Mar 08 MN Soldier's Blog Makes it into Slate's Sandbox

Received from our friend and milblogger, Mark Martin of New Hope, MN:

A guy from the comic strip Doonesbury came across my blog, and asked if he could repost some of them at the comic's website.  Apparently they run a milblog reposting site for veterans currently serving in the combat zones.  Here is the link:  http://gocomics.typepad.com/the_sandbox/

He has chosen to lead off with the Afghan comic strip which shows a young boy contacting police about a bad guy planting improvised explosive devices.  He was excited about this since it came on the heels of "The Hurt Locker" winning the Oscar for best picture.  I didn't have the heart to tell him that "The Hurt Locker" was quite possibly the most fouled up Army movie ever made and was completely untrue to life.  Oh well...

Here is Mark's January post at The Sandbox:

I recently came across an Afghan paper, published by Hamid Karzai's government, which encourages people to stand up and take responsibility for their communities. This cartoon, which should be read from right to left in the Afghan reading style, depicts a good neighbor informing the police about a bad guy planting an Improvised Explosive Device.

The bottom line is this: Hearts and minds of the local populace in any given neighborhood is the key. If we can convince the Afghan people that we are here to help, not hinder, through our actions and our deeds, then maybe we can convince them to help us drive the bad guys out of their neighborhoods so that they can pursue their lives in peace. Nice thought....

Mark is serving in Afghanistan and returning this summer. His milblog, 270 Days In Afghanistan is a must-read. Comments there are welcome.