Bosses Delete Outspoken Army Blog
An outspoken soldier who wrote one of the most brutally honest blogs ever to come out of Iraq has been forced to shut down his site, after criticizing his superior officers one time too often.
In Iraq since December, 2007, the pseudonymous "LT [Lieutenant] G," described firefights and combat patrols and tribal meetings and the banality of life on base with equal measures of sarcasm, aggression, introspection, and attention to detail. Within months, his site, Kaboom: A Soldier's War Journal, became one of the military's blogosphere's best-loved voices from the war.
Some of that popularity came from LT G's taste for the absurd. He described his platoon's predilections for Lynyrd Skynyrd and the Aladdin soundtrack; a local shiekh's love of Suzanne Sommers workout videos; and his moment of absent-mindedness, when he had to be reminded to put on pants before he headed out to the warzone.
But Kaboom's mile-a-second monologues could be as searing as they were funny. And LT G himself was often the target:
I had given the order to kill. Haughty enough to condemn two individuals to The End because they had been stupid enough to be fucking seen in a war of shadows. Somewhere in the time-space continuum, the boy who cried after my first fistfight - not because I was hurt, but because I thought I had done something to upset the instigator and still didn't understand the concept of bullying - hung himself with a calendar rope.
LT G also showed an unusual, almost-reckless disregard for military decorum, openly questioning his superior officers on-line. A May 1st entry described how his captain's slow-moving plan to nab a Shi'ite militia leader ultimately let the the extremist slip away. In a post from April 1st, LT G vented about a mission that never seems to end, "because higher said so. And no, it doesn’t matter that they said so from an air-conditioned TOC [tactical operations center] ten klicks away on an eight-hour shift while we sweat through hour 16 of this clusterfuck."
But in a posting on May 28, LT G later acknowledged, he went too far. His superior officers asked him to become the company XO, or executive officer. LT G demurred. The response: "an illogical backlash from higher, acting like a spurned teenage blonde whose dreamboat crush tells her point-blank that he prefers brunettes."
Fine, I’m not going to make you do it. (Even though I spent three days trying to do so.) But you are now on my shit-list, and I want to fuck you over for daring to defy and defying to dare. A bullshit tasking will eventually come down the pipeline, and I got a rubber stamp with your name on it. And yes, I know your performance has been outstanding, and we have consistently rated you above your peers, at the top echelon. Doesn’t matter now.
A month later, on June 27th, LT G announced to his audience that "due to a rash posting on my part, and decisions made above my pay-grade, I have been ordered to stop posting on Kaboom, effective immediately... it was too much unfiltered truth. I’m a soldier first, and orders are orders. So it is." A day later, his fiancee wrote that LT G had been ordered to "delete his blog. I guess no longer posting wasn't good enough."
In the spring of 2007, the Army passed new regulations about what soldiers could and could not say on-line. G.I.s were ordered to "consult with their immediate supervisor... prior to publishing or posting information in a public forum." The purpose of these reviews, ostensibly, was to make sure that the soldiers didn't breach operational security, or OPSEC. But some observers worried that the rules could be used to clamp down on G.I. dissidents, as well -- that "weak leaders would use it to shut down strong, but perhaps stubborn, subordinates," as blogger, retired officer, and Army contractor John Donovan later put it.
Like most military bloggers, Kaboom's young officer scrupulously observed the Army's OPSEC rules. Patrols were described after the fact, and without identifying details. Officers, towns, and local shiekhs were all given pseudonyms. He didn't even use his fellow soldiers' nicknames, making up new ones for the blog, instead.
And so LT G's many admirers smelled the work of a "weak leader," when his blog was extinguished. "Too much reality about the bureaucracy and games played. You are out there getting shot at, and they're worried about having their mindgames and egos exposed," one howled. "Major suck. Major foul," cried another.
But some, like Villainous Company's "Cassandra," thought LT G had it coming.
He admits that he broke the rules…. And yet, many of you are defending an example of an officer who knowingly broke the rules, openly displayed contempt for his senior officers, and then, when the rule he broke was enforced, didn't have the good grace to take his lumps silently but rubbed their noses in it PUBLICLY.
If I had been the field grade in question, the easiest and least embarrassing course of action for me personally would have been to counsel the young man quietly and deal with the post LATER. However, allowing an officer to deliberately defy regulations and deliberately do what he did is not really an option a responsible senior ought to contemplate.
Donovan, a Kaboom fan, says she has a point. He wrote, "LT G should have saved the details of that post for his memoir."
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* Facebook Threatens Soldiers, Canada Says
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* U.S. Starting to Wake Up to Media War?
