Citizen Frank

Obscenity Warning

2004-12-25T21:05:00.000+02:00

There have been a few Muslim posters who have written awful, disgusting,obscene, disturbing comments on my site. I am sorry if the posts offend you. The bad ones offend me. Feel free to respond, as I am doing, to thoughtful Muslim commentators. However, please do not post hateful remarks.

This site has moved to www.CitizenFrank.com

2004-12-09T05:14:00.000+02:00

This site has moved to www.CitizenFrank.com

Life in this Girl's Army

2004-12-05T18:51:00.000+02:00

Life in this Girl's Army I'm taking a break from my break to send you to read my blogosphere friend account of her "getting her @$$ blown up." Please go read and send her account and send her a nice email. This happenened within three weeks of her going home from Iraq. There but for the grace of God go I...

Site closed for renovations

2004-11-27T01:25:00.000+02:00

I am taking a long break through these depressing holidays. I am going to work on the new look for the site and give some thought to what I want to do with it. If you want to know when I bring the site back, then sign up for the news letter on the left side of the page. If I decide to close the site I will at least post one more time some thoughts on why.

FDR's Advice for the Democrats ... And His Amazing Prediction

2004-11-24T20:49:00.000+02:00

FDR's Advice for the Democrats ... And His Amazing Prediction: "The election over, Democrats wondered what to do. The Republicans had won back-to-back victories in presidential elections and appeared well along the way toward becoming the majority party. Democratic leaders were disconsolate, wondering what they could do to recover the White House. The year? 1924, not 2004."

Businesses sponsoring concert for Guard fund

2004-11-24T04:24:00.000+02:00

Businesses sponsoring concert for Guard fund: "Active and retired Alabama National Guard members have set up a fund to help families of injured or wounded Air or Army Guard soldiers, and some Birmingham businesses are sponsoring a concert to raise money for the fund." (More.)

Deerdancer Steps Forth -dedicated to enlightened, kind conversation, Red & Blue

2004-11-23T23:17:00.000+02:00

Now that I have given up blogging the political side of this war, regular contributor Deerdancer has taken up the proverbial footblog and run with it... She misspells my last name, but who doesn't? Deerdancer Steps Forth -dedicated to enlightened, kind conversation, Red & Blue: "As this blog is dedicated to Red/Blue dialog, I put up from my friend Frank Meyers in Iraq, his views, as opposed to mine, of why we should be in Iraq. We are honest with each other and share our differing views. I read his blog each day and he reads mine. We obviously have totally different views, but we keep talking. So here he is! *(Me)Saddam was a terrible dictator but the world has worse situations such a Sudan. Since there were no WMD and no terroists contacts why did we go there. What we found was ..." (More.)

The Green Side - an email from combat

2004-11-23T04:21:00.000+02:00

I found an email on line that describes a side of the war I don't get to see - close combat. The Green Side: "The fighting has been incredibly close inside the city. The enemy is willing to die and is literally waiting until they see the whites of the eyes of the Marines before they open up. Just two days ago, as a firefight raged in close quarters, one of the interpreters yelled for the enemy in the house to surrender. The enemy yelled back that ..." (MORE.)

One of our local officers...writes for his hometown newspaper.

2004-11-23T04:19:00.000+02:00

Its funny, there is a major paper in Pennsylvania publishing some of my musings, but my own local papers haven't been interested. No big deal. I found one of our officers being published by his local paper. Maybe I just don't write well enough. By the way he is misrepresented in the article as the Baghdad Commander. Tyler Morning Telegraph: "EDITOR'S NOTE: Lt. Col. Victor Zillmer of Lindale volunteered to return to Iraq in late October as the commander of the Army Corps of Engineers in Baghdad. He will correspond with the Tyler Morning Telegraph periodically, explaining his work hiring, interacting with and observing Muslims in Iraq. Oct. 31, BAGHDAD, Iraq - As of this morning I have been back in Iraq for one week. It seems the obvious time to evaluate the changes from the last time I was here. We went to a construction site to evaluate a potential contractor for a major project (and) I was able to see downtown Baghdad again." (More.)

The Echo Chamber: Shrub in a "Scrum"

2004-11-21T21:16:00.000+02:00

The Echo Chamber: Shrub in a "Scrum" President Bush inserts himself into fistacuffs to aid his secret service agent.

BBC NEWS | Europe | French insurgents killed in Iraq

2004-11-19T07:33:00.000+02:00

BBC NEWS | Europe | French insurgents killed in Iraq: "Three Frenchmen have died fighting with insurgents against US-led troops in Iraq, reports say." Maybe I will start calling it Freedom Fries....

Local Tint: Local People of Note (embarassing)

2004-11-19T05:06:00.000+02:00

Local Tint: Local People of Note (embarassing): "Capt. Kirk Mayfield called for fire from his task force's mortar team. But Sgt. James Anyett didn't want to wait. 'Dude, give me the sniper rifle. I can take them out--I'm from Alabama.'"

President Bush and the dog....

2004-11-18T23:05:00.000+02:00

Rossi for Governor 2004--Dubya's Story Read this story about President Bush and the Rossi dog...

Update 15 - The Long Road ahead

2004-11-18T22:49:00.001+02:00

The "novelty" of being in Iraq has worn off. Especially since most of the friends I made here have gone home. All I see ahead are many months of loneliness waiting to find out if I get to see my family or the inside of a rocket. I'm betting on seeing my family. I also feel bad because I have a stack of thank you notes to write and I am way behind. If you haven't received a thank you note - Thanks! Ok, that covered everyone. Actually, I see why new brides are always gnashing teeth over thank you notes. I'm only writing a few dozen. I couldn't imagine having to write a few hundred. I do feel bad about not responding faster to the great care packages and letters I have received. So if you have sent me a note, box, or flag, I will catch up one day soon I promise. I think Mrs. Citizen Frank is partly to blame for my sour mood. Her update she wrote has affected me in a surprisingly negative way. First, she never complains about ANYTHING to me. When she wrote about the hard parts of being alone at home while I am at war, it dawned on me that things aren't as rosy there as she lets on. Second, I'm hurting for my five-year old son, Josh. There are so many little ways he allows my absence to affect him. It hurts my heart every time I hear of something he has said about missing me or when I hear about something he does to deal with an absence he can't understand. In my last care package from home, he mailed his four matchbox army trucks so I would have something to play with while I am waiting to come home. As if these feelings weren't hard enough to deal with I’ve got two physical ailments that are adding to my pleasure of being here. The minor one that will go away in a week or two is a bad blister. See, with nothing to do when we are not working, I exercise a lot. I was all set for a seven mile run when I realized I forgot socks. No big deal I thought, the inside of my running shoes feel soft... Famous last words. Seven miles later I have a blister the size of that bruise Hillary gave Bill when she found out about Monica. While the blister will go away soon, I'm not sure what to do about my back. A few friends and family know I have two and a half painfully herniated disks in my lower back. About a month before my Army physical I got something called an epidural block. At least that what I think it was called. The block let me get through my physical without the doctors discovering the severity of my back problem. For almost two years before the epidural block I hadn’t bent over. The block is a miracle of modern science. However, as I am learning, epidural blocks wear off after a few months. So I have a dilemma. How do I get another block here without it being a big to-do? I'm dreading the questions from the doctors here, and I have no idea how to get to the hospital, get the block, and come back, without my chain of command finding out. I'm not hiding anything, I just don't want to complicate matters by getting them involved. Can't a guy just serve his country without all these little problems.....? Seriously, the discomfort is only just starting to re-emerge so I figure I have a few weeks or a month or two even before I have to do something. Any secretive, covert suggestion on this front would be much appreciated. Well, there is good news from here too. Ramadan, the Arabic holiday of increased attacks on us, has ended. Fallujah has wrapped up with an amazingly few dead Americans. Personal good news is that my unit is employing me as a writer more. I've mentioned before that besides being the Night Battle Captain, I am also the Division Information Officer which means I get to have a role in the public relations operations. I've started writing some of our press releases touting the good news of our reconstruction effort. I may even get to travel some in the future to report on some of these good news stories. Due to some time management issues with our Public Affairs Office, I was able to write our General's Veterans Day speech that he gave at our Veterans Day ceremony. You may enjoy reading what I submitted and I’ll close on a positive note by pasting it here:

Remarks on Veteran’s Day 2004

In 1778, at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, quite different from our encampment here in Iraq, General George Washington led America’s first veterans through an icy winter land of pain, hunger, and disease. Relying upon faith and a belief in the nobility of the American purpose, those veterans suffered through the low point of our revolution and then rose up to vanquish the world’s most powerful nation. It seems miraculous in retrospect for the more you study the birthing of our nation the more unlikely such a victory seems.

Years later, with his time fleeting, an elderly Washington reflected upon the sacrifice of the men he led and he commented upon the future strength of America’s military. I quote:

“The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional as to how they perceive the veterans of earlier wars were treated and appreciated by their nation.”

Washington’s sentiment contains the seed for which we are gathered here. Our celebration is one of appreciation for the veterans of America’s battles. We fight rarely – but every fight is a fight for our only cause – freedom.

See, we do not fight for the land or people of America - we fight instead for the FREEDOM of her land and people. The American Military ensures your right to live in the refreshing air of liberty instead of the oppressive heat of injustice.

So who do we honor on Veterans Day?

Originally it was a holiday called Armistice Day. November 11^th marked the end of World War I. As time distanced us from that epic struggle, the day of celebration changed from Armistice Day to Veterans Day.

We honor on this day the Tomb of the Unknowns at the Arlington National Cemetery. It is a memorial holding the revered remains of three unidentified veterans from three 20^th century wars. There had been four bodies, but amazingly, modern technology allowed the Vietnam War remains to be identified. In 1998, First Lt. Michael Blassie was moved from the memorial to a family burial plot.

We celebrate all veterans today, living and deceased. More than 25 million living veterans are honored today.

There are less than 200 World War I veterans, each by now over the age of a 100.

There are still at least four million veterans of World War II - their sacrifice has recently been honored with a new monument on the mall in Washington D.C.

It is possible to find eleven million veterans of Korea and Vietnam. Wars fought not for the sake of their own result, but as part of the larger and victorious war of Democracy over Communism.

Yet, the triumphant end of the Cold War has revealed a menace lurking in the shadows of our world. This threat to our freedom is an evil that has been with us for decades, but like a festering virus has now grown to be a painful plague upon us – an apocalypse that threatens to cast us off Freedom’s path and into an abyss of hatred and oppression.

With every new American arrival deployed to this conflict, the number of Gulf War veterans continues to grow. We first came here thirteen years ago to stop Saddam’s aggression. Now we are back discovering that our modern struggle is a struggle against a much larger and insidious enemy than we imagined.

It is a fight we are winning and a fight we must win. We will duplicate here the great success of democracy that has swept Afghanistan like a redemptive wave of freedom. The great light of hope brought to the people of Afghanistan was reflected in their recent march to vote as spectacular numbers of men and woman, yes even woman, stood in long lines to cast their ballots – to have their voice heard in the rebirth of what had been one of the festering terrorist sores of the world.

