Saturday, June 30, 2007
New Website!
So I have finally finished the new website I have told people about for several months now. I am not officially announcing it until Monday the 1st (whatever that means) but for the few readers who may see this post before then head on over to www.voxveterana.com and check it out. I am going to leave this site up as an archive but I do not plan on posting here anymore so add the new site to your blogroll instead of this one.
Thursday, May 03, 2007
How Much More?
Concerning the recent debate about the Pentagon’s choice to severely limit milblogging I take a stand somewhere between Hugh Hewitt and Joe Carter. Here is why.
In WWII the Nazi’s were significantly effective in using propaganda as a tool for the destruction of Europe’s Jews. A common misunderstanding of the Holocaust is that it was perpetrated solely by the Nazis, and they alone are to blame. The fact, however, is that almost everyone in Europe got into the game of killing, or at least took part by deporting their Jews to be killed by the Germans. Why the participation? Well one of the reasons was because of the massive propaganda machine that Germany employed. Headed by Joseph Goebbels, who had the title of Minister of Propaganda, the propaganda machine was responsible for espousing the hatred of the Jews on a large scale. Every day Germans were exposed to countless posters, radio broadcasts, newspapers etc. that told of the inferiority of the Jews in some fashion or another: they were biologically inferior, they carried disease, and they were whatever was wrong with society. After awhile these messages began to take a toll on the non-Jewish population, and even reached across the seas to America.
My point in saying this is that the Germans were hugely successful in their campaign to exterminate the Jews because they were able to convince others of their point of view. The Nazi government realized the role that media played in their realizing their goals and went full force into fighting their battle on both the ground and in the minds of the European population. Would they have been as successful, able to kill 6 million Jews, if they kept their ideas about Jews to themselves? No. They needed the cooperation of other nations in order to do so. Thus begins my point about the milblogs being essentially shutdown.
As I noted in my blog at Blogworldexpo.com the US military is overwhelmingly capable of winning a ground war against any enemy. But what we aren’t capable (for lack of something of which I am not able to put my finger on) is winning the minds of people across the world as to the rightness of our war on Islamic extremism. If we could somehow get the truth out to the world about what is really going on in Iraq (i.e. not just Baghdad) I am willing to bet that people would immediately question their previously held notions about the war.
For some reason post-WWII USA has been seemingly incapable of convincing others that the wars we fight are the right ones. No matter what we fight against we are wrong and they are right. Look no further than the current war in Iraq. What rational being could possibly be sympathetic towards the extremists in Iraq? How could anyone possibly not see that we are fighting pure evil? In order to convince others of the truths on the ground we need a media blitz. Notice I did not say we need a propaganda machine like the Nazis did, the truth will suffice for us. If we were able on a large scale to share what is going on in Iraq, the good, the bad, and the ugly, we would win people to our cause in droves. Winning the support of the world would then allow us to do what is necessary to win the war against Islamic extremism by giving us the tools necessary to do so i.e. divesting from terror supporting countries, seeking alternative fuel sources, military support etc.
Now I believe, although not unconditionally, that milblogs play an essential role in getting the word out about Iraq and Afghanistan. In my time as a milblogger deployed to Iraq I would often receive emails thanking me for telling it like it was. I realized then my limited role in getting the real information out, but whatever I could do to help I wanted to do. Although some say that it isn’t the job of soldiers to fight the war on the ground and the war against the MSM at the same time I disagree. Who better to do so than those who know what is really going on? We aren’t that tied up that we can’t contribute in other ways than simply being trigger pullers.
Of course there is the argument about OPSEC (Operational Security) and it isn’t altogether a bad one, but, and this is a big but, milblogs by in large are not the perpetrators of OPSEC. The people who go on Facebook and MySpace are the ones who are free with their info. Do we need some regulation as to what soldiers can share? Yes we do. But where should this regulation come from? I say that it should come from the squad level where SGT’s are in charge of their own people. Not in censoring everything, but rather, in checking in on, and informing their subordinates of what is acceptable. A military wide policy is not necessary if individuals would just do their job.
My final statement is that it is vital to our winning the war on extremism that we get the truth out to the world. The military is not doing so right now and are suffering as a result. If the Pentagon is not going to let soldiers tell about the situation then they need to get people in there who will, and from the looks of things they are making that harder and harder by the day. It is high time for the Pentagon to wake up and look at the role the media has played in the past in winning over people’s hearts and minds. This is not an issue about free speech; this is an issue about winning the war, plain and simple. Sometimes I wonder about our country and whether or not we have the will to do what it takes in order to win. Are we really interested in seeing how far we can hamstring ourselves before we lose the support of the entire world?