* Top General: Let Soldiers Blog
* U.S. Enlists Arab Bloggers for Info War
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* Army Bullies Blogger, Invades YouTube
* British Military Gags Blogs
* Army Audit: Official Sites, Not Blogs, are Security Threat
* Military Security Threat: Bogus Bomb-Zapper's Bogus Countermeasure
* Military Hypes, Bans YouTube
* Petraeus Hearts Milblogs
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* Pentagon Whispers; Milbloggers Zip Their Lips
* Clarifying the Blog Rule Clarification
* Army to Bloggers: We Won't Bust You. Promise.
* Army's Blog Rebuttal
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"Should have saved it"
Bingo.
Hey, I think milblogs are important. And constructive criticism is critical to a good milblog-- it's how we learn.
But c'mon, there *is* a line, above and beyond OPSEC considerations. Americans have free speech-- soldiers *don't*. A chain of command appears stupid by default to the outside world, but in a war zone?
I won't lose any sleep over this one. McMaster, he ain't.
Army declines to own WWW in Info war, blogs.
http://warintel.blogspot.com/2008/06/army-stepping-on-its-own-d.html
Gerald
There's no place in this world for soldiers. This kid is finding out why. To be a soldier and hand your power off to some politicians who can't be trusted is the height of irresponsibility, and no person with dignity should do it. Kid chose dignity. Good for him.
Well done, LT G! That's the spirit I wanna see when weak highers aren't able to perform in the war they have chosen to start for the oil of foreign countries.
I hope, the GF will open her own blog where she will tell about the things her BF will endure abroad.
Last LT I know who pulled stuff like this got stuck on convoy duty for ten months, training up all the new arrivals so that once they were safe to go out with, their "leaders" could take a run with them and "earn" their CIB while hiding in an armored truck surrounded by a well-trained perimeter. He nearly died a lot of times with the noobs, but never lost a man. Never criticize the stupid bastards running the war, 'cause they'll mess you up.
LT G. has, sadly, learned the hardway what happens when a senior officer gets his panties in a wad. Admittedly he was rash in his posting, but that is no reason for the petulant, mephitic powers-that-be to treat him like some type of miscreant and go so far as to have the blog deleted. We now know just how picayune and jejune this senior officer can be.
Fortunately, KABOOM has been archived.
Good luck to you and the Gravediggers LT G.
Hi,
The first casualty of war is true. We all have known since 2003 when Bush landed on the carrier with the banner "Mission Accomplished."
For the mission being accomplished, it is interesting how many people have died, have ptsd, and have been put on 20 year contracts when they signed up for 4 year contracts due to the war and stop loss measures.
Remember, the number of deaths in fighting in Afghanistan now is higher than Iraq, and more troops are being sent to Iraq, a lot more.
It is good he could get the word out about Iraq and the actual news there. I hope the blog was saved by google, we need to re-evaluate our reasons for war.
Also, we need to re-evaluate that we do not go to war because the religious right or religious left says God gave them a vision to. This is where the mistake was made in 2003 (in the 2000 debate Bush admitted his decision making sometimes comes from religious visions).
It seems that although a soldier is defending the US and the "Five Freedoms," it seems now that he/she are to follow orders, trust incompetent/corrupt leaders, and other things. What is different from Vietnam here? Nothing. (You might want to watch the movie "Hair" made in 1979 to gain an understanding of the intellectual and the soldier who began to reason in 3 days)
Bravo! the fellow is and should be allowed a voice regardless of being nationless. He is in a very curious vacuum that we are all paying for and restricting/ quelching that lifeline of raw info of what actually goes down over there is an outrage and a slap to our collective faces.
M Austin Lkain
Bravo! the fellow is and should be allowed a voice regardless of being nationless. He is in a very curious vacuum that we are all paying for and restricting/ quelching that lifeline of raw info of what actually goes down over there is an outrage and a slap to our collective faces.
M Austin Lkain
Ick, the crazies have shown up in the comments section. Ugh.
Chickenhawk was one of the best books about a war zone I've ever read. It was full of criticisms of higher ups but was written after the fact when those criticisms wouldn't be "prejudicial to good order and discipline" in the conflict as it was happening.
I wonder what LT G's own troops thought about his open contempt for the chain of command and how they might react when they disagreed with him.
Anyway, on a more practical note, his blog wouldn't even have met the blogging standards at Sun Microsystems: http://www.sun.com/communities/guidelines.jsp
What can you expect in a hierarchy that ends with George W Bush? Fascist is as Fascist does. A toy war with real bullets and real consequences for the powerless.
I'm sorry, but the army made a mistake. So did the soldier, but given the eloquence of his prose, and the singular wit of his experience, they should have given him another chance. Make him publically apologize if they want to, promise to never do it again. But they overreacted, and they will suffer because of it, if only because of my unimportant lowered opinion of the Army because of their actions.
