Return to the Blogosphere: Social Blogging by Soldiers

That each major military conflict in the history of humanity has brought with it its own changes and challenges is, I think, an entirely reasonable argument. These changes are philosophical, technological and historical (the later referring to the multitude of ways in which wars both shape and direct the transcendence of the human collective). It has been the focus of this blog to dissect and discuss the changes and problems unique to the contemporary military conflict and, more importantly, analyze methods the military is using or should use in order to adapt. Because my own experience is in the United States Army and its current operations in Iraq, I have confined the majority of the focus of these discussions (which in reality apply to the much larger realm of war making in a democracy) to that particular subject.

In previous posts, I have commented on exterior military-related blogs in order to widen my audiences’ perspective and to afford myself the opportunity to converse with other professionals interested in my field. I have again this week decided to venture into the great-wide-somewhere of the blogospehere and converse with others in this field. Before I share those comments (which are posted below and available in their original context by following the links), however, there are a few things I need to establish. The majority of the blogs I found in my previous searches that met a standard and prerequisite level of authority dealt mainly with the technical issues surrounding military blog posts and operational security. My arguments on these blogs mainly dealt with the ways that blogging could be used for sharing intelligence within missions.

With a military more educated and opinionated then ever before, the addition of easy modes of communication and publication has created a social atmosphere of discourse and dissent that, unlike soldier communication in previous conflicts, cannot be easily censored. In many ways, the so-called ‘conflict’ in Iraq has been a first in the histories of both mankind and war. The use of Web 2.0 by soldiers and their families has been just one of these firsts and is something the Army will have to react to eventually. As far as I know, the military has, at present, no official training programs that broach the topic of blog composition. Given these considerations, I have decided to veer ever so-slightly from my self-determined course this week and converse with the soldiers that are out there with boots on the ground.

Though these blogs lack the normal amount of scholastic authority I would insist upon, they are authoritative within’ their own rights as eye-witness and historical voices. Admittedly, I am not in possession of the authority to even begin to examine all of the implications these blogs have in regards to war-making within a democracy (where careful crafting of public opinion can determine the outcome of major decisions). What I can do, is draw attention to this phenomenon and demonstrate what it is that soldiers have to say about their experience. I have also commented upon and included these blogs in my own because, in spite of the dehumanizing and industrial style of reporting common to the ‘professional’ coverage of this war, there are very real heroes, casualties, and families whose voices should be heard beyond the din of the media’s sideline commentary.

The first blog upon which I chose to comment is entitled, “Army of Dude.” Written by an active duty Specialist stationed in Fort Lewis, this blog has received impressive news-media coverage and has been subjected to every form of criticism. The blog’s frequent posts contain stories and descriptions of everyday military life from what it’s like to be on the frontlines to what it is like to be a soldier in an Army at war and participating in the dating world. The second blog I chose is a much lesser known blog called “My American-Iraq Life.” Although it’s severely lacking in grammatical discipline, it is none-the-less a very valuable reflection of the contemporary soldier experience. Additionally, its author is a female vet.

Army of Dude: Comment on about Remember the Fallen

As an Iraq vet myself, I have personally found that in coming home, it has been easy to attempt to cope with everything I went through by intellectualizing it. It makes me feel good to give my own little world some semblance of sense. However, I have never been able to cope with or intellectualize the fact that other soldiers died out there and I got to return home. Also, it has been hard to really cope with the fact that people here (civilians) go about their daily business of living without even a gentle nod to the fact that the best and the brightest of us are being sent off to their deaths.

Your eloquent style of writing coupled with the gentle reverence and respect that you demonstrate in both what you chose to say and how you say it is extremely touching. I particularly appreciated your observation that, “It's easy to forget the names and the faces of those fallen since this war started five years ago unless your life was touched by them. I only knew or talked to a handful of these men - Chevy, Jesse, Higgins and Captain Jensen.” Where most people have chosen to make hard-hitting arguments with their blogs, yours has been a beautiful reflection of nothing more than the truth of you experience. Keep on blogging and sharing. Hopefully, your words will reach more of those on whose behalf we fight and perhaps it will give some peace and justice to those who have fallen.

My American-Iraq Life: Comment on ‘Stop-Loss’ Post.

I very much appreciate the time that you spent in composing such a detailed post about this movie. Like you, I am also a female vet at home now and I have also had to make a lot of tough choices about the IRR, Stop Loss, and whether or not I would return to duty and if so in what capacity. It made me feel a little less alone to know that someone else felt, as you put it, “Some parts were too real, I was crying, my friends were crying, I was laughing…I just couldn’t stomach it. I’ve watched TV shows and specials, documentaries, read books about the war…but part of me just broke down.” while watching this movie. That being said, I was also pleasantly surprised to find that you very concisely described one of the main overall problems the movie had that kept me from completely agreeing or identifying with it when you stated, “The movie gave a perception that Soldiers are alcoholics who just like to fight all the time…I didn’t agree with this. And it honestly made us look pretty bad. All the Soldiers struggled with nightmares, PTSD, falling back into normal life, trying to lay off the alcohol, and ultimately the decision whether or not to fight the “stop-loss.”