***UPDATE***
So it looks like my intial reaction to this whole thing was right: the military hasn't really changed its policy and someone just overreacted. However, whatever the case may be my post still stands on its own, and I still believe in everything I said above. The military is still in it in a bad way when it comes to the spread of information. I think they need to figure out a way to make it easier for embedded reporters to get the story out like Michael Yon and Bill Roggio have been doing. Coincidentally Pentagon staffers, should you want some advice feel free to email me as I would love to talk. I have chatted with some people there already and they just don't get it. You need some fresh ideas, and hey, I already have a dress uniform. Call me.
In WWII the Nazi’s were significantly effective in using propaganda as a tool for the destruction of Europe’s Jews. A common misunderstanding of the Holocaust is that it was perpetrated solely by the Nazis, and they alone are to blame. The fact, however, is that almost everyone in Europe got into the game of killing, or at least took part by deporting their Jews to be killed by the Germans. Why the participation? Well one of the reasons was because of the massive propaganda machine that Germany employed. Headed by Joseph Goebbels, who had the title of Minister of Propaganda, the propaganda machine was responsible for espousing the hatred of the Jews on a large scale. Every day Germans were exposed to countless posters, radio broadcasts, newspapers etc. that told of the inferiority of the Jews in some fashion or another: they were biologically inferior, they carried disease, and they were whatever was wrong with society. After awhile these messages began to take a toll on the non-Jewish population, and even reached across the seas to America.
My point in saying this is that the Germans were hugely successful in their campaign to exterminate the Jews because they were able to convince others of their point of view. The Nazi government realized the role that media played in their realizing their goals and went full force into fighting their battle on both the ground and in the minds of the European population. Would they have been as successful, able to kill 6 million Jews, if they kept their ideas about Jews to themselves? No. They needed the cooperation of other nations in order to do so. Thus begins my point about the milblogs being essentially shutdown.
As I noted in my blog at Blogworldexpo.com the US military is overwhelmingly capable of winning a ground war against any enemy. But what we aren’t capable (for lack of something of which I am not able to put my finger on) is winning the minds of people across the world as to the rightness of our war on Islamic extremism. If we could somehow get the truth out to the world about what is really going on in Iraq (i.e. not just Baghdad) I am willing to bet that people would immediately question their previously held notions about the war.
For some reason post-WWII USA has been seemingly incapable of convincing others that the wars we fight are the right ones. No matter what we fight against we are wrong and they are right. Look no further than the current war in Iraq. What rational being could possibly be sympathetic towards the extremists in Iraq? How could anyone possibly not see that we are fighting pure evil? In order to convince others of the truths on the ground we need a media blitz. Notice I did not say we need a propaganda machine like the Nazis did, the truth will suffice for us. If we were able on a large scale to share what is going on in Iraq, the good, the bad, and the ugly, we would win people to our cause in droves. Winning the support of the world would then allow us to do what is necessary to win the war against Islamic extremism by giving us the tools necessary to do so i.e. divesting from terror supporting countries, seeking alternative fuel sources, military support etc.
Now I believe, although not unconditionally, that milblogs play an essential role in getting the word out about Iraq and Afghanistan. In my time as a milblogger deployed to Iraq I would often receive emails thanking me for telling it like it was. I realized then my limited role in getting the real information out, but whatever I could do to help I wanted to do. Although some say that it isn’t the job of soldiers to fight the war on the ground and the war against the MSM at the same time I disagree. Who better to do so than those who know what is really going on? We aren’t that tied up that we can’t contribute in other ways than simply being trigger pullers.
Of course there is the argument about OPSEC (Operational Security) and it isn’t altogether a bad one, but, and this is a big but, milblogs by in large are not the perpetrators of OPSEC. The people who go on Facebook and MySpace are the ones who are free with their info. Do we need some regulation as to what soldiers can share? Yes we do. But where should this regulation come from? I say that it should come from the squad level where SGT’s are in charge of their own people. Not in censoring everything, but rather, in checking in on, and informing their subordinates of what is acceptable. A military wide policy is not necessary if individuals would just do their job.
My final statement is that it is vital to our winning the war on extremism that we get the truth out to the world. The military is not doing so right now and are suffering as a result. If the Pentagon is not going to let soldiers tell about the situation then they need to get people in there who will, and from the looks of things they are making that harder and harder by the day. It is high time for the Pentagon to wake up and look at the role the media has played in the past in winning over people’s hearts and minds. This is not an issue about free speech; this is an issue about winning the war, plain and simple. Sometimes I wonder about our country and whether or not we have the will to do what it takes in order to win. Are we really interested in seeing how far we can hamstring ourselves before we lose the support of the entire world?
***UPDATE***
So it looks like my intial reaction to this whole thing was right: the military hasn't really changed its policy and someone just overreacted. However, whatever the case may be my post still stands on its own, and I still believe in everything I said above. The military is still in it in a bad way when it comes to the spread of information. I think they need to figure out a way to make it easier for embedded reporters to get the story out like Michael Yon and Bill Roggio have been doing. Coincidentally Pentagon staffers, should you want some advice feel free to email me as I would love to talk. I have chatted with some people there already and they just don't get it. You need some fresh ideas, and hey, I already have a dress uniform. Call me.
