As Dick Cheney admits almost daily to what the rest of the world knows to be war crimes, yet claims we did nothing wrong, the AP reports this:
LONDON --- United States intelligence agencies misled key allies, including Britain, about its mistreatment of suspected terrorists, according to the former head of the country's domestic spy agency, MI5.
Eliza Manningham-Buller, who retired in 2007 and is now a member of the House of Lords, said Tuesday that the U.S. deliberately suppressed details of its harsh handling of some detainees, including accused 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.
"The Americans were very keen that people like us did not discover what they were doing," Manningham-Buller told a meeting at Britain's Parliament.
My only question is, if we were doing nothing wrong, what were we hiding?
Since October of last year, a suburban Pennsylvania woman who operated under the name "Jihad Jane" has been in federal custody for plotting with foreign Islamic fundamentalists to kill a Swedish cartoonist. The cartoonist was the creator of the infamous cartoon which depicted the face of the Muslim prophet Mohamed on the body of a dog.
"Jihad Jane" traveled to Europe and trained with terrorists to kill the cartoonist, and even ultimately moved into his artist enclave after joining his online community. "Jihad Jane" first declared her desire to participate in violent Jihad in the Summer of 2008. Perhaps we would have caught her sooner if, as some ethnocentric fearmongers propose, we had been engaging in ethnic profiling. Yeah, that would have caught this blond haired, blue eyed, caucasian woman:
Employees of the CIA-connected private security corporation Blackwater diverted hundreds of weapons, including more than 500 AK-47 assault rifles, from a U.S. weapons bunker in Afghanistan intended to equip Afghan policemen, according to an investigation by the Senate Armed Services Committee. On at least one occasion, an individual claiming to work for the company evidently signed for a weapons shipment using the name of a "South Park" cartoon character. And Blackwater has yet to return hundreds of the guns to the military.[...] A Blackwater lawyer told [Senate Armed Services] committee staff that no one by those names has ever been employed by the company. Eric Cartman is the name of an obnoxious character from Comedy Central's popular "South Park" cartoon.
You aren't going to believe this, but video has actually surfaced of the incident:
H/t to Spencer Ackerman, who broke this story and thereby influenced tomorrow night's episode of South Park. I've got to believe that's going to be a bullet on his resume.
The Army is now going to do what it should have done in the first place: notify Soldiers that they know are eligible for retroactive stop-loss compensation:
More than four months since the Army started accepting retroactive stop-loss pay applications, nearly 100,000 eligible soldiers and surviving spouses have yet to apply.
That's prompting the Army to start sending direct mailings this to 50,000 people believed to have been stop-lossed, said Maj. Roy Whitley, project manager for the compensation program.
The mailings will have passwords that allow recipients to access a Web site that can expedite the claims process, Whitley said.
This is what I've said should be done since the beginning. The Army knows who it stop-lossed. Soldier's shouldn't have to prove their eligibility. They should be able to give relevant administrative data (name, DOB, SSN) and have the list checked. If you are the list, you get a check. If not, you don't. I'm assuming this is what the password system will do.
As always, it's nice to see the Army getting this right, but it'd be nicer to see them get it right in the first place.
Rifleman James McKie saved the lives of two of his comrades by throwing the grenade back off the roof where the men were coming under fire from three different directions.
The device exploded in mid air just metres away from where they were standing, sending shrapnel flying.
Rifleman McKie, of Reconnaissance Platoon, 3rd Battalion The Rifles, suffered injuries to his face and right arm.
Platoon Commander Captain Graeme Kerr was flown to Selly Oak Hospital in Birmingham after fragmentation hit his leg.
Speaking about the incident in Sangin on March 3, Rfn McKie said: ''My first thought was, 'I hope this doesn't hurt too much'. That, and I've really only got one chance to do this. If it fails, either way, doing nothing, I'm going to get the same amount of hurt. So I picked it up and threw it off the roof.
''We were in a high position on a compound roof. There was no way you could throw yourself off and not get injured, so I made a decision to pick up the grenade and throw it off the roof. And I threw it quite deliberately. I tried to throw it properly, to clear the roof.
