Well, my journal has received a lot of attention lately and quite literally travelled the world. I have been advised on many levels to “let it go”; to just delete it and move on. I have been told it is not worth the headache and is frowned upon by the military.
So, feeling strongly about my pursuit to tell my story, I have researched Military Blogs (MilBlogs) and found that they are not discouraged. It is allowed and encouraged for soldiers, even frontline soldiers, to express themselves in MilBlogs, web forums and other avenues. We must go through certain procedures and monitoring by our commands as set forth by Multi-National Forces Iraq (MNF-I) to ensure we do not unintentionally post sensitive information that could be used to aid our enemy.
I have read many MilBlogs such as Badger6, BlackFive and found hundreds of others it seems. So, why is there a need for yet another Military Blog? Why put up with the hassle of keeping my journal going?
Well, though I do not consider my journal to be a Military Blog, by regulation, my location and participation in this war defines it as such. As such, I believe I offer a different perspective than most others. Some include a very political view with links to White House press releases and some are down and dirty with the grim details, violent in nature and the effects of watching fellow soldiers killed by their side.
I have been asked by my fellow soldiers of Charlie Battery not to include the details of their dangers as they have expressed them because many of their families read my journal as well. While my journal is public, it is more for me, my family and friends and those of my fellow soldiers.
I feel I provide a more personal side. One of the life of a Fobbit, of an Operations soldier who experiences the stress of have six groups of soldiers on the road conducting missions. I am sometimes more vocal about frustrations than some. Sometimes, people want to hear about those things too. I think my journal can be used as a tool for others to use along with other MilBlogs to get a bigger picture of modern combat and the effects it has at all levels and all jobs.
So, rather than terminate my journal, I have chosen to promote it. I am a southern boy. I don’t know many big fancy words or follow the daily mess in Washington. I just try to do the best I can to get through this war with some kind of feeling of pride that I helped to do something good here; that my friends have not died in vain.