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
Not quite retired...
In response to the shocking news that the Pentagon has banned milblogs I wrote a response for my buddy Rick at Blogworldexpo.com which was subsequently linked by Hugh Hewitt. However, the blogfather, in his link to this site, called me "Retired Milblogger T.F. Boggs". Now I know it has been super sparse lately but trust me when I say that I am all but retired. The new site is just waiting to be coded and loaded (I've said that before) before it is up and running. If you're new to the site welcome and hang in there, the new site is coming and it won't dissapoint.
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
And So...
And so the new site is almost completed. I imagine I'll upload it to the web sometime towards the end of the month. When I do I'll post a link to it here. I have another writer on board to write with me and am trying to convince one more so it won't be all T.F. this time around, which coincidentally should make it much better.
Saturday, March 17, 2007
Initial Thoughts
I came, I saw, I drank some coffee and then some beer. I guess I didn't really know what to expect coming down to D.C. for the counter anti-war protest termed Gathering of the Eagles. Whatever it was the reality of the day definitely did not match up.
For starters the anti-war group ANSWER and their cohorts seemed to have an unusually small turnout. Perhaps I feel this way because their exploits are always given too much media coverage but their group was really lame. Actually I can't say only bad things about them, they did have some great music playing on their supierior sound system. I guess if you become accustomed to protesting you figure out how to do it well. But I get ahead of myself.
The Gathering of the Eagles saw a great turnout of veterans and military supporters. The day was cold and the ground was muddy from the night before, but the Eagles stayed out the whole day to show their support despite the lack of media coverage that the anti-America group was enjoying. There were a few cameras rolling near us but they only wanted to catch the heckling going on outside the gates to our area. Since I can only take so much of chanting, heckling, and crazily dressed commie-pinkos I left the gathering before too long.
What I realized before I left has changed my viewpoint about the anti-war crowd. I realized that they don't necessarily outnumber us, and they definitely don't out think us (not one of them could participate in a rational argument). The only reason they enjoy so much attention is because they are so outrageous that the media covers them. So instead of solely blaming the anti-crowd (anti-war, anti-democracy, anti-truth, anti-rationality etc.) I blame the media as well. When we approached the protest site today media vans lined the road around the anti-crowd but were nowhere to be seen near the Gathering of the Eagles. Why? I don't know so I can't tell you, but what I do know is that it is a joke. I am sure whatever they put on the TV will be an exaggeration so don't buy the hype. Nothing out of the ordinary happened today no matter what the TV tells you.
What did happen today was a bunch of people from across the country came to D.C. in support of the military and our president. They made an impact on each other if not on the media. So I leave D.C. feeling better about our chances winning the war in Iraq after seeing the lame anti-crowd. If they are our only opposition then we are okay.
For starters the anti-war group ANSWER and their cohorts seemed to have an unusually small turnout. Perhaps I feel this way because their exploits are always given too much media coverage but their group was really lame. Actually I can't say only bad things about them, they did have some great music playing on their supierior sound system. I guess if you become accustomed to protesting you figure out how to do it well. But I get ahead of myself.
The Gathering of the Eagles saw a great turnout of veterans and military supporters. The day was cold and the ground was muddy from the night before, but the Eagles stayed out the whole day to show their support despite the lack of media coverage that the anti-America group was enjoying. There were a few cameras rolling near us but they only wanted to catch the heckling going on outside the gates to our area. Since I can only take so much of chanting, heckling, and crazily dressed commie-pinkos I left the gathering before too long.
What I realized before I left has changed my viewpoint about the anti-war crowd. I realized that they don't necessarily outnumber us, and they definitely don't out think us (not one of them could participate in a rational argument). The only reason they enjoy so much attention is because they are so outrageous that the media covers them. So instead of solely blaming the anti-crowd (anti-war, anti-democracy, anti-truth, anti-rationality etc.) I blame the media as well. When we approached the protest site today media vans lined the road around the anti-crowd but were nowhere to be seen near the Gathering of the Eagles. Why? I don't know so I can't tell you, but what I do know is that it is a joke. I am sure whatever they put on the TV will be an exaggeration so don't buy the hype. Nothing out of the ordinary happened today no matter what the TV tells you.
What did happen today was a bunch of people from across the country came to D.C. in support of the military and our president. They made an impact on each other if not on the media. So I leave D.C. feeling better about our chances winning the war in Iraq after seeing the lame anti-crowd. If they are our only opposition then we are okay.
