My Favorite Soldier's Blog

When I imagine our soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan, I picture them crouched in the sand or in a tent, or sweating inside a tank. I picture them carrying guns and water bottles, not laptops. I was surprised to discover that a lot of American soldiers are blogging. Whether they blog to relieve stress, or to let friends and family know how they're doing, or to keep a record of every day spent away from home, soldiers have a lot to say. And I am listening.

One of my favorite blogs is Recall - An Involuntary Soldier's Story. My reasons for following this particular soldier's blog are purely personal: the "involuntary soldier" is Michael Sullivan, my very first friend on Associated Content. I always enjoy Michael's AC articles. I highly recommend his sex-scene criticism of Titanic (here).

Michael doesn't post on AC very often, but he is a prolific blogger. Regarding Recall - An Involuntary Soldier's Story, Michael writes: "This blog is inspired by Colby Buzzell, who wrote a blog called CBFTW (Colby Buzzell F*** This War) during his rotation in Iraq. He was later involuntarily activated out of his IRR status, just like I was, and wrote an article about it for Esquire...He showed up at his processing station focused intently on getting out of another tour, and he managed to fail a psychological evaluation to get that done. He seems to be at peace with his decision to get out of it, as he felt he would be irretrievably broken if he went back again.

Me? I can't tell if I'm broken, or if this is just the way I'm supposed to be. I haven't sustained a relationship past the two-month mark since my first deployment ended in 2003. I don't feel like I've been able to develop any close friendships since I returned from my second deployment in 2005...Is another rotation in Iraq going to make me worse? Is it going to give me a sense of purpose?" (quoted with permission from Recall - An Involuntary Soldier's Story, "Day 5," January 15, 2009)

Sgt. Sullivan blogs about everything, from his daily routine as an Army "Fobbit" in Iraq, to finance, to basketball, to movie trivia, to romance. His recent posts have dealt with online writing opportunities and other income-generating ideas Michael is considering when he returns home from Iraq. Michael is not thrilled to be in Iraq again (this is his third deployment--his second deployment to Iraq), but he's doing his best to find the positives in a less-than-ideal situation, and I'm inspired by his example.

Here are some of my favorite posts from Recall - An Involuntary Soldier's Story:

"Day 1: Here We Go Again"
Michael is a great writer. Ignore him whenever he tells you to go read so-and-so's blog instead of his.

"Photo Break!"
I love the pictures taken in the restroom at Camp McCrady.

"Day 46 (post 2)"
Suicidal thoughts; pros/cons of a nameless girlfriend (not Michael's girlfriend, mind you)...

"Day 75: The One About the Care Packages"
If you would like to send a soldier a care package, this incredibly-detailed blog entry will tell you everything you need to know, from what to send to how to send it. I just sent Michael a care package, in fact. I can't think of a better way to show a soldier you're thinking of him/her.

"Day 101"
What do soldiers do on their days off? Read this blog to find out. I am so jealous that Michael can buy all 7 seasons of "Buffy: The Vampire Slayer" on DVD for $25 in Taji!

Michael is one of many soldiers with active blogs. Milblogging.com is "the world's largest index of military blogs," and is a great resource for soldiers, soldiers' families, and anyone interested in following the lives of soldiers around the world. I'm not a yellow-ribbon-magnet-on-my-car kind of person, but I have learned so much about the Army--about the sacrifices our troops make--by following Michael's blog. For me, reading and commenting on a soldier's blog is a meaningful way to show my support for our troops.