Afghanistan is now a beacon. It sings out to the world with the undeniable voice of freedom’s sound. We are helping bring such a lyrical result here to Iraq.

Do not be deceived that our mission here is to build schools or clinics or power plants or pipelines or roads or rail tracks or military bases. Our mission here is to build hope – the hope that comes from being empowered to rule your own land and to choose your own way – your own free way in this world.

So on this day we applaud those that have come before us. The ones that have built freedom in Asia and Germany and France and Central America and in cities like Tokyo and Paris and Moscow. It is in this distinguished fellowship we now serve – a fellowship of the harbingers of freedom. For we sacrifice to see the day when freedom finds every corner of our world, even this one.

And how great is our sacrifice?

We heard the names of fallen comrades and every day we post a picture and information about a fallen soldier from this war. These final sacrifices are exactly that, the last of many sacrifices veterans make. There are lesser sacrifices that we make every day we serve in this war. How many of us would not pay a great price to spend but one day home with a parent or a child or a husband or a wife? How nice would one day be without the fear of a rocket or a mortar or a suicide bomber or some kind of attack? Our sacrifices are celebrated on this day as well.

Our families and friends sacrifice at home as they shuffle forward without us. There are parents learning to live at home as single parents. There are children learning how difficult the feeling of absence is to overcome. Some of these are the children that did not go trick or treating as princesses or super-heroes, they dressed in miniature versions of our dessert fatigues. Each child of a veteran would want nothing more than to have us there to hold their Halloween bags and to hold their hugs.

Back home, we are often thought of and prayed for by our family and friends. As they celebrate our sacrifice the next generation of soldiers hears the love, respect, and appreciation for which America holds our veterans.

For it is them – our nieces and nephews, our brothers and sisters, and our sons and daughters of whom Washington spoke when he said that the willingness of the young to serve is directly proportionate to how well we celebrate the sacrifices of veterans. So on this day, in this place, let no one leave without knowing the unparallel position of esteem we hold everyone here serving America.

Spreading Freedom.

King of Fools - nice shout out

2004-11-18T22:47:00.000+02:00

King of Fools

Blog: Derek Rose

2004-11-18T00:52:00.000+02:00

Blog: Derek Rose My favorite Yankee reporter and Red Sox fan gives me a shout out at his cool site.

Political notebook - Veteran Lawmakers....

2004-11-16T02:51:00.000+02:00

Political notebook: "Four lawmakers who served in the Marines or Marine reserves gathered on the floor of the House of Representatives last week to honor the Corps on its 229th birthday. 'It's 229 years of tradition unhampered by progress,' quipped state Rep. Jack Page, D-Gadsden. He said only Marines, on or off active duty, could say that."

This Is America: Wounded Fallujah Soldiers Want to Go Back

2004-11-16T02:46:00.000+02:00

This Is America: Wounded Fallujah Soldiers Want to Go Back: "SCHAFER: I know we both wish that we're still back with our battalion and our platoons, more than definitely. OWENS: I want to go back. My buddies are out there without me, and if I was well enough to go out, I'd in a heartbeat go back."

Meetup.com - Like a Little Internet Miracle

2004-11-15T22:03:00.000+02:00

Well the Meetup went great. It was covered by at least two local television stations, and this summary in the Birmingham News: Birmingham News Article Big Thanks to everyone who attended. Renee said the support "charged" her up! Also big kudos to the people who contributed financially . The donoughts you bought were allegedly delicious.

A womans rages, rants, and sometimes thoughts - a nice nod to my family

2004-11-12T03:15:00.000+02:00

A womans rages, rants, and sometimes thoughts: "Your wonderful family must sustain you so very much. Even though I am now past the point of having to be in her shoes I can empathize with her and pray that her web of suppport stands firm for her until the time your family will not need them anymore"

AmericanGreetings.com - Free Holidays Ecards - Free Veterans Day Ecards

2004-11-12T02:35:00.000+02:00

AmericanGreetings.com - Free Holidays Ecards - Free Holidays Greeting Cards - Free Veterans Day Ecards - Free Veterans Day Greeting Cards Not me please, but send one of these to the other veterans serving.

Wounded soldier returning stateside by Tom Gordon

2004-11-12T02:27:00.000+02:00

Wounded soldier returning stateside: "When Army Spc. Roderick Robinson came home to Birmingham on 12 days leave from Iraq in August, he was determined to stop at every fast-food joint he could find. Last week, the 23-year-old Pinson Valley High School graduate was in Fallujah, where fast-food joints were scarce but hostile fire was abundant. On Friday, a rocket hit where he was working."

God Bless Bangor, Maine!

2004-11-11T02:58:00.000+02:00

First Person Account (Used with his permission) By Maj. Jason Benefield, U.S. Army November 9, 2004 (AgapePress) - I recently returned from a deployment to the Middle East in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. For deployed service members, travel days are typically very long days that involve much waiting around -- and this proved true for my group. We departed the Middle East with two programmed stops in Europe and one stop in the U.S. before we reached home. At the first stop, we stayed on the aircraft without getting a chance to even stretch our legs. At our second stop in Shannon, Ireland, everybody deplaned, got a bite to eat, and did some quick shopping at the duty-free store. Our visit in Shannon was less than an hour -- a very unremarkable stop. Weary from hours on our jet, we all wanted to just knock out our last stop and get home to our families. As we arrived in Bangor, Maine, customs officials met us at the plane and processed us through customs in the most efficient and polite manner you could imagine. We all then deplaned and made our way into the airport. When we reached the walkway to the main terminal, we could see dozens of people waving flags and cheering. This town named for an Irish hymn appeared to be celebrating something at the airport, and none of us knew what. As the first member of our party reached the celebrants, they began to shake hands and thank, and in some cases embrace, each military member for their service. Did they have us mistaken for somebody else? How did they even know that we were coming in to that airport? These questions and many emotions raced through my mind as I descended the ramp toward the group. I had thought of nothing but seeing my family for the past 24 hours, and it never once crossed my mind that anybody outside of my family and closest friends had the least bit of interest in my return. Though I had served proudly during my short time in the Middle East, I also felt that I did not deserve this kind of hero's welcome and was overcome with emotion. Bangor did not give me a vote on what kind of welcome I received. They made sure each service member who passed through their town had a memorable return to the United States. Besides the cheers and hugs and waving flags, the veterans and citizens who greeted us had also set up a hospitality room. The room included refreshments and dozens of cell phones to call family and confirm our arrival time at our final destination. These great people thought of every practical way to boost our spirits. Our whole group buzzed around in the hospitality room, suddenly enjoying the long trip home. Young people asked each of us to sign T-shirts that commemorated our brief stop in this town as if we were celebrities. President Bush, who won re-election the day we set down in Bangor, had recently visited Bangor, and I was sure that our welcome had rivaled even his. Come to find out, President Bush had actually participated in welcoming troops back to the U.S during his visit. I am sure the troops returning that day saw as we did: an island of red in a sea of blue welcoming them back home in what has to be one of the most patriotic communities in our country. As we visited and enjoyed the hospitality showered upon us, we learned a few facts about Bangor and the people who met us. Bangor was once considered the lumber capital of the world and is the birthplace of the legendary Paul Bunyan. I do not know for sure that any of the folks we met were Paul's descendants, but the size of their hearts indicated that they all were. These people arrange to meet every scheduled plane load of service members returning to the states. Many who greeted us were veterans, with each conflict back to World War II represented in the cheering crowd. I truly felt that I should be celebrating these people instead of vice versa. True to the nature of heroes, none of them checked to see how long we were gone or how much action we saw or whether our service was equal to theirs before they came out -- they believed and acted on the premise that every service member who returns to the United States deserves that kind of welcome. That tells me everything I need to know about them and their town. As I stood signing a young man's T-shirt as if I were a rock star or the President himself, let me share with you all an overwhelmed boy from Alabama could think to write above his name: God Bless Bangor, Maine! U.S. Army Major Jason Benefield (OPFORTRIPOD@aol.com) is stationed at Robins Air Force Base in Georgia. His hometown is Heflin, Alabama.

SignOnSanDiego.com > In Iraq -- Best friends, Pendleton Marines died together on second Iraq tour

2004-11-10T20:22:00.000+02:00

SignOnSanDiego.com > In Iraq -- Best friends, Pendleton Marines died together on second Iraq tour: "Two Camp Pendleton Marines, best friends since childhood, were killed in action in an area west of Baghdad where the military is preparing an assault on insurgents."

