Army Deletes Soldier's Blog: In Line or Censorship Online?

July 2, 2008

Kaboom: A Soldier's War Journal (subtitled: Embrace the Suck) is embracing no more. The blog, kept by a soldier who wrote under the name LT G in Iraq, known as one of the most honest and compelling dispatches of blogging from the warfront, has been shut down by those above his pay grade.

Kaboom's LT G wrote often about his periodic wide-open disregard for military decorum (sometimes openly questioning superiors online) and just as often mused on the daily personal exploits of time in country — like the time he almost went out into the warzone sans pants.

But after a passionate posting inspired by being asked to become the company XO, his superiors had decided he'd gone too far. The last posting reads, "I have been ordered to stop posting on Kaboom, effective immediately. . . it was too much unfiltered truth. I’m a soldier first, and orders are orders. So it is."

In 2007 the Army passed new rules governing what soldiers could and could not say online, being required to "consult with their immediate supervisor . . . prior to publishing or posting information in a public forum." The rules are framed as a way to protect operational security, though in the instance of Kaboom, all events were described after the fact, and all identifying details changed. Supporters of the blog think the removal of Kaboom exposes a blackhole of censorship in the blogosphere. Did the Army go to far, or were they right to remove Kaboom?

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42 Comments

Cassandra57 4 years 46 weeks

To those who read one or two of this soldier's entries and found no problem, I suggest you familiarize yourself with the concept of data mining. It's more commonly recognized in a business or computer security context, but our enemies can easily read all the miliblogs, find similar details, cross-reference them and derive some very useful information. Actually, I'm surprised anyone is allowed to blog from war zones at all.

UnDave35 4 years 46 weeks

Wasn't he forced to stop because he failed to follow proper protocols (ie:getting autorization from his superiors)? IMO, that's too great a risk, even if this one didn't reveal anything pertenant, the next slip up might have. This isn't civilians sitting at home, or at a day job. This is the military in a hostile environment, and any slip up will cost lives.

hypnoticmix 4 years 46 weeks

You go Papa Smurf! I mean em113.

em113 4 years 46 weeks

Ugh, did people actually read the entry that caused him to have to stop blogging? It doesn't give any information, it recounts a conversation he has with a superior officer (where he rejects a promotion offer). I'm not saying that changing names and info is a foolproof plan, but none of that was the going on in the entry that got him shutdown. So if releasing too much information was the problem, it would've been shut down much sooner. Clearly, like previously stated, this was a chance for them to shut down the blog, seizing the moment because he slipped up in following their required procedure. So before you make statements about how many people have lost their lives because of what he's written, read the entry that caused him to get shutdown and then try to make the argument his release of sensitive information was why he was rightfully forced to stop blogging.

hypnoticmix 4 years 46 weeks

Well damn if you're that good Auntie please give us a transcript because Inquiring Minds Want To Know.

raciccarone 4 years 46 weeks

I read her stuff with a spoon! I really missed her.

hausfrau 4 years 46 weeks

Oohhh boy Auntie Coosa is back!

Auntie Coosa 4 years 46 weeks

He was too naive. Americans are ALWAYS so naive about what other people will do with information they (the others, the enemy) find on the Internet. Does he REALLY think that he was capable of 'changing the names to protect the guilty or innocent' that the Insurgents didn't know who and what he was discussing? Be mature, of course they were able to figure it out, probably before they finished reading the day's posting. It was NOT censorship, it was to protect our forces and those Middle Easterners who are helping their Country and the USofA. One of the BIGGEST problems with young people (anyone under age 85) today is lack of respect for authority. Heck, they don't even understand what authority is, much less respect it. I wonder how many soldiers got killed because the insurgents read his blog and used the information the next day in combat?

stephley 4 years 46 weeks

Nyah.

hausfrau 4 years 46 weeks

But we don't KNOW their motives. All we have is speculation. So I think before we condemn them, maybe we could give military officers the benefit of the doubt?

Bettyesque 4 years 46 weeks

Mentioned in a few comments, I have to agree different rules apply when comes to military. Ive never actually read one, but now Im intrigued. :ponder: Going to check out your list C, thanks for the post!

raciccarone 4 years 46 weeks

No worries. I'm sure our fantastic media outlets unfettered by military or governmental pressure will no doubt fill the void!

hypnoticmix 4 years 46 weeks

Yes, I do believe it was clearly shut down do to procedural miss step rather than content. If you take the time to read back further the previous content is very similar in nature so it was not his content it was lack of attention to procedure. Technically his commanders had every right to do what they did their motives simply do not sit well with me.

harmonyfrance 4 years 46 weeks

"I don't know about you but it seems as though his commanding officers were salivating at the mouths for him to miss step in any way to pull the plug." I completely agree hypno.

em113 4 years 46 weeks

i think hypnotic got it right. Obviously his superiors weren't happy with the negative coverage and were waiting for him to do the slightest thing wrong so they'd have an excuse to shut it down. Doesn't seem like a security issue at all, or else it would've been shut down a lot earlier.

hypnoticmix 4 years 46 weeks

I just read the May 28 posting on his blog, the one in question. Very poetic gifted writer, I don't see anything through my eye that would jump out and say security breach but then I am not a seasoned commanding officer responsible for security as well as image. The circumstances stand out as peculiar to me though how the request was motivated by his miss step in clearing his post before posting while on leave. “I committed no OPSEC violations, due to a series of extenuating circumstances – the least of which was me being on leave – my “The Only Difference Between Martyrdom and Suicide is Press Coverage” post on May 28 did not go through the normal vetting channels." I don't know about you but it seems as though his commanding officers were salivating at the mouths for him to miss step in any way to pull the plug.

Jude C 4 years 46 weeks

"If he just talked about how he felt I wouldn't see the harm. I hope he has a journal to write in." You just gave me the most random thought, harmonyfrance. It used to be that for people who weren't aspiring to be professional writers, a nice private journal or diary was enough self-expression, but now it seems everyone doesn't just want to express themselves and their feelings, but needs an audience (blog readers). Hmm. The thoughts and feelings of soldiers on the front line are especially deserving of an audience, however.

harmonyfrance 4 years 46 weeks

Thanks lilkimbo, I just got really sad reading some of that. I do wish that they would let him continue to talk about his feelings because I'm sure it was therapeutic. If he just talked about how he felt I wouldn't see the harm. I hope he has a journal to write in.

lilkimbo 4 years 46 weeks

The blog is still online. He's just not creating any additional posts. If you click on Citizen's link, it takes you right to the blog.

MartiniLush 4 years 46 weeks

Very true, hypno... I am sure the book deal will be forthcoming soon! (as colleenb has already mentioned!) :-)

hypnoticmix 4 years 46 weeks

I guess all we can do is wait and see if the transcripts of these blogs will be released in a report or book, because right now all we can do is speculate whether we're for or against the action taken by his superiors.

MartiniLush 4 years 46 weeks

As has been pointed out in other comments, when you are in the military, especially in an operational hot zone, the rules are different. Harmony, thanks for pointing out that something that seems rather frivolous on the surface can really hurt you (or those serving with you) later!

harmonyfrance 4 years 46 weeks

The thing is that there are many things that compromise a mission besides JUST sensitive information. If you write about a certain restaurant that you like to frequent or you write about your morning routine it makes you easier to target. We were trained to do things like change the way we go home every day, to never let our routine get too ingrained...things like that. You would be very surprised at how the most harmless of information can aid the enemy.

hausfrau 4 years 46 weeks

Shoot! Mine is on vacation! ;)

hypnoticmix 4 years 46 weeks

LMAO! If you have an African Amer. (girl) friend you should ask her.

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