LONDON -- WikiLeaks' editor-in-chief claims his organization doesn't know who sent it some 91,000 secret U.S. military documents, telling journalists that the website was set up to hide the source of its data from those who receive it.
Julian Assange didn't say whether he meant that he had no idea who leaked the documents, or whether his organization simply could not be sure. But he did say the added layer of secrecy helped protect the site's sources from spy agencies and hostile corporations.
"We never know the source of the leak," he told journalists gathered at London's Frontline Club late Tuesday. "Our whole system is designed such that we don't have to keep that secret."
This is a disregard for journalistic standards of the highest level. How can anyone take this guy seriously?
Look, I don't mean to say these documents are fake. In fact, I know for a fact some of them are real because I saw them three years ago when I was in theater. But they do lack context. A SIGACTs report in the leaked documents may contain statements of what troops on the ground thought to be true at the time, but was later found to be false. We can't be sure of things like that when we mine raw, unvetted data for answers.
The fact that Wikileaks doesn't even know their source indicates that the organization could not have vetted the data or sought to contextualize it even if it wanted to. Consequently, anything that comes out of Wikileaks is suspect.
In 2007 I was lost. I was petrified that I was about to be deployed a mere six months after coming home. I was nowhere near mentally ready for this. I was convinced I was going to die this time, I had already used up too many lives. I didn't know how to tell my story or who to tell it to. A friend suggested Daily Kos. So, a blogger was born. Another veteran, Brandon Friedman, found me on Daily Kos and asked me to write for the new site, Vet Voice. I agreed. At about the same time I got hooked up with Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), who helped me tell my story. For me, it helped me to tell this story, to find others like me who supported me, who understood. Having other people tell me that they asked for help because they heard me speak was invigorating, I was convinced that telling my story was helping other vets. Finding other female vets who understood was a prayer ( I didn't even know I was praying) answered. I became an advocate for veterans, especially women who had experienced combat, through telling my story. This story-telling, and my VA care, helped me adjust to a world that had felt so foreign.
When a company receives a contract to manufacture body armor to protect service members in harms way, I don't think it is an unreasonable expectation that the money that firm receives be used to build the best product possible for the price. David H. Brooks, former CEO of the leading provider of Interceptor body armor to the Department of Defense, would appear to disagree. He apparently had some interesting ideas about what counts as overhead:
Using the company coffers -- which were flush with Pentagon money -- Brooks allegedly bought gifts for his family, including pornographic videos for his son, plastic surgery for his wife and textbooks for his daughter. He also bought luxury cars, country club memberships and a stable full of racehorses.
The prostitutes? They were to boost morale. From the NYT:
His lawyers also defended the hiring of prostitutes for employees and board members, arguing in court papers that it represented a legitimate business expense "if Mr. Brooks thought such services could motivate his employees and make them more productive."
And then there's the belt buckle, which prosecutors have reportedly been waving around in the courtroom: $100,000 worth of diamonds, rubies and sapphires in the shape of the American flag.
And there's more: Brooks spent $10 million on his daughter's bat mitzvah, hiring 50 Cent, Tom Petty and Aerosmith to perform. The leather-bound invitations cost $40,000 alone.
How many more/better IBAs could DHB (Brooks's company) have provided to our troops if he wasn't on a hedonistic spending spree? I say throw away the key.
One of two U.S. sailors missing in Afghanistan since last week has been confirmed dead and his body recovered, a NATO spokesman said Tuesday.
The search continues for the other missing sailor, said Lt. Col. Todd Breasseale, a spokesman for NATO and U.S. forces in Afghanistan.
The two Navy personnel went missing Friday in the eastern province of Logar, after an armored sport utility vehicle was seen driving into a Taliban-held area. NATO officials were unable to say what they were doing in such a dangerous part of eastern Afghanistan.
I don't know what else to add to this. Like all of our K.I.A.'s, this just sucks.
I'm not going to go into the back story on the Wikileaks release of classified documents relating to the war in Afghanistan from 2004-2009. You've probably already read plenty. I'm also not going to tell you what I think of what's in them. What I am going to tell you is why I'm not going to do that, and why no one else should either.
I'm not going to offer analysis on the release of classified documents, something that never should have happened in the first place (things are classified for a reason) because I haven't read them. This release came over the weekend. Its Monday. There are 91,000 documents. It would be irresponsible to offer judgment on something I haven't read. That's why it blows my mind that so many are passing judgment already. With you readers as my witness, I swear that if anyone who has offered criticism of the documents has legitimately read all of them in their entirety, I will give up writing and never be heard from again.