He better write a book when he gets out, he is just a fantastic writer, and people deserve to read an edited long form writing from this amazing patriot.
The Army is a fighting force, sure. Above all though, it's a bureaucracy - this sort of stuff happens in bureaucracies. Same sort of thing would happen in most large corporations.
.
It's too bad, but entirely typical.
-Kle.
@ebe,
I agree with most of what you wrote, but you seem to think the decision to invade Iraq was made in 2003.
There are several sources who speak of invasion plans being made in the White House as early as January, 2001. This was 9 months before 9/11; Bush had been in office less than two weeks, and already the path to war was being cut.
Rules are rules (even if the rules are dumb). While I think that the Army rules serve to weaken the link between soldiers and the American public that they serve, you have to work within the system that you have.
Unfortunately, those rules took down a great insight into the experience of one particular guy in a place few of us understand.
My only beef with LT G is turning down the XO job. Military officers (I'm one myself) and senior enlisted are supposed to want greater responsibilities and leadership opportunities, and turning those down is usually the kiss of death for one's career. Leadership and responsibility are what officers exist for, and if LT G doesn't want them, then his chain of command is free to question his desire and motivation to do the job he signed up for.
While he did break the rules in his last posting, this is another example of the army cutting off it's nose to spite it's face. Another important voice of the war that silenced by the man. I'll sorely miss the reading about the Gravediggers and Biggie Smalls. How can you fault a guy that first to write "JAMnation" as a curse, and taught us about the perils of a FRAGO? Bring 'em home Lt, we'll look for your book.
So, it's wrong to expose incompetence in the military, but it's okay to deliberately put someone's life at risk in retaliation for such a thing. Go USA!
Ok, this is getting fun. I insist that the crazies up the insanity factor.
You can do it people. More fascism accusations. More dark conspiracy hints. How about some nice anti-semitic neocon references? Nobody's thrown that in yet.
Do it now before your medication kicks in. Remember, your mental instability is our comedy. We're counting on you. Do it for the children.
I don't care what this guy has to say - he volunteered to be an enforcer for a murderous imperial dictatorship and then complains when he's treated like what he is. What did he expect, that he would be defending America? That his superior officers were patriots who would care whether he lived or died? Sorry, pal, stupidity isn't an exemption from consequences unless you're George W. Bush. So sorry your career as a hired killer isn't going as well as you'd hoped.
Amurrcan Hero: you obviously have no idea what you're talking about. Lt. G is no more a "hired killer" for Bush's "murderous imperial dictatorship" than you are a felon for whatever wrongs your employer or company's CEO may have committed. To equate him as such demonstrates a complete lack of critical thinking and reading comprehension abilities. That you do not care for what he has to say shows you are blinded by your own preconceived notions and have absolutely zero intellectual curiosity. Please refrain from commenting further until you have taken time to read, understand, and digest Lt. G's writings. You'll come across as a much more intelligent person, and you might even learn something along the way.
Alright! Amurrican Hero has stepped up to the crazy-plate. That's what I'm talking about. That is grade-A, DailyKos-level crazy. More please.
Nothing cuts like the truth. Yet another example of shoot the messenger.
@Amurrcan Hero
Don't confuse genuine patriots and the their desire to serve with the banner waving, bumper sticker, arm chair patriots speaking of sacrifices all the while gorging themselves at the public's expense; and using patriotism as another hollow campaign slogan to BS their way through another election cycle.
I salute the true patriot making true sacrifices and condemn those who use patriotism as a fashion accessory or just another political talking point.
I can see there are many posters here who have never served in the military.
First, officers are leaders. That means they must be beyond reproach. Openly flaunting rules IS prejudicial to good order and discipline. Without discipline people get killed. What is unfortunate is that people don't understand this and often equate discipline with punishment. They are not the same.
Second, blogging is one thing. Turning down a position of higher authority and responsibility is another. He may be eloquent and honest, but by turning down a position of authority he revealed his true character. He'd much rather sit back and criticize the decisions he didn't like, online, than step up and take the position where he could influence events and perhaps change the decisions he didn't agree with before they affect the troops.
Or he might have had to confront the truth. That he is still young, relatively inexperienced, and doesn't necessarily understand the big picture. In other words, he might have had to confront the possibility that his criticisms were...wrong.
DopplerDave,
Criticism is not necessarily the same thing as saying that you could do the job better. For example, when I see a baseball player walk down the first base line, I criticize them for not hustling it out, but that doesn't mean I think that I would be better at his job than him.
Hey jim,
Perhaps you've got some theories for us on how Obama is a secret muslim? Come on, you know you want to share.
