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The Milblogs site has multiple authors. Unless otherwise credited, the opinions expressed are those of the specific author, and not the official position of any other contributor or any organization to which they belong, to include the United States Department of Defense or any of its subordinate components.

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) in the public domain, with free use granted 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.

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Site contact: greyhawk at mudvillegazette dot com

« December 10, 2006 | Main | December 12, 2006 »

December 11, 2006

The MSM's Side....

[John Noonan]

I'm still very close friends with one of my roommates from VMI. I went on to join the military, he went on to become a reporter with a large MSM rag.

Naturally, we dual frequently over Iraq War reporting. His contention is that reporters are pros who are just trying to do their job. Bias is non-existant, and if it does occasional eek into stories, it is unintentional. Now since Sam lives the life of the intrepid reporter, I give him the benefit of the doubt on this subject. And his pops was a Green Beret, so Sam does understand both worlds, both lifestyles. I know that most journalists take accuracy very seriously, and that the editorial board of the New York Times and the DC beltway establishment are not the same as the larger national press corps.

So I can equally respect the positions of these journalists who commented on war reporting in a recent edition of the Columbia Journalism review:

Paul Holmes Reuters

I have young journalists who come to me and say, “I want to go to Iraq.” And my response to them is, “I will help you to build the sort of experience that would qualify you to go to Iraq, but you can’t go to Iraq. I’m sorry.” And most of them, in fact, all of them, have accepted it. I don’t think anybody should have to go to Iraq unless they have experience in a previous conflict, because I don’t think it’s fair to them, I don’t think it’s fair to their colleagues, and I don’t think it’s particularly good for the story. So we look at their experience, we look at their maturity. In a place like Iraq, they live and work with their colleagues in a compound where they can’t go out for most of the day and all of the night, and that requires a very special sort of person; you can’t have prima donnas in that environment, you can’t have loudmouths in that environment. I’ve worked in that sort of environment with loudmouths, and it’s unbearable.


I've selected a few more choice excerpts below the fold.


Posted at 2046Z

What a Shame

[Andi]

The Australian Defence Force bans its soldiers from milblogging.


Posted at 1517Z

Kelly and Gary Swanson

[CDR Salamander]

Parents of the year in my book, and the anti-Cindy Sheehan that I wish more Americans knew about.

Since Staff Sgt. Christopher W. Swanson was killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq in July, his father has trumpeted one message: “It’s OK to hate war, but you’ve got to love the warrior.”

Earlier this week, the couple flew from Maryland to Germany on their own dime to attend the welcome home ceremony of the 1st Armored Division’s 2nd Brigade Combat Team — their son’s former unit.

“I believe that’s what our son would want,” Gary Swanson said.

The couple has visited wounded members of their son’s unit at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, which is not far from their home in Rose Haven, Md.

“The whole thing for us, our family being in and coming from public service, is it’s uplifting and it’s good therapy for us to be around these guys also,” said Gary Swanson.


Posted at 1159Z

MilBlogger Meets Rummy

[SMASH]

Donald Rumsfeld is not universally loved in the Pentagon. I'm told that he can be a tough, stubborn, and demanding boss. Rumsfeld is infamous for firing off short memos -- known colloquially as "snowflakes" -- asking next-to-impossible-to-answer questions or demanding revolutionary changes. He came to the building in 2001, promising to transform the Department of Defense from a Cold War force to a more flexible, agile military, better prepared to face the challenges of the Twenty-first Century. Almost six years later, that transformation is well underway, but not yet complete. Along the way, Rumsfeld has stepped on many toes, and slaughtered many sacred cows. Inevitably, he made some enemies, especially among the senior officers and long-serving bureaucrats who were heavily invested in the "old way" of doing things.

But the troops, and a solid majority of the officers, love him. This is abundantly clear from the warm reception Rumsfeld receives as he walks up to the podium.

Continue reading "MilBlogger Meets Rummy"


Posted at 1050Z

« December 10, 2006 | Main | December 12, 2006 »