And even if anyone has read them, these documents do not contain high level vetted analysis. From what I understand, these are raw reports, unrevised as events were further investigated. I'd like to know how much fact checking Wikileaks has done to determine the veracity of the information contained within. My guess is little to none.
So, this is my message to my contemporaries: let this thing play out. Maybe their are a long list of atrocities in there. I hope not, but I suppose it's possible. The fact is, right now I don't know and neither does anyone who is currently writing about it (a statement I will retract if Wikileaks has fact checked the documents. I don't anticipate having to take that step). Let's just all cool off and see where this thing goes. Otherwise, those offering criticism may end up eating crow.
A year and a half after his inauguration, Obama has failed to deliver on a key counterterrorism goal: to close Guantanamo Bay. Indeed, with new revelations about a secret prison in Bagram, proposals to legalize indefinite detention, and the festering debates about where to try Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, questions about how and where we should hold detainees remain contentious. This panel will revisit these questions and discuss ways to close Gitmo and return to the rule of law in our detainee treatment.
Matthew Alexander
Matthew Alexander (a pseudonym) is a former senior military interrogator and author of How to Break a Terrorist: The U.S. Interrogators Who Used Brains, Not Brutality, to Take Down the Deadliest Man in Iraq. He led the interrogation team in Iraq that located Abu Musab Al Zarqawi, the former Al Qaida leader, who was killed in a subsequent airstrike. He has conducted or supervised more than 1,300 interrogations. He appears frequently on television and radio as an expert on interrogations and counterterrorism and has published Op-Eds in The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, and The New York Times, as well as articles in The National Interest, The Daily Beast, Small Wars Journal, The Huffington Post, and The Guardian. He has been featured in Time Magazine as well as other U.S. and foreign publications. Alexander's television appearances include The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, CNN International, Countdown with Keith Olbermann, MSNBC News, Fox News, ABC's Nightline, and the CBS Evening News. He has consulted/briefed the U.S. Secret Service, the United States Marines, the US Army, United States Military Academy, numerous universities, and private contractors who train the CIA and FBI. He is currently a Fellows for the Open Society Institute.
Adam Sewer
Adam Serwer is a Staff Writer at the American Prospect. He writes mostly on issues of civil and human rights, criminal justice, and national security.
Marcy Wheeler
Marcy Wheeler blogs as "emptywheel" at FireDogLake.com, and also for the Campaign for America's Future. She is best known for her book, Anatomy of Deceit, which served as a primer of the CIA Leak case, and her live-blogging of the Scooter Libby trial. She has covered efforts to hold the Bush Administration accountable for its illegal warrantless wiretapping and torture programs. Wheeler has a PhD from the University of Michigan and has spoken on blogging and politics at Amherst College, Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities and Duke Law School. She was recently awarded the 2009 Hillman Prize for Blog Journalism.
Rep. Jerry Nadler
Congressman Jerrold "Jerry" Nadler represents the Eighth Congressional district of New York. New York's Eighth, one of the nation's most diverse districts, includes parts of Manhattan and Brooklyn.
Nadler began his political career in 1976 in the New York State Assembly, where he served for 16 years. In 1992, Nadler was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in a special election and has served in Congress ever since. He was re-elected to his ninth full term in 2008.
Nadler serves as the Chair of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties. In that capacity, he has chaired numerous hearings, directed many investigations, and introduced a significant body of legislation on a range of civil rights issues. Among the bills he has recently introduced are the State Secrets Protection Act, the National Security Letters Reform Act, the Respect for Marriage Act, and the Uniting American Families Act. He is also a senior Member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.