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Back In Action
After a small hiatus I am back in action. The winter quarter of school is all finished up and I somehow emerged unscathed. The new website is almost ready (I've said that before) and I have been writing a few posts for it that I hope will go over well. Until that happens though you can catch a sighting of T.F. at the Gathering of the Eagles in D.C. this upcoming weekend. This will be my first time attending an anti-war protest so I am sure I’ll have something to say once it is all said and done. Oh, and incase you were wondering I will not be protesting the war, but rather, just taking pictures and people-watching.
If you decide to attend I’ll be the guy with the pinch cap and pipe. Hope to see some of you there.
If you decide to attend I’ll be the guy with the pinch cap and pipe. Hope to see some of you there.
Sunday, February 18, 2007
What Have I Been Doing?
So some of you are wondering why I haven’t been posting much lately and rightly you should. I think a bit of explanation is in order in response to this comment:
“Great job, but where's the new stuff? I mean, I know it takes you army guys a while to think things through, but seriously...”
Well besides figuring out how to live as a civilian and growing a beard, I am taking 27 credit hours this quarter, working on completing the new website that should be out soon, writing some posts for the new site, doing interviews for radio and TV, and I just took the LSAT in order to apply for law school this year. I know it isn’t the same as fooling around with planes and eating steak and lobster everyday in the rear Chicpilot, but it’ll do;)
But seriously though, I have been chomping at the bit to tell you exactly why the defeatist democrats, who utter such things like Iraq being “the worst foreign policy mistake in the history of this country” as Harry Reid did, are as anti-American as you can get. (Where was I when Iraq surpassed even Vietnam as the worst foreign policy mistake ever?)
I have been wanting to defend soldiers against such lowlifes as William Arkin, James Walcott, and Matt “I played a soldier on TV” Damon, but it will have to wait for the new site.
If you guys stay with me through the thin posting times it would be much appreciated. Meanwhile visit Michael Yon, Bill Roggio, and Buck Sargent who are all doing ample posting.
“Great job, but where's the new stuff? I mean, I know it takes you army guys a while to think things through, but seriously...”
Well besides figuring out how to live as a civilian and growing a beard, I am taking 27 credit hours this quarter, working on completing the new website that should be out soon, writing some posts for the new site, doing interviews for radio and TV, and I just took the LSAT in order to apply for law school this year. I know it isn’t the same as fooling around with planes and eating steak and lobster everyday in the rear Chicpilot, but it’ll do;)
But seriously though, I have been chomping at the bit to tell you exactly why the defeatist democrats, who utter such things like Iraq being “the worst foreign policy mistake in the history of this country” as Harry Reid did, are as anti-American as you can get. (Where was I when Iraq surpassed even Vietnam as the worst foreign policy mistake ever?)
I have been wanting to defend soldiers against such lowlifes as William Arkin, James Walcott, and Matt “I played a soldier on TV” Damon, but it will have to wait for the new site.
If you guys stay with me through the thin posting times it would be much appreciated. Meanwhile visit Michael Yon, Bill Roggio, and Buck Sargent who are all doing ample posting.
Sunday, February 04, 2007
New Media In Action
Last week I did an interview with Mark Finkelstein for his show rightAngle. He just posted the video online at his site so follow the link and watch the show. Any compliments on my overcoming my "You know" ness are welcomed.
I look forward to doing interviews in the future with Mark so I'll be sure to keep you guys informed when I do.
I look forward to doing interviews in the future with Mark so I'll be sure to keep you guys informed when I do.
Support This Man
I have long admired Pat Dollard for his willingness to leave his prosperous life behind and stay with the marines in a very dangerous part of Iraq. I am eagerly anticipating his documentary and think it will greatly aid our nation's perspective of the war. If you haven't heard of Pat or watched the trailers for his movie be sure to check out his site.
Pat needs some financial help right now so go over to his site and contribute. As if contributing to a good cause wasn't enough you get a great shirt along with your contribution. I personally can't wait to wear the shirt here at school and will document what happens when I do. If you happen to not want the shirt but want to contribute anyway, send the shirt my way and I'll make sure it gets to a deserving soldier, but whatever you do help out the guy if you are able to.
*Pat has nothing to do with this post by the way. I wrote this on my own accord.*
Pat needs some financial help right now so go over to his site and contribute. As if contributing to a good cause wasn't enough you get a great shirt along with your contribution. I personally can't wait to wear the shirt here at school and will document what happens when I do. If you happen to not want the shirt but want to contribute anyway, send the shirt my way and I'll make sure it gets to a deserving soldier, but whatever you do help out the guy if you are able to.
*Pat has nothing to do with this post by the way. I wrote this on my own accord.*
Thursday, February 01, 2007
10 Things I’ve Learned at School (so far)
1. There is no truth.
2. One great piece of literature can change the world.
3. Truth doesn’t matter, that is of course unless it applies to fiction.
4. Bush is quite possibly the antichrist. Not an antichrist, but possibly The antichrist.
5. Never admit you are in the military unless you do not want to be taken seriously again.
6. It’s better not to think on your own. Just follow what your teacher tells you.
7. Driving sucks when the only possible thing that might blow up on you is some 18-year-old girl you almost hit because she stepped into the street while talking on her cell phone, while arguing with her parents that her bank account is low, while being 20 minutes late to class, while wearing really ugly snow boots, and all the while wearing jogging pants that would have been appropriate for the weather but have long ceased to hold any functionality since they have been cut off just below the knee.
