War Is Boring

Last month’s 11th Quadrennial Review of Military Compensation came with a surprising recommendation: cutting in half drill pay for National Guard and Reserve soldiers.

War comics rarely get it right.

Has the dialogue surrounding the recent killings in Afghanistan been overly sympathetic to the alleged killer, Sgt. Robert Bales? I’m in total agreement with David: the argument that an Afghan life is less valuable than any other life … is wrong.

by KEVIN KNODELL This truly is a man living his dream. That’s all I can think as Bruce Bjorklund explains to me that he plays video games for research, and that any game he buys is a work expense. He does this in his role as a game designer at Gas Powered Games. I think [...]

by KEVIN KNODELL In August 1945, World War II ended with the dropping of the atomic bomb, the Soviet push into Manchuria, and the surrender of the Japanese empire. Soon after, Allied forces under the famed General Douglas MacArthur began the occupation and remaking of Japan. MacArthur’s occupation of Japan is the stuff of legends, [...]

The “war on terror” has sparked a lot of debate about the relationship between combatants and non-combatants. There has been heated debate about rules of engagement and the escalation of force, and the balancing act that soldiers face in preserving the lives of their comrades and those of civilians. An Army lieutenant colonel told me that this was a new challenge for military planners and soldiers.

There has been a lot of speculation regarding Osama bin Laden’s proximity to the Pakistani capital and to the Pakistani Military Academy. There should be, and there are important questions that need to be asked, and no doubt, elements of the Pakistani government have some tough questions to answer. However, all the same, there’s some numbers that need to be considered.

“Who cares?”

The not-quite-at-Ground Zero non-mosque has sparked a lot of debate. Honestly, organizers probably could have chosen a better location: putting it so close to Ground Zero was bound to generate controversy. However, the responses to it have been unacceptable. We’ve seen a surge of hate speech directed at Muslim-Americans, the stabbing of a Muslim cabbie in New York City and, according to the ATF, arson at a proposed mosque in Tennessee.

Readers of this site may or may not be aware of author Sebastian Junger and photojournalist Tim Hetherington’s film Restrepo (and Junger’s related book War). Both projects follow the exploits of a platoon in the U.S. Army’s 173rd Airborne through their deployment to Afghanistan’s Korengal Valley during the height of fighting there. The film has generated some buzz after winning accolades at the Sundance Film Festival.

Michael Yon is considered by many to be the Ernie Pyle of the 21st century. Though Yon is not a household name, his voice and opinions have a great deal of power. His writing and photography have been praised by such diverse figures as NBC’s Brian Williams, General David Petraeus, legendary war reporter Joe Galloway and reporter Tom Ricks.