"For the mission being accomplished, it is interesting how many people.......and have been put on 20 year contracts when they signed up for 4 year contracts due to the war and stop loss measures."
yep, the number of people that have had 4 year enlistments turned into 20 year contracts is the same as it ever was.....0. Quit making up stuff that isn't true
Some of it is still retrievable through Googles cached pages.
It's too bad that when you join the military you loose your right to free speech. Many have to deal with that and the narrow-minded attitude of PAO officers that won't let you express yourself publicly.
It's a shame, but it's a sacrifice that comes with the job. I just hope that he doesn't loose this attitude once he gets out.
A lot more light needs to be shined on some of the very incompetent policies of our military.
Zee G: I'm not claiming Lt. G is legally culpable for his actions, but your attempt to excuse him from all moral responsibility because he chose to put on a uniform and obey illegal orders is childish and ridiculous. He made a choice to enlist, he made a choice to obey an illegal Iraq deployment order (unlike some others who took their induction oaths seriously and refused), and he started complaining about his superiors only when their twistedness began messing with him personally. Furthermore, your baseless assumption that I haven't read his writings is the height of unintended irony. Unless there was some post I didn't see where he describes how the military kidnapped his mother and forced him to enlist and do their bidding, you don't have a leg to stand on or a pot to piss in. He's just another gang member complaining about how "the streets" make life so hard for him, but doing nothing to get out and taking no responsibility for his actions. I mean, my God, talking about his inner child dying at giving kill orders? What did he think he would be doing when he signed up, climbing mountains like the commercials on Teeeveee? He can stop being part of the problem any time he pleases, and until he makes that decision I couldn't care less how he feels. I'm more concerned about the innocent people this pussy is going to kill because he can't imagine saying "No."
I guess it's easy to sit back in one's chair in an air-conditioned room and comment on what the LT should have done, etc while lunch is 20 minutes away. If you read anything of his blogs you know what the young man has to deal with, and what he stands for. Yet he shares these wonderful and tragic moments with us, that most people would choose to keep private, or wouldn't even bother to do after a grueling day of staying alive and brining order to a troubled country. This young man sets an example of an extra effort being made, not just in his job, but in his life being portrayed to all of us. I think about "my favorite LT" when I send out my care packages and letters & wish I could meet him & tape his upcoming wedding! I bet just asking him the weather would be a literary experience. Thanks to all of you who stand by him & this magazine for bringing this tragedy to light.
Content/propriety issues aside, I gotta say that I'd buy this guys book (if he writes one) in a heartbeat. So here's to hoping he gets an agent, a big advance, and gets something out there on the bookshelves. Because it's pretty darn unique writing--and I'd bet it'd sell and sell and sell.
James Joyce's landmark novel Ulysees and Heller's Catch-22 ain't got nuthin on Lt G's product...
Amurrcan Hero:
Whatever you might think of the current war, do you really want to live in a country where military officers feel free to disobey civilian authority?
Hello--did any of you read the post that is being discussed here. I DID!
The point is who was right and who was wrong?? The 'higher pay scale' for wanting to remove him from his men or for him saying 'give this to someone who wants to make a career of the Army'.
The "Higher Pay Scales" need to take a really good look at what they loose each time they enforce the shut down of one blog even when it is one that shows some of their offensive warts.
DocOnTheWay: What part of the fact that he chose his own circumstances do you not understand? You talk about "what he has to deal with" as if it was something that fell out of the sky on to his head. Boy, if only the rest of humanity got the kind of infinite patience and unconditional compassion afforded to hired killers. "Extra effort"? You must think the same of a talented gang member who raps about his crimes, and then whines about "the streets." But, see, many gang members really didn't have a choice - everyone around them was in the gang since they were little, and it was all they knew. This guy did have a choice - he chose the military, and chose this war, and now he's whining about its personal consequences for him without actually taking any responsibility. There are precious few heroes in military uniform these days, and he isn't one of them.
Well, where to start. 'Lt 'G' took an oath to obey orders and to defend. While he is in uniform, he should do so. When he no longer has a commitment to the uniform/country, then he should let it rip like so many others. I led troops in Iraq, and as bad as it got for me, my soldiers never heard it from me, nor did my superiors. OUT!
Unpublish a blog? Xenicat approves.
I've also read the posts in question, and will miss reading his blog. Was the Army right in shutting it down and having it deleted? Maybe. There's a huge difference between being an elisted soldier and an officer. HUGE. I do understand his reasons to turn down the XO job, but it probably shouldn't have been blogged in such a manner. Can't say that I found fault in anything else he wrote though. I know of one other post in which he disagreed with orders from command, but I don't think he blogged about it disrespectfully. He was upset that they had the chance to take out a couple of bad guys setting up a roadside bomb, but HQ told them to arrest them instead. The guys were gone by the time they got there. The post was full of frustration and disappointment.
