Saturday, August 28, 2004
Twilight Zone portal ahead
Well, that Hook posting of Aug 25 is missing again, the August 26 posting is back. The CB is gone. Puzzles galore.
I spent this afternoon at Forman Mills, a clothing outlet, standing in line getting autographs for my part of the Hook-a-thon. Not as many people as I expected but it was hot. At least 85/90 with the sun reflecting off the asphalt. Yeah, not as bad as anything the troops are enduring but it was bad for NJ.
Digression:
Earlier, the clouds reminded me of an Oriental painting. The individual clouds cascaded down the sky, not across it, in step formation, separated from each other, without any connection: Like the representation of hills and mountains in Oriental scrolls. The glare in the sky wiped out almost all color and made it hard to look for very long at the clouds.
I spent this afternoon at Forman Mills, a clothing outlet, standing in line getting autographs for my part of the Hook-a-thon. Not as many people as I expected but it was hot. At least 85/90 with the sun reflecting off the asphalt. Yeah, not as bad as anything the troops are enduring but it was bad for NJ.
Digression:
Earlier, the clouds reminded me of an Oriental painting. The individual clouds cascaded down the sky, not across it, in step formation, separated from each other, without any connection: Like the representation of hills and mountains in Oriental scrolls. The glare in the sky wiped out almost all color and made it hard to look for very long at the clouds.
Thursday, August 26, 2004
Big brother or "oops" ?
Yesterday, I referred to Sgt Hook's entry regarding activity duty personnel, their blogs and OPSEC. Today he had a note up that he couldn't find that posting and was wondering if he'd been censored. (Note--that was almost an afterthought on his part; he was mainly puzzled.) Well I checked a few minutes ago and today's entry about the lost blog is gone, as well as the comments, but yesterday's blog entry is back. So rather than risk it disappearing again, I'm copying and pasting it below. (And I'm at a public library that won't let me use diskettes!!!) Note that the underlined highlights are links in his original posting but do not work here.
From Sgt.Hook, August 25, the AWOL blog entry:
MilBlogs
Greyhawk has an outstanding post up at the Mudville Gazette regarding active duty military bloggers and the thin line that separates writing about one’s experiences and putting soldiers’ lives in jeopardy. It can be a very thin line indeed. Hawk’s post was sparked by an NPR article critical of the Army’s handling of CBFTW’s blog, My War.
I’m not going to comment on CB’s situation directly though I will say that after reading My War I’m of the opinion that he’s a damned good soldier and a very talented writer.
I’m choosing also to not comment directly on the NPR story as Greyhawk did a much better job of highlighting its flaws than I could ever do.
But this is not a political issue - its a military one. The lives of a lot of people are at risk, and CB’s command shoulders that burden. Were they to not monitor the communications once they were aware of them they would be negligent, at least, likely derelict in their duties, and responsible for the results.
“The Army” wants him to continue blogging. Believe me, “the Army” could more easily issue a blanket gag order and shut down all MilBlogs - most likely there are voices calling for that. In years past that would have been the instant response. That they haven’t done so speaks well for a new mentality at the top.
Instead, I’d like to share with you my two cents on the subject of blogging, specifically Milblogging, more specifically Sgt Hook. I started this blog back in March of 2003 after reading the venerable LT Smash as he blogged from somewhere in the sandbox during the onset of OIF. I knew that eventually my time would come and I’d be called upon to deploy in defense of our nation and thought that a blog would be a great way to stay in touch with family and friends, as well as, sharing my experiences as a soldier, a first sergeant, in today’s Army at war. From the get go I was diligent about not compromising OPSEC (operational security) while telling my story. I remained purposefuly vague about my identity and the identity of my unit. I made sure that I did not reference upcoming plans and operations eventhough in garrison so as to practice good OPSEC.
I even waited until the local newspapers in Hawaii announced that the 25th Infantry Division was in the que for deployment to Afghanistan though I knew months before. I was very cautious to the point of not posting something that I thought might violate security rules. I continued to remain vague during our deployment process as only a fool would think that our enemies don’t scour the internet for useful information. For example, I blogged about shipping our CH47D helicopters via the USAF to the Stan, but never mentioned the route that we took as a savvy adversary might take advantage of such knowledge and plan an attack along the route that those following us might very well take. I’ve blogged often about some of our missions here, again using general and vague details when it came to locations or specifics of the operation so as not to divulge any useful information to the bad guys. I know that I’ve been criticized for fictionalizing some stories but it’s all done in the name of OPSEC.
