Today, above the fold, main section, New York Times:

Photo: Tyler Hicks/New York Times
Caption: “Dutch soldiers, who stress reconstruction over combat, with a member of the Afghan National Police recently in Qala-e-Surkh, Afghanistan.”Could the parenthetical statement “who stress reconstruction over combat” have been left out and still conveyed a message? I think so, but I guess any set of words can be used to convey a bias when you really want to get the point across….

In the meantime, why are there no pictures like this of the SEABEES? They have been stressing not only reconstruction, but also construction over combat for their entire existence. Prominently displayed on their home page the words: “With compassion for others, we build – we fight for peace and freedom.” Not only do they build and fight, they have been known to build while they fight!

I guess the Dutch have issued camo and M-16s to carpenters.  I suggest they outsource their work to the Navy.

The “media” that is seen/heard by much of America and the world continues to pronounce doom and gloom in the Middle East. No longer “news” most of what I look at seem to be little more that editorializing at any opportunity. It bothers me.

Add to this that a common complaint from those who are defending us forward is “the story is not getting told.” I concur.

I was spurred on to write this after hearing the hearing the author of “Grace Under Fire,” Andrew Carroll, on the Laura Ingraham Show this morning. He has taken it upon himself to help preserve the letters of service members and family for history. He also has a list of troop support organizations up on his book’s site.

Here’s what I’m thinking: Make your blog available for the troops who would like to share their stories, but certainly don’t have time to set up and write a blog of their own. If have a blog that gets lots of such inputs, and can’t possibly get them all out in a timely fashion, find those who will volunteer their “space” and pass the inputs out, so they are spread far and wide. More possibility of exposure to those who might not otherwise get to read the story of the platoon that takes on the task of cleaning up/repairing and outfitting a school in Afghanistan, for instance.

I haven’t set up a blog roll, but I’m on several, so I suspect one would be useful and then the cross-pollinating would be extensive (if there were lots of blogs willing to chip in.

That’s idea number one….and it just might have some leverage in turning the tide of no news on the good news. Comments?

Idea #2: I have chosen to highlight the ValOUR-IT project the 11th of each month, just to be a friendly reminder that it’s not just Veteran’s Day when we should consider contributing to this wonderful program. The follow on to this idea is to either weekly or monthly, pick one of the troop support organizations (see my compiled list here), post their charter and find some testimonials to the success of the work they have done and spread the word that way….

Anyhow, I had been planning to blast this out to the Navy ValOUR-IT blogs (and I suspect I still might this weekend), to see about getting the ball rolling at the grass-roots level.

Anyone can help in this, particularly the second idea above.

If you have friends/family serving in the Sandbox, ask permission to get their stories and post them. Let them tell their stories.

Just think: Everyday bloggers helping to tell real stories that otherwise may have to wait years for historians, or be forever lost because “I didn’t think anyone cared.”

Fire away with modifications/ideas/etc.

What better way to be a servant, particularly in this week, than to support those who are supporting us.