8. Terrorists would all lay their weapons down if they just understood how to read fiction sophisticatedly.
9. If you don’t read the New York Times you cannot have an accurate grasp on what’s going on in the world.
10. The single greatest tragedy to happen in the United States in the past 37 years was the Kent State shootings on May 4th 1970.
There is still much for me to learn but I think this list is a good start. Oh and just incase you are wondering there is no possible way I could come up with these on my own, I am not that creative.
2. One great piece of literature can change the world.
3. Truth doesn’t matter, that is of course unless it applies to fiction.
4. Bush is quite possibly the antichrist. Not an antichrist, but possibly The antichrist.
5. Never admit you are in the military unless you do not want to be taken seriously again.
6. It’s better not to think on your own. Just follow what your teacher tells you.
7. Driving sucks when the only possible thing that might blow up on you is some 18-year-old girl you almost hit because she stepped into the street while talking on her cell phone, while arguing with her parents that her bank account is low, while being 20 minutes late to class, while wearing really ugly snow boots, and all the while wearing jogging pants that would have been appropriate for the weather but have long ceased to hold any functionality since they have been cut off just below the knee.
8. Terrorists would all lay their weapons down if they just understood how to read fiction sophisticatedly.
9. If you don’t read the New York Times you cannot have an accurate grasp on what’s going on in the world.
10. The single greatest tragedy to happen in the United States in the past 37 years was the Kent State shootings on May 4th 1970.
There is still much for me to learn but I think this list is a good start. Oh and just incase you are wondering there is no possible way I could come up with these on my own, I am not that creative.
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Good Article
First off sorry for the lack of productivity on my site lately. School is kicking my butt with regards to free time so I haven't been posting too much. I have several posts in the works but for now I have a link to The Captain's Journal where you will find an excerpt from my radio interview with Hugh Hewitt last month contributing to an overall argument against the rules of engagement (ROE) in Iraq. The Captain puts together a good argument against the constricting ROE that we had to face in Iraq so visit his site and let him know what you think.
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Just Doing My Part
I often wonder why it always takes socialist scumbags to awaken me to the fact that there are a lot of lowlifes out there willing to take advantage of other people. Cue Appeal For Redress. I am just doing my part to spread the word about this so called "grass roots campaign" so don't credit me with this one, Greyhawk at Mudville Gazette is the one doing all the work. Visit the link above to see Greyhawk's original article.
Although I didn't discover this story I am going to add a new thought to it by referring to this as my generations first "Swiftboat Cause" as I am sure there will be more. Those of us in the military who are tired of being taken advantage of need to speak up and be the real grass roots organization that Greyhawk refers to.
So the guy who the people behind Appeal For Redress say started the website is a navy veteran who joined in 2004 and is now out. You may be wondering what this guy did while he was in the navy as I did when I first started reading about him. Well turns out he was an onboard photographer who also spent his time fixing up offices and making sure things worked properly. While others will not question a veteran's right to voice their opinions I will. What possibly does this guy have to add to the discussion on whether or not we should be in Iraq? This guy, as far as I can tell since all the links talking about him have been changed or removed from the web (most likely in the past day or so) never made it off of the ship into Iraq. Now if he wants to be ideologically opposed to war than that is fine I suppose (although I would disagree with him there too) but on the website it says "Staying in Iraq will not work and is not worth the price." How the hell would this navy photographer know that? Now of course this guy is just a front for the organization but don't you think they could have found someone more qualified? Is this the best these people can come up with?
So what everyone should do is spread the word to as many people as they can. Send Greyhawk's article to your local representatives so they won't buy into this crap when it comes across their desk. I'll keep people updated as I hear more but be sure to keep checking back with Mudville Gazette.
Sunday, January 14, 2007
Help A Soldier
Some folks are above shamless self promotion...I'm not. Go over to this site and vote for the best milblog so your favorite military author can win some money. Just so you know if I win any money (highly unlikely) it will go towards the creation of my new website. You will basically be doing yourself a favor because you will get to enjoy the fruits of your own labor in voting for me. Thanks.
Saturday, January 13, 2007
Yeah I Don't Get It Either
After checking my site meter earlier today I learned that a number of people were coming my way via Mary Katharine Ham's website at Townhall.com. I decided to check out why they were doing so since Ham has never linked to me before. When I got to her site I watched a little video that she made that quotes me during it. I don't really know why she quotes me because what I said doesn't fit with the point she is trying to make. I am also quoted alongside the likes of some of my favorite people like John Kerry, Howard Dean, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid just to name a few. Now I don't know whether Ham was trying to cast what I said in a negative light but after watching the video several times it seems that way to me. Of course that may not have been her intention with the video but the video is poorly done and devoid of any real meaning so the point was hard for me to grasp.
