Blogs of war - stories from the front line

War reporting has changed. These days, we can learn about life and death
on the front line from blogs. Lorraine McBride explores the phenomenon.
Blogging is a communications phenomenon and there are an estimated 200
million people out there in cyberspace who regularly record their thoughts and
observations online for others to read and comment on.
Among them is an ever-growing army of military men and women keen to write
about their world, sharing their views on everything from Army food, to the fears
and satisfaction of serving in a war zone.
It was the appetite of British soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen to share their
operational experiences with the rest of the world which prompted the
establishment of officially approved bloggers during Operation HERRICK 11 in
Autumn 2009.
There were already some unofficial blogs being published by troops in
Afghanistan, and there was the UK Forces Afghanistan blog, run by the Joint
Media Operations Centre in Helmand. But there was no central site where
people could access a range of regular military blogs and build up a picture of
life in a war zone.
In July this year, British troops in Afghanistan launched their first mass blogging
initiative, with scores of men and women posting from the front line on Army,
Navy and RAF websites.
Some of the blogs include video or podcasts, which give an even more vivid
insight into life on operations.
Bloggers cover a wide range of ranks, from privates right up to senior
commanders. They talk about their experiences of combat, of course, but they
also describe living conditions, impressions of Afghanistan, work to help local
communities and their relationship with the locals.
The aim is to have many more troops writing on Service sites, all linked, and
with the cream of the blogs showcased on compilation sites:
"There is still a lot to do in terms of expansion but, just a few months into this
initiative, we have a fascinating insight into what men and women on the ground
are thinking, and the sheer scale of their challenges and achievements," said
Lieutenant Colonel James Carr-Smith, spokesman for Task Force Helmand
during HERRICK 12.
Pippa Norris heads MOD's digital media strategy, planning and coordinating the Department's use of social media and blogging.
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She believes there are hundreds of military bloggers itching to tell their stories:
"We need to seek out talent," said Pippa. "If people want to step forward, we
encourage it. These people are our raw talent, so it is right that they become
our ambassadors and tell their stories."
But just who is hanging on their every word?
"Those who read blogs cover all age groups, across every social background
and nationality," said Pippa. "It has such wide appeal, but then we have one of
the most compelling stories of the decade."
One of the biggest challenges of blogging from Afghanistan has been the
shortage of time. Working weeks of 18-hour days in extremely harsh conditions
mean there may be few opportunities to post.
The UK's military men and women who share their views with the world give the
closest possible insight into what the coalition and the Afghans themselves are
trying to achieve in Afghanistan, and what this means for many thousands of
dedicated troops.
As Pippa says, this can be a riveting story. It is not surprising then that in the
United States some military bloggers have become media stars, sometimes
landing lucrative book deals.
But the MOD and the Armed Forces do not encourage a celebrity culture.
Approved uniformed bloggers have a serious job to do, which is related to the
success of the mission.
Infantrymen, medics, doctors, drivers, firemen, Afghan National Army (ANA)
mentors and even commanding officers; all have told their stories in blogs over
the past few months. As they sign off for the last time (at least for this tour) and
head home, new men and women arrive to take their place, both in the
operational theatre and in the blogosphere.
Blog data
The MOD authorised military bloggers when it recognised blogging as a natural
evolution in communications for the Facebook generation:

blogging from Op HERRICK started in September 2009 when the MOD

published online engagement guidance, a framework of dos-and-don'ts
for bloggers;
anyone wanting to start their own blog from theatre must read the MOD's
web rules that include information about operational security;
all military bloggers must seek permission through their chain of
command and media units. All blogs require security clearance.
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Edited extracts from British blogs from Afghanistan

