On the Beach

Posted By Blackfive

Here's why I haven't been posting very much:

Me and Pinkfive after Easter service (Chapel by the Sea) yesterday

It has been mostly rain and clouds here on Estero Island (Ft. Myers Beach), but it sure beats the hell out of this photo from Laughing Wolf:

I love Chicago, but right now I ain't missing it so much...

Anyway, posting from me will continue to be few and far between for the next week (as I am experimenting with Mojitos - the trick is to gently crush the mint).

Eleven Million

Posted By Blackfive

So we breached the 11,000,000th Unique Visit to Blackfive at about 10:15AM CST today (and about 18,000.000 or so Page Views).  As usual, we report a few different items at the million visit marks:

Unique visit numbers 10,999,999 and number 11,000,000 came from Instapundit randomly.

And number 11,000,001 came from Canadian media source The National Post referring to our post honoring the courage and sacrifice of Staff Sergeant Rob Miller.

At this point we have:

5,808 Posts
89,480 Comment
23,637 Trackbacks (inbound links from blogs)
10 Authors (of which a few are too busy with things like combat to post right now)

And my Inbox continues to swell.  I had to buy more space from GMail to keep some of it.  I apologize if I don't respond to everyone.  I have a few hundred legitimate emails to answer later tonight.

We are continuing to raise funds to get more embeds into the war zones.  We are also looking at redesigning the site to reflect a more mixed media approach.  And we might be adding an author or two in the near future.  Your ideas and input are valuable to us so please email me if you have something you want to share.

As always, this blog is all about its readers.  Blackfive would be nothing without you.

So THANK YOU for giving the Blackfive boys an opportunity to make a difference.

The Rose Bowl 2008

Posted By Blackfive

Having attended both USC and UofI for grad school, I graduate with an MBA from UofI in May.  Therefore...

I-L-L!!!! I-N-I!!!!

Blackfive this week

Posted By Blackfive

I'll be on SpouseBuzz Radio on Thursday night at 8pm CST.

Join AWTM, as she speaks with fellow bloggers Matt Burden from Blackfive.net, and Author of the Blog of War, and Tim from Captain Patti, The Sweetest Woman on The Planet goes to Baghdad. Join us to discuss blogging. From the historical importance of sharing a story, to supporting those on the front, and a discussion of the new media.

And I'll be at Brown University's Watson Institute for International Studies on Friday and Saturday for its Front Line, First Person: Iraq War Stories Conference - a two-day conference that aims to create bridges for conversation across these new fault-lines and to understand better the capacities of different forms of storytelling to reach across boundaries and build connections at the human level.

My Panel will be:

The  Ground Truth from Iraq  to the Beltway and Back

• Colby Buzzell (blogger, author) “My War: Killing Time in Iraq”  Iraq vet
• Senator  Lincoln Chafee (Independent, Rhode    Island)
• Matthew Burden aka. Blackfive  (veteran, blogger, author) "The Blog of War:  Frontline Dispatches from Soldiers in Iraq  and Afghanistan;"
• Eric  Rodriguez, Iraq  vet & current Brown student
• Moderated by: Deborah Scranton

There will be an internet broadcast (live stream) of the conference and it is supposed to available for download after the conference finishes.

Introducing "Deebow"

Posted By Blackfive

Ladies And Gentlemen (and Mr. Sparkle) -

Notice the damn sexy American Fighting Man in the photo below:

His nickname is Deebow and he is joining the Blackfive team.  I've posted his emails from Afghanistan here before.  Many of you will recognize the "I'm Tired" post - it's his handiwork.  Here's more.  Deebow has been shot at, rocketed, and seen the elephant more times than I've heard from most of my friends in OIF or OEF.  He's fought along side the Afghan Army against the Taliban and Al Qaeda, and knows first hand how vicious and brutal they are. 

He's been home for a little while now, and, I'm happy to report, will begin posting here soon.  Below is his bio (which seriously doesn't do justice to what's he done with his life):

Deebow is a Staff Sergeant and a Military Police Squad Leader in the Army National Guard.  In a previous life, he served in the US Navy.  He has over 19 years of experience in both the Maritime and Land Warfare; including deployments to Southwest Asia, Thailand, the South Pacific, South America and Egypt.  He has served as a Military Police Team Leader and Protective Services Team Leader and he has served on assignments with the US State Department, US Air Force Security Police, US Army Criminal Investigation Division, and the US Drug Enforcement Administration.  He recently spent time in Afghanistan working with, training and fighting alongside Afghan Soldiers and is now focused on putting his 4 year Political Science degree to work by writing about foreign policy, military security policy and politics.

