symple19
12-16-2009, 04:27 AM
http://www.michaelyon-online.com/arghandab-the-battle-for-kandahar.htm
Above is the link to Michael Yon's most recent dispatch from Afghanistan. If you don't know who Yon is, he's probably the best war correspondent going. He finances his endeavors out of his own pocket and from reader contributions, so he isn't beholden to any of the big media outlets. He was recently ejected early from his embed with the Brits operating around Helmand for being overly critical of the British Army's apparent inability to properly supply it's soldiers. Yon is a former Green Beret who understands the reality on the ground, and isn't afraid to tell it like it is. I've never been able to figure his political leanings (which is a good thing), but will say that his sympathies always lie with the soldiers he covers. There is no better reporting being done on the war by an American, IMHO.
In his own words :
The War in Afghanistan has truly begun. This will be a long, difficult fight that is set to eclipse anything we’ve seen in Iraq. As 2010 unfolds, my 6th year of war coverage will unfold with it. There is relatively little interest in Afghanistan by comparison to previous interest in Iraq, and so reader interest is low. Afghanistan is serious, very deadly business. Like Iraq, however, it gets pushed around as a political brawling pit while the people fighting the war are mostly forgotten. The arguments at home seem more likely to revolve around a few words from the President than the ground realities of combat here. I can bring the ground realities, but can sustain the coverage only by the graciousness of readers. Please keep that in mind.
Being a combat vet myself, I just haven't read anything that brings the reality of war home like Mr. Yon does. His writing style isn't great (IMO), but if you can get by that then you will learn more than reading 1000 articles from the typical rags. He also takes photographs and some short videos, all can be found on his website linked above.
Above is the link to Michael Yon's most recent dispatch from Afghanistan. If you don't know who Yon is, he's probably the best war correspondent going. He finances his endeavors out of his own pocket and from reader contributions, so he isn't beholden to any of the big media outlets. He was recently ejected early from his embed with the Brits operating around Helmand for being overly critical of the British Army's apparent inability to properly supply it's soldiers. Yon is a former Green Beret who understands the reality on the ground, and isn't afraid to tell it like it is. I've never been able to figure his political leanings (which is a good thing), but will say that his sympathies always lie with the soldiers he covers. There is no better reporting being done on the war by an American, IMHO.
In his own words :
The War in Afghanistan has truly begun. This will be a long, difficult fight that is set to eclipse anything we’ve seen in Iraq. As 2010 unfolds, my 6th year of war coverage will unfold with it. There is relatively little interest in Afghanistan by comparison to previous interest in Iraq, and so reader interest is low. Afghanistan is serious, very deadly business. Like Iraq, however, it gets pushed around as a political brawling pit while the people fighting the war are mostly forgotten. The arguments at home seem more likely to revolve around a few words from the President than the ground realities of combat here. I can bring the ground realities, but can sustain the coverage only by the graciousness of readers. Please keep that in mind.
Being a combat vet myself, I just haven't read anything that brings the reality of war home like Mr. Yon does. His writing style isn't great (IMO), but if you can get by that then you will learn more than reading 1000 articles from the typical rags. He also takes photographs and some short videos, all can be found on his website linked above.