So why did I respond you may be asking? Well I just didn't want people coming to my site thinking that I support what those democratic senators said. Don't blame me for the video, I'm just an innocent bystander. Go check out the video and tell me what you think because maybe I am way off base here.
*Update* Mary Katharine Ham emailed and said she didn't mean for it to be negative in any way. No harsh feelings Miss. Ham just wondering.
So why did I respond you may be asking? Well I just didn't want people coming to my site thinking that I support what those democratic senators said. Don't blame me for the video, I'm just an innocent bystander. Go check out the video and tell me what you think because maybe I am way off base here.
*Update* Mary Katharine Ham emailed and said she didn't mean for it to be negative in any way. No harsh feelings Miss. Ham just wondering.
I Just Got Iraqed Upside The Face
My apologies to those of you who happened to see a post of mine that was up for about 20 minutes on Thursday night. I took the post down after giving it some thought and think I made the right choice. For those of you who didn't see it a little bit of explanation is warranted on my part.
The post was my initial reaction to the news from this
article. The article is about the Pentagon's new policy regarding deployments for the Guard and Reserve. Have a look for yourself.
“Until now, the Pentagon’s policy on the Guard or Reserve was that members’ cumulative time on active duty for the Iraq or Afghan wars could not exceed 24 months. That cumulative limit is now lifted; the remaining limit is on the length of any single mobilization, which may not exceed 24 consecutive months.”
My initial reaction was obviously not very positive but since then I have calmed down and realized that I might as well get mad at the weather. There is nothing I can do about anything the army does. So if they need me to deploy again then so be it, I just thought I would go ahead and volunteer for my last tour so I could have some assurance about the course of my future. Silly me.
On the bright side maybe I'll be able to provide everyone with news from the front again sometime soon. I won't be holding my breath but you guys are welcome to.
The post was my initial reaction to the news from this
article. The article is about the Pentagon's new policy regarding deployments for the Guard and Reserve. Have a look for yourself.
“Until now, the Pentagon’s policy on the Guard or Reserve was that members’ cumulative time on active duty for the Iraq or Afghan wars could not exceed 24 months. That cumulative limit is now lifted; the remaining limit is on the length of any single mobilization, which may not exceed 24 consecutive months.”
My initial reaction was obviously not very positive but since then I have calmed down and realized that I might as well get mad at the weather. There is nothing I can do about anything the army does. So if they need me to deploy again then so be it, I just thought I would go ahead and volunteer for my last tour so I could have some assurance about the course of my future. Silly me.
On the bright side maybe I'll be able to provide everyone with news from the front again sometime soon. I won't be holding my breath but you guys are welcome to.
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Two Articles
By no means am I the first to share the links to these two articles but they accurately portray how I feel so I thought I would link to them so people could understand where I am coming from with a lot of my thoughts. The first article was written a week ago by J.B. Smith who served in Iraq from 2004-2005 and can be found here. The second article was written by Jed Babbin at the American Prowler (linked to in my blogroll by the name The American Spectator) and is called The A-Team?
I just figured if you are like me you could use some good reading now and again. Enjoy.
I just figured if you are like me you could use some good reading now and again. Enjoy.
Monday, January 08, 2007
Why A Troop Increase Isn’t That Bad of an Idea
Lots of talk has been made lately of the majority Republican idea of sending more troops to Iraq in an attempt to quell terrorism once and for all. Democrats (most of them at least) want us to pull out of Iraq and come home so that not one more soldier will die, or something like that. My real guess at what the democrats want is for the troops to come home so John Kerry will stop putting his foot in his mouth when he refers to them thus making potential voters angry. So here we are with two options but still without a real plan so if I may offer my two cents on the topic we’ll see if we can’t clear up a few issues.
As you already deciphered from the title of this post I am in favor of a troop increase and think it will help enormously as long as the troops are put to good use. My support for a troop increase stems from some of my experiences while in Iraq on my second yearlong tour with the army.
The town I was based in was somewhat of a model for all Arab Iraqi towns. I say Arab Iraqi towns because a true model for Iraq would be that of the Kurdish areas but since Arabs do not play nicely with Kurds we’ll take what we can get. Sometime before I arrived there the town I was in was a haven for terrorists. Due to the effort of many brave American and Iraqi soldiers the town had been cleaned up and was for the most part about as safe as you can get in Iraq. Since the town was safe, reconstruction efforts were able to get underway which in turn allowed the inhabitants of the city to see the benefit of not allowing terrorists to operate in their midst. It is simple mathematics: 2+2=4 and no terrorists=better quality of life.