Thing is... if he'd been an enlisted soldier instead of an officer, he probably would have been shut down but not forced to delete. Officers are to lead by example, and if you openly and publicly disagree with your superiors, you're not setting much of an example for the men you're trying to lead yourself.
BD: "Whatever you might think of the current war, do you really want to live in a country where military officers feel free to disobey civilian authority?"
---------
The Constitution is civilian authority, and we are already living in a country where the military has zero loyalty to it. The oath of induction where they swear to defend the Constitution has become an Orwellian joke.
ROTFL. Gotta love the Internet, where any self-proclaimed 'genius' without a clue feels the right, no the obligation, to spout off about topics they don't understand.
The crazies aren't there yet... No one has suggested an assassination squad ala Communist Russia will show up one night in a Black Maria to take his family away.
The military requires discipline, something that some of this Lt's writing undermined. No one wants to be the one chosen to go get shot at, so discipline and a subtle version of fairness that would escape most posters here are the tools that guarantee someone will go when ordered.
So while the military needs to take a hard look at how it deals with instant communications in general, they're not wrong in this case, just could have handled it better.
Waiting for the next conspiracy theory to crop up. Perhaps this was all instigated as a plot by aliens controlling the government??? Perhaps I'm an alien representative smokescreening the operation? Perhaps your children are aliens devlishly distracting you from paying attention to world events with their needs... They could be ANYWHERE!
Anonymous moron: "'Lt 'G' took an oath to obey orders and to defend."
------
He took an oath to defend the Constitution of the United States of America, and obey all orders commensurate with that. If he had taken that oath seriously, he would be on trial for disobeying a deployment order instead of whining on a blog about how rough being a Storm Trooper is.
Google 'Wayback machine' :)
Now I'm curious - Streisand effect at work.
Would any reputable company allow it's employees to critic the company as LT G did? I don't think you would be working long if you continuously and publicly voiced your dissent over your employer's way of doing business. LT G's needs are best meet by him getting out of the military and then freely voicing his concerns. LT G needs to put his money where his mouth is out, getting out of the military and speaking his piece. If he stays in the Army, then to me, he doesn't really mean what he writes about.
Hey Amurr, I'm not going to accept what you think. You don't get it, and you're not willing to discuss the issue...just hammer your thuggish points across. Try something else.
QUITE FRANKLY amazing , that the CORP, still get mired in quelling enlisted[s], that know-how to place more than five words in a sentenced, but part of that is the old ""CLING ON"" MENTALLY of the [usetobe called ~~~~~***BROWN_Nose] .YOU Know them kind, some that Circle uranus , and cause a rash>.
Solider[s] that know how to write have been depicting Horrific even[s] since man'woman made drawing and words[BIBLE are similar]. Must have upset the internal `mecannism` of the install fam-fav.
It is his life that could possibly, be taken and all of you blood thirsty <> really just do not want to FLY your TRUE COLORS is really what is a hand!.
**Obamam show time**; is nothing less- then a: live ~~SNUFF FILM ~~that we get informed by; major news station, big deal this guy writes better.
Doc: Isn't it hilarious that you describe standing up for the Constitution (what Lt. G is supposed to be doing) as "thuggish," and yet excuse what he's ACTUALLY doing (shooting any Iraqi who disobeys George W. Bush) simply because he talks about it on a blog? You and others seem to think his intelligence is some kind of mitigating factor when it actually makes his lack of responsibility that much more egregious. The guy has no excuse, and yet so many people are so quick to supply excuses for him. What about the people he's wrongfully killed? Who speaks for them? Do you give a shit?
shooting any Iraqi who disobeys George W. Bush..
What about the people he's wrongfully killed?
Posted by: Amurrcan Hero | Jul 2, 2008 12:52:13 PM
Is that the official policy "Amurrcan" (you disgusting piece of human garbage)? That any Iraqi is now under the direct authority of our President, and if they don't follow orders they are shot?
Oh wait...never mind. That's just some form of BS fiction/straw-man attack you made up to justify your clueless rants. Oh, FYI, your reading comprehension is ZERO. He was calling YOU thuggish. I called you a piece of human garbage, IMHO of course. Just so you know who to address on each point. Try to keep up.
FYI, "Amurrcan", I don't agree with Doc. There is no tragedy here. This guy liked to call his superiors out on-line. So they let him know about their displeasure in a public way.
He deserves any and all disciplinary action, but not for the twisted and insane reasons ("he's a baby killer") you think. Wow an apologist for an insubordinate soldier, and an idiot (that would be you, IMHO, Amurrcan Hero) debating. How exciting....
