Happy Veteran’s Day!
In honor of our U.S. military men and women — from yesterday and today — I spent the day reading through military blogs.
I’ve done this before, but I felt especially patriotic reading through them again on Veterans Day.
“Why not visit some of your favorite military bloggers and leave them some love in the comments?”
– Melina | Most Certainly Not
Agreed.
Some of the most heart-felt blogs I’ve ever read were written by service men and women in the U.S. Military. I’ve been keeping a list of my favorites. Now it’s time to share…
Personal Military Blogs
You will notice that some of the following blogs have not been updated in a long time. Usually it’s because the author has since returned home and has begun to focus on other areas of their life. However, I think their words are priceless and the content should be archived for all to read, even generations from now. I hope they never remove these blogs from the blogosphere.
To make the most of your military blog reading experience, I’d recommend the following tips:
1. Start reading from the archives — the earliest post you can find for each site. That way, you’re more likely to get right to the heart of the author, including their initial intentions & aspirations for this blog, and overview of their personal experience in the military. (Don’t miss the “About” page, if there is one.)
2. Military bloggers usually post a list of their own favorite military blogs within the sidebar of their own blog. This is a great resource for other sites that are viewed to be reputable, so when you have the time, be sure to read through some of those military blogs as well.
3. Don’t miss the hidden gems in the sidebars, like recommended reading and book reviews. You’ll find the “best of the best” listed here. It’s a great resource.
These are the most interesting military blogs, in my opinion:
1000 Words From Iraq – The blog of a 22 year old girl from Minnesota who spent a year in Iraq. In this blog, she writes about her personal experiences while she was in Iraq.
365 And A Wakeup – A blog about being on the Iraq frontlines.
Blackfive – an award-winning blog written by a U.S. Military veteran.
Universal Soldier – after 11 years of service, and 11 more to go… this is the memoir of a British soldier.
Some Soldier’s Mom – the mother of a U.S. soldier, she’s doing her part to keep our service men and women in the forefront — in mainstream media and beyond.
A Soldier’s Thoughts – this is Zach’s 2nd time in Iraq. His first time in Iraq was during the Operation Iraqi Freedom invasion where they fought from Kuwait up to Baghdad. Then he lived in Falloujah for 3 months. This time, he’s living in Tikrit where he is “stop lossed (where my time to get out comes but the army keeps me in) so I am not so happy.”
Firepower Forward – From the frontlines of Afghanistan, I especially like his summaries, and his direct answers to direct questions. Don’t miss his book section!
Dude, Where’s The Beach? – follow along as an Air Force Officer heads to Iraq and
American Citizen Soldier – Buck Sargent is an infantry team leader and noncommissioned officer on active duty in the United States Army. His blog highlights “military history in the making and the politics of war”.
Armor Geddon – the day by day account of Operation Phantom Fury taken from his own video and voice recordings while in Fallujah. This is Neil Prakash’s story (aka Redsix).
My War: Killing Time In Iraq – Colby Buzzel gives us a very personal account of his time in Iraq. It’s heavy at times, and that’s what makes it real.
Major K – written from the perspective of a Major in the US Army who is deployed to Iraq in the Global War on Terrorism. This 35 year-old Infantry Officer was initially assigned as an S2 (Intelligence Officer) for an Air Assault Infantry Battalion.
From My Position – Chuck is an Army officer who has been blogging since 1989! There are a LOT of “been there, done that” experiences covered here. He’s a Company Commander who’s been deployed to Iraq and he’s got a lot on his mind. A lot of rants, and a lot of interesting behind-the-scenes stuff here.
Neptunus Lex – Lex is a Naval Officer, and Naval Aviator who is still serving, but no longer currently in an airplane.
The Gunn Nutt – He’s a flag-waiving, gun-toting, unabashed patriot. He loves the Constitution, the Founding Fathers and all the members of the U.S. Armed Services. This is his story.
The Fourth Rail – Bill Roggio served in the U.S. Army as a signalman and infantryman and in the New Jersey National Guard. He has embedded as a journalist with the U.S. Marines and soldiers in western Iraq; and he has embedded as a journalist with the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry in Kandahar, Afghanistan during a series of Canadian operations to sweep the area of the Taliban.
Maj. Pain from One Marine’s View calls this “The Truth”:
UPDATE: You may remember my mention of Lance Frizzell’s military blog when I wrote about the reasons I am grateful. Lance is from Tennessee, and I feel a unique personal bond with him, although he doesn’t even know who I am.
And, to those of you who responded to requests to contribute items to the soldiers over the holidays, read this and you, too, will be grateful!
I like to help people find unique ways to do things in order to save time & money — so I write about “outside the box” ideas that most wouldn’t think of. As a lifelong dog owner, I often share my best tips for living with and training dogs. I worked in Higher Ed over 10 years before switching gears to pursue activities that I’m truly passionate about. I’ve worked at a vet, in a photo lab, and at a zoo — to name a few. I enjoy the outdoors via bicycle, motorcycle, Jeep, or RV. You can always find me at the corner of Good News & Fun Times as publisher of The Fun Times Guide (32 fun & helpful websites).
