As I watch the coverage of this war, I am constantly amazed by what I see and hear and experience along with our troops. Thanks to advances in technology coupled with the willingness of the military to allow reporters to embed, we can watch the tanks rolling through the desert LIVE. David Bloom sits perched on a tank recovery vehicle talking to us as the 3rd Infantry Division advances. How amazing is that? It makes everything seem more ... real. As David talked, a soldier behind him removed his helmet and you could see the sand caked on the side of his face from the desert ride that is far from over. These guys and girls are in some really inhospitable conditions, forget showers or toilets or any of those things we enjoy without even giving it a thought. And I can appreciate that because I can see what's happening in real time.
It's also frightening. It makes the war, in a way, harder to ignore. If we just got updates occassionally, I would probably spend more time going about my day waiting for news, and less time glued to the tube getting news constantly. I feel a connection to the troops in the 3rd I.D. because they're from Ft. Stewart. I've interviewed some of those guys and girls, I've interviewed their spouses and children left behind, and my thoughts are with them. Nikki's husband Andrew is there, and as I watch the troops' movements I know those are his movements too. I can't imagine what that is like for Nikki.
We have come so far with advances in communications. In earlier wars, families could expect the occasional letter. Now, there are satellite phones, emails, and newspaper, radio, and television crews constantly feeding us information.
On top of that, Trent introduced me to Where is Raed?, a blog written by an Iraqi living in Bahgdad. Very interesting stuff. It's amazing that in this war, I can actually log on and read the diary of someone in that country as he writes. Of course, if they lose electricity, we'll lose that ability - but for now, it's still incredible. Of course, the downside of the web is that this person could really be a 14 year old girl living in Ohio, but I just don't think so. The descriptions seem so real.
God bless the troops, the journalists, the Iraqis, and everyone touched by this war.
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An online journal chronicling the life of a wife, mom and new media consultant in Savannah, GA....