August 29, 2005

What do the Troops think?

There have been plenty of people who are talking about what is happening in Iraq and questioning what we should do. I think the average Joe Sixpack out there can see that a lot of this debate is purely political. Many of the key points argued are simply regurgitated talking points along party lines, whether they be from the liberals or conservatives. Both sides have reports and articles from Iraq that support their side, both claiming support from the majority.

Now, I haven’t been blogging for very long, but I got sucked into it pretty quickly. I heard about sites like MilBlogs and the Mudville Gazette and was immediately draw to reading the blogs of folks who are serving overseas. With all the debate on Iraq, I really wanted to see what the folks over there had to say about it. If anyone wants to get a better idea of what is really going on over there I strongly suggest reading these blogs written by our military members (if you haven’t been following them already). Looking at them from an objective standpoint, you would still want to consider the impact of the personal bias of the writers and the impact of the military’s scrutiny of these blogs, but these are perhaps the most unfiltered primary sources that we will have for this war, written by the men and women fighting it, as they are living through it.

I haven’t hit all of the blogs by folks over in Iraq and Afghanistan (I don’t even know if anyone has a good count on them out there), but as I read, the overall impression I get is that they see the positive effects of what they are doing, they believe in their mission and they think we should finish the job. The other major impression I get is that they don’t think the American people are hearing about any it. Don’t take my word for, go peruse the blogs yourself. I would love to quote all of the ones I have had the chance to visit, but I think GroovyVic would cut me loose if I did. Besides, it’s always better to read it directly from those writing it, so instead I’ll include some of the links below. It is definitely worth your time to find out what our troops have to say.

MilBlogs

Mudville Gazette
Michael Yon : Online Magazine
Boots In Baghdad
Ma Deuce Gunner
From My Position... On the way!
The Gun Line
Assumption of Command
It's a living... sorta
Live in Iraq

Courage Without Fear
Live from Iraq... Latest Posts
BLACKFIVE
5^th CAG’s Experiences in Iraq

Show Comments »