Update 14 - From the Home Front

2004-11-10T03:35:00.000+02:00

By Renee Myers, PhD. Now that my husband has deployed to war, I wish I had spent time talking with my maternal grandparents about what they went through when he left for World War II. I don't have that chance now, but I am resolved not to let this experience go by without sharing it. Frank has been asking me to write one of these weekly updates. I think I have been avoiding it because it is hard to put into words what this has been like. When Frank was first asked to volunteer, it was a big shock. It seems hard in many ways, but in a strange way it makes sense. Frank had been thinking about making a job change. To facilitate that, he had even completed a Masters in Business Administration in his spare time. Yet, neither of us felt a peace about what to do. After a five year hiatus working as a stay home mom, I returned to work full time as a psychologist. I really enjoy my job and the flexibility of being in a private practice allows me to keep my children as my first priority. When Frank was deployed, we were very grateful that we had my additional income as we could not have made it financially otherwise. Also, work has helped me keep some semblance of sanity through this difficult time. My heart goes out to the women who stay home full time and their husbands go off to war. I couldnt imagine the solitude of being home all day and then alone all night. At least I have a career during the day to focus on. Yet there are woman who move across country from their families and friends when their husbands are stationed in remote parts of the country. Then, these woman find themselves alone there. Especially if they don't work, the loneliness must be unbearable. So the fact that I had just started working again is a blessing and a good thing. Another good thing about the timing of Frank's deployment was that it has allowed him to close down his law practice, which he had been considering doing for some time. However, an added stressor for me has been fielding the lingering phone calls from past clients and answering mail that comes in. I am doing this is addition to working full time and taking care of our two-year-old and our five-year-old. Most of the time, feelings of loneliness compete with feelings of being overwhelmed. I am a person who does not like things to be half done and about everything in my life is half done these days. Whatever is bugging me most at the time gets finished, but everything else has to wait. Going through this experience has made me really emphathize with the plight of a single mom. I never appreciated the value of an extra set of hands to help with daily tasks. The value of having another opinion on daily decisions. Someone to talk to about daily life. Just having someone there. Now, I appreciate more than ever how much time Frank spent with us. Fortunately, we have been so blessed to be a part of a wonderful church. Meadowbrook Baptist has been providing assistance above and beyond anything I would have ever anticipated. Our Sunday school class has marshaled its forces and brought us meals, mowed our yard, fixed things around the house, provided babysitting, and even given gift cards. One family has sent their cleaning lady over to my house every other week since Frank has been gone! [Editors note: Doesnt sound like she wants me back] These efforts have been an incredible help. Probably the single greatest thing that has made things easier since Frank has been gone is that he has been able to make brief phone calls to us almost every day. It is wonderful to be able to hear his voice and know he is ok. Also, at the age our kids are, they really need to be able to talk to Daddy as they can't read his emails. Both kids have missed Frank greatly, but Josh, our five-year-old, in particular expresses the most sadness about Frank being gone. A couple of weeks ago, we got a package from Frank where he sent Josh birthday presents, including Arabic fishing hats and a camouflage wallet. That night if you had walked into Joshs room you would have discovered him sitting on his bed staring at his daddys wallet. If you had asked him what he was doing you would have heard him say, I miss my daddy. What can you do? What can you say? Ask him what his daddy is doing and he tells you. His daddy is fighting bad guys and keeping us safe. Halloween was two days later and Josh had been planning on wearing either his Batman or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle costume. After getting the package, remembering his daddy so passionately, he chose to wear his desert camouflage uniform that matches Frank's uniform. I can't tell you how that touched my heart. I know Frank has shared about what he has been learning this year. The two things that I am not very good at are the two things I have to learn to be better at this year. One is to be more patient. I have a tendency to be quick tempered and there are numerous situations every day where it is easy to lose my cool. I have to practice patience with my kids and with daily hassles that come my way, because now I cant take a break from parenting. I dont have a husband home to dump the kids on and take a hot bath or lay and read a book. This is my burden, my sacrifice, and I soldier on. The other thing I am not good at is asking for and receiving help. I could not be keeping my head above water if not for all the supportive friends that we have. It is still hard though to call and ask for assistance when you know that everyone else is busy too. I am getting a little better at that though. As hard as this year is, I know that God is using it to make both Frank and I more dependent on Him and to refine our characters in ways that they would not be refined otherwise. In closing, as I have been thinking about writing this update for several weeks now, I have been thinking of tips to give to those who read this about how to best help families of soldiers that you know. We have been so grateful for all the assistance we have received and will want to help others in the way we have been helped when Frank comes home. It is hard to narrow down to the top three things that have been most helpful to me, but here they are: 1) having someone help clean the house 2) gift cards 3) offering to take the children for a few hours Finally, I want to thank all of you who have been emailing and encouraging Frank as he has been gone. I know it has meant a lot to him and it certainly means a lot to me too. Maybe when then is over I'll have some insights to share. [Editors Note: You can meet Renee, the kids, and other soldier families in Birmingham this Sunday, Nov. 14 at 3pm at the Krispie Kreme in Hoover. To RSVP go to http://army.meetup.com/1.]

PoliBlog doubts the internet will take over for Main Stream Media one day

2004-11-08T19:44:00.000+02:00

PoliBlog "I certainly don’t think, nor have ever argued, that blogs will supplant the MSM. However, even some casual research shows that their are quite a few folks out their acquiring at least some information from blogs on election night." Fast forward fifteen years and we, meaning bloggers, will supplant MSM. My son, daughter, and their generation will get 90% of their information and news from the internet. Using RSS feeds and bookmark tabs in my Mozilla Firefox Browser, I am able to digest new content from over 80 websites every day - in about 20 minutes. The first thing my kids type will be the first entries into their blogs.

Operation Hero Miles - Official Website

2004-11-07T22:03:00.000+02:00

Operation Hero Miles - Official Website: "Operation Hero Miles was created by the US Airlines and Congressman Ruppersberger to meet the needs of our soldiers deployed overseas. It relies on the generosity of thousands of fliers who have donated over 540 million miles to help our soldiers."

Doc in the Box - Soldiers suffer when they come home.

2004-11-07T20:18:00.000+02:00

LINK: Doc in the Box "I’m a big supporter of the military but I do think there is a clear need for better psychological counseling available for the returning troops that is easier to get to then the current system.: - Doc in the Box I guess I have another leg up since my wife is a psychologist. I guess when I get home after being here a year she'll have to put me on the couch..... ;>

DRUDGE REPORT FLASH 2004 - Soldiers of Faith

2004-11-06T21:37:00.000+02:00

DRUDGE REPORT FLASH 2004�
"With US forces massing outside Fallujah, 35 marines swayed to Christian rock music and asked Jesus Christ to protect them in what could be the biggest battle since American troops invaded Iraq last year. Men with buzzcuts and clad in their camouflage waved their hands in the air, M-16 assault rifles laying beside them, and chanted heavy metal-flavoured lyrics in praise of Christ late Friday in a yellow-brick chapel. They counted among thousands of troops surrounding the city of Fallujah, seeking solace as they awaited Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi's decision on whether or not to invade Fallujah."

Electing to Leave (Harpers.org)

2004-11-05T05:20:00.000+02:00

Electing to Leave (Harpers.org) If you hate Bush enough to leave the country, here is some help doing so... Instead I hope we can all unite. Am I the only one tired of the bitter angst?

Another War Grandmother

2004-11-04T20:02:00.000+02:00

Another War Grandmother.: "A 62 year-old grandmother who spent more than 7 months in Iraq helping to rebuild the war torn country is back home. Now she's on a crusade to educated Americans about the realities of the war in Iraq and it's importance. Sunday she stopped in at an Albany church."

I just don't have the time...

2004-10-31T03:03:00.000+02:00

Well, I've decided that the few minutes I get a day of free time on the computer, simply isn't enought time to write 50,000 words for the November contest. However, I'll give it a year of thinking and when I am home safe next year, I'll write the novel next November. :> Instead, I'll focus my few minutes of free time on writing updates for this site, adding interesting news stories to my news site, and tracking the 2008 Presidential race! Primary 2008!

Meetup.com: Birmingham Army Meetup Group -- Army -- Event: Birmingham Army November Meetup

2004-10-31T01:14:00.000+02:00

Meetup.com: Birmingham Army Meetup Group -- Army -- Event: Birmingham Army November Meetup: "When: Sunday, November 14, 2004 at 3:00 PM" To avoid conflict with College Football, the event has been moved from Saturday to Sunday! Please RSVP above. I've heard from people that are coming that haven't RSVP. Thank you to each of you that have donated for donoughts. Extra money will be donated to the local VFW.

Another Blog Contest

2004-10-30T04:12:00.000+03:00

Another Blog Contest
Originally uploaded by frankwmyers.

The person who posts the funniest made-up caption for this picture wins more Iraqi money! Even if you've won before you can compete here.

Donate to show support of the Troops

2004-10-29T03:39:00.000+03:00

The party is on! The meet-up to show support for the troops is set for Nov. 13 at the Krispy Kreme Doughnut shop in Hoover, Alabama. Click here for meetup.com info on this event. If you are attending click on this link and sign up to go to the meet-up. I've been asked what you can do to show support for this event if you can't attend. I've found a solution. By clicking on the donate button, you can contribute ten dollars to buy doughnuts for the people who go to show support for the troops. It will be an enjoyable hour for everyone. I only wish I could attend.

The Future of Blogs and the Blogosphere

2004-10-29T02:25:00.000+03:00

TCS: Tech Central Station - The Future of Blogs and the Blogosphere: "Over the next few years, blogs will grow both more and less significant. They'll grow more significant because more people will be reading them, and -- at least as important -- more people will be writing them. That will expand their impact considerably. On the other hand, they'll grow less significant, in a way, because they'll grow more ordinary. Like other communications media, from newspapers to email, they'll just become part of the background, and their particular thread of impact will be less noticeable."

If you live near Birmingham - I am inviting you to a party...

2004-10-28T02:34:00.000+03:00

This Veterans Day weekend, why not gather with other Birmingham Supporters of soldiers to celebrate freedom!!! If you've never heard of a "meet-up" you are in for a treat. Meetup.com lets people throw open parties for a stated purpose. This one that I am inviting you to is for folks to gather Veterans Day weekend to talk, meet, share stories of soldiers, and to just show support for troops. Meetup.com: Birmingham Army Meetup Group -- Army: "Birmingham Army November Meetup When: Saturday, November 13, 3:00 PM Where: Krispy Kreme 1990 New Patton Chapel Rd Birmingham, AL What: Join the group for an informal Thanksgiving (doughnuts instead of turkey) toast to our fighting men and women. We salute those from Birmingham. Come tell us a little about your family members/friends on active duty. Please bring someone with you!"

Should I blog a novel this month?

2004-10-28T01:35:00.000+03:00

[UPDATE: To give you a taste of the novel which would be a character novel with a politcial campaign backdrop, I've posted the prologue: In the Time After] Blogger Knowledge: Blogging Your Novel (Part Two): Quick, poll. Comment below please. Should I blog a novel in November? Apparently, November is blog a novel month. I have no creative writing talent, but, after doing this site, I have no shred of shame left either. So my question to you is, should I spend five minutes a day during November writing a novel? Assume, I find the time. Assume, it would be embarrassingly bad. Also assume, it gives me something else to think about other then mortar attacks. "Chris Baty, founder of NaNoWriMo and author of No Plot? No Problem! stresses the importance of making your intentions as publicly known as possible, as a way to keep motivation high all through November. "Nothing makes it more difficult to back down from a task than having boasted about it, in great detail, to all of your friends and loved ones.... My ultimate goal is to back myself so far into a corner before the month even starts that I have no choice but to stay on course with the word count, no matter how dismally off-track my novel gets in the weeks that follow. "Blogs, of course, are perfect for this. Not only can you tell all your friends and family, but your efforts are going to be out there for the entire Internet to see. You can hardly give up after that, right?"

This article correctly describes the vast majority of soldiers here

2004-10-26T22:34:00.000+03:00

New York Post Online Edition: commentary: "'Dad, we don't listen to politicians. We listen to our commanding officers,' he says, growing bored already with the conversation. I ask him where he is going in Iraq, what he will be doing, as all the worried parents of so many thousands of brave boys and girls surely do. 'Don't know. I'll just go where I am needed,' he says matter-of-factly." That is it really. Soldiers generally would rather have Bush, but if Kerry is elected, we don't care. We serve whoever is the President. We have commander's that tell us what to do, and not a single soldier I give an order to is going to say, "I would have done that if Kerry wasn't President...."

Iraq Artists enjoy their new freedom!

2004-10-26T00:26:00.000+03:00

IRAQ THE MODEL This association includes a special group of Iraqi artists; poets, critics and actors who were denied the opportunity to get their voices to the public during the dark age of Saddam and now they’re trying to find a place for them among the lines to build our new Iraq. They came carrying their worries and dreams and a wild desire to renew and improve the public awareness. They are so willing to create and add something new to the community and they didn’t let their poverty and lack of resources be an obstacle in their way, even that some of them came walking on foot from distant places just to not miss the chance for meeting and exchanging ideas. The lecture was about the Iraqi folkloric poetry and the guest of honor was an Iraqi poet who had to remain silent and hide what he writes in Saddam’s days.