To give you an idea of the esteem in which I hold him, I sent this message a few weeks ago to the other Blackfive authors as a Warning Order:

Deebow returned from Afghanistan a few months ago.  He's an [redacted] National Guardsman who was attached to a [redacted]Training Team with the Afghan army.  He was routinely in firefights with the Taliban and trained his soldiers to operate independently and they have done and continue to do massive damage to the Taliban.  Attached is a [redacted] info about his team.

The guy is a badass, nice guy, devoted dad and husband, and all around B5 material.  The kind of guy you'd want to protect your family.  He's like you.

So, Blackfive-igans, welcome Deebow aboard!

Blackfive Turns Four!

Posted By Blackfive

"Blackfive?  Weren't you the guy that stole my air conditioner in Kosovo?" - General (ret.) Wesley Clark

Blackfive turns four today.

It's that time to take a look at all that we've done over the years, supporting the troops, bustin' some chops, and getting to know some great American heroes (along with a few Brits, Aussies, Poles, El Sals, etc.).

"I'm not sure if you ever read fan mail, or any mail, but I had to get this off my chest, on Memorial Day if no other time. My name is Alex...Currently, I'm a 19 year old male living in Alaska. As of 2 months ago, I stumbled upon your blog space BlackFive, namely the Someone You Should Know section. As I read about all the heroism, I immediately got off my lazy ass and did something I had been thinking about since graduating high school. I joined the Marine Corp." - Alex E., May 29th, 2007

Sadly, we have seen far too many brothers and sisters give their lives.  Sometimes, we've raise our glasses and shouted, "Absent Companions!"  Sometimes, this blog has become a place for friends to remember their fallen comrades. 

"My son is Marine Sgt. Benjamin Edinger.  Ben died Nov. 23, 2004 at Bethesda from wounds he received in Iraq on Nov. 14, 2004.  You have his citation for the Bronze Star posted on your website.  A number of people have posted comments there, also.  I wanted to let you know that I appreciate that you put that information about Ben on your website, and that you've kept it there all this time, even though it's been almost 2 years.  The first time I saw the citation for the Bronze Star was actually on your website!  And I continue to go there to read the post and what people have written, as do other people.  Thanks so much.  It means more than you know." - Rose, Sergeant Edinger's mother.

And, sometimes, we've witnessed miracles.  Many, certifiable miracles.

Hopefully, that made a difference to you.

"If I can't pick up a rifle, then I have to do something!"- a comment to my wife in early June, 2003.

In the area of media, The Blog of War was published by Simon & Schuster.  Blackfive.net authors were quoted in more newspapers and national broadcast media than ever before.  Our partnership with Pundit Review Radio to provide the Someone You Should Know segment has changed to involve Bruce McQuain from QandO, and he's doing one helluva job.  I also attended the Military Reporters and Editors Conference to see General David Petraeus speak and talk to some of the reporters in attendance (one stated that he didn't think that I had the stones to actually show up).  It was really good to see Mike Yon there, though...

Well, we're just getting started.  And, there are some interesting projects in the works.

"Reminiscent of Ghengis Khan..." - Blackfive.net tagline in 2004 mocking Jawn Carrey

Over the last year, I've been threatened many times.  Had my address posted across the Internet with a threat to cut my head off in front of my family.  Gotten more hatemail and called "Nazi" than you would probably believe.  Some of the other authors here have gotten a taste of them, too.

I am also fortunate to be connected to our fighting men and women.   The difference you all have made and continue to make resonates in Iraq and Afghanistan.  I hear about your efforts daily.  Please keep making a difference.

I used to run through the people I needed to thank in blogiversaries past.  The other 8 authors here, my family, and most importantly, you the readers have made this blog successful by any measure and more capable to do more for our troops and their families each year.  That is truly a gift.

Thank you!

I'll post the obligatory Vital Stats below (from time 00:01 on June 18th).

