[Hint, it has to do with OCS]

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Ebay auctions [Item (end time)]:

Signed copy of Kaboom by Matt Gallagher (Nov 04, 201012:28:53 PDT)

Korean War Medallion (Nov 04, 201012:05:39 PDT)

Vietnam Veteran Medallion (Nov 04, 201012:36:08 PDT)

POW★MIA Medallion (Nov 04, 201012:43:09 PDT)

More to follow - we'll be updating here with all the latest info on this year's campaign. Check back soon!

Valour-IT artwork donated by Chris Muir, 2009

Not this bad idea, again. Plus, bonus low quality snark by the CPD Superintendant!

Those interested in our future in Afghanistan will appreciate this, as everything about our strategy there hinges on training up the Afghan forces to replace us - and that's his mission. (Note: Use the lower "play" button on these vids - the one in the middle doesn't work...)

And it was great to meet Navy Lt Jennifer Cragg in person. She threatened me with bodily harm if I don't make good on my promise of more participation in upcoming blogger roundtables. I take being wanted as a compliment, and that's one I can't resist. :)

Garry Trudeau of Doonesbury fame was also in attendance - funny(ish) story - Taco Bell and I walked up to a gentleman thinking he was Garry - in our defense the two could be twins - and I asked him if I could get a picture of him with me... turns out that the Deputy Chief Information Officer for the Director of National Intelligence has a great sense of humor - who knew?

More here.

So we've made it easier to do that. Here's the Fan of Milblogs Facebook page. Anyone can post entries, links, photos, and videos there, and it's the place to go for just that. If you're looking for reports or images from the conference just click here and enjoy.

And if you've written about the conference (or just found something written online about the conference) have links, photos or videos to add, or just want to join the conversation there - don't be shy, jump right in. (For those who missed my message during the first panel - jumping right in is the future of milblogs...)

Didn't see a picture of yourself or a friend in the above? Maybe there's one here...

Including this one:

I also kind of wonder what went through Greyhawk's mind when the official MultiNational Corps-Iraq screensaver featured a screen shot of the Mudville Gazette emblazoned with the words "Bloggers--are you violating OPSEC (Operational Security)?"

I tried hard not to notice, but that was especially tricky whenever I walked into Division and saw it repeated 1,000 times in the 40 acre open cubical farm...

This was a great conversation in Baghdad, too:

Me: Hey boss, my wife is meeting with the President of the United States this week.
Boss: Really, how come?
Me: Well, he wanted to see me, but I'm too busy over here.
Boss: Get outta here.

At least that's the gist of it. Truth told, rules obeyed. Not believed? Not my problem.

(That might be one of the stories Starbuck's talking about here.)

Can't make it? Not a problem (though I wish you could be there...). This year's conference will be livestreamed on the web here. (Thanks to the good folks at VA Mortgage, the same folks who bring us YouServed.) Click and enjoy. Note: archived videos from previous conferences are streaming when this one isn't "live" - don't be fooled - check the schedule.

The schedule for Friday evening's events is here. The kickoff panel (including your humble scribe) will be streaming from 6:30 - 7:45pm ET.

Saturday's schedule is here. I'll be hosting the 10:45 - 12:00am "National Security Smorgasbord." Satcom willing, I'll be joined first by Mike Yon from Afghanistan, followed by Abe Sofaer, whose new book The Best Defense? Legitimacy and Preventive Force is particularly timely.

Finally, Tarawa/Iwo Jima veteran Norman T. Hatch, Major USMCR (Ret) (see here and here) will join us for a discussion you don't want to miss.

Those are just my panels - there are plenty of great things going on throughout the event. Keep up with any schedule changes here, and if you can't make it in person, be sure to join us for the live streaming video here.

Why don't you consider helping them out sometime?

I was at the Illinois National Guard Domestic Response Sourcing Conference this weekend, and what I saw was a vast relief to me. I guess, by way of some background information, I should explain...

When I (and my co-bloggers, CSM Bones and the Inner Prop) left Afghanistan, I was almost frantic - I had offered to stay a bit longer to help with our replacement unit's transition. I was convinced they were not ready and events, sadly, showed this to be so. US Soldiers, Afghan civilians and others paid the price. When I got home I was crushed down by feelings that are hard to convey - inadequacy, remorse, and the like.

And this past weekend, I feared that seeing the officers who be replacing me and my cohort would provoke the same thoughts. It was not a rational fear by any means - I had seen nothing to make me think thusly. But it was a great weight off to see young Lieutenants and Captains who have already been deployed, back at home and with sharp minds, good ideas and not afraid to speak up. Guiding them were some Colonels who impressed the heck out of me too.

When I get out of the way (by virtue of retirement ina couple of years, knock on wood) there are going to be some high quality Soldiers stepping right up. So, the view from the Twilight doesn't look so bad to this Soldier.

Cross posted here.

It is important for all of us -- citizens who truly support the troops and who honor our veterans -- to become active and remain engaged in protecting the warrior legacy. As we head into a new year, I implore everyone in the military, veterans, their families and the general public to learn about proposed and pending legislation and to be energetic in communicating their opinions to their Senators and Representatives. This is important not just at the federal level, but at the state levels as well. 

As state and federal legislators look to reduce spending or find funding for pet (read: pork) projects, military and veterans programs will be looked at as likely sources for cuts, because of their relative size to other budget commitments. Our watchfulness will be vitally important to the roughly 1.4 million personnel on active duty, the additional 900,000 members of the Reserve and National Guard and the 23.2 million military veterans in the United States.

x-posted Some Soldier's Mom