What It's All About

Today while I was doing my "real job" out in this barren wasteland, I had some time to reflect on the weirdness of the past couple days. I've said it before- sometimes I think I get too bogged down in politics, the MSM, or whatever. I had to once again remind myself that this blog was never meant to be about me, rogue news personalities, or anyone else. This blog is about our brave soldiers who are out there fighting the good fight. Some think it's kind of crazy for me to say this, because they insist that I am one of those soldiers out there "fighting the good fight." Well, as a staff officer in Kuwait, it's not really like that. Sure, I was in Iraq. But now I'm sort of in a "supporting role"- and I guess I'm just taking that supporting role a little further than what's "required." But enough about me. The most important things will always come first...

One of the best ways we can honor those brave heroes who have sacrificed so much (some of whom gave their lives) is by studying and appreciating their amazing accomplishments. If we focus too much of our attention on one Marine who may or may not have been "caught on tape" or a group of misguided miscreants at Abu Ghraib, then we do the vast majority of our brave soldiers a disservice.

Fallujah

In the case of Fallujah, I'd recommend looking no further than this wonderfully comprehensive site at Winds of Change. Please- take some time and just pour through all that stuff. There's so much information there, you'd never be able to get through it all in one day. But it's there. So look at it, tell your friends about it, and be proud of what these heroes accomplished. I think I speak for most soldiers when I say that spending your time learning about our accomplishments is a better way of supporting us than sending us care packages (not that there's anything wrong with care packages!- you get the point).

Mosul

Looks like the focus is shifting to Mosul, my old stomping grounds. Make no mistake- Mosul is not Fallujah. Mosul is an amazing city with a history that would blow your mind. Did you know that Mosul lies directly on the old Biblical province of Nineveh? Locals told me (every chance they had) that it is the oldest known city in the world. It is an amazing amalgamation (big word for the day) of Sunnis, Kurds, Assyrian Christians, and even some Jews (there used to be lots). Jonah's Tomb is right in the middle of town. Some say it used to be a Jewish Synagogue. Don't repeat that to a local Sunni Arab unless you're ready to rumble. It's a fascinating town, really. When peace finally reigns supreme in Iraq (and it will), Mosul will become an absolute gold mine for history buffs and archaeological types. Amazing sights to see there. There are many PhD-holding professors, doctors, intellectuals, etc.- many of whom were educated in Michigan, Ohio, the UK, you name it. They are going through an amazing change right now, and it sounds like things are going to get even more interesting for them. Tonight I'll try to see what I can learn about the kind of operation that's going on over there, and hopefully I'll be able to write about it tomorrow...

The Fallujah Incident

I haven't been able to learn enough about what happened yet, so I won't offer anything specific. One thing I will say is that unless you've been in that man's combat boots getting shot at, watching your buddies die, and struggling to stay alive amidst a several-day long journey into pure hell- DO NOT pass judgment on this individual. I know that the Geneva Convention forbids killing enemy combatants who are wounded and unable to pose a threat. I also know that on today's battlefield, with booby-trapped bodies, suicide vests, and an enemy who cares nothing for "rules of war"- the Geneva Convention needs to be reexamined and more specifically defined. A wounded enemy soldier can theoretically pose a significant threat if he simply has the ability to move his finger. Times are different and war is hell- let the facts come out and let the military authorities handle it. If the MSM starts to spin this into another Abu Ghraib, I will come at them with a cyberfury not yet seen. I know you will all be there with me. Call this an official warning to the MSM- keep it fair, or the blogosphere will activate the Bat Signal.

Administrative Stuff

I've been getting tons of emails and (as you can see) comments during the past couple days. I'll get to all the emails as best I can, but please understand that I do have a "real job" out here and so my time on the net is somewhat (OK- a lot) limited. Please be patient. As several commenters mentioned, my site survived (yet another) Instalaunch yesterday. Instalaunches create Instalanches. Yes, that sounds strange and it was the subject of a great number of questions...

What is an Instalaunch?

Simply put, it's when your site gets linked by Instapundit (the blog of blogs featuring the famous Glenn Reynolds- thanks Glenn- and thanks to Kate). Glenn gets thousands and thousands of hits a day, and when he links your site- watch out. You get hit with an Instalanche- thousands of his readers come flooding to your site. The first time it happened, my site shut down for a while. Last night, I was asleep during the whole thing, so I have no idea what happened. I do know that the Forum took more than 40,000 hits in a period of about 10 hours. That's a little bit more than my daily average of about 500. The comments and emails come flooding in, and all that...

Last Word on Hockenberry?

If I ever bring him up again, I hope that it will be because of something positive. Some have said that the blogosphere will eventually overtake and destroy the MSM. That may happen- who knows? The blogosphere is still in it's infancy. My hope is that they can coexist in some sort of freakish, uber-balanced, peace and harmony. Maybe I'm just a crazy optimist...

Thanks

That whole ordeal was, as you may have guessed, a little much for a Black Hawk pilot who used to work at McD's. Especially since I'm still very new in the blogosphere. Thanks to all the great bloggers out there who helped me deal. You'll be filling up my blogroll shortly. Thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Greyhawk of the incomparable Mudville Gazette for inviting me on board (I love the new MILBLOG button). Also thanks to my always-supportive and amazing group of family (afy) and friends, the long-time Forum members, all the new folks who happened by, and last but certainly not least- the "secret force" behind the Forum- helping me out and supporting me from 7,000 miles away- my beautiful and brilliant fiance- the soon-to-be Mrs. 2Slick. 6 more weeks, Sweetie!!! Love you like crazy...