Total Posts: 4749 (about 1,500 last year)
Total Comments: 75,412
Total Trackbacks: 22,797

Unique Visits:

• First Year: ~628,000
• Second Year: ~2,210,000
• Third Year:  ~2,462,000
• Fourth Year: 3,224,055
• Total unique visits: 8,524,055

Total page views: 14,013,320

Continue reading "Blackfive Turns Four!"

The Cast Of Characters: Part One

Posted By Laughing_Wolf

For Klueless and other trolls, and for those new to the site, I've begun preparing a visual primer to the members of Blackfive. In this way, you will have an idea of who is writing what, and begin to get to know the cast a bit better. Today, we are starting with the ground pounders and the token civilian here.

Our host, Beerable Lecter, is the head of the team. He bravely leads into the fray and is quick to slaughter a bottle or three -- and crazy enough to let the rest of us post here. BTW, he has served and the trolls, trolleys, and other such delights would do well to study his bona fides before tossing around comments about serving and such. He has indeed seen the elephant and has the damage to prove it. Now, this is a rare photo of Beerable, in that he is wearing white instead of his usual metro-fly-green shirt and garb.

Moving counterclockwise, we encounter Bad Acting, who carries on under the nom-de-plume of Uncle Jimbo. Watch the videos and you see why the nom-de-plume, for when a huskey mix out performs you... For the tools out there, check the bona fides before tossing around ignorant comments.

Continuing on around the backwards clock you find howling pilot and rogue civilian Laughing Wolf. Yes, I am quite mad, as evidenced by this post.

To the right is the distinguished and debonair Mr. Wolf. He earned that name during is time in Iraq, and has the chops to back what he says. You would be wise to listen to Mr. Wolf...

In the center is our intellectual center the bearish Grim. Erudite, thoughtful, and far more patient than most here, he too has the background to add experience to the thoughtful discussions.

Next up will be an introduction to the naval contingent, and if you think this is bad...

Meantime, study up and use this to keep straight who is writing what dear trolls. It helps when you use the proper names and at least have some idea of who you are attacking so as to use appropriate ad homs.

For the rest of you, I hope this will get you to learn a bit more about the cast and provide a laugh on which to end the day.

LW
who wonders if this counts as the eye candy the ladies requested?

Radio Sunday

Posted By Blackfive

On Sunday, I'll be on Pundit Review at 9PM EST and the Andrea Shea-King show at 10PM EST.  The topics are someone you should know, the Victory Caucus, and The Blog of War.

The Blackfive Favorite Pub Lament

Posted By Blackfive

*sniff*

A little break from the politico/combat/piss-off-the-jihad posts...

My favorite pub in Chicago has closed. 

I first stepped into O'Neil's (Howard's back then) in 1986.  Best burger in the city of Chicago (official-like), great waite staff, nice beer garden.  Threw my best friend's 35th  birthday party in the beer garden complete with posters of photos of every ex-girlfriend he had.  Started just about every official Blackfive pub crawl from there as well.  A few years ago, Mr. Howard passed on, and his partner changed the name to O'Neil's.  Six years ago, we bought a condo one block away from the pub...Mrs. Blackfive always suspected that to be one of the main reasons why we ended up in Streeterville. I spent a fortune on Rolling Rock and Golden Tee there. And it was the last place a friend of mine and I visited before he was killed in Afghanistan.

Goodbye O'Neil's, damn, you'll be missed...

The Chain

Posted By Blackfive

More on the two degrees of separation in the military...

I'm in school on alternating Fridays and Saturdays at the University of Illinois' Executive MBA program.  While I'm enjoying being in school, grad school is defintely tougher the second time around now with two kids.

Anyway, my study group is all vets.  Three are *cough* pilots.  One was actually featured in some articles here (but won't point them out because I haven't asked him about printing his name) about Iraq.  Funny thing - we're getting our study groups established last September and I'm looking at this guy's name tag.

"You a pilot?"

"Yep"

I give his rank and unit.  He looks at me like I'm CID or something.  And then I tell him about my blog and a series I did about his unit.  Now that I think about it, I should have told him I wrote a series for the "Advocate" about hottie Blackhawk pilots.

Anyway, the second pilot in our group used to fly my team around Turkey and Iraq.  We were in the same study group for almost six months before we figured it out (last week).  I used to flip off the fly boys from Zakho or Silopi so I asked him if a First Lieutenant ever gave him the finger from the ground...he was also a member of this unit that lost two birds and some of my friends.