Vincent Warren
Vincent Warren is the Executive Director of the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR), a national legal and educational organization dedicated to advancing and defending the rights guaranteed by the United States Constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Vince oversees CCR's groundbreaking litigation and advocacy work which includes combating the illegal expansion of presidential power and policies such as illegal detention at Guantanamo, rendition, torture and warrantless wiretapping; holding corporations and government officials accountable for human rights abuses; and, challenging racial injustice and mass incarceration. Vince has spearheaded a public campaign, "Beyond Guantanamo: Rescue the Constitution" coinciding with CCR's landmark Supreme Court victory in Al Odah v. U.S. and Boumediene v. Bush, which held that the detainees at Guantánamo Bay have a constitutional right to the writ of habeas corpus. Prior to his tenure at CCR, Vince held the position of national senior staff attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), where he led constitutional and impact litigation to advance civil rights and liberties. Among the cases he has litigated are: • Gratz v. Bollinger, companion case to the landmark Supreme Court decision to uphold affirmative action in college admissions. • Dasrath v. Continental Airlines on behalf of plaintiffs removed from an airplane shortly after 9/11 because they were perceived to be Arab or Muslim, and • White v. Martz, a class action lawsuit which helped create Montana's first statewide public defender system. He also monitored South Africa's historic Truth and Reconciliation Commission hearings and worked as a criminal defense attorney for the Brooklyn Legal Aid Society. Vince holds a law degree from Rutgers School of Law and a B.A. from Haverford College. Vince is a frequent national cable, network and independent media commentator, having appeared on MSNBC's The Rachel Maddow Show, CNN's The Situation Room and Paula Zahn Now, Democracy Now! and numerous National Public Radio programs.
This has been out there for a while, but it feels good to see it in black and white:
President Obama has nominated Marine Corps Gen. James N. Mattis to serve as commander of U.S. Central Command, the Defense Department announced Wednesday.
Mattis is currently serving as commander of U.S. Joint Forces Command.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates selected Mattis for the post on the heels of the Senate's June 30 confirmation of Army Gen. David Petraeus as the new Afghanistan war commander, which ended his tenure as CENTCOM chief.
It was believed that Mattis would retire when he was passed over for the Commandant of the Marine Corps job that went to James Amos. Then Stan McChrystal threw back a few Bud Light Limes and let his staff act a little to loose lipped and so began the musical chairs of four-star commands.
Everyone in the CENTCOM AO is going to benefit from James Mattis sticking around for another tour. He's a warrior's warrior, but also cerebral enough to understand the nuances of combat with an insurgency. It was Mattis who said it was fun to shoot the Taliban (something he's gotten heat for from people who didn't listen to the entire quote in context), but it was also Mattis who said "engage your brain before you engage your weapon".
This is a good thing, and Mattis is an outstanding leader.
As you read this, I'll be getting on a plane to make my way to Las Vegas for the 5th Annual Netroots Nation convention. Netroots Nation is the largest annual gathering of progressive activists in America. Featured speakers this year include Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, Ed Schultz, Al Franken and several of the VoteVets.org endorsed candidates.
Among other activities VoteVets will be involved in this weekend, VetVoice front-page contributor Matthew Alexander will be sitting on a panel discussing the closing of the prison at Guantanamo Bay and a return to the rule of law. Matthew's panel will be Saturday from 4:45-6:00 PM EST. We'll be streaming the video from the panel here live on that day.
The VoteVets staff and VetVoice contributor delegation this year includes the already mentioned Matthew Alexander, myself, front-page contributor Kate Hoit, VoteVets.org Vice Chair Peter Granato, and Chairman Jon Soltz. We'll also be joined by Mark Star, Program Coordinator for the Vet Voice Foundation (no relation).
If you're going to be in Vegas for the conference, drop a line in the comments and we'll make sure we include you in any VoteVets meet-up activities.
Underpayments of living stipends to veterans using the Post-9/11 GI Bill will be corrected in August when the Veterans Affairs Department issues one-time catch-up checks to anyone who has received the stipend since Jan. 1.
The checks represent a fix to a problem caused when VA did not update living stipends in January after military housing allowances, on which the stipends are based, increased.
First, the good: Every time there has been a hiccup in the process of administering the post-9/11 G.I. Bill, this Department of Veterans Affairs has been really great about seeing to it that the problem is resolved fairly and in as timely a manner as possible. VA deserves to be commended for that.
Now, the bad: We're coming up on the post-9/11 G.I. Bill's first birthday. Shouldn't the kinks be worked out by now? It's seems to me that we are passed the point where hiccups are acceptable.
Hopefully, VA has it's act together now and we won't see any more problems like this.
We've reported here at length on KBR's complicity in the deaths of American Soldiers as a result of their shotty electrical work on showers. However, KBR isn't just killing troops with electrocution. The company has found other ways to make deployed service members deathly ill:
The day after the 9/11 terrorist attack, Glen Bootay of Pleasant Hills enlisted in the Army. He was fit enough to complete boot camp, advanced combat training and airborne school before he helped coalition troops take control of the Baghdad Airport.
