Frontlines:Dispatches from US Soldiers In Iraq

Congratulations to First Lt.Kelley whose blog "Wordsmith At War" has many fans, and will soon have even more! He is one of four soldiers invited to write about their life in Iraq.

His first post appeared today in the New York Times Select. (This is only available by paid subscription - but you can receive two weeks for free.)

I rag on the MSM alot, especially the NY Times, but today I commend them for allowing these voices to be heard. I only hope that the Times liberal readers will remain open minded and willing to understand that these soldiers offer a balanced counterpoint to the usual left wing rhetoric about Iraq that is pervasive in this paper and in most media.

Frontlines: Dispatches From U.S. Soldiers in Iraq.

TimesSelect has invited four members of the United States military — all active bloggers — to write about their daily lives. Three of the bloggers are now stationed in Iraq, and one has recently returned home:
First Lt. Lee Kelley, 34, is serving near Ramadi, Iraq, with the Army National Guard. His unit has been in the country since June 2005. Lieutenant Kelley, a native of New Orleans, has lived in Salt Lake City since 1996. His blog is called Wordsmith at War.

Warrant Officer Michael D. Fay of the United States Marine Corps Reserve has held the position of combat artist for the corps since January 2000. He has been deployed four times since Sept. 11, 2001, twice each to Iraq and Afghanistan. Warrant Officer Fay, who returned home from Iraq to Virginia in February, will continue to post writing and artwork in his blog, Fire and Ice.

Capt. Will Smith, 30, enlisted in 1995 and is now a captain serving in Tikrit, Iraq, with the 445th Civil Affairs Battalion, an Army Reserve special operations unit based in Mountain View, Calif. Captain Smith, who lives in the Philadelphia area, keeps a blog at savvyskull.com.

First Lt. Jeffrey D. Barnett, 24, is from Huntsville, Ala. He joined the Marines in 2003 and is stationed in Falluja, Iraq, with the 1st Radio Battalion, based in Camp Pendleton, Calif. His blog is Midnight in Iraq.

Congratulations to all four, and thank you all for your service and your sacrifices.