So, small world.  I'm always amazed at how small it really is...

And, it was my birthday a few weeks ago and one of my former staff sergeants comes into the city to take me to Sullivan's for Scotch and Cigars.  This is where I find out that one of my former E-4 Counter-Intel Agents/Weenies is now the First Sergeant of our old company and they are getting ready to deploy somewhere dangerous.

That night, I was feeling much older but secure in the knowledge that my Army is in good hands...the chain remains intact.

Blackfive on Fox's The Big Story with John Gibson

Posted By Blackfive

I'll be on John Gibson's show on Fox at 530pm EST to discuss the idiocy that is Arkin.  I'll be the guy with a gravelly voice trying not to swear or curse because my kids might be watching.  BTW, this is a last minute deal because Michelle Malkin couldn't make it so I will not be wearing my trademark *fly* light green shirt.

Can't promise an Uncle Jimbo but I'll do my best...

Arkin needs to launder his karma.

New to Blackfive.net?

Posted By Blackfive

Greetings to Laura Ingram's listeners. 

If you're new to Blackfive.net, you may want to start with why this blog started writing about our military men and women here.

Then, our most popular series of posts are titled Someone You Should Know (the whole index is here).

We Care for the Defenders and we Never Forget the Fallen.

The rest of the posts are a mixture of current events and military news and analysis with some humor thrown in occasionally.  We have multiple authors from multiple branches of the military (and one resident civilian) on Blackfive.net - you can read the author bios on the side bar.  Our readers and commenters have great insight as well.

Be sure to stop by Soldiers' Angels and see where you can help in this fight - The Long War.

One last blog that you should bookmark is MilBlogs where many blogs like this one gather to discuss the important issues of the day.
Thank you for visiting (all of you regulars, too!).

Blackfive on Laura Ingram's Radio Show Tuesday

Posted By Blackfive

Just an FYI that I'll be on the Laura Ingram Show, tomorrow (Tuesday 01-16-07) at 1115EST.  We'll be talking about The Blog of War and the issues around Iraq right now.

The station guide is here.

 

Update (after show): Was able to get Laura to plug Soldiers' Angels.  We'll need a lot of help from the Angels in the coming months....

Smartassery is hereditary

Posted By Blackfive

A few of you have asked for more Little Blackfive stories.  Unfortunately, I've been too busy to post them.  We did have to go see his kindergarten teacher to hear about his attitude already.

Anyway, the little man had a homework assignment to write a story about Santa Claus - we got it returned to us on the 22nd.  I'll post his assignment after the Jump.

Continue reading "Smartassery is hereditary"

The Number One Email Question

Posted By Blackfive

I haven't done this in awhile, but here's a hint to the most emailed question of the last month...

Repsonse:  No, I don't know her name, don't have her phone number, am not associated with her, and, if I did have any info, I wouldn't tell you mugs.

Answer after the Jump...

Continue reading "The Number One Email Question"

Blackfive Re-Design in 2007

Posted By Blackfive

We're going to change things a bit around here in the next few months.  There's a lot of cleanup to be done (blogroll, categories, etc.) and I want to have the design reflect more of the authors like Froggy, Jimbo, LW, Subsunk etc rather than just me. 

If you have any suggestions, please email me.  If you have an comments, concerns or questions, email those too.  Feel free to comment on the author mix.  I think we're good to go, but I'm open to suggestions.  If you know of a good person to engage to help us on the technical side with TypePad, please let me know.

Bottom-line: Blackfive.net is popular because of you.  So, in the next week or two, please let me know what you'd like to see more of or less of.

Email Blackfive (please put "redesign" in the subject line).

New Blogger Joining Blackfive

Posted By Blackfive

Just to avoid any confusion, we will be joined by a new blogger, Mr. Wolf, who is not Laughing Wolf.  Mr. Wolf's bio info is on the sidebar now.  I think you'll really enjoy what he has to say.

"Can't Kill A Man Born to Hang"

Posted By Blackfive

I've had some health issues over the last couple of weeks and only have been able to focus on Valour-IT for the most part.  I'm okay, now...had some tests yesterday that prove that I'm a freak of nature, and not going to get taken down due to my innards any time soon.

Mr. Green said the best quote this morning with a phone call, "You Can't Kill a Man Born to Hang."

