it.
Soec Crioteau MARNG - I am not against documenting soldier's who have fallen - my concern though is that the media should not have the first view of my son's or someone else's flag draped casket and it be all over the news before the family - it would, in my mind, be the same as the media getting the death notification first and then me hearing it on the news. That said, this is America and we can disagree on any point or all points. But thank you for your service and I hope you the best as you go to Afghanistan.
proud dad SGT Mike Stokely
KIA 16 AUG 05 near Yusufiyah Iraq
USA E 108 CAV 48th BCT GAARNG