On Tuesday, he needed a walker and assistance to navigate the halls of U.S. District Court, Downtown.
Sitting through a two-hour hearing to determine whether his lawsuit against Houston-based defense contractor KBR Inc. will continue exhausted him, his brother said.
"He's not doing well," Robert Bootay said later.
U.S. District Judge Terrence McVerry didn't immediately rule after listening to lawyers' arguments. Bootay is one of at least 140 veterans who have sued KBR for health problems they link to chemical exposure at a water treatment plant in Iraq. The company is contesting the cases.
Glen Bootay, 31, undergoes chemotherapy weekly and takes up to 35 medications daily to treat medical problems that include constant headaches, chest pain, irregular heartbeat, collapse of the lungs, extreme fatigue, skin rashes, inability to sweat, vomiting, numbness, high blood sugar, kidney stones, loss of consciousness and short-term memory loss, according to his lawsuit.
KBR has repeatedly shown negligence and a lack of regard for the lives and/or quality of life of American troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. Yet somehow, these war profiteers continue to be awarded contracts worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Would we pay millions to the Taliban to kill American troops? Why are paying KBR to do the same?
Conservative military scholar Max Boot articulates what I've been saying for months:
[Afghanistan's rules of engagement have] resulted in a handful of highly publicized cases, recycled many times in news accounts, in which troops complain that they were prevented from calling in badly needed air strikes. It appears likely that McChrystal's broad directives, while well-intentioned, were interpreted too bureaucratically and too narrowly by some units. That is something that General David Petraeus and his operational commander, Lieutenant General David Rodriguez, are now studying to determine whether adjustments are necessary.
I'm not pretending that Max Boot stole this idea for me. These are simply the facts and Boot and I, among others, have come to the same conclusion on them-- that is the rational conclusion.
The problem, however, still needs to be fixed. A culture needs to be developed within the ranks where leaders insure that the RoE is understood, with all its nuance, from the regional commander all the way down to the lowest E-1 in a rifle squad. We can't keep dumbing things down to a card that fits in the wallet or breast pocket and expect Soldiers and leaders to then make the most tactically sound decisions. Our Soldiers are intelligent. We have the most professional fighting force in the history of the world. To expect any less of them is an insult to their professionalism and threatens their safety on the battlefield.
Back in May, Fox News, a company owned by Rupert Murdoch and a bunch of foreign oil barons, refused to carry one of our clean energy ads, stating it was "too confusing". As Politico reported yesterday afternoon, Fox News is again rejecting an ad which points out that our dependence on foreign oil is to the detriment of our national security and puts our troops in harms way. This time, however, Fox News did not offer any rationale for rejecting our ad, which features Brigadier General Steven Anderson, Chief of Logistics in Iraq under General Petraeus, pointing out the obvious-- that the clean energy bill currently held up in the Senate will reduce our dependence on countries that aide terrorism.
I wish I could say I was surprised, but Fox News gave up any hint of objectivity over a decade ago.
Moving fuel in a warzone. It's probably the most dangerous job in the world, costing over 1000 American lives. I should know. I was the Chief Logistics Officer under General David Petraeus in Iraq. During my 15 months over there, I became convinced our young men and women are getting killed moving fuel we wouldn't need if our military was more efficient. That's why I chose to be in this new clean energy ad for VoteVets.org
There are many ways that energy reform will help save lives. For example, simply insulating our inefficient structures in theater will not only save Billions of dollars (Yes, with a "B"), but will get thousands of fuel trucks and escorts off the most dangerous roads in the world. It's through my experiences of overseeing the fuel resupply effort in Iraq that I learned the importance of energy efficiency, reducing risks to our troops, getting us off of foreign oil, and developing new, renewable fuel technologies.
A clean energy plan seems common sense to me, but passage of the plan isn't a sure thing. I see this plan as a way to save American lives, protect America, and create thousands of new jobs. Some industries sees it as a threat to their bottom line but fail to see a great opportunity for not only their bottom line, but our national security, financial independence, and economic prosperity.
Right now, the Senate is considering a clean energy climate plan, that will cut our dependence on foreign oil in half, drive our nation to embrace energy efficiency, and bring about a revolution in new clean, renewable fuel technologies that won't just help us here at home, but will save American lives abroad. Our Senators have to make a choice - keep spending billions of dollars a day on foreign oil, or let America keep paying the price.