The officer
Turning 33 in Afghanistan - Captain Jeremy Hahn writes about birthday
celebrations, or lack of them:
Today is my birthday, and it is the first time I have celebrated with a good day's
work. The usual modus operandi of having champagne poured down my neck,
forgetting to say 'when' and over-indulging, was replaced by an ice cream and
an ungentlemanly amount of sweat.
Among many kind emails was one from an old friend in Brighton hoping 'that
you get totally messed up', surely the strangest greeting to send a mate in a war
zone.
Someone with a much greater gift for memorable writing than I observed that
being on operations is 99 per cent boredom, punctuated by one per cent
extreme violence.
It is boredom that I wish to turn to. Guarding against complacency is one of the
hardest tasks of remaining professional on operations. It can be difficult to keep
morale high while staring into the abyss of monotony, and how you occupy
yourself outside patrols and other bits of the daily workload defines how you
deal with the unglamorous side of being away.
On the whole it has been a very quiet week in Kandahar, which has meant time
has dragged, but we should be thankful that the operation is now starting to
yield a positive outcome for the people of this city.
The camerawoman
Beckham mania - Captain Jo Timmerman is the officer commanding a Combat
Camera Team. Her team collects and packages stories about British troops for
the media:
Back in Bastion, Beckham mania had broken out. Becks is such a down-toearth guy with the patience of a saint.
He was so good, meeting and talking with the troops, and seemed humbled by
the work of the Forces.
We followed his 48-hour visit from start to finish and were run off our feet trying
to process and distribute material (of course, when you need IT to work, it fails
in style).
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That said, we got photos in all the Sunday papers, which was a great morale
boost. I also got to interview him, which will likely be one of the high points of
my career. Yes, my friends back home were jealous. War correspondent to
showbiz reporter in one easy step.
The surgeon
A tricky subject - in January 2009 Surgeon Lieutenant Dr Iain Wood joined 40
Commando Royal Marines:
When a man dies, particularly a fellow Marine, it does hit hard. A spectrum of
emotion flashes through my soul - despair, anger, frustration, futility and grief.
A perfectly natural response is to cross-examine the exact circumstances that
resulted in the death of your friend or colleague. I am not alone questioning
each action along the way, particularly after each fatality. But I always carry out
a team debrief after each trauma case, reviewing verbal chronology, description
of injuries, treatments on patient arrival, our own interventions and my
impressions.
It then becomes a 'free fire zone' with everyone chipping in. It is unusual to
receive just one casualty and often I am the only one with oversight of what's
happening with all the patients.
It is not unusual for medics to spend 30 minutes working on one patient but to
have no idea what has been going on with a different casualty on a stretcher
two feet away.

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Exercises
Mark the following statements True, False or Doesnt say:
1. Officially approved bloggers were approved during operation HERRICK
because the British armys most powerful generals wanted to boost morale.
2. The first time that a significant number of military personnel started blogging
was in July of this year.
3. What the military personnel think about Afghanistan is one of the topics that
people blog about.
4. Pippa Norris believes that there are hundreds of military personnel who are
unwilling to blog.
5. A Coronel from the Royal Air Force has been court-martialed for revealing
classified information in his blog.
6. Working conditions in Afghanistan are very difficult.
7. Many military personnel have a facebook page and update it regularly with
news from the war in Afghanistan.
8. Captain Jeremy Hahn celebrated his 33rd birthday by drinking a lot of
champagne.
9. For Captain Jeremy Hahn, the last week has passed quickly.
10. According to Captain Jo Timmerman, David Beckham seems like a normal
person.
11. Captain Jo Timmerman had an easy time processing and distributing
material from the Beckham interview.
12. Captain Jo Timmermans interview with Beckham was later shown on the
BBC.
13. Surgeon Lieutenant Dr Iain Wood always carries out a review with his
colleagues whenever they perform major surgery.
14. Medics always know what is going on around them.

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Read through the article again. Match the phrases highlighted in the text with
the correct definition:

Prompted
Unofficial
Showcased
Initiative
Itching to tell
Hanging on their every word
Compelling
Dos and donts
Over-indulging
Chipping in

____________: An outline of the basic rules

____________: Cannot wait to tell
____________: Something that is not approved/sanctioned by the authorities
____________: Contributing to
____________: Something extremely interesting
____________: A new idea/strategy
____________: Caused
____________: Consuming too much of something
____________: When you pay very close attention to what someone is saying
____________: Showing the best part/feature of something to everybody

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Answers
Mark the following statements True, False or Doesnt say:
1. Officially approved bloggers were approved during operation HERRICK
because the British armys most powerful generals wanted to boost morale.
False
2. The first time that a significant number of military personnel started blogging
was in July of this year. True
3. What the military personnel think about Afghanistan is one of the topics that
people blog about. True
4. Pippa Norris believes that there are hundreds of military personnel who are
unwilling to blog. False
5. A Coronel from the Royal Air Force has been court-martialed for revealing
classified information in his blog. Doesnt say
6. Working conditions in Afghanistan are very difficult. True
7. Many military personnel have a facebook page and update it regularly with
news from the war in Afghanistan. Doesnt say
8. Captain Jeremy Hahn celebrated his 33rd birthday by drinking a lot of
champagne. False
9. For Captain Jeremy Hahn, the last week has passed quickly. False
10. According to Captain Jo Timmerman, David Beckham seems like a normal
person. True
11. Captain Jo Timmerman had an easy time processing and distributing
material from the Beckham interview. False
12. Captain Jo Timmermans interview with Beckham was later shown on the
BBC. Doesnt say
13. Surgeon Lieutenant Dr Iain Wood always carries out a review with his
colleagues whenever they perform major surgery. True
14. Medics always know what is going on around them. False

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Read through the article again. Match the phrases highlighted in the text with
the correct definition:

Dos and donts:

An outline of the basic rules

Itching to tell:

Cannot wait to tell

Unofficial:
the authorities

Something that is not approved/sanctioned by

Chipping in:

Contributing to

Compelling:

Something extremely interesting

Initiative:

A new idea/strategy

Prompted:

Caused

Over-indulging:

Consuming too much of something

Hanging on their every word: When you pay very close attention to what
someone is saying
Showcased:
everybody

Showing the best part/feature of something to

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