Freedom of speech, my ass. Freedom of speech with conditions, contingent on censorship and the conservative regime whose ever-lasting "we know what's best for you and everyone else too" mentality has catapulted us to this.
My closest friend is in the military and said the best thing I've ever - you can dislike the person all you want, but must show respect for the uniform and rank. I never asked her why, because I knew. We all have had superiors we thought (or knew) were idiots, incompetent, dangerous, assholes, or just losers. You don't have like them, but you do have to respect their position. Or- suffer the backlash.
Every one who has posted a comment on here? You're exercising the right of speech. I'm amazed at how few people actually understand the concept and the responsibility. Well thank the PTB that the media does, right? Enjoy the forcefed truths.
I think he went to far on this one.
Writing that he was almost "promoted" is one thing, adding all these details that will definately chow on his cpt reputation is another. They're still fighting, it's not a book written after dust settled. Many soldiers related to author will read it. Many related to his captain too.
Though I'm looking forward to the book he may write after it's over and when there's no OP to be SEC anymore.
Yes, we as americans have dropped our fiddle of freedom and began banging on the drum of war the day we walked into iraq, for what, WMDS, to free another country and lavish them with democracy, possibly for the oil. So march off to war young men, while we college educated superiors with more concern for getting that next star on our shoulders trumps the ultimate goal. Continue on with your fourth tour of duty while we in america clear brush off of our texas ranch, enjoy the movies and disney world, and when a natural disaster happens in your hometown we will not be their for your family. Forget about the ultimate reason for this war on terror, to catch Osama Bin Laden and wipe out al qaeda, we will burn our troops out, wear out our equipment, and promote the wrong people into positions of power, all while our true enemies plot and hold the receipts to the loans they have given us to wage this war, so when the time is right, we will lose. This young man is being censored for being a critic of a war that the true terrorists, George Bush and Donald Rumsfield decided to enact. Our freedoms are being stomped on, our infastructure is falling to pieces, we as Americans and America, we have become weak. So enjoy the coffee you drink in the morning as you change the channel for you are tired of hearing about the death in the middle east, enjoy it now for one day the war might end up on our doorstep again. We have become weak due to incompetence and greed!
phil: "Is that the official policy "Amurrcan" (you disgusting piece of human garbage)? That any Iraqi is now under the direct authority of our President, and if they don't follow orders they are shot?"
-----------
That's been the policy since they invaded, you ignorant, servile scum. Too bad you can't vote Bush a third time, huh?
You can reconstruct blog postings with the right dark crevices of the internet and with a supremely dedicated individual.
I hope someone does. Yes, disobeyed orders and all that, but when my grandchildren ask why we were so g-dd--m stupid at this point in time, I'd love to documentation showing we weren't.
That's been the policy since they invaded, you ignorant, servile scum. Too bad you can't vote Bush a third time, huh?
Posted by: Amurrcan Hero | Jul 2, 2008 2:32:52 PM
That's strange, that's all. Since your account contradicts all known on-hand accounts, all news reports, and all known facts. You're not even there, so in fact, your accusations are baseless. You also assume I voted for Bush. LOL.....IMHO you sound pretty NUTS. LOL....
Posted by: Amurrcan Hero | Jul 2, 2008 2:32:52 PM
"you ignorant, servile scum"
Hmm. How droll (Were you at a loss for words?)
I prefer "Imperialist Yankee baby killer" myself. But then again, maybe I am showing my age.
"We train young men to drop fire on people. But their commanders won't allow them to write 'fuck' on their airplanes, because it's obscene..."
- Marlon Brando as COL Kurtz, APOCALYPSE NOW
Stay safe, LT G and the Gravediggers.
ok so this guy decides to take a comission as an officer along with the pay and privilieges associated with said rank(s) and then proceeds to act like some jack*ss private in cyberspace and we're supposed to feel sorry for this guy when he pays the penalty for his stupidity and lack of common sense? He had it coming irregardless of the politics of the war or first amendment issues. If we pay you to act a certain way and you don't do it, guess what? Yeah, we get to take it back.
SHut the hell up. Everything is fine in Iraq. It is just like any small town in Indianna. Court martial anyone who says otherwise and everything is fine. If journalists write anything besides this we call always frag them. End of problem.
Sounds like a self-promoter to me that is looking to line up his pockets what once he's out of the Army. Least the army paid his school loans, tuition, books and stipend. He got what he wanted. Way to pay them back by acting like a jackass. There is a certain way of bringing up problems against your chain of command and this is not one of them. He did it for himself and I find his acts and deeds selfish. By the way I'm a 2LT. I can speak on this issue. I don't agree with my COC sometimes but I don't go out and act like a jackass sometimes. Have some character and honor my friend and hope you like the spotlight for 15 minutes...i mean 15 seconds.
