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I first blogg'd about Michael Yon five years ago, and like many of you have been following his work for quite awhile.
Along with a few other things, this Facebook quote from him left my puzzl'r puzzl'n,
Life was good before I went to Iraq. But after three friends were killed during the GWOT, and my growing mistrust for the media and for the US
Government/Military, I quit traveling the world and went to war. The United States was in peril. I am American. Today, I do not trust McChrystal anymore than some people trust the New York Times, Obama or Bush. If McChrystal could be trusted, I would go back to my better life. McChrystal is a great killer but this war is above his head. He must be watched..
Every man has to find his own way in life - but sometimes it is helpful to check around and grab hold of an external reference point. Anyone who has gone through the helo-dunker emergency egress training knows what I am talking about.
When everything and everyone around you all of a sudden seems out of kilter and swirling in chaos - it might be helpful to ponder if the problem isn't what is around you - but just you.
The war will go on - the story will continue to be told - but everyone needs some time away. 6-months, 12-months --- some time to clear the mind and reset perspective.
Just a thought.UPDATE: Yon over at Facebook doubles down.
Bottom line questions: How many milbloggers who were not on active duty (hence sent to the war as a troop) have spent more than a year in the wars? I know of zero. Does one exist? The milblogging community is largely a hurricane of hot air. There are some ...good and responsible writers working milblogs but most of them are LESS ACCURATE than the MSM they oppose. Please name the top five milblogs -- and one person from each -- who has spent a year (less than 15% of the war) as a civilian journalist/writer in Iraq/Afghanistan. Start with http://www.longwarjournal.org/ and Blackfive. People who are seriously tracking the war seriously don't track these guys Michael Yon
He doesn't get it. Anyway, you can only help those who want to be helped. I guess Yon will have to figure this out by himself. I wish him luck.
The premier Shi'ite nation is Iran. They will have nukes. They see their primary enemy as their Sunni co-religionists - regardless of what you hear about Big Satan and Little Satan. They do not trust their Arab Sunni neighbors.
The premier Sunni nation is Saudi Arabia. Not just Sunni - but Wahhabist Sunni. They see their primary enemy as their Shi'ite co-religinists - regardless what you hear about Crusaders and Zionists. They do not trust their Persian Shi'ite neighbor or their Arab Shi'ite minorities.
Sure, debate the finer points of the above if you wish; but does this really shock you?
Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest oil supplier, is set to establish a civilian nuclear and renewable energy centre to help meet increasing demand for power as the country pushes forward with economic expansion plans.
The official Saudi press agency said on Saturday that the new centre, the King Abdullah City for Nuclear and Renewable Energy, would be based in Riyadh and would be led by Hashim Abdullah Yamani, a former commerce and trade minister.
Although all discussions have focused upon civilian uses of the technology, analysts note that Saudis and the other Arab Gulf states do not want to lag further behind Iran and Israel in developing nuclear technologies.
Bit by bit, the truth will come out. I'm still voting mine.
A South Korean investigator said Friday that an "external explosion" was the most likely cause of the mysterious sinking of a naval ship in which 46 South Korean sailors were lost in tense waters off the North Korean coast.
"There is a higher possibility of an external rather than an internal explosion," Yoon Duk-yong, the co-head of a government-appointed team to investigate the March 26 sinking of the corvette Cheonan, said Friday in a televised press conference. The Cheonan's stern section, where the missing sailors were believed to have been trapped, was raised from the Yellow Sea bottom Thursday after a salvage operation that was made both risky and difficult by low underwater visibility and strong currents. The bow section is expected to be salvaged next week.
Of the Cheonan's 104-man crew, 58 men were rescued from the sea on the night of the explosion. Thirty-eight bodies have so far been recovered; eight remain missing.
When, not if, the next large scale attack on US soil takes place - how are we prepared now compared to 8 1/2 years ago to not only prevent it, but to respond to its aftermath?
From out last line of defense to consequence management at the local level - what is there and what do we need to know about it?
Jim Dolbow is a writer, blogger for both USNI blog and CGBlog.org, Coast Guard Reserve Officer, and former defense staffer on Capitol Hill. He has served as Legislative Director/Military Legislative Assistant for Congressman John Hostettler (IN-08), Legislative Director for the Conservative Action Team (CATs), and legislative assistant for Rep. Jim Ryun (KS-02).
In his USCGR responsibilities, he ha served as a SAR Controller training, recalled to active duty in support of OPERATION NOBLE EAGLE, served as a watch stander for the Joint Operations Command Center in Washington, D.C., harbor patrol team leader, post-Hurricane Katrina operations, and served as a legislative affairs analyst on the staff of the Principal Federal Official, Admiral Thad W. Allen, USCG.
He holds a BS in Political Science from Marymount University, an MA in National Security & Strategic Studies from the Naval War College, and an M.A. in Statecraft and World Politics from the Institute of World Politics in Washington, D.C.
His works on national defense and homeland security issues have appeared in Proceedings, The Washington Post, Washington Times, Sea Power, National Defense, Navy Times, Armed Forces Journal International, to name a few.
Mark Stanovich is a is a Lt. Col. in the United States Marine Corps Reserve, an Artillery officer with 22 years of service. He has served in all four Marine Divisions, and is a combat veteran of OIFII. In his civilian occupation, he is an emergency planner in New England, and is a qualified exercise developer who has participated in the planning and conduct of myriad federal and state exercises with scenarios ranging from natural disaster to terrorism to cyber attack. His current USMCR unit supports Title X war games for all services.
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