An update on former milblogger LT G of Kaboom
The news of this milblogger’s demise has now reached the virtual pages of Wired.com, and seems to have sparked further debate about the role of military bloggers in the US. (If you want the back story read my post on it or follow the Wired link above.)
Before this blog was shut down a number of commenters voiced their opinions on the closure of the blog. Some felt LT G was asking for trouble when he wrote a post about a conversation he had with a superior officer:
LT, you knew that was a button pusher. Too bad though.
And a blogger cited by Wired.com reckons LT G’s writing was irresponsible, even though the officer scrupulously observed Operational Security regulations:
The guy [LT G] is an officer, for Christ’s sake. He is paid to provide a leadership example.
And yet, many of you are defending an example of an officer who knowingly broke the rules, openly displayed contempt for his senior officers, and then, when the rule he broke was enforced, didn’t have the good grace to take his lumps silently but rubbed their noses in it PUBLICLY.
If I had been the field grade in question, the easiest and least embarrassing course of action for me personally would have been to counsel the young man quietly and deal with the post LATER. However, allowing an officer to deliberately defy regulations and deliberately do what he did is not really an option a responsible senior ought to contemplate. I could not, in good conscience, ignore his actions no matter how irritating and public the repercussions.
Other commenters wrote of their disappointment at what they believe will be the end of the blog. I emailed one commenter who says she is determined to fight the closure of the blog. She has written to her Congress representantive and her senators in protest and is urging other readers to do the same. These are the main points from the letter…
“My concern is that this soldier is risking his life everyday to defend “freedom” for the citizens of the United States and Iraq, while his right to free speech and freedom of the press are being violated…
…I am a regular reader of milblogs and I have gained knowledge about the war and the workings of the military (both good and bad) through the writings of those who are “boots on the ground.” These are stories one will never see, read, or hear from mainstream US media…
…I do support our soldiers and I am not anti-military. I am, however, anti-censorship when it comes to violating the very rights for which our soldiers have been fighting and dying for the last five years!”