Panel #1
Moderator: Matthew Currier Burden of Blackfive
Bill Ardolino of INDC Journal
Bill Roggio of The Fourth Rail
Jim of Sgt. Hook
Sean of Doc In The Box
Jim: talking about his time in Afghanistan and a project he started called Operation Shoe Fly. One thing he noticed in Afghanistan was the kids had no shoes. He put the word out to the milblog community and filled a 40 foot trailer with shoes. He says that the operation is ongoing.
Matt asked Doc about what type of equipment the soldiers bring overseas. He says that on his first tour, guys were listening to CDs, the second and third tour, everyone had an iPod and laptop with them.
Doc is talking about the lack of internet access in Afghanistan. Believe it or not, the military guys have to pay for access. In Iraq, the situation is much different.
Bill Roggio is talking about the evolution in communications in theater.
Now the subject of operational security and the new regulations. Doc has read the new regulations. He thinks its not realistic to have every blog post approved by a commander. Op sec is critical, but there needs to be a balance.
Matt asked Bill A. about Anbar and the progress. Bill says the media is way behind the story. Progress has been going on for months, but they are just now reporting on it. Why? One reason is that they don’t have people on the ground. It’s expensive and dangerous.
Bill Roggio: he’s talking about how nothing happens quite a bit in Iraq. He mentions that when he embeds, he often does posts on the street patrols that he went on and nothing happened. The nly time the media does stories is when there is a gun battle or car bomb.
Matt mentions that an AP reporter told him that during his time in Iraq, he filed a story everyday. The only AP ran his stories was when they were filled with bad news. The good news stayed on the cutting room floor.
Bill A. is talking about how difficult it is to embed. The process, dealing with the PAO’s. He is talking about the difference between PAO’s from the different branches. The consensus among Matt, Bill R. and Bill A. is that the Marines are the best at helping embeds.
Matt is asking the question, what is the truth about troop morale. Bill A. is talking about Fallujah, and the morale of the troops. He says the MSM finds plenty of soldiers who have complaints. He says that is not indicative of the overall morale. His experience in Fallujah, everyone is very dedicated to the mission. He says it is underplayed in the MSM how devoted these guys are to the cause. Bill A. concurs, that are troops understand the mission, even if they disagreed with the decision to go into Iraq in the first place.
Jim says that morale ebbs and flows in combat. He says it is focus of the leadership. Morale is the cornerstone to helping us accomplish the mission. He says look at the retention, the Army rates are through the roof. That is the best way to measure troop morale, retention rates.