Wow. Just wow.
Sometimes, in the midst of all the cynicism that exists in world and especially in the realm of security politics, we forget that there are still true, honest, heroes out there.
Rifleman McKie is exactly that. This guy's money should be no good in any bar in the world.
(Rob Diamond is the chairman of Organizing for America's Vets and Military Families Outreach Council, a Security Fellow at Truman National Security Project, a U.S. Naval Academy graduate and a Navy Veteran. - promoted by Richard Allen Smith)
This piece was originally posted on March 8th, 2010 at HuffingtonPost.com
I received an email Monday morning that stopped me in my tracks. It contained a link to the seemingly noble organization called the Special Operations Warrior Foundation (SOWF) (http://www.specialops.org) - a 501 (c)(3) tax-exempt, federally registered charity whose own mission statement says:
"The Special Operations Warrior Foundation provides full scholarship grants and educational and family counseling to the surviving children of special operations personnel who die in operational or training missions and immediate financial assistance to severely wounded special operations personnel and their families."
As a veteran who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom I thought, "what a meaningful charitable organization to give my support." But sadly, things are not as noble as they look.
Read a little further on the homepage of the SOWF website, under the "Latest News" column, and you will see a link to none other than Glenn Beck. Yes, that Glenn Beck.
SOWF, it turns out, is the designated charitable organization that will benefit from a rally Glenn Beck is hosting on August 28th on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC--it is being called the "Restoring Honor Rally." (http://www.glennbeck.com/828/).
Or at least that is what Glenn Beck and SOWF want you to believe.
What is actually happening--and what is so obviously wrong--is that the rally is not actually raising money for SOWF. SOWF is raising all the money to pay for the rally.
Don't believe me? Just read the plain-as-day, italicized font on the SOWF website:
"All contributions made to the Special Operations Warrior Foundation (SOWF) will first be applied to the costs of the Restoring Honor Rally taking place on August 28, 2010. All contributions in excess of these costs will then be retained by the SOWF."
That's weird, I thought. I give $100 to SOWF and it goes to Glenn Beck first, college scholarships for children of deceased special operators (maybe) second? Why would Glenn Beck be using a charitable organization, whose mission it is to provide college scholarships to the children of deceased special operators, as the financing arm of his "non-political, non-partisan" rally?
Glenn Beck got paid $18 million last year (http://www.businessinsider.com/the-empire-of-glenn-beck-slideshow-2009-4). Surely, these kids need the money more than he does.
Should it not be the other way around? I would think you would donate to the rally and then they would donate the money to SOWF? I am a Navy veteran and not a lawyer, but does that not smell like someone exploiting a charity at the least, or money-laundering at worst?
Let's cut to the chase and stop being naïve. The Special Operations Warrior Foundation is now serving as a financial front man for the right-wing, Fox News demagogue that is Glenn Beck. This so-called "rally" has nothing to do with SOWF's stated (and noble) mission of giving college scholarships to children of deceased servicemembers.
We all know this rally is going to be nothing more than an anti-Obama, anti-government, pro-Tea Party hate-fest with Glenn Beck spewing his vitriol under the banner of "supporting our troops."
Well, as one of those troops, I am calling this for what it is--a deceitful and deceptive attempt on behalf of far-right extremists to profit off of the memory of my fellow servicemen and women killed in action. Nothing is more wrong or disgusting.
Similarly, why is the leadership of the SOWF putting at risk their tax-exempt charitable status by engaging in this activity? Why would they risk the good name and good work they have done in the past in order to support someone like Glenn Beck?
Oh, I see, SOWF's Board of Directors is stacked with right-wing ideologues like Erik Prince, the founder and head of Blackwater (yes, that Blackwater).
Do what you want, but I will keep giving my money to real charities like Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (http://www.iava.org), Achilles International's Freedom Team of Wounded Veterans (http://www.achillesinternational.org/programs/freedom-team/overview) and The Wounded Warrior Project (http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/)-- organizations that actually provide support to Veterans and their families who have earned and need the assistance.