We don't have a moment to waste, and I'm committed to doing everything I can to see that Congress passes a clean energy plan this year. Can I count on you to stand with me? Can we stand together to fight for our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan supporting fuel missions in which every bend in the road could be their last? Please click the link above, and join me in this important fight.
Thanks for all of your support.
Sincerely,
Brigadier General Steven M. Anderson, US Army (Retired)
Former Chief of Logistics (MNF-I C4) in Iraq (August 2006-November 2007)
In a case brought by the Republican Party's LGBT caucus, Major Michael Almy testified Friday to one of the many reasons DADT does not work:
After his tour, he returned to his base in Germany, where he was called to his commander's office and questioned about a dozen personal e-mails he said the Air Force discovered after a service member searched through his computer in Iraq.
Almy said his commander tried to force him to admit he had violated "don't ask, don't tell."
"We went round and round for approximately 20 minutes," Almy testified.
Almy said he never admitted to the military he was gay and was careful to keep his personal life separate from his professional one. Still, after the meeting, Almy was told he was relieved of his duties.
"I was completely devastated," Almy said. "I drove myself home. I took my uniform off and I curled up in the fetal position on my bathroom floor like a baby and bawled for several hours."
Even if you are gay and abide by DoD's ridiculous policy which harms combat readiness and unit cohesion, you can still be fired for being gay, despite what ever needed competency and leadership ability you may possess. The notion proposed by some that gays are free to serve as long as they do not admit to their conduct, irrespective of the fact that such a policy is incompatible with the military value of integrity, is simply a fallacy.
Soldiers killed themselves at the rate of one per day in June, making it the worst month on record for Army suicides, the service said Thursday.
There were 32 confirmed or suspected suicides among soldiers in June, including 21 among active-duty troops and 11 among National Guard or Reserve forces, according to Army statistics.
Seven soldiers killed themselves while in combat in Iraq or Afghanistan in June, according to the statistics. Of the total suicides, 22 soldiers had been in combat, including 10 who had deployed two to four times.
Suicides have been a problem in the Army in recent years, not surprisingly. Optempo is not slowing down and the Army culture isn't going to change over night. Unfortunately, as much as I hope it does, I don't see this getting better any time soon.
Three years ago, I had never met anyone from VoteVets.org. I was just a paratrooper and noncommissioned officer in Afghanistan frustrated at playing whac-a-mole in the deserts of Helmand Province while resources were being thrown at an unnecessary conflict two countries to the West. I started writing about my experiences and posting them on different progressive blogs, where I "met" (virtually, that is) a Vet writer, Brandon Friedman, who was working for a progressive organization for Veterans and was in the process of establishing a community blog.
A few months later, still in Afghanistan, I e-mailed friends that I was establishing my own blog, rather than continue to post on other sites and invited them to come visit. Brandon responded that if I wanted a place to write, the front page of VetVoice was an available option. Not long after, I along with ThisDudesArmy and LT Nixon became front page contributors at the relatively new VetVoice blog.
"ThisDudesArmy" was the pseudonym of Alex Horton, who had already been writing his own blog, Army of Dude for several months through the surge in Iraq where he served with the 2nd Infantry Division. In my opinion, Alex's writing talent dwarfed anything I had been capable of by epic proportions and it was an honor to have my by-line appear next to his. I've tried not to change VetVoice much from the original feel of the community back then. There are new faces here to be sure, but the mission is still the same.
After I left the Army, I focused more on my work with VoteVets and eventually came on staff. LT Nixon, who had been blogging from Iraq as a Naval officer, got out and took a job out of the country, but still pops up around the milblogosphere every now and then. When Alex ETS'd, he refocused on Army of Dude and did the lord's work exposing the Quixotic task of obtaining post-9/11 GI Bill benefits in the early days of the program.
For all the manhole covers Alex dropped on VA in those days, it's a welcome surprise to hear that Alex is joining VA as part of their new media team. Alex has the experience and the credibility to help VA move further into the 21st Century and use web 2.0 tools to more effectively help Veterans. Alex is one of us, and it's always a good thing when a guy who has experienced the problems of a system first hand gets the opportunity to fix it.
Karl Rove has an op-ed in today's Murdoch-owned Wall Street Journal (the print edition of Murdoch-owned Fox News) arguing that when he didn't defend the Bush Administration from charges that they lied us into war with Iraq, he hurt America:
The damage extended beyond Mr. Bush's presidency. The attacks on Mr. Bush poisoned America's political discourse. Saying the commander-in-chief intentionally lied America into war is about the most serious accusation that can be leveled at a president. The charge was false-and it opened the way for politicians in both parties to move the debate from differences over issues into ad hominem attacks.