Maybe.

I've got about 813 messages in my InBox that I'm working through. 

I'm back in the saddle.  Posts forthcoming.

The Democrat victory last week makes our job of supporting the troops harder for now, maybe easier in two years, but more difficult for now.  The media is in full-on love-the-Democrats mode right now (and you thought they were bad before).  Those of you who supported Democrats because you think that they'll support the troops more than Republicans, well, you'll see the error of your ways.  The ones calling us murderers, gulag administrators, and uneducated morons are now in power. 

I'll stick by my mantra that "most politicians suck, but Democrats suck more..."

Time to bring back the Ghengis Khan quote...

Blackfive Interview at Michael Yon's "First Person Singular"

Posted By Blackfive

I'm the 'Person' in the blender for Mike Yon's First Person Singular where you might be surprised to find whose work (in any field) that I admire the most.  You won't be surprised to find out who I feel is over-rated.

Seven Samurai

Posted By Blackfive

As you have seen below, Bill Paisley ("Pinch" of Instapinch) has joined us here at Blackfive.

And, now, we'll also be getting some help from Captain B (soon to be Major) of One Marine's View, too.

So, why the additions?

A few reasons, mainly to counter the pseudo-hippiness of Uncle Jimbo...just kidding...mostly.

The real reason is that I'm getting uber-overwhelmed by events.  I've got a great job that I'd like to keep, I've got a book launch happening imminently, I'm starting an Exec MBA tomorrow, the radio show on Sunday nights, and my son starts karate next week and I want to be a part of that, too.

So.  For the next few months, I'll be posting less than usual.  Still be around, just not several times before and after work.  We needed some additional Samurai.

I think the mix is good - me and Seven Samurai (although it could argued that some of us not serving anymore are Ronin) - Enlisted, Officer, Mustang, Civilian, Navy, Marines, Army, Aviator, Submariner, Special Forces, Intel, etc.

Input on Blackfive - After Action Review

Posted By Blackfive

It's that time again folks...

In the Comments, please let me know how we're doing here - what's good, what's not so good and can be improved, and what you'd like to see in the future.  What do you think of the combination of authors?  Aside from missing a Zoomie, how is the mix of content?

And, if there are any improvements that you would like to see - technical or literal - I'd like to know that too.

Currently, I am working on a way for you to email the posts and hope to have that working in the next few days.  I might also try to list the SYSK and SYSK-Radio links by name of the SYSK on the sidebar too.  I also updated the About page as well.

Constructive feedback greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

Just A Guy With a Blog who Knows How to use it - Blackfive Turns Three - Part II

Posted By Blackfive Support the Military
Care for the Wounded
Remember the Fallen
Honor the Sacrifices
- Tenets of Blackfive.net

Today is the Third Blogiversary of Blackfive.net.  Big changes have happened since last year.  We've added five other authors.  I have a regular radio segment every week on Pundit Review Radio.  We've been on TV, radio, in print, and mentioned in Home of the Brave.

There's been an actual MilBlogger Conference and you can see from the Bloggers I've Met sidebar that it's grown because I've met so many great people.  Can't wait for the next one.

And there will be a milblogger book published on Labor Day. 

First, thanks to my wife who must really love me because she doesn't understand the blogging thing, but has supported me working on Blackfive.net for three years.  She's made many sacrifices for our military too.

And there are so many that deserve our thanks.  Here's some I mentioned last year:

...There's a nurse at a prominent military hospital that tells the wounded soldiers when I write about them and makes sure that they know that we care.  If it wasn't for her, I don't know how many might know about MilBlogs.  If it wasn't for her, many of them might think that everyone believes the negative spin of the MSM...

I receive emails from troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.  When you get a message from a soldier in Iraq thanking you for protecting them and their reputations back home...well, it's a bit overwhelming.  I get a few of those per month.  Those keep me going.

Unfortunately, the absolute greatest email of all time cannot be shared, but I will say that it was from a former POW who wrote an extensive email and thinks the world of the people that visit here. I'll probably have it framed when Blackfive shuts down someday.

And then I received an email from a friend of mine who was sitting around a conference table full of General Officers at the DOD just before a meeting and one asked the others if anyone knew "who the @#$% is that Blackfive?"  That's funny and had me chuckling for a few days. I'm just a guy with a blog who knows how to use it...