I have no need to give my money to a multi-millionaire, hate-spewing faux patriot who has never served a day in his life in uniform, but would rather take money from those that have.
Shame on you Glenn Beck and SOWF. What a disgrace.
Liz Cheney's Orwellian-named group "Keep America Safe", as I'm sure you've seen by now, has been seeking to blame attorneys for the crimes of those they have represented. For ensuring that all accused criminals receive adequate representation, a feature of the courts of liberal democracies the world over, Liz Cheney would have us believe that Justice Department attorneys have sympathies for al-Qaeda. I guess Liz would have us believe that public defenders who advocate in court on behalf of rapists, murderers and arsonists are rapists murderers and arsonists themselves. Or even that John Adams, POTUS #2 and defender of British soldiers in the Boston Massacre trials, held treasonous loyalties the crown.
The fallacy of Cheney's assertion has crossed a line to where even her fellow die hard Republicans have denounced them as unacceptable:
A group that includes leading conservative lawyers and policy experts, former Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr and several senior officials of the last Bush administration is denouncing as "shameful" Republican attacks on lawyers who came to the Obama Justice Department after representing suspected terrorists.
[...]
"We consider these attacks both unjust to the individuals in question and destructive of any attempt to build lasting mechanisms for counterterrorism adjudications," wrote the 19 lawyers whose names were attached to the statement as of early Monday.
[...]
The attacks on the lawyers "undermine the Justice system more broadly," they wrote, by "delegitimizing" any system in which accused terrorists have lawyers, whether civilian courts of military tribunals.
We'll be waiting for Cheney's acknowledgment that this ad campaign was a disgraceful attempt at McCarthyism. Something tells me, however, we'll be waiting a while for Liz Cheney to find her integrity.
I tuned in to the Oscars last night in hopes of seeing my favorite film of the year clean up. Critics lauded the performances in my favorite film, a movie about a close-knit team with unique characteristics engaging in combat in a far away land. I liked the film because it wasn't like most war movies with explosions left and right. This movie had actual character development, and walked a way last night with some hardware to show for it.
Yup, it was nice to see Inlourious Basterds actor Cristoph Waltz win the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.
As for the other prominent war flick featured, I spent most of the evening wanting throw my empty bottles of stout at my flat screen as it seemed like every presenter came to the stage with the stated purpose of handing another statue to The Hurt Locker, and those recipients invoked the troops for their win. What was especially egregious was when the screenwriter accepted his award and rattled off some fudged troop numbers that in no way resembled the actual number of American service members in harms way. As best I could tell, we got those numbers the same way he wrote his movie: completely made up, with no basis in reality.
Of course, the same could be said of Inglourious Basterds. No one would argue that its an accurate portrayal of World War II and the holocaust, and that's exactly the point. No one ever claimed it to be accurate. Much of The Hurt Locker's praise, and indeed its marketing, was directed at its supposed "realism" and "accuracy". For example, look at this quote from the film's director, Kathryn Bigelow:
Bigelow firmly credits screenwriter Mark Boal for Locker's verisimilitude and accuracy. Boal spent seven weeks with a bomb unit in Iraq as an embedded reporter for Playboy, and his experiences there informed and shaped the story and characters portrayed in Locker.
City Paper: When did you get in involved with this project?
Kathryn Bigelow: From the beginning. I knew that when Mark came back from Iraq and had these extraordinary stories and information that I wanted to keep it as reportorial as possible-to keep it raw and immediate and visceral, to give the audience the opportunity to be inside this company, to be a real boots-on-the-ground look at combat.
Sorry, Kathryn. EPIC FAIL on that.
The inaccuracies have been welldocumented here previously. The movie isn't about your run of the mill EOD team. No, as Brandon put it, the movie is about something that doesn't exist: "an EOD/Ranger/sniper/commando/hero guy and his two sidekicks. Who apparently don't have access to radios. And who travel around Iraq by themselves. In fact, most of the scenes rely on oddly and unrealistically contrived situations to induce a stressful reaction from the audience."