There are, at least, two problems with Rove's line of argument in the piece.
First, to accept that his failure to defend the Administration from accusations of dishonestly hurt the country, you have to also accept an alternate reality in which that Administration didn't lie us into war. In that reality, documentation of collaboratorsacknowledging that dishonesty could not exist. Of course, that isn't the reality in which we live.
Second, you'd have to live in an alternate reality where the Bush Administration didn't hit back at those who correctly accused them of lying us into war by outing a covert CIA agent who had discovered that the Administration was lying. Of course, the Administration did that.
In addition to these alternate realities, Rove offers no defense to the charge. His only argument is that "Democrats bought our lies and parroted them". To be sure, Democrats did do that and should be held accountable. But just because your opposition bought it and gave you cover doesn't mean you weren't lying.
Sorry, Karl. But you and your cohorts lied America into a quagmire that has needlessly killed thousands of American troops, an action that allowed the real war on terror in Afghanistan to deteriorate to a point that it may now be unsalvageable, while also publicly revealing covert intelligence networks in an act of personal retribution. These actions are what you should feel ashamed of, rather than lying about not lying when we found out you were a liar.
As Spencer notes, calling them a militia isn't accurate, as they are government uniformed and government payed, and likening them to the Anbar Awakening is wrong as well since they are not former insurgents. However, General Petraeus is seeking to install the closest replication of his similar strategy from Iraq that we have yet seen in Afghanistan:
In a welcome step forward for the Obama administration's beleaguered war strategy, Afghan President Hamid Karzai has approved a U.S.-backed plan to create local defense forces across the country in an attempt to build grass-roots opposition to the Taliban, U.S. and Afghan officials said Wednesday.
The program calls for hiring as many as 10,000 "community police" officers, who would be vetted and paid by the Afghan Interior Ministry, according to a senior Afghan government official. Karzai had objected to plans that did not place all elements of such a force under direct government control.
This is going to be interesting to watch unfold. This could either end up being exponentially productive for Afghan governance, or go horribly wrong.
The Afghan National Police are widely seen as corrupt. Dissertation rates have plagued the ANP, and even if those problems didn't exist they are marked as being an arm of Hamid Karzai's Afghan National Government, an entity that is not seen as legitimate by the overwhelming majority of Afghans. These local defense forces will be able to provide security to local populations without being seen as ambassadors for Karzai. It also has the potential to bring security to areas of Afghanistan that might not have any sort of security force anytime soon, as a result of the lack of availability of trainers for national police.
On the other hand, Afghanistan has a long history of fierce tribalism and rule by warlords. Administrators will have to walk a fine line between providing support for local security and facilitating warlordism (did I just make that word up?).
"The welcome mat for memoirs by veterans of operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom might never wear out so long as they write with the savvy of Brandon Friedman . . . Friedman's take is vivid, frank, precise and dramatic."--Military Times
"Add Brandon Friedman's The War I Always Wanted to the ranks of outstanding non-fiction produced by officers from elite combat units in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Always truthful, often excruciatingly so, The War I Always Wanted rises at numerous points to the level of literature."--Steven Pressfield, author of Gates of Fire
"A Time To Lead confirms the rewarding benefits of military service at a time when such service is experiencing considerable strain. It also includes a comprehensive description of America's current national imperatives, which deserve serious consideration."--General Alexander M. Haig, Jr., former Secretary of State
"This is a primer on leadership forged in battle and by decades of experience. . .This isn't just a book; it's a manual for leading people and living a good life."--Barry McCaffrey, General, USA (ret.)
"Whip smart, sassy, with a mouth as foul as a sailor's, 28-year-old Sergeant Kayla Williams. . .tells what it's like to be a female soldier in Iraq."--Booklist
". . .echoes military memoirists from Julius Caesar to Ernie Pyle."--Publishers Weekly
". . .a shocking, on-the-ground view of one military woman's experience in Iraq."--Bookmarks Magazine
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Matthew Alexander
Adam Sewer
Marcy Wheeler
Rep. Jerry Nadler
Vincent Warren
"ThisDudesArmy" was the pseudonym of Alex Horton, who had already been writing his own blog, 