I cannot imagine that any Milblogger would intentionally jeopardize a mission or fellow service member just to express him/herself or to get a link or to increase traffic. Nope, not something I think very likely. It is, however, entirely possible that in the process of sharing an experience, an operation might be compromised or lives put in danger. If a Milblogger innocently talks about a mission that they routinely conduct in a specific area or village, it is not out of the realm of possibility that a formidable foe could use that information to set up an IED along the road that leads into said village in the future. As Hawk said, it is the responsibility of the command to protect the mission and their soldiers and if Sgt Hook was putting either in jeopardy, I ought to be called on it.
I had a second reason for wanting to keep my identity on the QT, though I knew eventually I’d be found out. I sincerely did not want my blog to become a distractor to my soldiers. I never told any of my Army buddies about Sgt Hook fearful that if my joes knew that their first sergeant was posting his experiences, some that might include them, on the internet for all to read, they might harbor ill feelings or bear resentment toward their Top. That is also why most experiences of such nature that I share here are outdated and names changed to protect the innocent and not so innocent. There really is more than one flight engineer in my unit and not one of them is actually named “JAF.”
I’ve been asked by a few newspapers for interviews and have declined mostly because I wanted to protect my identity and more importantly the identity of my unit. I have given only two interviews and lifted the self-imposed veil of secrecy only after the PAO (public affairs office) had approved of releasing some specifics about the unit and I did so mostly to help publicize Operation Shoe Fly. Some of my soldiers are aware of Sgt Hook now, I’m sure, but I continue to be sensitive to what I write so as to protect them and our mission as both are near and dear to my heart.
Several weeks ago, I was walking past the TOC (tactical operation center) and heard a voice yell, “Sgt Hook.” My heart skipped a beat as my head automatically turned to see who was calling me. It was my battallion commander. I walked over to him thinking that my blogging days might soon come to an end, but all he had to say was, “that’s some good writing.”
Somewhere along the line, Sgt Hook became more than an online newsletter for my folks and siblings to keep track of my wanderings through this thing called life. Sgt Hook has evolved into a story that I passionately believe needs to be told. A soldier’s story. The men and women who wear the uniform of our nation’s military are some of the finest people you’d ever want to meet and they have dreams and fears and talent and they love their spouses and children and they dislike war and separations from loved ones and they believe. They believe in America and Americans and they believe in one another. When I write about a day in the life of a soldier I write about a hero. A hero among heroes. And for each story I publish, there are several that go unpublished so as to safeguard other heroes and their missions. This We’ll Defend. Sgt Hook out.
Posted by Hook @ 5:03 pm PermalinkThis post is filed under: All Things Blog
From Sgt.Hook, August 25, the AWOL blog entry:
MilBlogs
Greyhawk has an outstanding post up at the Mudville Gazette regarding active duty military bloggers and the thin line that separates writing about one’s experiences and putting soldiers’ lives in jeopardy. It can be a very thin line indeed. Hawk’s post was sparked by an NPR article critical of the Army’s handling of CBFTW’s blog, My War.
I’m not going to comment on CB’s situation directly though I will say that after reading My War I’m of the opinion that he’s a damned good soldier and a very talented writer.
I’m choosing also to not comment directly on the NPR story as Greyhawk did a much better job of highlighting its flaws than I could ever do.
But this is not a political issue - its a military one. The lives of a lot of people are at risk, and CB’s command shoulders that burden. Were they to not monitor the communications once they were aware of them they would be negligent, at least, likely derelict in their duties, and responsible for the results.
“The Army” wants him to continue blogging. Believe me, “the Army” could more easily issue a blanket gag order and shut down all MilBlogs - most likely there are voices calling for that. In years past that would have been the instant response. That they haven’t done so speaks well for a new mentality at the top.