CNN.com - Soldier�who sued�not required to�report for duty - Oct 25, 2004

2004-10-25T17:56:00.000+03:00

CNN.com - Soldier�who sued�not required to�report for duty - Oct 25, 2004 Hey I too am a 31-year-old Captain and I too chickened out...wait no, we're different after all....

My next Blog Contest...

2004-10-23T07:58:00.000+03:00

23_1_b.JPG Originally uploaded by frankwmyers.

[UPDATE: Russell from Birmingham won the contest. I'm trying to get the links from him!!!!] Music has been a real help here. Turning up my headphones when mortars are falling doesn't drown them out, but helps nevertheless. I even had Renee mail me my Jennifer Knapp Cds. One of the few channels we get to watch is 24-hour Italian music videos. A suprising number of the songs are sung in English. When ever I get a tune stuck in my head, I've been downloading it through iTunes. So here is the challenge... Despite my nickname around here as the Human Search Engine, (for my ability to find ANYTHING on the internet), I have been foiled by a silly, campy, secular song by a band I think is British. I'm embaressed to admit to liking this song, but my music addiction must be fed. My only problem is that I can't find it anywhere except iTunes France. Only I can't donwload from anything but iTunes USA, which doesn't have it. So the winner is the first person to email me the mp3 for: Song Title: Babycakes by a band called: 3 of a Kind Goodluck I also require you to post a link to where Americans can download the song so I can pay for it of course. :> UPDATE: I do send prizes to the winner. Thanks to Jared for the link to Ebay which had this picture of the single. Still waiting for the MP3...

Ruby, Chris, Bill and Frank

2004-10-23T07:55:00.000+03:00

Ruby, Chris, Bill and Frank
Originally uploaded by frankwmyers.

Left to Right:

Sgt. Chris, MAJ Bill, Ruby, CPT Frank

Photo by: Mitch

Background: Saddam's Parade Grounds

I really don't want to post stuff like this, but..

2004-10-23T06:21:00.000+03:00

I really don't want to post stuff like this, but some have wondered aloud about the veracity of my statement that the anti-war effort is affecting whether troops feel support slipping back home. Newsradio 620 WTMJ: Charlie Sykes

Every few months...

2004-10-23T03:46:00.000+03:00

groupshot
Originally uploaded by frankwmyers.

I need to post a new group photo every few months because there are so many new people and people gone.

Mr. Renee has a big smile.

2004-10-23T03:38:00.000+03:00

frankrenee.JPG
Originally uploaded by frankwmyers.

Mr. Renee's big smile at Saddam's parade grounds. LTC P. climbs on our backs.

Update 13 - His Family Doesn't Know He is at War

2004-10-22T17:59:00.001+03:00

Have you ever been in a sand storm? Since coming to Iraq I’ve been in two. I don’t know what other sand storms are like, but the two I’ve experienced haven’t been like the movies where the sand attacks you and slaps you around. There were no biting particles tearing at my face. I wasn’t swept off my feet by the wind. Here the sand storms are much more subtle. Walking through one is like watching something from a movie projector and then pulling a brown screen down to filter what you’re seeing. You lose visibility and have a real brown out. The edges of your world shrink to just a few dozen meters and the rest of what is out there disappears into that strange brown cloud. It is much more like a fog, but instead of clouds of vaporous water descending to cling to the ground, you are enveloped in floating sand that makes breathing impossible and presses down on you like the world is draining away - very unpleasant. In a way my world here is similarly draining away. I have lots of friends here but only four close confidants. Three of them are leaving in the next two week to return to the States. Of course Major Bill will still be here. Thank God for small miracles. He has accomplished Herculean work to improve the security here. He has implemented so many common sense security improvements that a suicide bomber or even a covert attack will have to be extremely lucky not to be foiled at our headquarters. He is serving a year like I am, but my other three confidants are civilians, and civilians generally only do about four months here. As I am in my fourth month of my year, it’s a natural time for the civilians that arrived just before me to leave. You may remember me mentioning each of them to you. Ms. Ruby is the widowed grandmother I slept with when we arrived in Kuwait - on bunk beds, silly. I had the top bunk and she was down below the one night I had to stay in the co-ed warehouse. As luck would have it, she had a desk next to mine the first few months we were here, so we got to know each really well. She is dating a neat guy back in the States, and I hope to hear she is getting remarried soon. That’s love actually. A small example of Ruby - in the mornings she was bringing me pastries, until I mentioned I am trying to eat healthy. Every day since then, I’ve gotten fruit. But now she is leaving, and it has only recently sunk into my thick skull that she really is heading home. It dawned on me when she recruited two others to bring me fruit in the morning. Like Major Bill, Mitch has been a guy I’ve confided in. I’ve shared with Mitch many of the disappointments and the struggles I’ve had here. There have been things hard about my job here that I haven’t shared publicly. Maybe when I’ve left here, and I’m out of uniform for good, I can talk about some of the frustrations I’ve had here. Right now, this is too public a forum for that. I mentioned Mitch from St. Louis last week. He is almost my age and has my energy and enthusiasm. He is the kind of guy that would be one of my best friends if we lived in the same town. We are strangely alike, and it’s rare I say that because I know I’m a pretty unique character. Some would say “different.” Some would say “special” in a tone that implied I rode the short bus to school. Mitch was the one who responded first to the rocket attack that killed the three people here at our compound. We’ve talked a lot about that but I’ve never asked him to describe the gruesome scene to me. I am thankful for being on night duty when that happened during the day. My trips to the hospital gross me out bad enough and even there the injuries are generally cleaned up and bandaged. Not fresh, raw, and exposed. Since last week’s attack, Mitch hasn’t quite been the same. I can only tell because I’ve gotten to know him so well. There is sadness in his eyes. He hasn’t been bounding with zest. He started keeping a daily note pad pulling off a page a day counting down till he goes home. He has a lot to look forward to when he goes home. A new home he’s never been in and a beautiful wife anxious to see him. As much as I have tried to talk him in to coming back after a few weeks break at home; As much as I'm going to miss him; As much as I’ve needed him around this last week; I’d volunteer to stay an extra year if Mitch could have left two weeks ago and missed the rocket attack. But he is strong. Mitch’s contribution here has been so important to our mission of rebuilding Iraq that at his farewell party today he is receiving the 2nd highest Civilian Award a person can receive from the United States Government. I’m proud to say I know him. I am grateful to say we’re friends. Finally, and hardest of all, Mr. Renee is leaving. I’ll be honest. At first, I couldn’t stand the guy. It’s not his fault. My wife’s name is Renee. In our office when you need to talk to someone or give them something, you just yell out their name. Its part of being in a tactical operations center. Things are hectic, sometimes confusing, and always fast paced. So every day, for the eight hours my sixteen hour shifts overlaps with everyone else, I hear my wife’s name constantly being shouted out. (Its gotten worse, the new sergeant’s first name is Chris. My best friend and younger brother’s name is Chris.) So, at first I didn’t like him being here at all. It was like some sick cosmic joke – here Frank leave your wife for a year and let’s constantly remind you of her… But, like everything else here, you change and grow accustomed to what’s difficult and make the brave seem common place. Mr. Renee acts every bit like a gruff, old, Hispanic grandfather. Born and raised in Texas, he spends half the day cursing me in Spanish and the other half of his day teaching me to be a better man. He has been a fantastic mentor. If it were not for Major Bill and Mr. Renee, I’m sure I would have been sent home in disgrace by now. I’ve never been on active duty. When I chose a legal career over a military career, I started drilling with the Alabama National Guard and then the Army Reserves without going on Active duty except for training purposes. You just can’t walk onto Active Duty as a Captain and succeed. The active duty military has its own atmosphere and culture that is supposed to be instilled in officers from the time of their first assignment as a “butter bar” Second Lieutenant. I’ve needed a crash course in it. Major Bill and Mr. Renee have been my instructors. Mr. Renee is aptly qualified for such schooling. He retired from the Air Force with the highest rank a noncommissioned officer can have. He doesn’t take grief from anyone, even our bosses who deal out plenty of grief. He is a Vietnam veteran and reminds me often how much worse war was back in the ‘Nam. Yet, without his perspective, I wouldn’t know half of what I know now. For example, our war here in Iraq is missing the hate so many soldiers had for the Vietnamese people. Without a draft what we have here are volunteers that are here to serve America with pride. Also different from Vietnam, at least until the last few weeks of this election, we felt that we’ve been completely supported by our country back home. These factors, Mr. Renee tells me, makes this war quite different from the war in ‘Nam. Especially since we see the daily success America is having here we know this war is winnable. He doesn’t think the soldiers in ‘Nam felt like the war was winnable. My negative first impression of Mr. Renee, not his fault simply bad fate for him to share a name with my wife, started changing when we started to talk in private. If I was to isolate the one moment my opinion of him leapt in a positive direction, it would be when we started to talk about his family. He has a great big loving family, and he has lied to them every day he has been here. They don't know he is in Iraq. They think he is in Bosnia – a safe country where there is no fighting and very little risk. His wife and children would be worried sick for him if they knew the daily danger he faced to serve his country. Mr. Renee has spared them the sleepless nights of so many soldiers’ families. His family doesn’t cringe at news reports of International Zone suicide bombers. His family isn’t putting a brave face on the natural fear felt when a loved one is in harms way. So he sacrifices for his country to be here, and he sacrifices for his family to keep them oblivious. For it is a personal sacrifice for him to be here without his family knowing it. He can’t share with them his own fears and concerns. No one there is praying for his safety in a war zone. He doesn’t get care packages and love letters. What he gets is a swelling pride in being an American and a swelling heart in knowing he has a lot to confess next week when he returns home. I don’t know his wife. I look forward with great anticipation to meeting her next year, but I know one thing. My Renee would absolutely kill me if I pulled a stunt like that. I don’t know that I’ve been here a day without Mr. Renee teaching me something new about how I should handle a situation here. His hard work, hard experiences, and thoughtful insights have led him to possess that elusive trait that can’t be bought: wisdom. With a heart of love, driven by his own Christian love for others, he has taken me under his wing and helped me survive here. He leaves this week, about the same time as Mitch, and then Ruby leaves shortly thereafter. Outside as I write this I see that the sand storm has lifted. However, I also see a personal sand storm descending. Three of my four friends here are leaving. Like in the sand storm, the edges of my world are draining away, but already I know I will be better for having been in it.

Fashion Check - My Dad

2004-10-20T23:59:00.000+03:00

dadinmytie.JPG
Originally uploaded by frankwmyers.

My Dad sent me this picture today. Here my Dad models the latest in Northern Iraqi formal wear. Suit coat, Flak vest, dress shirt. Nice tie.

Wait. That's a really nice tie. I had a tie like that at one time... wait...could it be?

TIE THIEF! I've been looking for that tie for six months! Revenge is in order here...