That doesn't even discuss guys running through the streets of Baghdad at night in civies. Or James stating "Let's split up, we can cover more ground that way". Or Soldiers wearing ACUs well before they were ever issued. Or long out of service Vietnam-era Hueys flying MEDEVAC missions.
But those aren't even the worst inaccuracies. What is truly disrespectful of service members, and what I thought of each time one the movie's crew members thanked the troops last night, was the portrayal of the EOD team as undisciplined, boozing, fighting children with no discipline or respect for the chain of command. I'll never forget my jaw dropping when SGT Sanborn called SFC James, his superior noncommissioned officer, by his last name and then punched him in the face.
So as I depressingly lost most of my faith in humanity last night (this may be a bit of an exageration), that's what made me the sickest. Watching crew member after crew member get up and invoke the troops, as if they did something for us by making their fantasy tale of a movie. Yeah, they did something alright. Now, every person we encounter who hasn't served will think they understand us, because they happened to watch a work that is completely contrived fiction.
I'll be sure to tell them they should have watched Inglourious Basterds instead.
Today was a historic day in Iraq. Yes, it was election day, and there are at least three lessons that I think that can be taken away from today's events. First, the Iraqis handled all of their own security needs. For those of you who have been deployed, that in and of itself speaks to the level of training that they have received, and how they have taken to it. I have to admit that I was pretty scared about how today would turn out, but as of tonight, I am pleasantly surprised. Second, don't believe everything you hear in the news. I think that there is a tendency to think that Baghdad is a small town. Just as a reminder, Baghdad has a population of approximately 7.4 million peoplehere. So, while there are bombings, and there is death, which no one should have to experience, there needs to be a lens by which to view. The BLUF (bottom line up front) is that up to 80-85% of eligible Iraqis were able to vote. Please know that is a rough estimate, with no journalistic support. And finally, seeing candidates with very different backgrounds being able to campaign. From religious to secular, male and female, the people of Iraq were able to make a choice in their future. And if this goes off as well as possible, I will leave here knowing that while the last few years have been tough, there is hope. And that is good enough sometimes.
I used to really love the Peanuts comic strip. One of the recurring story lines, as I'm sure we all remember, was Lucy promising she'd let Charlie Brown kick a football, only to pull it back at the last minute causing Charlie to slip and fall on his fourth point of contact.
President Obama's advisers are nearing a recommendation that Khalid Sheik Mohammed, the self-proclaimed mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, be prosecuted in a military tribunal, administration officials said, a step that would reverse Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr.'s plan to try him in civilian court in New York City.
I'm so happy that the Administration has capitulated to pure political pressure. Only three terrorists have been convicted in military commissions. Two of them are already walking public streets again. Meanwhile, the US has put over 300 terrorists behind bars through civilian courts.
Get used to the idea of KSM walking the streets of Karachi.
For those who frequent the Great Orange Satan, Iraq War Veteran and VoteVets Chairman Jon Soltz is discussing our ad at Daily Kos. It seems as though our pointing out the obvious, that Iran benefits from our dependence on foreign oil, has angered some on the left.
Personally, I don't care who is angry. The ad is accurate and we stand by it.
Also, Jon Will be on The Ed Show on MSNBC tonight at 6:40 PM EST discussing our ad.
Enough words have been spoken in Washington, with none as powerful as what these vets have to say. Let's keep it simple and straight. Politicians have talked for years about the link between foreign oil and global terrorism.
And these veterans are doing their duty once again when they remind politicians in Washington that it's not "tough" to vote for legislation that creates jobs, cuts pollution, and strengthens our national security -- what's tough is what happens when we don't and our troops shoulder that awful burden instead.
And it's true. Don't believe me? The Pentagon recently released their quadrennial defense review, and they included the instability from climate change as a factor that could cost the lives of the men and women who serve in our armed forces.
The Center for Naval Analysis brought together a blue-ribbon panel of generals and admirals who concluded that "climate change is a serious national security threat." And General Anthony Zinni said flatly that if we don't deal with climate change now, "we will pay the price later in military terms. And that will involve human lives."
And these veterans know it already does.
The politicians don't have it tough. The troops do. End of story. Now the Senate needs to do its job -- for them.