Instead, I’d like to share with you my two cents on the subject of blogging, specifically Milblogging, more specifically Sgt Hook. I started this blog back in March of 2003 after reading the venerable LT Smash as he blogged from somewhere in the sandbox during the onset of OIF. I knew that eventually my time would come and I’d be called upon to deploy in defense of our nation and thought that a blog would be a great way to stay in touch with family and friends, as well as, sharing my experiences as a soldier, a first sergeant, in today’s Army at war. From the get go I was diligent about not compromising OPSEC (operational security) while telling my story. I remained purposefuly vague about my identity and the identity of my unit. I made sure that I did not reference upcoming plans and operations eventhough in garrison so as to practice good OPSEC.
I even waited until the local newspapers in Hawaii announced that the 25th Infantry Division was in the que for deployment to Afghanistan though I knew months before. I was very cautious to the point of not posting something that I thought might violate security rules. I continued to remain vague during our deployment process as only a fool would think that our enemies don’t scour the internet for useful information. For example, I blogged about shipping our CH47D helicopters via the USAF to the Stan, but never mentioned the route that we took as a savvy adversary might take advantage of such knowledge and plan an attack along the route that those following us might very well take. I’ve blogged often about some of our missions here, again using general and vague details when it came to locations or specifics of the operation so as not to divulge any useful information to the bad guys. I know that I’ve been criticized for fictionalizing some stories but it’s all done in the name of OPSEC.
I cannot imagine that any Milblogger would intentionally jeopardize a mission or fellow service member just to express him/herself or to get a link or to increase traffic. Nope, not something I think very likely. It is, however, entirely possible that in the process of sharing an experience, an operation might be compromised or lives put in danger. If a Milblogger innocently talks about a mission that they routinely conduct in a specific area or village, it is not out of the realm of possibility that a formidable foe could use that information to set up an IED along the road that leads into said village in the future. As Hawk said, it is the responsibility of the command to protect the mission and their soldiers and if Sgt Hook was putting either in jeopardy, I ought to be called on it.
I had a second reason for wanting to keep my identity on the QT, though I knew eventually I’d be found out. I sincerely did not want my blog to become a distractor to my soldiers. I never told any of my Army buddies about Sgt Hook fearful that if my joes knew that their first sergeant was posting his experiences, some that might include them, on the internet for all to read, they might harbor ill feelings or bear resentment toward their Top. That is also why most experiences of such nature that I share here are outdated and names changed to protect the innocent and not so innocent. There really is more than one flight engineer in my unit and not one of them is actually named “JAF.”
I’ve been asked by a few newspapers for interviews and have declined mostly because I wanted to protect my identity and more importantly the identity of my unit. I have given only two interviews and lifted the self-imposed veil of secrecy only after the PAO (public affairs office) had approved of releasing some specifics about the unit and I did so mostly to help publicize Operation Shoe Fly. Some of my soldiers are aware of Sgt Hook now, I’m sure, but I continue to be sensitive to what I write so as to protect them and our mission as both are near and dear to my heart.
Several weeks ago, I was walking past the TOC (tactical operation center) and heard a voice yell, “Sgt Hook.” My heart skipped a beat as my head automatically turned to see who was calling me. It was my battallion commander. I walked over to him thinking that my blogging days might soon come to an end, but all he had to say was, “that’s some good writing.”
Somewhere along the line, Sgt Hook became more than an online newsletter for my folks and siblings to keep track of my wanderings through this thing called life. Sgt Hook has evolved into a story that I passionately believe needs to be told. A soldier’s story. The men and women who wear the uniform of our nation’s military are some of the finest people you’d ever want to meet and they have dreams and fears and talent and they love their spouses and children and they dislike war and separations from loved ones and they believe. They believe in America and Americans and they believe in one another. When I write about a day in the life of a soldier I write about a hero. A hero among heroes. And for each story I publish, there are several that go unpublished so as to safeguard other heroes and their missions. This We’ll Defend. Sgt Hook out.
Posted by Hook @ 5:03 pm PermalinkThis post is filed under: All Things Blog
Wednesday, August 25, 2004
Sgt Hook and OPSEC
Check out today's posting by Hook on the issue of military blogs:
http://www.sgthook.com/archives/2004/08/25/milblogs/trackback/ (Still working on pretty links, sorry.)
The seasoned, mature warrior has a balanced view that CB (see yesterday's entry) is still struggling with a little I think (at least as of last night). One of the other differences is that CB's primary "fan club" is very anti-military to begin with and probably is not helping CB think this through clearly. I know he cares deeply about his comrades and wouldn't intentionally release info that could cause harm to them. But in the emotional heat of writing down of his experiences he could inadvertently give out info. I just don't want his audience to affect his attitude toward his commanding officers. I should note I haven't checked out the postings on CB's site since early this AM.
