BlackFive

Anyone who has met my buddy Kev or seen the Freefly videos we made knows he's not right.....in the 'ead. Below the fold is proof perfect of that. Do not go look and them complain to me, the picture is twisted and just plain wrong. Plus you will need eye bleach for sure. I warned you. Wish him well at FOB Grizzly.

Greetings from Baghdad. 

Everyone remember General Order #1?  It's the order that all troops in Iraq and Afghanistan (and myself as well, as a civilian advisor to the military) have to live under, in order to avoid giving offense to our Muslim hosts.  I suspect it was inspired by the folks who labeled us Crusaders, in that it rather resembles the original law of the Poor Knights of the Temple:  no sexual activity, no racy magazines, no alcohol, no visiting soldiers of the opposite sex in their quarters, no gambling, no anything that might be even slightly offensive.  

Apparently they have different rules at the State Department.  This isn't pointed at the lads and lassies on the ePRTs who are doing good work, running the hazards and sharing the suffering with the rest of us.  I've yet to meet a one of them I didn't like, while I've met a few I genuinely admire.  But what should I read in the paper?

Change has certainly come to Baghdad. And it appears that includes the U.S. Embassy, where they are holding what the invitation says is the first-ever U.S. Embassy Gay Pride Theme Party next Friday at Baghdaddy's, which is the embassy employee association's pub.

'At their pub,' he says. 

That's awesome, guys. 

First, I know some of us have noted some interesting and odd occurrences over the last year or so, in terms of computer outages and such at places like the FAA and the power grid.  If you have any specific examples of similar occurrences, or peculiar activities at or near power or flight centers, and/or contacts on same, please feel free to drop me an e-mail or leave what you care to in comments.

Second, if you are a blogger who received a nastygram from AP for what you feel was fair use of an AP story, I would love to get a link to the article in question and a copy of the e-mail or print letter sent. 

Thanks,

LW

...this was posted on a blog at the New York Times.  Go see what an artist has to say about our military men and women and their families.

[Hat tip to Scott-In-the-Stans]

He Kept His Faith In The Man Upstairs

Submariner survived 3½ years in Japanese POW camp

The Day, May 29, 2009 

Ernest “Ernie” Plantz survived 1,297 days as a prisoner of war during World War II because he had a “strong belief in the man upstairs” and the will to live.

”I never, ever really thought I was really going to die,” he said. “… I think my mother prayed me out of that camp. She was very religious. I wasn't a particularly religious boy. I had been raised Baptist, went to church, but like most teenagers I wasn't too religious. But I'm convinced that's what got me out, between my mother and the man upstairs.”

And I thought the US press corps was rude.  Check this piece out in the Guardian, talking about Prince Harry.  Lede:

Prince Harry arrives in New York today for a two-day rite of passage that will see him seek to dispel his playboy image and replace it with a patina of empathy in his mother's mould.

Not once does the writer of the piece, Ed Pilkington, mention that Prince Harry has already done a tour as a British soldier in Afghanistan, and acquitted himself well.  

The scale of the PR challenge facing the 24-year-old prince, who has set foot in the US only once before, as a child, has been underlined by advance media coverage. The New York Daily News noted his "hard-partying ways", Time magazine highlighted his penchant for "long, alcohol-fueled nights" and the Associated Press reminded its subscribers of the apology he had to make for wearing a Nazi swastika at a fancy-dress party.

This panel features Ted Bridis, news editor, Associated Press.  For bloggers, we do have his thoughts on the AP use guidelines as well as his take on the history/issue of same.  You might want to read it. As before, the majority of this is being put below the fold and will be built in part or whole from  the tweets.

Operation Gratitude has taken care of a lot of military men and women over the years (and their XMas Stocking program is very well known).  Their founder, Carolyn Blashek, is an amazing person and responsible for over 440,000 care packages sent to our troops in harms way.  Op Gratitude just participated in a contest sponsored by Target and they received some much needed funds.  I voted for them.  Thanks to all who participated.

Troop Support Group Hits Target's Charity Bullseye

Office of the Secretary of Defense Public Affairs

A missing-man formation of F-16 Fighting Falcons follow French Mirages and a Naval Air Factory N3N biplane (not shown) in a flyover at the Lafayette Escadrille Memorial ceremony outside Paris, May 23, 2009. French and American citizens paid homage to some of America's first combat aviators known as the Lafayette Escadrille. The all-American squadron of volunteers flew under the French flag during World War I. U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Scott Wagers

This session features Catherine DesRoches, instructor in medicine, Harvard Medical School.  As before, the majority of this is being put below the fold and will be built in part or whole from the tweets.