MultiCams will be issued to units heading to Afghanistan starting in July. Those units include the 4th Brigade, 10th Mountain Division at Fort Polk, La.; the 1st Brigade, 4th Infantry Division at Fort Carson, Colo.; and the 2nd Brigade, 34th Infantry Division of the Iowa Army National Guard, according to the Program Executive Office Soldier Web site.
Soldiers in Afghanistan had identified the need for a new combat uniform, according to Col. Scott Mills of the Army Logistics Directorate, who spoke to Stars and Stripes about the uniforms in December when they started testing them.
Two things:
Remember when the ACU was first introduced, and we were told how great it was that there was no black in the uniform?
I wonder if this will become the universal duty uniform, or if it will just be issued for combat in Afghanistan. If you can really wear it, as the article states, in "the mountains, cornfields, grape fields and urban environmentsl," why not save some money and just issue it to everyone and phase out the ACU?
LASHKAR GAH, Afghanistan --- A man freed from Guantanamo more than two years ago after he claimed he only wanted to go home and help his family is now a senior commander running Taliban resistance to the U.S.-led offensive in southern Afghanistan, two senior Afghan intelligence officials say.
Abdul Qayyum is also seen as a leading candidate to be the next No. 2 in the Afghan Taliban hierarchy, said the officials, interviewed last week by The Associated Press.
The torture enthusiasts and Liz Cheneys of the world will tell you that this proves that we MUST keep GITMO open. But really does that make sense? A Bush Administration system that is so flawed that it has returned high level Taliban commanders to the battlefield should be maintained?
Here's another option: civilian courts have successfully prosecuted and convicted over 300 terrorists, none of which have ever returned to the battlefield.
Veterans New Ad: Oil Money Enabled Creation of Weapons In Iran, Used in Attacks on US Troops in Iraq
Clean energy legislation will defund terror, keep America safe
WASHINGTON - US war veterans today announced that they will commit close to a million dollars to an ad campaign -- running nationally and in eight states - which ties Iran's ability to create new and powerful weapons used against our troops to our addiction to oil. It calls on Congress to pass comprehensive clean energy legislation and defund our most dangerous enemies. The ad is paid for by VoteVets.org Action Fund in coordination with Operation Free.
View the national ad at www.billiondollarsaday.com and here.
Local versions of the ad are running in eight states, calling on Senators to provide leadership on the issue by committing to the passage of a clean energy and climate change bill. Those states include: Alaska (Begich (D), Murkowski (R)), Indiana (Bayh (D), Lugar (R)), Maine (Snowe (R) Collins (R)) , Missouri (McCaskill (D)), Montana (Baucus (D) Tester (D)), North Dakota (Conrad (D), Dorgan (D)), Virginia (Webb (D), Warner (D)), and West Virginia (Byrd (D), Rockefeller (D)).
The ad features Iraq War and US Army Veteran Christopher Miller, who earned a Purple Heart as the result of an explosion from an Improvised Explosive Device (IED). Miller then highlights the destructive potential of a newer and more powerful explosive device, the Explosively Formed Projectile (EFP), which was brought to Iraq from Iran and then used against our troops. Photos and news clips show the deadly capability of the weapon.
Miller notes that every time the price of a barrel of oil increases $1, Iran makes another $1.5 billion, enhancing their ability to create weapons to be used against our troops. The World oil market depends greatly upon Iranian supply and the United States, as the top consumer of oil in the world, significantly drives up oil prices.
The ad concludes by telling Congress, "It's time to lead. Pass Clean Energy and Climate Legislation."
According to an analysis by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), a comprehensive energy bill passed by the House of Representatives last year could reduce America's dependence on foreign oil by 5 million barrels per day by 2040--cutting our imports in half, and make a real impact on the cost of oil on the worldwide market.
Last month, VoteVets.org Action Fund spent over $2 million on television ads in a number of states calling for passage of clean energy legislation, noting that money we send to some Middle East nations for oil gets funneled to terrorist organizations that target our troops and America. Operation Free's Veterans for American Power National Tour, a 16-state, 2-month, nationwide bus tour of veterans, is highlighting the connection between climate change and national security across the country, explaining how dependence on energy from hostile nations is funding terrorism around the globe.