As an example of the vulnerability of the web, I came cross Hook's alter ego simply by pushing links. There's also reams of info (or should I say diskettes? CD's? DVD's?) available on the net about some of the equipment the troops use. My employer's intranet even had a news article about the vulnerability of web information about architectural structures here in the US; the article detailed information about structural defects in the financial institutions that were mentioned in a recent heightened terror alert recently. Most Americans still aren't thinking like a country at war. "Loose lips sink ships" and now so do fingers on keyboards!
http://www.sgthook.com/archives/2004/08/25/milblogs/trackback/ (Still working on pretty links, sorry.)
The seasoned, mature warrior has a balanced view that CB (see yesterday's entry) is still struggling with a little I think (at least as of last night). One of the other differences is that CB's primary "fan club" is very anti-military to begin with and probably is not helping CB think this through clearly. I know he cares deeply about his comrades and wouldn't intentionally release info that could cause harm to them. But in the emotional heat of writing down of his experiences he could inadvertently give out info. I just don't want his audience to affect his attitude toward his commanding officers. I should note I haven't checked out the postings on CB's site since early this AM.
As an example of the vulnerability of the web, I came cross Hook's alter ego simply by pushing links. There's also reams of info (or should I say diskettes? CD's? DVD's?) available on the net about some of the equipment the troops use. My employer's intranet even had a news article about the vulnerability of web information about architectural structures here in the US; the article detailed information about structural defects in the financial institutions that were mentioned in a recent heightened terror alert recently. Most Americans still aren't thinking like a country at war. "Loose lips sink ships" and now so do fingers on keyboards!
Tuesday, August 24, 2004
Targets and I don't mean the store
NPR has publicly identified CB of MyWar/Fear and Loathing (see sidebar). I honestly think his superiors were trying to look the other way, after reminding him not to compromise the security of the unit. Now I'm concerned he's going to be scrutnized with a magnifying glass. If anything is leaked, no matter how, he'll be guilty until proven innocent. And my bigger concern is that his wife could not be in danger from our tech savy enemy and just general American whackos. Same as I'm concerned for Mrs.Sgthook. Yeah, yeah I know I'm paranoid and suspicious. But the amount of info that can be found over the net is almost frightening now.
The link copied from MyWar:
Wednesday, August 25, 2004
RADIO NPR
NPR (National Public Radio) mentioned this website on its Day To Day show. Here is a link to the article: http://www.npr.org/features/feature.php?wfId=386798
Brighter Addendum: One of the units I've been sending packages to looks like they'll be home in a month or two, hurrah! It would be nice to continue to be in touch with the contact after they return, but I dunno at this point. "One step at a time through the tunnel."
The link copied from MyWar:
Wednesday, August 25, 2004
RADIO NPR
NPR (National Public Radio) mentioned this website on its Day To Day show. Here is a link to the article: http://www.npr.org/features/feature.php?wfId=386798
Brighter Addendum: One of the units I've been sending packages to looks like they'll be home in a month or two, hurrah! It would be nice to continue to be in touch with the contact after they return, but I dunno at this point. "One step at a time through the tunnel."
Wednesday, August 18, 2004
Heartstrings and Tissue Alerts
Thanks to Sgthook for this link to a beautiful "thank you" video from some soldiers in Iraq. He warns you to have tissues available and I agree. Also make sure your speakers are on! The link is here http://www.keystonesoldiers.com/staticpages/index.php?page=20040724000134363. (I have to learn to do nice looking links someday.)
