Saturday, May 01, 2010

Another US soldier dies in the Iraq War

US Army Spc Anthony Magee was wounded by an April 23rd missle attack in Iraq and evacuated to Germany. WDAM reports he died yesterday at the age of 28. Ben Piper (Hattiesburg American) reports he received the Purple Heart on Thursday, puts his age at 29, and quotes a family statement: "We have lost a son, a father and a hero today who dedicated his life to the service of our nation. His family would like to thank the entire community and nation for their thoughts and prayers." The death brings the number of US service members killed in the Iraq War to 4395 when ICCC updates.

Keith Coe died serving in Iraq Tuesday. Shoshana Walter (Ledger) reports on his death and speaks with his family including his younger brother Matt who states, "I'm like, 'Let's go to Blockbuster and get a movie.' And he's like 'Let's get on top of Blockbuster and make a movie.' He kicked the crap out of me for the first 11 years of my life. You know, big brother stuff."

Meanwhile KECI reports that 500 Missoula soldiers will deploy to Iraq in the fall. While Noel Brinkerhoff (AllGov News) reports:

For the American soldiers manning Joint Security Station Wahab, Iraq, near the border with Iran, life has been a mix of espionage and being forgotten. The soldiers guarding the remote outpost, all from the 4th Brigade of the Army’s 1st Armored Division out of Fort Bliss, Texas, endured the annoyance of not having any portable toilets for a while because the Department of Defense cancelled the contract for Wahab station. Apparently, some official forgot the troops were still out there, forcing the men to use disposable waste bags until new toilets arrived.


The following community websites updated last night and today:

The Daily Jot
THIS JUST IN! STARLET SPEAKS!
3 hours ago
Cedric's Big Mix
Smile pretty
3 hours ago



And we'll close with this on embedding from David Ignatius' "The dangers of embedded journalism, in war and politics" (Washington Post):

I've taken advantage of this chance to see the military up close. I have traveled to war zones with Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; with Gen. David Petraeus, the Centcom commander; and many others. I've spent weeks at a time visiting U.S. units in the field, hopping C-130s and Blackhawk helicopters and Humvees. As a result, I have seen more of Iraq and Afghanistan than I possibly could have otherwise, and I think my readers have benefited.

But embedding comes at a price. We are observing these wars from just one perspective, not seeing them whole. When you see my byline from Kandahar or Kabul or Basra, you should not think that I am out among ordinary people, asking questions of all sides. I am usually inside an American military bubble. That vantage point has value, but it is hardly a full picture.

I fear that an embedded media is becoming the norm, and not just when it comes to war. The chroniclers of political and cultural debates increasingly move in a caravan with one side or another, as well. This nonmilitary embedding may have a different rationale, but there's a similar effect that comes with traveling under the canopy of a particular candidate, party or community.




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