Iraq Soldier Colby Buzzell Blogs on War, Ordered to Stop by Army

The internet may be providing some of the best primary source documents for future historians, as soldiers in Iraq like Colby Buzzell blog their experiences. Buzzell first gained attention in 2004 when his post “Men in Black” got the media circling around his account of an insurgent attack. Soon, the Army sniffed rabblerousing, as nothing rouses as much rabble as people getting a real idea of what happens during a war. He was initially quarantined in the military base and later ordered to stop writing. Before the order, however, Buzzell was able to communicate first-hand his experiences not just to other soldiers but to anyone with internet access.

CNN reports:

In the first major war of the Internet age, Buzzell and other soldier bloggers in Iraq offered readers around the world unfiltered, real-time glimpses of an ongoing conflict.

"Here's a soldier in a combat zone ... writing about it and posting it on the Internet. I don't think that's ever been done in previous wars," Buzzell said.

"It just provides another perspective that no embedded journalist can ever do," said the veteran, now a freelance writer in San Francisco, California, and the author of "My War: Killing Time in Iraq." "An embedded journalist is just there observing. But a soldier writing about it -- you can't get more embedded than that."

Although Army Public Affairs Spc. Lindy Kyzer told CNN, "We're actually entering an era of transparency, where we need to have our soldiers talk. It does open up risks. Once you post something, you can't get it back. But we trust our soldiers with a lot. They are our best spokespersons. They know what the life of a soldier is like, and it's important to convey that to the American people,” it hardly seems that the Army is doing jumping jacks over soldiers blogging. It’s not exactly “transparency” when soldiers like Buzzell are ordered to stop blogging their experiences when they aren’t just publicizing fraternal camaraderie and good-hearted practical jokes in the barracks.