Another site to check out for Marine endorsed, field tested recipes out of Iraq which you'll probably never seen on HGTV! God bless these guys for their spirited ingenuity! The AUNTTT is up in arms (or as far into arms as a civilian can go) at the thought of these kids (and they're only kids!) going hungry while serving our country. The corpsman/correspondent just turned 23. I'll have to get a package out to them this weekend.
http://www.bravoonetwo.com/default.htm
August 18 2004 (from booksfor soldiers.com)
http://f1.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/chowda633/album?.dir=/98ea&.src=ph (photo link)
Another site to check out for Marine endorsed, field tested recipes out of Iraq which you'll probably never seen on HGTV! God bless these guys for their spirited ingenuity! The AUNTTT is up in arms (or as far into arms as a civilian can go) at the thought of these kids (and they're only kids!) going hungry while serving our country. The corpsman/correspondent just turned 23. I'll have to get a package out to them this weekend.
http://www.bravoonetwo.com/default.htm
August 18 2004 (from booksfor soldiers.com)
http://f1.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/chowda633/album?.dir=/98ea&.src=ph (photo link)
Tuesday, August 17, 2004
More reality
I'm going to try to link to The Questing Cat. Some of his stuff is so-so but this is reality:
http://www.thequestingcat.com/blog/archives/00000034.html Praying for the kids over there.
http://www.thequestingcat.com/blog/archives/00000034.html Praying for the kids over there.
Monday, August 16, 2004
Connect the dots across the net
Two websites I check every day are www.sgthook.com and www.anysoldier.us. The first is a sergeant's blog from Afghanistan; the second enables people like me to send mail and practical support items to troops on the frontlines in the two theaters. Sgt. Hook had a blog last week regarding a helicopter crash on August 10; he knew people involved in it. Yesterday the anysoldier site had an entry from a Marine corporal, writing from ICU at Bagram AF about a helicopter crash. I emailed the site administrator and he found a link on the european stars and stripes newspaper with more info than either entry. From what I can see the Marine was indeed involved in that same helicopter crash! I don't know any of these men personally, neither the site administrators nor the Army sergeant nor the Marine corporal, (actually I don't know anyone personally who is serving) but they've felt like family since I started surfing and sending packages. Now, even more so! Was it Shakespeare who wrote, "what a tangled web we weave"? But I think he was referring to the lies we tell and the resulting traps those lies result in. In contrast here, the web leads to truthful information (except for the "family connection" sparked by my emotions.) I'm reminded now of the game Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon.
I just reviewed the blog; yesterday when I tried to post, the system kept telling me it was unavailable. So now there are duplicates, sorta kinda. Sorry about that but I'm not gonna delete the prior entry. I'd forgotten how astonished I was at the young man's nonchalant entry.
I just reviewed the blog; yesterday when I tried to post, the system kept telling me it was unavailable. So now there are duplicates, sorta kinda. Sorry about that but I'm not gonna delete the prior entry. I'd forgotten how astonished I was at the young man's nonchalant entry.
Sunday, August 15, 2004
connections across the net
Two of my daily checkpoints are sgthook.com and anysoldier.us. The first is a soldier's blog from Afghanistan, the second is a volunteer site to send packages to the soldiers in both theaters. Sgt. Hook this week had a posting about the crash of a Blackhawk on Aug 10; he knew the crew. In passing he corrected the info from Fox news which stated Marines had died; he stated they were injured. Just today I read one of the contacts on the package site. He writes in very IM style but I'm deciphering it that he was injured in that crash! He states he wasn't medevac'd to Germany but he's in ICU at BAF. And he writes so nonchalantly about it!!!
Wednesday, August 11, 2004
Still clueless in NJ
Still poking around trying to figure this out. Just put out a profile. Thought I should explain the A.U.N.T.T.T acronym: Auxilliary Unit for the Nuture of Toddlers Through Teenagers. I don't have any kids but my sister had 5, now has 2 grandkids under 2 years old, and my best friend had 4, no grandkids yet. So a very strong part of my self image was being an Aunt, which meant/means not only playing with the urchins but helping the parents and backing them up: "What did your mom just tell you to do?" When the urchins reached late teenagerhood, the connection seemed to vanish into thing air and hasn't quite rematerialized now that they're becoming Young Adults. So other interests are growing: sending packages to troops overseas. (Check out www.anysoldier.us Please,Please Please!) Have a bunch of other blogs I check out but haven't figured out yet how to do the "blog roll" then. Oh well, one step at a time and don't be afraid to fail. (One of the most important things the toddlers taught me.)
Tuesday, August 10, 2004
No clue what I'm about to do
This is a result of the war in the Stan and Iraq. Got here somehow clicking on links. Don't know where I'll end up, but I want it to be supporting the troops. I learned to drive a stick shift by grinding gears and starting off in third gear. Will probably do the same here. Lehitroat!