When water starts flowing and schools start opening up, among many other things, people realize that we are not the Great Satan that they once thought we were. They understand that we really are there to do as we said we were four years ago. We don’t want their oil; we want to make it flow better. We don’t want to indoctrinate their kids; we want to open up schools so they can learn and make their own decisions. We only need the time and cooperation of the local population to make these things happen.
With more troops in Iraq I believe we would better be able to secure towns and allow reconstruction to happen on a larger scale. I mentioned that we cannot simply send more troops into country with the hopes of everything magically getting better but that they must be put to good use. Much has been made about the Rules of Engagement (ROE) being too strict thus hamstringing our troops from adequately doing their job and I agree. I have mentioned several times before about instances when I thought twice about doing something simply because I was worried if what I was going to do fell within the limitations of the ROE. While soldiers need to learn and memorize the ROE, the ROE need to be relaxed if we ever hope of truly crushing the terrorists. We need to be allowed to walk into any Mosque at any time to search it since they have generally been places for terrorists to hide their weapons caches. We need to come up with a standardized set of rules for Iraqis to follow when around soldiers so that anything out of the ordinary will be easily recognizable. These suggestions among many possible others should go into effect along with any troop increase that might happen in Iraq.
More troops is only part of the answer, and while it is a major part, we also need to fix the ROE. Fighting wars by political means has never worked in the past and it will not now. We need to let our war fighters do their jobs and that means having the politicians in Washington sit out of the meetings when the new ROE are drawn up. So by all means send more troops to Iraq but make sure they are helping to secure Iraq so that all Iraqis can see the benefits of the greatest democracy in the world at work and perhaps gets some notions of their own and follow in tow. That is what we want in Iraq after all isn’t it?
As you already deciphered from the title of this post I am in favor of a troop increase and think it will help enormously as long as the troops are put to good use. My support for a troop increase stems from some of my experiences while in Iraq on my second yearlong tour with the army.
The town I was based in was somewhat of a model for all Arab Iraqi towns. I say Arab Iraqi towns because a true model for Iraq would be that of the Kurdish areas but since Arabs do not play nicely with Kurds we’ll take what we can get. Sometime before I arrived there the town I was in was a haven for terrorists. Due to the effort of many brave American and Iraqi soldiers the town had been cleaned up and was for the most part about as safe as you can get in Iraq. Since the town was safe, reconstruction efforts were able to get underway which in turn allowed the inhabitants of the city to see the benefit of not allowing terrorists to operate in their midst. It is simple mathematics: 2+2=4 and no terrorists=better quality of life.
When water starts flowing and schools start opening up, among many other things, people realize that we are not the Great Satan that they once thought we were. They understand that we really are there to do as we said we were four years ago. We don’t want their oil; we want to make it flow better. We don’t want to indoctrinate their kids; we want to open up schools so they can learn and make their own decisions. We only need the time and cooperation of the local population to make these things happen.
With more troops in Iraq I believe we would better be able to secure towns and allow reconstruction to happen on a larger scale. I mentioned that we cannot simply send more troops into country with the hopes of everything magically getting better but that they must be put to good use. Much has been made about the Rules of Engagement (ROE) being too strict thus hamstringing our troops from adequately doing their job and I agree. I have mentioned several times before about instances when I thought twice about doing something simply because I was worried if what I was going to do fell within the limitations of the ROE. While soldiers need to learn and memorize the ROE, the ROE need to be relaxed if we ever hope of truly crushing the terrorists. We need to be allowed to walk into any Mosque at any time to search it since they have generally been places for terrorists to hide their weapons caches. We need to come up with a standardized set of rules for Iraqis to follow when around soldiers so that anything out of the ordinary will be easily recognizable. These suggestions among many possible others should go into effect along with any troop increase that might happen in Iraq.
More troops is only part of the answer, and while it is a major part, we also need to fix the ROE. Fighting wars by political means has never worked in the past and it will not now. We need to let our war fighters do their jobs and that means having the politicians in Washington sit out of the meetings when the new ROE are drawn up. So by all means send more troops to Iraq but make sure they are helping to secure Iraq so that all Iraqis can see the benefits of the greatest democracy in the world at work and perhaps gets some notions of their own and follow in tow. That is what we want in Iraq after all isn’t it?
Thursday, January 04, 2007
Back At Liberal U
I do not know why I would ever be surprised by the goings on at a major university but for some reason I am now. After attending the first day of classes I visited a local bookstore to purchase my textbooks and I noticed several class reading lists that consisted solely of books bashing the Bush administration. Titles like State of Denial , The Greatest Story Ever Sold: The Decline and Fall of Truth From 9/11 to Katrina, War on the Middle Class, and The World is Flat adorned the bookshelves and kids were rushing to get their copies. Books by Cornell West and other hate-America lefties were assigned reading and I cringed as 18-year-old students fresh out of high school plopped down their money in order to be indoctrinated by their far-left professors.