Here is the picture from the paper...

2004-10-20T23:56:00.000+03:00

frank-bhamnews
Originally uploaded by frankwmyers.

In case any of you outside of Birmingham wanted to see the picture that went with the article...

TCS: Tech Central Station - The Blogosphere Grows Up

2004-10-20T22:47:00.000+03:00

TCS: Tech Central Station - The Blogosphere Grows Up: "We've come a long way, baby. Blogs have gone from barely-understood phenomenon to near-commonplace in this election cycle, and it looks as if they may be having some impact on the results. They've even gone commercial, with services such as blogads making it possible for successful bloggers to earn a living that compares with what many journalists earn -- and making it possible for far more bloggers to justify their activity to themselves, or their spouses, as a hobby that at least makes money instead of costing money."

GoToVote must see video

2004-10-19T03:11:00.000+03:00

GoToVote I watched this video the first time expecting some anti-war bias, but I only found a little, so I hereby encourage all to see this pro-voting site. Thanks to Jillaurie for the heads up on it.

Tim Blair: THE TERRIFYING FACE OF FORGIVENESS

2004-10-18T01:23:00.000+03:00

Tim Blair: THE TERRIFYING FACE OF FORGIVENESS "A photographic exploration of the pious and peaceful:" I first looked at these pictures with sadness, because while the sentiment is in the right place, the message that America has done something bad is pervasive. However, you have to read the captions this guy has added to these pictures. For the first time in the three months I've been in Iraq, I laughed so hard my sides hurt and I am glad I'm working alone tonight or they would thought I lost my mind. Funny!!!!

More positive publicity....yea!

2004-10-17T19:46:00.000+03:00

Blogging in Bama puts voices online: Apparently I made the Birmingham News today. There may have even been a picture of me. After the Pennsylvania paper published one of my posts, this makes the second time I've been in a newspaper! Here is a quote from the article. Read the link above, (buy the paper if you are in Birmingham) and write the author at vabrams@bhamnews.com and thank her for the article! "Myers is from north Shelby County and considers himself an Alabama blogger, but he posts from Baghdad. He is stationed there as an information officer and night battle captain for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. This has given him the forum to spur discussion between Iraqis and Americans. As in Hanley's case, anonymity among the writers provides for a different tone. 'We have had a number of radical Muslims joining the debate on whether the Americans are occupiers of Iraq or guests of the Iraqi government,' Myers said. 'Some of the posters were a bit graphic in their hatred of Americans.' But Myers said he is happy that different types of people feel comfortable posting comments."

Comment about Whatever here

2004-10-15T21:41:00.000+03:00

Whatever. Knock yourself out.

Foreign Arabs less welcome in Fallujah - (United Press International)

2004-10-13T22:39:00.000+03:00

Foreign Arabs less welcome in Fallujah - (United Press International) This is great news. More and more the Iraqis are rising up against the terrorists. Here in Baghdad, one man told me the story of his son being kidnapped. He raised a group of men, (we would call it a posse back home), and found the families of the kidnappers. "Release the son or we kill the kidnappers families." Son released. Any questions about how Freedom spreads? It has to be fought for by the people wanting it.

Update 12 - Damage at Home, Damage Here

2004-10-12T08:39:00.000+03:00

For my parents, Hurricane Ivan did turn out to be a significant event. After the hurricane, they no longer have a beach front condominium as their main address. The damage, while not overly severe, condemned their condominium. The good news though is that insurance and the real estate market will mitigate the damage quite nicely.

For my wife and kids in Birmingham, Ivan turned out to be anti-climatic. A new experience for me was feeling helpless as I watched internet images of the Hurricane approaching Alabama. My frustration was alleviated somewhat by the fact that the US Army Corps of Engineers has great hurricane tracking data and damage assessments because the Corps of Engineers does a lot of reconstruction after hurricanes. I was able, from thousands of miles away, to follow Ivan closely as it approached Birmingham. Yet, there was still much to worry about, the projections thought Ivan could still be a level one hurricane when it passed over my house.

I probably overreacted, but I sent my family to my in-laws house in Nashville, Tennessee. I wasnt taking any chances. It turned out that the worst my wife and kids would have experienced was a few hours of power loss, but that doesnt matter. The worst part of being in Iraq is the inability to do anything to protect my family while I am over here. Soldiers and civilians are sent home too frequently for either compassion leave or duty termination when something tragic happens back home. One nice lady here was sent home when her husband was arrested. Granted thats not an issue I worry about with Renee, whose idea of being wild is reading a book on the sofa instead of putting the next load of laundry in. She is crazy that girl, you got to watch her. Yet, her safety and my kids safety cause me far more sleeplessness than any rocket or mortar here.

I missed a night of sleep when Ivan hit the gulf coast. With the eye crossing at Gulf Shores, where my mother had long evacuated up to my house before Ivan arrived, I laid awake transfixed by news coverage of the pending natural disaster. But I found solace in my imagination. I simply envisioned the future next year with everything being all right. No one was hurt, and I was arriving home from my year here. I could see the family and friends meeting me on that great day. I just replayed the scene over and over again in my head and the worry and anxiety about the hurricane went away. Along with time spent praying about it, I found a peace in imagining a better day ahead.

Hope requires vision. If you can't see the cure for what ills you, you can't feel hope. Christopher Reeves, who tragically passed away this week, would say that he maintained a massive physical therapy routine because he could see himself walking again. Dr. Jerome Groopman of Harvard University writes in his book, The Anatomy of Hope, that hope is the prerequisite of any cure. Be it psychosomatic, I don't know.

Envisioning a better future, the future you want, can't help but make you feel better. What do you envision? What spiraling thoughts of happiness sway your moods to elated highs of hope. Instilled highs of hope for which you can not duplicate with a drug, you can not duplicate by depending on another. A high of hope that shrugs off a rocket attack and embraces the better day coming. What would your better day look like?

The experience led me to wonder about what the soldiers worry about here. For the most part they worry like I do about family back home. The soldiers in the hospital worry about getting better and the soldiers conducting the few combat mission worry about being injured, but the rest of us worry about the same things you would worry about if you were away from home on an extended business trip. Yet,worrying about home, when it seems more obvious to worry about dying, is not the only enigma of serving as a soldier.

In the quiet of pending danger, I've come to reflect on many parts of my life. I find so many inadequacies that need remedying when I return home. The mistakes of my past pile up in front of me and scream at me like an ethereal Drill Sergeant seeing parts of my soul I'ld rather keep buried. Yet facing my meager morbidity does not invoke depression as much as it invokes resolve. Resolve that the forgiveness I have from my mistakes does not hold me down but strengthens me to be a better man than I have been.

The strength to grow from my mistakes is fueled by a new peace I have about the value of what I am doing with my life. What I am doing here is important and it may be the first important thing I have done with myself. I no longer seem capable of being satisfied with a moderate confidence in my capacity to do good. Whether it stems from a stronger, uncompromising faith in God, or the pride I feel being associated with the American Army fighting a war to spread freedom, I know that my new passion for life is extreme and overbearing. I see it in others here as well.

Many soldiers are finding such inner strength. In America we are born not as individuals to fend for ourselves in this harsh world but we are born into a continuous and protective whole in which we share so many common experience as Americans of family and friends and we are safe to grow moderately as individuals as part of that collective.

However, here soldiers are finding that the safety of that collective environment is stripped away and we must face our mortality again as individuals. This creates isolation and loneliness as we are pulled out of the safe harbor of our friends and family. Grappling with such pain leaves but one impression: life is not meant to be lived moderately.

Most people back home live lives of quiet desperation in a landscape littered with mediocrity - sometimes lured and stirred by breath-taking visions of something greater. Most people, and I was as guilty as any, finds themselves mired in a stagnant meager life surounded by a plentiful, abundant, and safe land of freedom taken for granted. I am no longer in such a place and it is like flying as a bird over a place and realizing how small a place it is.

It is with such overt awakening that I decry ever returning to living a barren, useless life - a life without self-confidence or self-respect. As I embrace my many faults, limitations, and cowardices, I choose to shake off the fictitious bonds of safety to which I have grown so accustomed. I no longer will exchange inaction for safety; meekness for protection.

If I return from this foreign land it will be to embrace the shepherding of my family and to finally cast of the yolk of selfishness that prevents me from working for a grand dream so that I can watch the next Seinfeld rerun. I will have a vision of a bold, strong family and then I will dream even grander thoughts that will find action regardless of risk and without regard for comfort.

I can see in the embolden growth of so many around me that this resolve to embrace life is a common experience of soldiers. Following World War II the fruit of such resolve manifested itself in the explosion known as the Baby-Boom generation. Opera Wynfrey recently had "the World's Largest Baby Shower" for the 640 pregnant soldiers and soldiers' wives at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. All 640 were in the late stages of their pregnancies, of course corresponding when the first American soldiers rotated home from Iraq. After smiling at such a thought, consider the deeper implication with me.

It was true after World War II, and it is even more true in this modern age of contraception, very few pregnancies, if any, would result if the families didn't want them. Soldiers return from facing their mortality and growing their world vision not just motivated to spend time again with their spouse but to live a bolder explosive life. A life engaged in the creation and furthermost of greater hope and consequence than the falsely justified meager mundanity in which they lived before they went to war. There are 640 families choosing to find more meaning in life than the temporal thrills designed to get us to the next weekend.

Whether these brave soldiers are able to so succinctly articulate these transformal affects I am not able to say. I do know that my experience here is similar to every soldier to which I discuss this. In just months of being at war changes occur whether they are overt or more subtle. Soldiers do worry about home, but our thoughts linger longer on the great possibilities that await in living with a renewed zest for life. Our thoughts can be quickly refocused on the war. Earlier this week I was very fortunate to be in my trailer asleep, a kilometer away, when a rocket finally landed at our Headquarters. I awoke to the sound of the blast as the rocket struck besides our building where we are constructing new trailers so that we can sleep next to where we work.

Two Egyptian workers and an Indian, sitting during a lunch break, died when the rocket struck. An Indian woman at the work site was injured and rushed to the hospital. She survived, even as the other three did not. A single American MP was slightly injured who was already living in one of the trailers.

I am very thankful I was not there to see the carnage. Others I work with, including one of my best friends, Mitch from St. Louis, were not so lucky. Mitch was one of the first responders and worked on keeping the girl alive. The scene of three dead bodies, one of which still held a Pepsi can, is seared into his mind.

See why I count myself lucky to have been off duty?

Australian voters decide the war in Iraq is NOT a mistake

2004-10-10T03:54:00.000+03:00

TRIBnet 24-hour News Page Australia relected staunch American ally as Prime Miniister of Australia, our strongest ally behind Tony Blair of Great Britain!

The Iraqi Summit

2004-10-10T03:24:00.000+03:00

The Iraqi Summit.JPG Originally uploaded by frankwmyers.