Sounds like a self-promoter to me that is looking to line up his pockets what once he's out of the Army. Least the army paid his school loans, tuition, books and stipend. He got what he wanted. Way to pay them back by acting like a jackass. There is a certain way of bringing up problems against your chain of command and this is not one of them. He did it for himself and I find his acts and deeds selfish. By the way I'm a 2LT. I can speak on this issue. I don't agree with my COC sometimes but I don't go out and act like a jackass sometimes. Have some character and honor my friend and hope you like the spotlight for 15 minutes...i mean 15 seconds.
That was some of the most pretentious wanna-be 'writerly' blog posts I've ever come across. Also, Lt G has to deal with the fundamental flaw that he signed up for his stint, regardless of how sardonicly he wants to write about it.
Good little soldiers,
all in a row.
Good little soldiers,
watch them all go.
Away to adventure,
and lands far away.
Good little soldiers?
Mind what you say.
The truth in the "fog of war" usually hides in silence, unseen and unheard,
never revealing the true evil and common place atrocities to the *common people/masses*.
Soldiers on both sides, who are played with as game pieces on a board.
Sacrificial pawns that serve.
Stop the game.
at Roger- things sound so pretty and nice at OBC, huh? personally, i'll listen to the guy who has actually been there. try to sound so high-and-mighty three years from now, when you've actually done something. f'in butterbars...
phil: "Since your account contradicts all known on-hand accounts, all news reports, and all known facts."
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No, it doesn't. It conforms exactly with all known on-hand accounts, news reports, and known facts. If Iraqis defy imperial patrols, they are swiss-cheesed. These incidents are a matter of public record and frequent coverage - though apparently not on Cartoon Network, so I guess your ignorance is explainable. Moreover, I don't hear you denying having voted for Bush - something no one other than a Bush voter would ever tolerate hearing themselves accused of.
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davod: "How droll (Were you at a loss for words?)"
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Apparently not, since I chose three very specific words - ignorant, servile, and scum. I won't pretend I was being original: In point of fact, I was plagiarizing a line from Band of Brothers when one of the American GIs yells angrily at a passing line of Nazi SS troops. "You stupid, servile scum! What the fuck are we doing here? What were you thinking?" His speech could just as well be directed today against so-called "Americans" serving in George W. Bush's murderous, parasitic imperial army.
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davod: "I prefer "Imperialist Yankee baby killer" myself."
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Most of these animals aren't Yankees. They're Suhthuhn boys and midwesterners who luuuuuuvs them some Bahble, and think they're God's gift to Amurrca for putting on a uniform and murdering those who get in their master's way.
Hey, watch this - I'll bring up torture and ask the right wingers to describe their thinking on why it's necessary. Go ahead and call me a "crazy". Just please respond.
Damn, it's better than bringing up pie recipes. Everybody either went to bed, or that did it.
I can't read these comments. Half of them come from people who believe that chain of command is more important than competence.
.
There are failure inducers like that in any bureaucracy. When there are too many of them the company fails and you have to start over again. It's too bad no such correcting mechanism exists in the military or the government.
"I can't read these comments. Half of them come from people who believe that chain of command is more important than competence.... It's too bad no such correcting mechanism exists in the military or the government."
They do exist. There are multiple avenues for correcting problems in the military. Venting behind your boss's back on the Internet doesn't "correct" problems, though, and it's patently dishonest (as well as arrant nonsense) to pretend that's why that post was put up, or that it would ever have had that effect.
If there was a problem that needed to be solved, there's a little procedure called 'request mast'. I'm sure the Army has an equivalent form.
Cassandra, seriously, go away. Did LT G piss in your cheerios or something? Go hate on your site. There's a reason you're the only one who cares that much, and it doesn't reflect well on your character.
That's a pretty strong reaction, Simon, for a single comment.
That's not for a single comment. I can't read an article in the entire blogosphere without seeing your drivel. It's a good thing the kid had to take down his site, otherwise you'd be lecturing him there. You made your point - if people don't agree with you, more words aren't going to change that.
@Amurrcan: You specifically said it was official US policy to kill any Iraqi who disobeyed GWB. Please post a link to this policy. Your implication is that American soldiers are purposefully murdering, in large scale, Iraqi civilians, and that this is both policy, and the main goal of the current protection force in Iraq.
Such claims, without supporting evidence, are fantasy. I don't confirm or deny how I voted in previous elections to most people, let alone some jackass in an attempt to call me out on it. If I had what then? It's called a democracy. In the spirit of democracy, piss off. Please define, and show evidence of murder. I would like to see, oh more than two or three specific incidents. Two or three deaths, while tragic, doesn't denote a policy, as you imply. You have lots of accusations, just ZERO FACTS.