VoteVets.org is a pro-military organization of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, dedicated to the destruction of terror networks around the world, with force when necessary. It primarily focuses on education and advocacy on issues of importance to the troops and veterans, and holding politicians accountable for their actions on these issues.
Operation Free is a coalition of veterans and national security organizations dedicated to securing America with clean energy. Operation Free is an advocacy campaign of the Truman National Security Project. Learn more at www.OperationFree.net.
As we've pointed out here previously, that letter from 1,150 flag glade officer's in support of DADT is basically a sham. It's full of officers who never served in the modern era and are essentially out of touch with the culture and attitudes of the 21st century force.
Now, I don't usually like to print extensive blockquotes. But really, this DC Agenda is a thing of beauty, and should go down in new media textbooks as an example of a near perfect "take down" piece:
"Only a small fraction of these officers have even served in the military during the 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' period, much less in the 21st century military," Nicholson said. "How can these flag officers honestly claim to know how accepting and tolerant 18- and 21-year-olds are today when most of them haven't been that age themselves since the 1940s and 1950s?"
The report found the average age among is the officers is 74, the oldest living signer is 98, and several signers died in the time since the document was published.
At least one signer, Gen. Louis Menetrey, was deceased when the letter was published and didn't sign the document himself. According to a footnote on the letter, his wife signed the document for him after his death using power of attorney - six years after Alzheimer's disease robbed him of the ability to communicate.
Servicemembers United findings also indicate the letter doesn't represent the viewpoints of some officers who purportedly signed it. One signer said they no longer want to be a part of the letter, writing to the organization, "I do not wish to be on any list regarding this issue."
Others said they never agreed to sign in the first place.
One general wrote, "I never agreed. To represent either side of this issue." Another wrote, "I do not remember being asked about this issue."
DC Agenda independently found one general who acknowledged signing the letter, but said he now believes gays should be allowed to serve in the armed forces so long as they adhere to the code of conduct.
"I do not believe there should be any limitations based on sexual orientation," said the general, who asked not to be identified.
In addition to signers who say the letter doesn't represent their views, others were involved in scandals tarnishing their careers. Nicholson said the number of scandals in which signers have been involved "jumps out" as a major component of the report, adding some officers made "heinous failures of judgment and leadership."
The report identifies seven officers that were involved in such incidents:
• Brig. Gen. Eddie Cain was in the early 1990s director of the Pentagon agency in charge of the anthrax vaccine administered to troops and testified before Congress the vaccine was safe and tested. Later reports showed it was neither. Cain was revealed to have known his testimony was inaccurate, and wrote in personal e-mails that if Congress found out, he'd be "in big-time trouble."
• Brig. Gen. David Boland in 1994 was executive director of a "boot camp" for at-risk children at Camp Wiecker, Conn., that was mired in problems and later discontinued. According to the New York Times, gang recruitment, sexual relations between students and faculty, drug use, gambling rings and widespread violence and fighting - including one fight that resulted in 14 arrests - took place at Camp Wiecker under Boland's supervision. Boland later stepped down to "pursue other interests."
• Rear Adm. Riley Mixson in 1993 received a career-ending letter of censure from then-Navy Secretary John Dalton for involvement in the 1991 Tailhook scandal, during which he failed to take action against allegations of sexual misconduct. According to the New York Times, "Mixson was cited for failing to take action when he saw a woman drink from a dispenser made to look like a rhinoceros' penis and men shaving women's legs."
• Gen. Carl Mundy made several statements in 1993 on CBS' "60 Minutes" that racial minority soldiers "don't swim as well" or perform other duties as well as white troops. He also once unilaterally banned married recruits from joining the Marine Corps, a move Defense Secretary Les Aspin rescinded the following week.
• Lt. Gen. Fred McCorkle was head of Marine Corps Aviation in the late 1990s, during the design and test phase of the V-22 Osprey. He oversaw cost overruns and allegedly falsified records - all while praising the aircraft. McCorkle now works for and sits on the boards of several companies that manufacture Osprey components.