Need a rug? [UPDATE October 14, 2004] - This photo, originally posted on October 10th, was taken at the "Hajji Mart" off Palace Road in Baghdad. This is exactly where one of the two suicide bombers exploded today.

3 of us.JPG

2004-10-10T03:23:00.000+03:00

3 of us.JPG Originally uploaded by frankwmyers.

MAJ Bill has been my friend from day one. Now we have started to get some new soldiers. LTC Mary has been a pleasure to get to know. The best part about her coming is that she will still be here in Iraq when I leave next summer. So far, she is the first person here that will be here when I leave!

Al-Ahram Weekly | Opinion | American debates

2004-10-07T22:53:00.000+03:00

Al-Ahram Weekly | Opinion | American debates: I wanted to give you an example of how outrageously biased the Arab news media has become. This article compares Amercian fighting against terrorists in Iraq to "ethnic cleansing"!!! Regardless of the fact that America has not taken a single drop of oil from Iraq, even though we had possession of their oil fields for 13 months, this article stills raises such a specter: "raising the suspicions of some that America's ultimate aim in Iraq is oil." Just want you to see the triple obstacle we face in Iraq: Arab Media, Arab Religious leaders, & American Liberals. Note how all through his article he favorably quotes John Kerry.

While you wait on my next update....

2004-10-07T04:50:00.000+03:00

The Corner on National Review Online Since my update is late because I am oveworked, underpaid, and oh yea....at war.... I'm giving away one of my secrets in my upcoming newsletter to pacify the folks sending me emails like, "hey did I miss the update?" The reason Colorado is a grey state in my predicition (see electoral college map below) is that I am awarding Bush 5 votes and Kerry 4 votes. Why would I do that instead of use the winner-take-all method that most people correctly think of as the electoral vot system? Colorado is passing a refrendum this year that proportionally awards electoral votes. Dumb idea, and I can't beleive I'm saying this, but if all states did it it would keep Democrats from ever winning. I need to post a statistical analysis showing the 2000 election if proportional assignment of electoral votes was used. Take my word for it, the winner will be who carrys the most states, without it really matter which states it is. Two other states already use some kind of crazy proportional system, Nebraska and Maine. They are a little more reasonable because they are winner take all by congressional district, and rarely affect the final vote total. Nebraska is so overwhelmingly Republican that Bush will win all the congressional districts. Maine is not overhwlemingly Kerry. A tough predicition I had to make in Maine was whether Bush would win one of the Congressional Districts. After a lot of hand ringing, I decided, no, Kerry holds all of Maine. With all this said about the referendum, if it passes affecting the electoral votes this year, apparently the Colorado Governor has 30 days from the certification of the referendum vote to implement the law, but the electors meet Decemebr 13 to certify the Presidential election. So even if the referendum passes, apparently, and arguably, the Governor of COlorado could delay implentation of the Referendum and still give Bush all of Colorados votes. Interesting. Colorado could be the "Florida" of 2004. : "THAT COLORADO INITIATIVE [Ramesh Ponnuru] A lot of Republicans have worried about the Colorado ballot initiative to allocate the state's electoral votes in proportion to the state's vote for president. The initiative is written to take effect immediately, so there is a scenario in which Bush wins the state, gets 5 of its electoral votes to Kerry's 4, and loses the presidency because of it. The initiative is a bad idea. But I think it may very well fail. Or it may backfire: Kerry seems to think he can win Colorado, in which case the initiative would give Bush extra electoral votes. Even if Bush wins the state, the amendment passes, and the electoral-vote race is very tight, the initiative still might not achieve the result its backers wanted. The initiative is supposed to take effect as soon as it becomes law. But when does it become law? The secretary of state is supposed to certify its passage by November 24. The governor has to proclaim it to be law within 30 days of that event. The electors meet on December 13. You do the math. This is a very poorly-conceived initiative."

Cheney-Edwards.jpg (JPEG Image, 350x233 pixels)

2004-10-06T18:48:00.000+03:00

Cheney-Edwards.jpg (JPEG Image, 350x233 pixels) Why would Cheney say he had never met Edwards? Perhaps he meant he never saw him at the Senate? Perhaps he meant he couldn't remember meeting him? Either way, I'm getting tired of the amatuer mistakes...

Tax Benefits of Fighting In A Combat Zone

2004-10-06T17:36:00.000+03:00

Tax Benefits of Fighting In A Combat Zone: "Combat pay and hostile fire pay: All enlisted personal (non-officers) can exclude from gross income any pay received while serving in a combat zone. This applies for each month that you were serving in the combat zone even if you were only there for one day in the month. This also applies if you were hospitalized due to injury occurred in the combat zone or if you developed a sickness or disease while in the combat zone"

CPD: 2004 Debate Transcript - Two Kerry boo-boos

2004-10-06T08:04:00.000+03:00

CPD: 2004 Debate Transcript Is this another Kerry boo-boo: "No state for the last 200 years has ever had to recognize another state's marriage." Lets see. I was married in Tennessee. We live in Alabama. So, I guess I'm not married in Alabama? Well of course, I'm exagerating. But wait, when I file joint state taxes in Alabama, Alabama is recognizing my Tennessee marriage!!!!! Say it ain't so John...

CPD: 2004 Debate Transcript - Edwards make a boo-boo

2004-10-06T07:59:00.000+03:00

CPD: 2004 Debate Transcript: I found a huge error in John Edwards facts. The blogosphere is great for doing this and I am glad to finally find one. John Edwards said in the debate: "a millionaire sitting by their swimming pool, collecting their statements to see how much money they're making, make their money from dividends, pays a lower tax rate than the men and women who are receiving paychecks for serving on the ground in Iraq." Big OOPS...soldiers, being one I know this, PAY NO TAXES while serving in Iraq. So our tax rate on money we earn from paychecks here is ZERO. Kinda of scary someone who wants to be Commander-in-Chief doesn't know that.

War correspondent - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

2004-10-06T00:50:00.000+03:00

War correspondent - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia This is cool - I'm in the encyclopedia now. :>

Electoral College: 2000 Presidential Race by Percentage

2004-10-03T19:37:00.000+03:00

Electoral College: 2000 Presidential Race by Percentage

A U.S. soldier's response from Iraq. By Linda Eddy.

2004-10-03T19:28:00.000+03:00

Presidential a U.S. soldier's response from Iraq. By Linda Eddy.

al.com: Weblogs

2004-10-01T22:26:00.000+03:00

al.com: Weblogs A good survey of debate analysis.

CNN.com - Poll: Kerry tops Bush in debate - Oct 1, 2004

2004-10-01T19:57:00.000+03:00

CNN.com - Poll: Kerry tops Bush in debate - Oct 1, 2004 I found my opinion of the debate described perfectly by this poll: Kerry did better in the debate, but Bush reinforced his position which means no change in the numbers or a very slight tightening toward Kerry: "Did the debate change many minds? Not according to the poll. After the debate, the same percentage of those interviewed -- 54 -- said Bush would be better on Iraq than Kerry. The story was almost the same on who would be a better commander in chief -- 55 percent said Bush would be better before the debate, 54 percent said so after the debate."

Take Action: Take Action

2004-10-01T00:39:00.000+03:00

Take Action: Take Action Wait a minute! This is on the Democrat site. BEFORE THE DEBATE EVEN HAPPENS! "Take Action Spread the Word that John Kerry Commanded the Debate If you feel John Kerry commanded the debate and had a clear plan for fixing the mess in Iraq and George Bush dodged tough questions on Iraq and didn’t level with voters, write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper to help spread the word. Write a Letter to the Editor To look up your local newspapers, please enter your ZIP code below: ZIP Code: "

2004-10-01T00:36:00.000+03:00

An interestung, and debatable list, of Bush's Ten Biggest Mistakes...

TIME.com: How Much U.S. Help? -- Oct. 04, 2004

2004-09-29T20:27:00.000+03:00

TIME.com: How Much U.S. Help? -- Oct. 04, 2004 Would Bush try to influence the Iraqi election?

Record_of_Discharge.pdf (application/pdf Object)

2004-09-29T20:06:00.000+03:00

Record_of_Discharge.pdf (application/pdf Object) Depsite Internet rumors to the contrary, Kerry was Honorably discharged from the Naval Reserve in 1978.

Iraq's confusing spectacle: signs of progress amid chaos

2004-09-29T19:19:00.000+03:00

KRT Wire | 09/22/2004 | Iraq's confusing spectacle: signs of progress amid chaos: "[T]he picture painted by the news isn't as bleak as it seems. Despite the perception of widespread unrest, most of the violence is confined to a third of Iraq - the so-called Sunni Triangle northwest of Baghdad."

City Council Elections in Iraq - Democracy Comes to Wynot, Iraq

2004-09-29T19:08:00.000+03:00

DefendAmerica News - Democracy Comes to Wynot, Iraq

Soldier Helps Iraqi Boy With Birth Defect

2004-09-29T19:06:00.000+03:00

TheWMURChannel.com - News - Soldier Helps Iraqi Boy With Birth Defect There is a lot of love in this place.

Bad Attitude

2004-09-29T03:37:00.000+03:00

essays & effluvia He makes an entry saying how bad everything is going because Iraqis are dying because the US is fighting insurgents. First, the US wouldn't kill anyone if the insurgents would stop committing acts of terrorism. Scond, this might be the most ridiculose statement n the history of the internet. That's quite an achievement: "This is very likely to end far more badly than my worst expectations." Considering the worst expectation of the War on Terror is some kind of Nuclear Weapon being detonated in an American city, killing ohhhh maybe three to four hundred thousand people if not more, than how can the war in Iraq go worse than that?

Former soldiers slow to report for Iraq

2004-09-29T03:22:00.000+03:00

USATODAY.com - Former soldiers slow to report I'll always be glad I volunteered when asked to come here, but I could never imagine going AWOL over being called to active duty.

Cross-Blogging: King of Fools

2004-09-28T02:29:00.000+03:00

King of FoolsI had a huge surge in traffic a few days ago. Took me this long to track down the source: A great blog called King of Fools. :>

Revisiting Foucault and the Iranian Revolution

2004-09-28T01:47:00.000+03:00

Revisiting Foucault and the Iranian Revolution An apetizer for my upcomign month on Islam. This shows how strange it can be to see a liberal embrace the oppressive Islamic culture.

David Frum's Diary on National Review Online

2004-09-28T01:44:00.000+03:00

David Frum's Diary on National Review Online Sep. 27 entry - nails the problem the Left is having with the blogosphere - eating their own.

Yahoo! News - Heinz Kerry Visits Hurricane Aid Center

2004-09-27T23:20:00.000+03:00

Yahoo! News - Heinz Kerry Visits Hurricane Aid Center: "'Clothing is wonderful, but let them go naked for a while, at least the kids,' said Heinz Kerry, the wife of Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry" I wish I was making this up...

TIME.com: Can This War Be Won? -- Oct. 04, 2004

2004-09-27T05:15:00.000+03:00

TIME.com: Can This War Be Won? -- Oct. 04, 2004 Thought Provoking.