On the average IMO most officers are too busy kissing each others asses. The secret handshake is actually a smooch to the left butt cheek of your rater. It's really one of the bigger problems with the officer corps. Subordinates will put up with incompetent jackasses becuse to critize them in private or public will end their chances of promotion. While I do see that LT G was insubordinate to a small degree,(and deserved some non-judical punishment) having him delete his blog was just a punitive action by his command. IMO (six years in the ABN/AAS Infantry) most of the carearist officers are more concerned with their records rather than the welfare of their troops.
I have meet a few good Ring Nockers, though all my favorite officers were either Mustanngs or ROTC who didn't plan on making the Army a carear.
I gotta say LT G if your reading these posts, since day one I wondered how your CoC was putting up with your comments about them. Now I know.
Oh by the way, Amurrcan your only a "Hero" to yourself and the other psych patients. ROTFLOL Your one crazy dude.
The only thing this young gentelman did wrong was post his picture on his blog. If there was no way to trace his blog to him then that would have been perfectly fine. For all the nay-sayers posting here. He did/is doing his duty, in more ways than any of us could ever imagine. He is providing a fantastically level-headed insight to the American public and the world on what soldiers are dealing with over there. He is proving to the morons out there that the knuckle dragging mouth breathers are not the ones carrying the weapons but the ones deciding their fate and the fate of many other for some indefinitve global agenda. I applaude this young gentleman for his service to this country and most importantly to his joes. May God bless and keep him and his friends safe.
Sanjuro and Rakka: Thanks.
I've seen a lot of junior enlisted soldiers whine about being treated unfairly and how dumb that crusty old NCO is, and when they get counseled and corrected they bitch and whine. I have seen too often junior officers acting like junior enlisted. LT G sounds suspiciously like a young man who thinks he is a lot smarter than he really is and doesn't understand why those stupid senior officers don't just let him run the war and wrap things up in a week or two.
Suck it up LT, stop whining in front of your troops, and give your leaders the same respect you expect. It is always easier to sit back and throw darts, pointing out everyone elses mistakes while never taking the steps to be part of the solution yourself.
the difference between people who just read this article (like SFC K) and who actually read LT G's blog is vast. If you kept up with the good LT's blog, you'd know that he always placed his men and the mission first. Further, he was all about sucking it up and driving on. This whole XO thing is out of control. He never said he wouldn't do the job, just that he thought some of his peers were better suited for it. I believe his exact words were "if you tell me to do it, i will do the job without mental reservation and to the best of my ability." Hows that whining, K? Try READING the blog first before posting again.
For those of you who read the Lt G's blog you may remember that all of his essays, except possibly one, was reviewed and approved prior to posting by a senior officer in accordance with Army/DoD rules. For those of you who have not read all of his essays, yet feel free to criticize his character, values or intentions, may you continue to enjoy the freedoms of the First Amendment and sleep soundly while this young man and those that serve with him, along thousands of others, are willing to risk their lives for their country and concepts such as freedom and democracy. Yes, while they are out there doing what they belive, may you continue to enjoy what others have provided for you, such as freedom of speech, while you make anonymous crticisms of those who are willing to make sacrifices so that you and others can continue to lead your respective lives - in relative peace and freedom.
Having read all of the essays written by this young man, it would appear that OPSEC (Operational Security) was not violated and that his "transgressions" were two-fold. One, he publicly expressed his personal belief that the XO (executive officer) position should be offered to someone who had an interest in making the Army a career. Second, he publicly expressed an admiration and desire to remain with his platoon, the Gravediggers, out in the field for as long as possible. So is loyalty, dedication, commitment and genuine affection for those under command characteristics unbecoming an officer? Or are they character traits of a officer that should be recognized and valued in "today's" armed forces?
Me, I'm a big believer in the Mauldin/Pyle test.
If Bill Mauldin or Ernie Pyle would have liked the guy, fuck the COC.
Happy 4th of July, LT G and the Gravediggers, and everyone else in uniform and in harm's way.
God bless America.
E pluribus unum.
Sometimes it's better to suspend judgement and just read. No one is perfect, and life is a journey. His blog was cathartic for him, and I appreciate that he shared his experiences with us in his unique and gifted way. I hope he keeps a daily journal. By evidence of the dearth of readers and the ability that his writing evokes all kinds of emotional responses, he has unearthed a great talent in himself. I would definitely buy a book.
Kid's a good writer. Should have saved it for after the war when he was a civilian. I guess he got himself some free publicity this way for any future book. The exhibitionist urge to confess all thoughts online is not always wise.