• Brig. Gen. Gary Pendleton was named in a lawsuit in 2008 for unlawfully discriminating on the basis of race against an employee in awarding her a lower annual bonus than her co-workers. Pendleton was also said to have fired the employee in retaliation for her complaints.
• Brig. Gen. Darryl Powell oversaw in 1985 a spike in malpractice lawsuits as commander of Madigan Army Medical Center. In one case, a woman was injected with formaldehyde instead of medication, killing her and her unborn child.
My previous challenge still exists: Please, someone, give me one legitimate reason why this law should still exist.
Last night, on his Facebook page, VetVoice alum and Army of Dude author Alex Horton flagged a Fox News story where his review of The Hurt Locker was quoted. The problem was it was clear that the author of the Fox News article lifted the quote:
Alex Horton, for example, wrote on the ARMY of Dude blog that "the way the team goes about their missions is completely absurd," but he added that it was still "the best Iraq war movie to date."
At the blog Army of Dude, infantryman and Iraq veteran Alex Horton noted that "the way the team goes about their missions is completely absurd," though he went on to call the film "the best Iraq movie to date."
The same Fox News article referenced our own Kate Hoit's review of the film as described in the wikipedia article:
For example one critic charged that the movie was ruined for her because the soldiers were wearing combat uniforms that weren't being used in 2004, when the movie takes place.
After seeing that article and checking it against the Wikipedia entry, I planned to cover the story this morning, being that my recent illness has left me with little energy or time out of bed. Well, apparently I should have written the article last night because this bird has missed the worm. Sometime between mine and Alex's conversation on Facebook/Alex's writing of a post on the ordeal and now, someone, presumably from Fox News, has edited the section of The Hurt Locker's entry to less resemble Kate's review.
So, let it be known, Fox News, we're on to you and your lazy WikiJournalism. As I told Alex, I stopped sourcing blog posts from Wikipedia long ago. A traditional media outlet like Fox News should hold itself to the same standard. Or, as Alex put it more eloquently:
Bang up job, Ed Barnes. What would get me an F in an English essay passes as journalism these days.
"The welcome mat for memoirs by veterans of operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom might never wear out so long as they write with the savvy of Brandon Friedman . . . Friedman's take is vivid, frank, precise and dramatic."--Military Times
"Add Brandon Friedman's The War I Always Wanted to the ranks of outstanding non-fiction produced by officers from elite combat units in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Always truthful, often excruciatingly so, The War I Always Wanted rises at numerous points to the level of literature."--Steven Pressfield, author of Gates of Fire
"A Time To Lead confirms the rewarding benefits of military service at a time when such service is experiencing considerable strain. It also includes a comprehensive description of America's current national imperatives, which deserve serious consideration."--General Alexander M. Haig, Jr., former Secretary of State
"This is a primer on leadership forged in battle and by decades of experience. . .This isn't just a book; it's a manual for leading people and living a good life."--Barry McCaffrey, General, USA (ret.)
"Whip smart, sassy, with a mouth as foul as a sailor's, 28-year-old Sergeant Kayla Williams. . .tells what it's like to be a female soldier in Iraq."--Booklist
". . .echoes military memoirists from Julius Caesar to Ernie Pyle."--Publishers Weekly
". . .a shocking, on-the-ground view of one military woman's experience in Iraq."--Bookmarks Magazine
Diaries and comments at VetVoice do not necessarily represent the views of VoteVets.org. VetVoice will strive to remove any illegal material as soon as it is flagged. Similarly, VetVoice will use its discretion in determining whether to remove exceedingly offensive material. However, between posting and removal, any offensive or illegal material does not reflect the condoning or endorsing of said material by VoteVets.org or VetVoice.
Similarly, the views expressed on this website are those of the authors alone. Opinions on this website do not necessarily represent the views of the Department of Defense or any of its components.
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Rifleman James McKie saved the lives of two of his comrades by throwing the grenade back off the roof where the men were coming under fire from three different directions.