274-263 I predict a Bush win.

2004-09-26T18:46:00.000+03:00

274-263
Originally uploaded by frankwmyers.

Here is my prediction for how the election is going to play out. I have Bush winning both Colorado and West Virginia.

But then, why do I have them gray? Because there are two amazingly important developing stories about these two states and how they are going to count electoral votes. Want to know about it? Subscribe to my newsletter. I discuss it in this week's upcoming exclusive newsletter content. I even explain why Maine was the hardest state to predict... More election insight you are going to want to know.

Eagan vet, 58, going back to Army, Iraq

2004-09-24T22:04:00.000+03:00

Eagan vet, 58, going back to Army, Iraq Only Kerry partisans would use this to make a swipe at the President. Of course, 58 is young compared to Col. Wicks, the geriatric volunteer I profiled in week one.

TIME.com: Allawi Rides to Bush's Rescue

2004-09-24T21:04:00.000+03:00

TIME.com: Allawi Rides to Bush's Rescue I find the dynamics of this relationship facinating. Thoughts?

The Chiseled Veteran

2004-09-23T21:57:00.000+03:00

The Chiseled Veteran
Originally uploaded by frankwmyers.

A quiet moment of reflection on the roof is interrupted by paparazi.

Stamp-US-marshall-plan

2004-09-23T21:55:00.000+03:00

Stamp-us-marshall-plan
Originally uploaded by frankwmyers.

Update 11 - The Sep. 12 Attack

2004-09-23T20:51:00.000+03:00

The first explosion occurred 160 meters east of our headquarters building. It threw up a smoky white cloud of smoke, dust, and even some debris. Sitting at my desk in our Tactical Operations Center, working on a report, the walls and windows violently shook as I fell from my chair and grabbed my “battle rattle.” That is our slang for the Kevlar helmet and flak jacket we wear during attacks. When you’re wearing it, the weight and bulk makes you feel like you’re rattling around inside it. This time I was rattled before I even put on the vest. A second explosion, not so close, happened on the heels of the first while I donned my battle rattle. Michael, the civilian on duty with me, took longer to get into his gear, but he too was down and crouching as the explosions continued. We talked back and forth, not really listening to each other as we verbalized our surprise with a few angry words. It wasn’t Sunday school talk either. Honestly, there was no fear, only anger that the insurgents would be so annoying. The insurgents are nothing but a nuisance. I ducked beside my desk for the next explosion, by far the largest explosion I’ve felt while being in Iraq. 600 meters south of us, the insurgent rocket happened to actually hit something meaningful. An Iraqi worker and a few bystanders died when the rocket struck his fuel truck causing a massive explosion as the fuel exploded. The ensuing blast damaged a building causing it to catch fire. It created a massive thick black smoke that was visible from outside our location. I didn’t know any of this crouching by my desk. All I could do was watch the walls as they shook. At this peculiar time, I started wondering how much I would actually see if a rocket struck directly on my location. I imagined the walls imploding, but I debated whether it would happen so fast as to even know it was happening. After this third blast, one of telephones started ringing and without considering whether I should stay put hiding behind the desk I crossed the room and answered it in a voice that sounded more level than I felt. The caller identified himself as a Colonel from our subordinate unit stationed at the Baghdad Airport eight miles away. He said that they were under attack from indirect fire and that he needed to talk to whoever was in charge of the Division. It seems funny to me now, but I actually looked around the room as if there was anyone there other than my civilian assistant. Nope. “Sir, this is Captain Myers, the Night Battle Captain. Can you give me a SITREP?” I asked for a situational report. He described damage by mortars that struck the building they were headquartered in. There had been some damage to their building and a vehicle in their parking lot had been destroyed. Good thing it wasn’t a fuel truck. I was satisfied that he didn’t have anyone hurt. I explained our situation, as another explosion could be heard, and promised we would call him back once things settled down. How annoying. Hanging up, the phone, I heard a new sound. It sounded like a feint crackling noise. Maybe like a string of firecrackers, or someone throwing pebbles against a wall. I told Michael to answer any calls and I went outside to check on our guards and investigate the sounds. Once outside I didn’t need anyone telling me what the sound was. I loaded a magazine into my 9mm as I recognized sporadic gunfire. Our guards were understandable anxious as they watched the walled entrance to our compound. The gunfire had to be at least 500 meters away. It sounded like a gun battle occurring at one of the guarded checkpoints leading into the Green Zone. As we listened, louder gunfire, like that of a Bradley Fighting Vehicle, entered the fray, and overhead an Apache attack helicopter raced toward the fighting. Within a few moments the gunfire went silent. The large white cloud from the first explosion was dispersing as the guards told me the first mortar, like almost every enemy mortar they ever fire, hadn’t hit anything. They pointed me toward the fuel truck explosion, and I was sure that one rocket had hit something. The black rising smoke was ominous. I gave them instructions, and went back to check on Michael. I told him I was going to the roof to complete my assessment of the situation and I told him to get out the emergency phone numbers while I was gone. Civilians and soldiers started showing up as I headed for the roof. I checked to make sure they were uninjured as I made my way up. From the roof, it was clear that the palace had been hit, but it wouldn’t be for another hour before I found out about the fuel truck. The indirect fire continued and a strange feeling descended upon me. Usually there were two or three mortars and the attack ended. This was much more than that. I then considered that across Baghdad at the airport, there was an attack occurring there also. Add to all of that the small arms fire at the checkpoint. This was not some random occurrence of insurgency that happened to correspond with the States remembrance of September 11th. This was a carefully planned and orchestrated insurgent attack that later I would come to find out included a car bomb at Abu Grab prison. I would also come to find out how pathetic the insurgent attacks are. Clearly this was the best they could do. This attack involved the most planning and orchestration of any of their attacks. Yet, it did almost no damage and we killed plenty of bad guys this day. I descended from the roof and carried out our procedures for actions upon contact. I called each section head on their Iraqi cell phone and told them I needed them to check on their people and call me back. When I couldn’t get a section head, I called their deputy. By the time my first superiors started arriving from being asleep in their bunks, I had talked to about sixteen key people and had the bulk of the accountability completed. As soon as my Colonel came in and took over, I felt immensely better. I continued making calls, including getting specific intelligence from our secured land line. It turned out that all of our people were uninjured, just slightly emotionally shaken by the extended attack. Michael did a great job as he never got flustered and performed admirably. In Iraq, while it was September 12th, because of the time difference, it was still September 11th back home. After my Colonel took over, and I had a brief moment between duties, I called my wife Renee and told her that whatever she heard on the news, that I was of course o.k., and I hung up. All told, the pre-dawn attack lasted about forty minutes - considerable longer than the typical four minute insurgent attack, yet just as futile. It turned out that it was a bloody day for the Iraqis. Whereas we suffered a few injuries from the fourteen indirect fire rounds that landed in the Green Zone, and we lost a single Bradley Fighting Vehicle in the ensuing battles, we suffered very few if any American casualties. News reports have the Iraqi losses at around 70. More frustrating, than the injuries, is that the only real affect of an insurgent attack is that it temporarily distracts us from the good work we are doing on behalf of the Iraqi people. Money we spend repairing insurgent damage is money that will never be spent building the Iraqis a school, a hospital, or a power plant. The insurgents only succeed in delaying and preventing construction of the country. I can’t say construction of their country because the bulk of the terrorists are not Iraqis but terrorists migrating here to attack Americans. They don’t care about the Iraqis and neither does the part of the international community, like Germany and France, which refuses to help here. Good thing we didn’t have that attitude when Hitler unleashed his hell. Following the thousands of American lives we sacrificed freeing France and Germany from an evil tyrant, interim aid programs were not working, and by the middle of 1947 it was clear that a new course was needed. America could either pull out of Europe, and let it fend for itself in the post war chaos, or America could rise to yet another world challenge. On June 5, 1947, Secretary of State George Marshall in a speech at Harvard University described an amazing commitment of American resources to help war ravaged Europe. America launched the Marshall plan. Between 1948 and 1952 America spent thirteen billion dollars rebuilding Europe. Today, America faces a similar challenge as we become safer by bringing freedom and democracy to the Middle East. As easy as it is to sit and calmly reflect on these broader issues, now. A week ago, I had no such time. I ended up pulling a 20 hour shift that day and followed it up the next day with an “all-dayer” what night shift people affectionately call an “all-nighter.” I did get an amazingly long seven hours of sleep the next night, but by the third day from the attack I was emotionally drained and tired when the news reports started coming in about another tropical storm becoming a hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico. I followed the projections and my heart sank the first time I saw a map of the hurricane. It was one of those projections which showed a dot for where the eye was supposed to be every 12 hours along its future path. One of the dots was exactly on my mother’s home in Gulf Shores, Alabama. The next dot was exactly on my house in Birmingham. The storm even had an ominous Cold-War name: Hurricane Ivan.

The mice saved the beach developers!

2004-09-23T18:10:00.000+03:00

The mouse that saved a beach house Update 12 is all about Hurricane Ivan.

Saddam's Pool

2004-09-23T16:42:00.000+03:00

Saddam's Pool
Originally uploaded by frankwmyers.

Yet another example of Saddam's oppulance. Lets see, starving kids, unemployed Iraqis, humm, what to do? what to do?

Oh I know....build another country club pool....

Guest Author - Beth Chapman

2004-09-22T04:09:00.000+03:00

I'm proud to present to my audience an article written by Alabama State Auditor Beth Chapman - a friend of mine for a number of years. If you enjoy her article as I do, then: 1. Leave a comment here with your thoughts. 2. Visit her site and consider bvying her book at www.bethchapman.com 3. Send her an email at bethchapman@bellsouth.net

Ground Zero By: Beth Chapman

Sept. 12, 2004

I stood at Ground Zero last week with a police officer who stood there on 9-11. He shared with me actual stories - his account of all that happened that dreadful day. He is a police officer at New York’s first precinct and he wrote to me regarding a patriotic speech I had written in the aftermath of 9-11. As a result, I entered an excerpt from his letter in a book that I later wrote (The Power of Patriotism), recanting the details of the speech and the thousands of emails I received from veterans, public safety officials, survivors and their families. He had later written to me and offered to take me to Ground Zero in a private area designated only for family members and public safety officials. He more than qualified for that, as he was one of many who were there and sacrificed their lives that day. It was an up close and personal account of what actually happened. There were no colored photos or eloquent words describing the tragedy, no pretty talking heads or voice overs, only an empty hole in the ground fenced in with an iron cross monument erected in memory of those who had died and in honor of those who survived. As we were standing in the designated area a family approached the makeshift memorial where many people have left keepsakes and mementos belonging to their loved ones who perished there. The family members were obvious first-time visitors and they stood together, said a prayer, made the sign of the cross and wiped away their tears. Later we were told that the gentleman was a retired fireman and had lost his son in the line of duty on 9-11. It was his and his families’ first visit there to pay their respects since the incident occurred. It was a somber moment watching other people experience what we can only talk and write about and thankfully don’t have to live out each day. It was a further awakening of connecting names, faces, broken hearts and empty souls of people so astoundingly impacted by the event. While 9-11 has come and gone, as it has for the past three years, let us never forget the people whose lives have truly been affected by the tragedy and the evil act that occurred that day. For many have laid wreaths at the monument and many have laid their lives on the line and continue to serve in the same capacity, but hopefully, never in the same type of tragedy ever again. Hopefully Ground Zero will be the last physical reminder of such severe tragedy for our country. ### To learn more about the book, The Power of Patriotism, visit www.BethChapman.com.

