Hackworth Fire For Effect

It must be nice to retire and open up with both barrels on such things as the
Jessica Lynch debacle. Big Roger, bubba. We have a bad habit nowadays of making heros/heroines out of victims. It's truly unfortunate what happened to PFC Lynch's convoy, but it was the culmination of a tragic series of errors. Recognize it for what it was, and don't spin it into something it wasn't.

Humaila is Famous

Well well, lookie who's famous now. Humaila has done superb work for her country, even after her sister was gunned down in Mosul, Iraq. A very brave and committed Kurdish Iraqi. She's telling everyone in the States now how good things are getting done in Iraq, inspite of all the disproportionate attention paid to the negative.

I hope the rat bastards who shot her sister die soon and find out that there are NOT 72 virgins waiting on them, but 72 Virginians lined up to kick their sorry asses.

Middle East MilBlogs

There is a story about GEN Eisenhower pulling key reporters in to lay out the plans for the D-Day invasion. He then warned the reporters, that if a single word of this hit the papers, they (the collected reporters) would be shot for treason. Funny thing--the papers were mum all the way to 6 June, 1944.

Military Blogging ("MilBlogging") is an interesting phenomenon in Internet Age warfare. Soldiers now have access to internet cafes, set up by commanders concerned about soldier morale. Email, pictures, video, and even fiddle, mandolin, and guitar tunes bounce instantaneously from geosynchronous satellites to families and friends on the other side of the world.

In some cases, these cafes become bleeding sieves for vitriol, where "reports from the front lines" become little more than mean-spirited indictments against the chain of command. The same chain of command, incidently, providing internet access to let young troops tell the folks at home that they're ok. (It's almost as if the 5th Amendment were printed on a Kleenex, so these soldiers [sic] could staunch the flow from their collective noses.)

Complaining in war is nothing new. In fact, General Holland "Howlin' Mad" Smith said of his bitching Marines on the eve of Iwo Jima that they were ready for a fight. Had those same Marines been given an internet cafe to vent their collective spleens, however, it would have been bounced off a gazillion computer screens in Tokyo.

Should the military be accused of jack booted censorship when a Private or Specialist (typically under 9 years old when this trooper was buttoned up in a tank in Saudi Arabian sandstorm in January, '91) bumps his/her gums about everything from autoerotica in the portapotties to the miseries of having his/her leave delayed? The chain of command has a right to be concerned when remarks run contrary to good order and discipline, and can possibly give an adversary encouragement that he's having an impact on morale.

This is not some Pollyannish call to ignore all the bad circumstances in war (and believe me, there are plenty), but a reminder to all troops that we shouldn't crap where we eat and sleep.

--MAJ T (2.5 year Stryker vet, currently working Civil Affairs in Mosul, Iraq.)

Army Considers Shorter Combat Tours

Not a bad idea, if you ask me. (8+ months and counting) The folks really impacted by this are our Reserve and National Guard troops, many of whom return after a year or more and find that their job is gone. Shorter tours would help.

CNN.com - Report: U.S. Army eyes shortening combat tours - Sep 27, 2004

Saving the Smart Kids

Accelerate that brainiac! (Being a Late Blooming Child Prodigy actually has its benefits: No jealous peer group in a public school to contend with!)

TIME.com: Saving the Smart Kids -- Sep. 27, 2004

Beeswing Hornpipe

(Fiddle) One of Peter Cooper's tunes from the "Complete Irish Fiddle Player." He does a "Sean Macguire variation" that I dig, but I haven't quite got my fingers on it yet. Sounds very arpeggio-ish. (Is that a word? It guess it is now.)

Will Durant

I bought Will Durant's "Story of Civilization" series in the '80s, not long after he and Ariel passed away. What a great student of what makes mankind and civilizations tic. Check out his website. Lots of good reading there.

Will Durant: A Life

Star of the County Down

(Fiddle) A standard session tune and old classic. Can be played as a waltz (oom pa pa oom pa pa)

Karpov Chess School--in Kansas!

Karpov's Chess School in Lindsborg, Kansas, is billed as "Little Sweden, USA." Karpov prepared here for his defeat of World Champ Kasparov. I bet this guy could smoke nut case Bobby Fischer now...

Tin Whistle for Iraqi Girl

A tin whistle and a crochet'd sleeve for a neatly dressed Iraqi girl. Many thanks to the Columbia Street Session Band and other friends from Olympia, Washington who rounded up and sent all these musical instruments. I must have handed out 200 of these over the last eight months.

Listening to Whistlers

This morning, at the newly-opened Al Erbeed Elementary School, south of Mosul, Iraq. I handed out the second shipment of tin whistles, harmonicas, and kazoos donated by my Irish Session friends in Olympia, Washington. My next project is earplugs for the parents! The kids didn't know what to make of their windfall. It certainly improved their opinion of these brown-clad, heavily armed liberators in their town.

Donated Instruments for Iraqi Kids

After handing out dozens upon dozens of whistles, harmonicas, kazoos, and other toys for the Iraqi kids, good to hear that word is getting around. I hope those youngsters haven't driven their parents nuts or the goats away from the farm by now!