Two Sad Days In The Blogosphere ...

The date was Friday, June 27, 2008.

The day that LT G posted about "A Tactical Pause" - the day when LT G told us that, as he put it, due to a rash posting on his part "and decisions made above [his] pay-grade", he had been ordered to stop posting on Kaboom: A Soldier's War Journal, effective immediately. No, not the much feared OPSEC violation, but rather "a series of extenuating circumstances" the result of which was his May 28th post entitled “The Only Difference Between Martyrdom and Suicide is Press Coverage” not going through "the normal vetting channels."

In the words of LT G

It’s totally on me, as it was too much unfiltered truth. I’m a soldier first, and orders are orders. So it is.

LT G was always very careful not to violate OPSEC, you see, with a disclaimer on the blog advising, in part,

And no worries, Spooks. The author is not going to shatter the crystal vase that is OPSEC, because his CO proofs everything that is posted. He thinks the author is special, but in a very different way than Momma G thinks the author is special.

So go read the offending post. If you dare. Too much truth, indeed.

The second sad day was today, Friday, June 20, 2008.

The day that City Girl, LT G's newly-minted fiance, told us that LT G got the order from his chain-of-command to delete his blog. No longer posting wasn't good enough. And the pause apparently was more than tactical. And although City Girl's kind offer to do her best to keep all his loyal readers up-to-date on the happenings of LT G and the Gravediggers is much appreciated, it doesn't change my initial thoughts when I first read of this ...

Major Suck. Major Foul.

LT G always said that the purpose of his blog was to serve as a means of communication between himself and his family and friends. But if it brought "a bit of clarity to the American people about Iraq, the nature of soldiering, or war in general, that'd be pretty cool, too". I have no hesitation in telling the LT' that his secondary objective was clearly and cleanly accomplished. And not just for the American people.

I was first put on to Kaboom by FbL at Fuzzilicious Thinking. And was almost immediately hooked. As I commented on more than one occasion, his writing gives gave an amazing window on what's happening in Iraq that most people just would not have had without his blog. It's really too bad that his superiors weren't smart enough to see the value and importance of that. Because it's a real loss, not just for the blogosphere, but also for the American military and what they're trying to accomplish in Iraq.

So soldier on, LT G. Stay safe and keep your men safe. Keep on writing. And never, ever lose your slightly off-centre take on life that, ironically, seems to give you such clarity.

And please know that many will be thinking of you. And missing you.

Update: So the good LT G is now Capt. G. The plot thickens ...