And because of many of you, I get thanked for the overall effort on behalf of our wounded troops, Fallen heroes, and families that sacrifice so much to keep our country free.

And because of you, I have the opportunity to be a small sphere of influence and make things happen for our troops and their families, dampen the negative media bias, provide an outlet for some the best subject matter experts to express themselves.

Too often, the media  portrays bloggers as punishers.  That may be true in some cases, and many of you know I've busted some chops too (Hello, Eason.  Hello, Hilton.  Hello, HFM).  But we've done so much more good than punish anyone.  You've donated money and time and packages and, most importantly, love for our troops.  Many of you have helped me buy kevlar blankets for unprotected humvees.   You've gone to funerals of the Fallen to protect the families from the evil that some men do.  You've provided untold financial support for our wounded troops.  You've made emotionally, spiritually, financially tough decisions that demonstrate your committment to our warriors.

One last thing that you do - just when I begin to lose faith or begin to believe the media that our society has lost the values that it was founded upon, you all do amazing things to energize me for the next project or call for help.

Thank you.

Airborne!

Blackfive Turns Three - Part I - Stats

Posted By Blackfive

Today is the Third Blogiversary of Blackfive.net.  Below are some stats to show the explosive growth of this blog.

How it began - All Things French.

Why it began - Major Mat Schram's Memorial Day.

First Year Blog Stats
Total Number of Posts: 1,010
Total Number of Comments: 5,959

Second Year Blog Stats
Total Number of Posts: 2,147
Total Number of Comments: 19, 091

Third Year Blog Stats
Total Number of Posts: 3,274
Total Number of Comments: 38,011
Total Number of Trackbacks: 23,960

Visitor Stats
First Week: 150
First Month: 1,200 (avg. 40/day)
First Six Months Total Visits: 112,000 (avg. 600/day)
Second Six Months Total Visits: 516,000 (avg. 2,800/day)
Total Visits since June 18, 2003: over 5,300,000

The Ecosystem
Ecosystem Ranking as of August 2003: Marauding Marsupial (#740 by links)
Ecosystem Ranking as of December, 2003: Playful Primate (#99 by links)
Ecosystem Ranking 2006: Mortal Human most of the time.  Usually between number 22 and number 35.

Off to see the Rat

Posted By Blackfive

Heading to Orlando to the House of the Mouse.  Have the kids, wife and inlaws in tow.  Little Blackfive wants to meet Buzz Lightyear.  Pinkfive, who's not yet two, wants to see "Meenie Mao..."

I will still be posting - we've got a lot in the works for next week - including an important interview with a friend who can shed some light on the Haditha situation.

Have a Happy Father's Day.

Of Logos and Improvements

Posted By Blackfive

Hey, everyone, just wanted to say thanks for visiting and keeping a (mostly) civil and interesting discussion going.  If you get a chance, please leave a comment or send an email with suggestions for improving the site.  I promise to have a better "about" section posted soon.  There is a chance that comments will be moderated to eliminate spam.

It's almost been a year since Sekimori designed this current template.  Well, what do you think, now?

Anyone miss the old design?

I still get a lot of people asking for the triumphant return of the tagline - "The Paratrooper of Love".

Or how about my smartass take on John Kerry's blanket statement about our men in Vietnam?

Of course, this one might be my favorite - Paddy o'Tattertot's logo for St. Patrick's Month:

Note to Self #635

Posted By Blackfive

Note to self - when you need to spend the next two weeks revising the MilBlog book manuscript to make the publisher happy, do not, I repeat, do not buy Call of Duty 2 for your XBox 360. 

Bad move, smart guy.

Blackfive Interview at Milblogging.com

Posted By Blackfive

JP at MilBlogging.com just posted an interview with me where you discover my thoughts on MilBlogs, the Olsen Twins and Pirates vs. Ninjas...

The Daily Show

Posted By Blackfive

John Hockenberry who wrote the Wired article on Military Blogs will be on the Daily Show with John Stewart tonight.  Hopefully, he'll plug some of the MilBlogs.

Blackfive Interview On Pundit Review Radio

Posted By Blackfive

I joined Kevin and Greg of Pundit Review Radio a few weeks ago for an hour to discuss MilBlogs and the War on Terror.  I talked about what made me get started with this blog.  We even found time to discuss Immigration and the Supreme Court. 

