After announcing new regulations censoring the content of all electronic communication written by soldiers, the U.S.Army retreated somewhat by saying it would not enforce the new regulations, reports Slate.com
The Army instituted the new rules after stating that there were reports of terrorists groups who were using the Internet looking for information about how American soldiers fight on the battlefield.
Soldiers do have First Amendments rights, but due to military exemptions from certain federal laws, these cases have been hard to pursue.
The Internet has made speech much more accessible to everyone, and has raised complicated issues within the military, not known for embracing loose lips policies. As soldiers have eagerly embraced new communications technologies, the military brass must consider how much e-mail and blogging have contributed to Americans growing discontent with the war.
One soldier/blogger posted the following on his site after the death of a fellow soldier (spelling errors were left in):
The room became a dungeon of fear, anger, sorrow and pain. I couldn't believe what I had just heard. I had just seen him right before he had left and had talked with him briefly. How, why could this of happened? What happened? So many questions, but the same end result. One of our fellow soldiers, a brother in arms, and a friend, lost his life. We wern't particularly close, but I had come to be friends with him durring this deployment. I know people have nothing but good things about people after they're death, but this man truely was a great man. He was loved by everone in the company, and probably the worst guy to have ever died from our company here. And I truely mean that from the depths of my soul.
This really put things in to persepective. There wasn't much that could have been done in the situation to of prevented this. It was a lucky stary round that had found had hit in a lethal spot. It could have been anyone else. Thats the sad thing about war. Theres never knowing who or when or what or how. It simply comes down to if its your time or not. And even though we all come over here knowing that this is war, and this is a real possibility here, it still caught everyone off guard. Until that day, noone from our unit had been killed. Im sure others, as well as I held on to that slight hope that all of us would somehow make it home from this place. Maybe I was naive to believe this, but I, as well as everyone else now know the true cost and its not something that can be measured in dollars, or planes or time.
All I know now is that there is a score to be settled. This now became more personal that it ever was, and I feel sorry for the future SOBs that cross our path.
In Vietnam, Americans were outraged when they saw the war from their living rooms. This time around, Americans are getting from an even more personal perspective.