Recently, I wrote a blog post on my own page about what it felt like to be a female soldier both in the military and what it feels like to be a female vet in the civilian world. I commented briefly on the portrayal of women in the movie and the general lack of true to life female soldiers being depicted in war books and movies in general. I was actually surprised to notice that you didn’t mention the overall lack of female soldiers depicted in “Stop-Loss.” It might even surprise you to learn that it was directed by a woman. I would be very curious to learn how your experience has been as a woman warrior once you returned to the civilian world.

Women Warriors: The Invisible Soldiers

Whenever I pass through a bookstore, I have developed the habit of perusing the "military" section. My reactions to the books on the shelves (I am sure) have amused, confused and even perhaps frightened other passers-by. These outbursts are characterized most frequently by a comedic anger in which I usually correct civilian misconceptions aloud to myself. Other times, I read something nostalgic or poignant–this usually brings me to the brink of tears. Whatever else I may feel when I go through the bookshelves, the thing that disturbs me the most is the categorical silencing of a topic very near to my heart–the story of the female soldier.

At a time when women now form approximately 15% of our ranks and the Department of Veteran’s Affairs expects the number of female veterans of foreign wars to increase nearly fivefold, it seems ridiculous that the majority of coverage women warriors get in the media is sensational. Extraordinary and unusual cases of sexual assault, rape, and murders make up the majority of civilian media stories and are used as prime examples of why women should not serve in the military. Of course nay-sayers are not exactly volunteering to join the ranks in replacement of the 200,941 women serving in the 1,406,121 person strong active duty military nor are they generating constructive solutions to the complexities of having an inter-gender military. It is not surprising then, that movies about contemporary military life (such as the recent film Stop-Loss) do not portray any female soldiers. In fact, the majority of the women depicted are either victim to their returning husband’s PTSD problems or are scantily clad cowgirls there to pour shots of whiskey down "returned heroes" throats. Common misconceptions of military life not withstanding, introducing women into the ranks has its own, often surprising, problem sets. These emerging economies are not as stereotypical as dealing with menstruation or as unfounded as the perception that women are physically incapable of performing standard military duties.

Service branch wide, the Military's ranks have begun to swell with female service members. As a result, those ranks have become home to married couples and families. A mother-daughter team recently enlisted and completed the Army’s basic training course together. At a time when commanders are hard pressed to keep the number of boots standing in formation to mission acceptable heights, there is little else to do but react to the challenges and realities of integrating female soldiers. Roughly 10% of Army soldiers are in "dual-military" relationships. With deployments occurring back to back, a lot of these married soldiers are finding themselves together in the combat zone. Among military personnel and within military communities, married soldiers, like the couple pictured to the right, are a common and widely accepted fact of day-to-day life. Posters of the military family line the walls and hallways of every Post Exchange (even in combat zones). Though these images and lifestyles are everyday realities to service members, they may seem surprising to civilians who have learned to think of military service in terms of Hollywood glamour. Though I am sure there are a few Bruce Willis or Lara Croft "wanna-bes" in the ranks, that fantasy is moot. If married soldiers serving together come as a shock, then a recent and experimental policy change by the Army might even be inconceivable. A member of the Associated Press remarks, "in May 2006, Army commanders in Iraq, with little fanfare, decided that it is in the military's interest to promote wedded bliss. In other words: What God has joined together, let no manual put asunder." The new policy creates living quarters for married soldiers serving together in the combat zone. This is a perfect example of a true reality of integration.

The truth of the situation is that we need our female soldiers. All political and social arguing aside, the bottom line up front is that our deployment tempos are too high and our numbers are too low. Female service members are exponentially increasing intra-branch wide. In fact, Military.Com reports that West Point had, “the highest number of female cadets in a single class since women first came to the U.S. Military Academy in 1976.” We have passed the point of no return in regards to social, cultural, and administrative changes already made to facilitate women within the ranks. What needs to happen now is a radical change of culture both within the military and in the civilian world. The military is getting there slowly but surely. Equal opportunity programs, sexual harassment policies, and language policies are slowly but surely being integrated. Additionally, Sgt. Leigh Ann Hester recently received the Silver Star (which is awarded for valorous acts in combat). According to the Washington Post, she, "fought her way through an enemy ambush south of Baghdad, killing three insurgents with her M-4 rifle to save fellow soldiers' lives."

There is no earthly reason then, that our female heroes should come home and find themselves faceless. No female combat veteran should have to read the news, watch movies, and pass through bookstores without seeing herself portrayed somewhere. Unlike the fragile and comedic depictions of female soldiers in movies such as, Private Benjamin, or the over-exaggerated point of view in G.I. Jane, real women are fighting, living, and dying in the same conditions as male soldiers. Like it or not, women are out there carrying rucksacks, flying fighter jets, manning machine guns at checkpoints and repairing heavy equipment. It is disrespectful to all soldiers, marines, airmen, and seamen that this side of the story is silenced. It is all that I can do every time I stare at those books in the bookstore to keep from shouting to the masses, “Here I am! I was there and I fought too and I will not be invisible!”