Daily Blah - The Future of Frank

2004-09-21T06:30:00.000+03:00

Not to let the cat out of the blog, but hopefully I'll be home in a year and this Soldier's Journal will be maintained as a "Remember When..." site. So does my blog life end? Am I a washed up Veteran? Am I on a book tour? ROFL I have a thought rolling around in my head. I'm not ready to say much yet, but this rant from the Daily Blah (A British Liberal - some credit for balance please) inadvertantly hits at the heart of what I'm chewing on: QUOTE from Daily Blah: "[T]here's no tradition of campaigning in the American media. Not any more. There used to be, back in the days of yellow journalism; if Pulitzer, Hearst et al saw something manifestly, self-evidently wrong, they went to war against it. (Cut to screaming three-column headline from Citizen Kane: Traction Trust Exposed!) Trouble was, self-evidence is in the eye of the beholder, and more often than not the newspaper magnates had their own interests, and higher circulation, at heart ('you provide the pictures,' Hearst's infamous cable read, 'I'll provide the war'). So a new sobriety settled like dust on their inheritors; a mechanical adherence to the truth as represented by the will of the people, in the absence of any better measure, though that will be schizophrenic. Say 'newspaper campaign' to anyone, even here in San Francisco, and they'll probably think of Chronicle Watch, a daily box that keeps track of how many days a particular pothole-pocked road or busted bus stop hasn't been fixed. Useful, no doubt, but incredibly unambitious. Is that all we're prepared to hold our elected officials to these days? Lie all you want, but for God's sake, keep our roads in good shape? Not to retread a well-worn phrase on this page, but it's different where I come from. If The Sun reaches the conclusion that the Chancellor of the Exchequer needs to be sacked, it doesn't meekly bleat the suggestion on its opinion page. It prints his face sticking out of a dustbin every day, and counts days until he resigns. God forbid Rupert Murdoch give anyone lessons in journalism, but he does have a shockproof sense of the power of media, and the theater people seek from it" End Quote.

The Grim Koala

2004-09-21T03:06:00.000+03:00

Warning - Blogger from the right, must strive to find more balance on here. I send you to a lot of libertarians and conservatives. The Grim Koala Maybe I blogroll in the BizStone, whats the Biz you ask? Just you wait and see.....

makingstrides.org

2004-09-21T01:14:00.000+03:00

I want to point everyone to this site: makingstrides.org It does a lot of good work in Alabama with Cerebral Palsy. If you can, take a minute to check out their site, find a way to help, or just drop a note to Jerry.Templeton@mantissa.com to offer encouragement or support. This is a charity I believe in strongly and one in which I have donated money. Anyone who is a fan of the Iron Bowl Football Game should check out the site because they have the best of any Iron Bowl Event. Go see it.

Iraqi School Girls

2004-09-20T00:04:00.000+03:00

Iraqi School Girls
Originally uploaded by frankwmyers.

These little girls are enjoying a new school refurbished for them by the United States of America.

From the Official Mike Shula Web Site!!!

2004-09-19T21:26:00.000+03:00

Its official. Coach Shula used my letter! There is even a picture of him addressing the team! The Official Web Site of Coach Mike Shula If you enjoyed reading Mike Shula's letter you can leave him feedback on this bottom of this page thanking him for posting my letter: Click here to leave Coach Shula feedback.

TIME.com: Blue Truth, Red Truth -- Sep. 27, 2004

2004-09-19T20:54:00.000+03:00

The best summary of American politics I've read. A real snapshot. TIME.com: Blue Truth, Red Truth -- Sep. 27, 2004

Update 10: It was supposed to be My Best Day…

2004-09-19T04:20:00.000+03:00

I had already been planning to write about September 11, 2004. With every day being the same here, I finally had something different to write about. We had a memorial service for the third anniversary of the terrorist attacks. The tone and the point of this update changed dramatically when the terrorist decided to mark the occasion as well. 15:00 (3p.m.) Sept. 11, 2004 There’s a beeping noise. Go away. More beeping. I opened my bleary eyes and turned off the alarm on my Iraqi cell phone. The alarm must be broken. As soon as I close my eyes - it wakes me up again. I used to dream when I slept. Heck, I used to sleep. This time I got five hours of sleep and was grateful for it. I’ve been averaging four hours, with the occasional all-nighter tossed in with a few twenty hour work days on occasion. My actual schedule is a 17 hour night shift, no days off, no holidays. Fridays, the Iraqi day off, I sometimes only work a fifteen hour shift. Everything aches, and the cold shower, while powerful, is not restorative. It so hot outside that I choose to only take cold showers. It helps in a lot of ways. Let’s see, what should I wear today?…ummm…oh! I know, desert camouflage! I think to myself and smile as I stare into my wall locker. The little humor I get around here appears between my ears. Unless you count the forced laughing I do when I pretend my boss’s jokes are funny. If you know me well, you know my abundant sense of humor, and you would be surprised at the restraint I exhibit at work. I’ve learned long ago not to be funnier than the boss. I do get to pick between wearing the desert uniform baseball type-cap or the floppy “jungle” hat. So many choices. Over my uniform go the flak jacket and the Kevlar helmet. These boots are made for walking, and off I go trekking the kilometer from my trailer to our division headquarters. The sidewalks are broken up in places from combat damage and neglect. You have to walk around and over cement barricades. The dirty white color has been bleached in the raw dessert sun. As you walk you feel bleached as well, you move deftly into any shade you can find from the red sun. There are deceptive palm trees, growing in this strip of green hugging the life-giving Tigris River. It’s a trip I make every day, but doing the same thing every day dulls your senses. Along the way I notice very few Iraqis in the Green Zone. There’s very little traffic. In retrospect that should have been my first warning that something was wrong. The headquarters building is a new location for us. Until recently we were on the river and we moved deeper into the Green Zone because the Iraqis wanted us to move. It’s their country, so we do what we’re told and give up the building. How can anyone say the Iraqi government is our puppet? It’s more the other way around. They tell us what to do, and we do it. Having just moved in, we haven’t fortified it. No sandbags yet, no machine gun nests - just a walled in compound and some guards. Following these events, within a matter of days, we would have massive blast walls installed with a gigantic crane. First up this day is checking the status of the memorial service for the September 11 victims. The night before I had been tasked with preparing part of the service. I allowed myself a few extra hours on the internet scavenging photos, music, and content. I put together a tribute video to the victims. In places I use actual audio from the tragic day. It’s hard to even listen to it with a flood of three-year-old memories coming back. We had two viewings of the video so that everyone could fit inside the conference and watch it. People who came in chatting and lighthearted, left without speaking. Talking to the Command Sergeant Major in charge of the ceremony, I also discover that I am giving the invocation for the service. I had volunteered the day before, but expected them to be able to obtain a chaplain. No chaplain, so I have about ten minutes to come up with a prayer for the service. As I am sure you would expect, it is actually easy to pray about September 11, there are plenty of hurt feelings to address – unfortunately a wealth of spiritual material. The video, and prayer is well received, and our General gives a fine keynote address to the ceremony. We had a trumpet player do taps, and we unfurl a flag right at the same moment three years ago that the terrorist attack began. As nice as the ceremony went, and even with the many nice comments I received from a few of the over 200 people in attendance, I wish I has not been involved. I never got a chance to just sit back and experience the tribute. I was working on the video. I was showing the video. I was working on giving the prayer. I gave the prayer. I assisted with preparing the programs. I handed out programs. When the tribute ended I showed the tribute video again. All told, I spent very little time actually peacefully reflecting on the day. What time I did spend reflecting occurred while I watched from the front the soldiers and civilians standing before me in the ceremony. Their faces told stories that could never be captured on paper. The shortage of soldiers over here causes us to wear many hats. My main duty is being the Division’s Night Battle Captain. After the ceremony, I briefed the General in my capacity as the Division’s Information Officer. A daily part of my job is to review everything the Engineers are doing in Iraq and find potential media stories for our Public Affairs Office to make into press release. In a lot of ways I am applying the marketing skills I learned getting my MBA at the University of Alabama. Perhaps when I’m finished here, I may look into Corporate Communications. A benefit of the job is that I get to see all the positive progress we’re making in Iraq. The press releases are rarely published. Unusual for my day was a trip to eat dinner. My usual schedule has me coming to work around 16:00 and then eating midnight chow while working at my desk until I leave to exercise and sleep around 9:00. Even dinner on this day is special because the Command Sergeant Major asks me to go with him to eat. The Command Sergeant Major looks like a human pit bull. No taller than me he is deceptively stocky. I say deceptively, not because he isn’t strong, he is, but because he is fast. Just today, as I write this, he ran a two mile run as part of PT test. He ran it in thirteen minutes. Not bad for someone in their fifties. He has obtained the highest rank a non-commissioned officer can achieve in the American military. Whereas technically I am his superior officer, in truth, officers at least up to the rank of Lt. Colonel respect the Command Sergeant Major so much that usually what he says goes. While he peppers his speech to me with a respectful tone and the occasional “sir,” every time he asks a favor or makes a suggestion, I jump to do it. Senior NCOs in the military are treated by officers with the respect they deserve. It is a misnomer that officers and NCOs have different education levels. Most senior level NCOs, like our Command Sergeant Major have a college degree, and also like our CSM, even a master’s degree. He is intelligent, tough, and respected. I have a lot to learn from him. So eating dinner with him is a special time, we talk and get to know each other. I hang on every word. After dinner, I fall back into my schedule. I work on the reports that I have due. I analyze a ton of data for relevant information and whereas I am used to analyzing case law and legal materials, I’m honing my business analytical skills. Running an Engineer Division, executing a $19 Billion mission, is like running a Fortune 500 company - with people trying to kill you. Every night a different civilian or junior enlisted soldier serves as my assistant. We call them Staff Duty Officers, and they basically sit in our Tactical Operations Center with me, so that when I go out to the perimeter for security checks, or I have errands to run, our TOC stays operational 24-hours a day. They usually get to sleep a few hours while I am in the TOC working. This night my SDO is a civilian named Michael. It was a quiet night until about 05:00, when the Iraqi Insurgents conducted their largest and most coordinated attack since we occupied Baghdad 19 months ago. We found out about the attack the hard way – when the first rocket exploded near us.