Of course, I plugged Soldiers' Angels, too.

This week, Pundit Review is going to have Michael Yon join the show - all the way from Iraq.  Yon will be a great guest.  Be sure to tune in Sunday night.  You can call in to ask Yon questions, too.  (I might call in and ask him what he needs to keep up the great work.)

On the Move

Posted By Blackfive

Travelling this week so posting might be light at times - Right now blogging from Knoxville, TN - then will be DC for a few days.  Will probably meet up with Tobacco Joe.  Bejus better not show up or there'll be hell to pay.

Next week - vacation in the Ozarks - rented a place on the lake, water skiing, lots of family, huge grill, swimming pool, movie stars...

Wasn't Ready For This

Posted By Blackfive

There's been millions of your tax dollars spent on making sure that I could be ready for anything.

I can jump from aircraft at high altitudes and secure a drop zone, evade capture, withstand the elements, live off the land, fight off ninjas (okay, not really trained to fight off ninjas)...anyway, you get the idea.

Stress?  I LOVE stress.

But everything that I've done in my life has never, ever prepared me for...

Continue reading "Wasn't Ready For This"

Pundit Radio Tonight

Posted By Blackfive

I'm in St. Louis this weekend.  Went to the Art Museum picnic last night.  It was great - had lots of activities for Little Blackfive.  Forest Park has really changed for the better over the last few years.  And we went to Grant's Farm this morning - my son fed the baby goats and had a blast on the tram and we (of course) ended up in the Beer Garden where I found that my first two beers were provided "compliments of Auggie Busch." 

Thanks Auggie!

Reminder:  I'll be calling in to Pundit Radio on 8PM CST tonight.

Stream the show live at  WRKO, Boston talk leader .  You can call the show with questions for me toll free at 877-469-4322.

Update 9:45PM CST:  Well, as I tend to be long winded, we weren't able to cover as much as I would have liked.  I was able to mention Michael Yon, TC Override, and, thanks to an Army Reserve Chaplain (and former Marine) calling in, Training for Eternity. 

One really interesting question came up.  What do you think would happen to the War on Terror if two liberal justices were appointed to replace O'Connor and Requist?

I think we'd be in jeopardy of granting the terrorists the same rights as Americans are given.

Blackfive on Pundit Radio

Posted By Blackfive

I'll be calling in to Pundit Radio on 8PM CST Sunday night from the great town of St. Louis.

Stream the show live at  WRKO, Boston talk leader .  Call us with questions for Matt from Blackfive toll free at 877-469-4322.

On Air Tonight

Posted By Blackfive

Most likely will be on Hugh Hewitt's radio show tonight at about 6:20EST to discuss Iraq...

Wild Week

Posted By Blackfive

Just a note that last week was a wild one for me and that posting will be back to normal.  Let's see it started with the MSNBC thing, followed by the 8th Anniversary of the day Mrs. Blackfive and I said "I Do", I had to pull a 10 million dollar project back from a launch to fix bugs features, sick kids, visiting friends, consumption of lots of scotch..."I ran outta gas. I had a flat tire. I didn't have enough money for cab fare.  My tux didn't come back from the cleaners. An old friend came in from outta town.  Someone stole my car. There was an earthquake, a terrible flood, locusts!".

Anyway, back to normal this week.  Then, next week, I'll be across a large body of water in a strange, strange land...

Blackfive Invades the East Coast

Posted By Blackfive

I'll be at the U2 concert tonight and then traveling over the next four days on an intense but fun business trip to DC, Baltimore, NYC etc...  Unfortunately, I'll won't have much time for extra-curricular fun except to meet up with Eric for the Cubs-Nationals game on Saturday.  Scotch and baseball?  You bet.

In the meantime, I've asked two of my favorite bloggers to help keep things going around here.  The intent is to provide some interesting content and, in case you might not be familiar with them, to introduce you to the good work of Cassandra of Villainous Company and Grim of Grim's Hall.

There will also be a few posts from me that I'm setting to post at a later time.

Have a good weekend.

Interview

Posted By Blackfive

My interveiw is posted at Jennifer's History and Stuff - where you'll learn what I do for a living, if I've ever been arrested, etc.

Pinkfive - The Little Irish Lass

Posted By Blackfive

First, I received some flack for posting a picture of my son with the reindeer but not my daughter.  She was in the picture, too, but I cropped her out of it (she was sleeping). 