After my book buying experience I was all set to meet with a professor whom I hadn’t seen since I left school almost two years ago for Iraq. Now to be fair this professor is a friend of mine and is a great teacher but what she said to me within the first minute of seeing me confirmed the fact that I’m not in Kansas anymore. After we said our pleasantries she asked me the same thing that everyone always wants to know:
“So are you going to have to go back to Iraq?”
She said this with a hint of trepidation in her voice and when I explained to her that the earliest I would have to go back would be sometime late 2008 if at all she breathed a sigh of relief and said:
“Phhewww. By then we will have a democratic president in office so you won’t have to worry about it. If by some crazy chance Bush was elected to a third term you know you would be going back.”
After I shrugged off her ridiculous concern that Bush might somehow gain office for a third term considering it is law that presidents can only serve two terms (although admittedly Bush does have superpowers since he caused Hurricane Katrina) I found it funny that she thought I must feel the same way as she did. I can guarantee that it never crossed her mind that I would feel differently. After she was finished speaking I just smiled politely-the smile that I do when I know there is no reason to argue-and told her that I didn’t really mind my deployments and actually had a great experience. However, I am sure that this part of the conversation went somewhere off the left side of her brain and bounced around the walls of books until it found it’s way out the crack at the bottom of the door.
The reason teachers (not all teachers just to be fair) feel this way is because they live in a little academic bubble and are surrounded by like-minded peers. I don’t have a solution to this problem but if you know a young college student point them in the direction of websites that share real world information (hint: info not found in a college newspaper) the likes of which I have linked to in my blogroll. A little outside perspective can go a long way on a college campus.
After my book buying experience I was all set to meet with a professor whom I hadn’t seen since I left school almost two years ago for Iraq. Now to be fair this professor is a friend of mine and is a great teacher but what she said to me within the first minute of seeing me confirmed the fact that I’m not in Kansas anymore. After we said our pleasantries she asked me the same thing that everyone always wants to know:
“So are you going to have to go back to Iraq?”
She said this with a hint of trepidation in her voice and when I explained to her that the earliest I would have to go back would be sometime late 2008 if at all she breathed a sigh of relief and said:
“Phhewww. By then we will have a democratic president in office so you won’t have to worry about it. If by some crazy chance Bush was elected to a third term you know you would be going back.”
After I shrugged off her ridiculous concern that Bush might somehow gain office for a third term considering it is law that presidents can only serve two terms (although admittedly Bush does have superpowers since he caused Hurricane Katrina) I found it funny that she thought I must feel the same way as she did. I can guarantee that it never crossed her mind that I would feel differently. After she was finished speaking I just smiled politely-the smile that I do when I know there is no reason to argue-and told her that I didn’t really mind my deployments and actually had a great experience. However, I am sure that this part of the conversation went somewhere off the left side of her brain and bounced around the walls of books until it found it’s way out the crack at the bottom of the door.
The reason teachers (not all teachers just to be fair) feel this way is because they live in a little academic bubble and are surrounded by like-minded peers. I don’t have a solution to this problem but if you know a young college student point them in the direction of websites that share real world information (hint: info not found in a college newspaper) the likes of which I have linked to in my blogroll. A little outside perspective can go a long way on a college campus.
Monday, January 01, 2007
Joys of Blogging
So I realize that I haven’t posted for a while and for that I apologize. I just got back from my cross country media blitz consisting of one radio show interview and am currently packing up the car to go back to school. The next chapter to my “back from war” life is starting and I have to say I am excited to get on with things.
After appearing on the Hugh Hewitt show last week on which I had the opportunity to talk with many of the big milbloggers out there I ran out to Las Vegas with a blogger friend of mine and had a great weekend. A year ago when I started my blog I never would have thought that I would have done half of the things that I have done because of it. I consider myself lucky to have done the things I have since then and hope to continue on with blogging. With that said I hope to come up with a new website and finally get away from blogger. I have big plans for the future and I just ask everyone to stick with me in the meantime. I will continue to post at this URL and will be sure to let everyone know what’s going on with the new site.
So Happy New Year everyone, thanks for reading and I hope you continue to stop by. I’ll be back soon.
After appearing on the Hugh Hewitt show last week on which I had the opportunity to talk with many of the big milbloggers out there I ran out to Las Vegas with a blogger friend of mine and had a great weekend. A year ago when I started my blog I never would have thought that I would have done half of the things that I have done because of it. I consider myself lucky to have done the things I have since then and hope to continue on with blogging. With that said I hope to come up with a new website and finally get away from blogger. I have big plans for the future and I just ask everyone to stick with me in the meantime. I will continue to post at this URL and will be sure to let everyone know what’s going on with the new site.
So Happy New Year everyone, thanks for reading and I hope you continue to stop by. I’ll be back soon.
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