Blogging from the War Zone by Jenny Schnaak

A Soldier’s Perspective  “The Global War on Terror being fought in Iraq and Afghanistan is unique, because never has a military force been so far away from home yet so well connected by means of the internet and the telephone. War Blogs are just one of many outlets which soldiers use on a daily basis to share with family, creatively express themselves, and work through a lot of the tough physical and emotional stress that is involved with being deployed.” – David Schnaak 1Lt

Pros of War Blogging  Vent media frustrations, Great PR function  Keeps public accurately informed of the good, and the truth in Iraq and Afghanistan  Family informed  Vent thoughts and emotions in safe, healthy manner  Blogging helps soldiers process traumatic combat experiences that can be hard for them to talk about  Historically significant documents years from now  Overall, discretion is required as long as soldiers are responsible bloggers and never forget that they are soldiers first

Typical War Blog aka “Milblog” Includes: -Pictures -Daily event recaps -Thoughts & opinions on personal experiences -Responses to US media and news stories -Politically left or right wing bias, Pro war or Anti-war bias

“Loose Lips Sink Ships” Cons of War Blogging  Security sensitive information  Location (disclosed in description or background of photos)  Plan for action  Lack of good judgment risks lives and mission successes  Monitoring milblogs  New Army "operational security" rules, issued in April 2007, say no blog entry can be posted before it is checked for sensitive information by soldiers' superiors.  Disciplinary actions  Shut down blog  Banned from missions for a period of time

Rules for War Blogs  Questions a soldier must ask themselves before writing or publishing a post:  “Could this be used against me or my family by a hostile party to cause us harm?  Would putting this information out, in any way, put American Soldiers' lives at risk?  Would enemy knowledge of this TTP (Tactics, Techniques, Procedures) give them a tactical advantage in the IO (Information Operations) war, or serve as propaganda for the enemy?  Would this post bring morale for my fellow Soldiers up, or would publishing it be detrimental to good order and discipline?"

Interview with Lt David Schnaak Q: Why might a soldier write a blog from the war zone? What purposes does it serve? A: “Many Soldiers, just like the average American blogger, find that writing a blog allows them to share with their friends and family what is going on in their lives. Many soldiers I have talked to use their personal blogs to help them process daily occurrences and in some instances help them cope with traumatic events.”

Interview Cont’d  Q: Were you warned or taught about governmental confidentiality when/if ing or blogging directly from the war zone?  A: “Yes, all deploying forces are given a ComSec (communications security) briefing about what can and cannot be included in war blogs/ s. For the most part the Army does a good job of being quite lenient with the rules. So long as no information of tactical value is given out that could be used by the enemy against Coalition Soldiers and Civilians.”

Interview Cont’d  Q: Does the army coerce soldiers into a certain political affiliation/ certain partisan way of thought while at war? How about when representing the army while blogging or ing home?  A: “Not in any specific manner, however I have heard of soldier’s blogs being shut down due to extremely negative subject matter in their blogs. Soldiers in the Army kind of need to be a bit apolitical in their views simply because we report directly to whoever is elected president and it is our job to follow his decisions, regardless of our personal feelings. Democratic or republican it does not matter, at the end of the day we still have a job to do.”

Bibliography  Burden, Matthew Currier. The Blog of War: Front-Line Dispatches from Soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. New York: Simon & Schuster,  Jerney, John. "U.S. soldier's blog offers firsthand look at war in Iraq from the Frontline." Weblog post. My War: Killing Time in Iraq. 16 May Mar  Schnaak, 1Lt David N. "War Blogs." interview. 3 Mar  Silverstein, Jonathan. "Blogs From the Frontlines Tell True Story of Life Under Fire?." ABC News Oct 31, 2006: 4.  Simon, Ellen. "Blogs Offer View of Soldiers' Lives." My War: Killing Time In Iraq. September 28, The Associated Press. 3 Mar 2009.