Harvey, always setting the Bad Example, has some advice (and a music compilation) for lulling my little Irish lass to sleep. 

My Wonderful Wife

Posted By Blackfive

I've been home today.  I needed to be here because we were installing new carpeting and my wife had to get a consult for a DOUBLE root canal.  So, I stayed home with the baby and supervised the carpet installation.

When my darling wife returns from the dentist, she walks in the door, she says "It's early, but Merry Christmas, Matty."  She hands me a box.

Inside the box was...

Continue reading "My Wonderful Wife"

Administrative Note

Posted By Blackfive

Thanks to all for their messages about my father. He's doing a lot better. He's in a Cancer Ward right now. If you ever needed an excuse to quit smoking, go visit one. There were about 70% of patients in the ward that were there due to smoking.

He's been a smoker for forty years. He doesn't have lung cancer, but he's got a lot of other problems due to smoking. He basically almost died a week ago, but now he's back and willing to fight. Things are tough, but better, and his outlook is good.

The best part of this whole thing is that he hasn't had a smoke in over a week which will make it easier for him to quit.

No matter what anyone tells you, there can be no good that comes from smoking. The lungs are just one part of the body that smoking affects. Just about every other organ is also affected in some way.

Anyway, just a micro-rant and a reason why I haven't posted as much as possible.

Administrative Note

Posted By Blackfive

Just a note about posting around here. My father is in the hospital and not in great shape right now. I'll be posting less over the next few days. I am responsible for the decisions around his care and I might disappear from the blogosphere for a day or two in order to focus on more important things.

He's been pretty incoherent and the docs have been working with me to get him to come around. Yesterday, I finally got a response (and this is not one of my soft-touch set ups for a joke).

My dad is a life-long democrat and has been infatuated with John Kerry ever since we lived in Massachusets decades ago. So, my dad was muttering something about the election and I leaned over and said to him, "Hey, Dad, I had you sign an absentee ballot yesterday for Bush..."

He just about levitated off of his bed in order to strangle me.

[Note to Illinois Election Commission - I was kidding.]

Blackfive Outed!

Posted By Blackfive

Recently, at a work function we had to complete a "Get to Know Each Other" Exercise. You know the one. Some pointy head corporate shrink came up with it. List four things about yourself - of which three items are true and one is false. So here are my four. See if you can guess which one is false (put in comments section) and I'll post it later today.

1. Was President of a bungee jumping club in Germany.
2. Missed being youngest Jumpmaster in the Armed Forces by three weeks.
3. Dated Liz Phair for four months.
4. I have a cigarette allergy.

So, while that stupid exercise might give you a look into my life, the real me has been identified by Jeff at Beautiful Atrocities. He's a bastard not because he outed me, but because he didn't ask permission first. While it's happened on left-wing blogs before, this is a first on the otherside.

Continue reading "Blackfive Outed!"

In Vancouver

Posted By Blackfive

...and it is gorgeous out here today. So, I've got a few hundred emails to respond to...I'll get to those tomorrow. Since I haven't been here in ten years (and it's changed a lot), I need to explore the pubs, shops, etc (more pubs).

New Tagline

Posted By Blackfive

Notice the new tagline?

Sometimes I change them around depending on time of year or events...There used to be one about drunk Irish paratroopers for St. Patrick's Day.

One quoted Mr. Green, "Getting Blackfive dinged with an official letter of reprimand probably represents the greatest French military victory of all time."

Now, I'm mocking Kerry.

*KHAAAN!!!*

Into The Breach - Another Friend Goes To War

Posted By Blackfive

"These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph." - Thomas Paine, The American Crisis, Number 1 (1776)

I’ve lost three good friends in this War on Terror. I have more than a few friends over in Iraq and Afghanistan now. I wish they were all home. They wish they were all home. But we must all be resolute in our engagement and destruction of the enemy. And now, I have one more good friend heading into the breach.

Chief Steve is a very good friend of mine. He wasn’t always my friend or a Warrant Officer.

More than seven years ago, I was a Company Commander (again). Bar none, it’s the best job in the Army. My previous First Sergeant, Mike Thompson, had been promoted to Sergeant Major and, since he could no longer fill the position, was moved out of the Division. I loved working with First Sergeant Thomps