Something daveamongus might appreciate

[jeriendhal]

"Milblogging" by soldiers stationed in Iraq, and the Pentagon's currently cautious response.

Link: http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/13.08/milblogs.html?tw=wn_tophead_6

Comments

Lessons forgotten

[p-o-u-n-c-e-r.livejournal.com]

Bill Maldin of the WWII "Willie and Joe" cartoons argued to Patton himself that allowing cartoonists and columinists to go right into the battlezones and document (lampoon, whatever) for both the miliary and the folks-at-home all the event observed was an innoculation against wider, uncontrolled release of bad news.

I think Michael Yon is this generation's Ernie Pyle. I haven't yet found their Maldin ...

Re: Lessons forgotten

[jeriendhal.livejournal.com]

I remember reading the story of Maudlin being called on the carpet by Patton for being a touch too honest in Up Front. I don't know if there's any cartoonist working for Stars & Stripes right now that is able to match his honesty and humor about a typical soldier's situation and frustrations.

Though S&S does currently run Doonesbury, which at least has had the courage to show BD's struggles to resume his life post-Iraq.

Oddly, the only other syndicated cartoon that I can think of that has addressed the ordinary Iraq vet's situation was the funny animal strip Get Fuzzy, which had the human lead's brother come home short a leg from Iraq, coincidentally at the same time BD lost his.

Re: Lessons forgotten

[p-o-u-n-c-e-r.livejournal.com]

Funky Winkerbean has a newly-wed veteran of the Afghanistan liberation returning there, bride in tow, to spend the honeymoon clearing landmines.

Funky Winkerbean sometimes has John Byrne (preaching to the choir in this forum, I realize -- Byrne of She-Hulk, FF, X-Men, and re-booted Superman comics) doing a guest-creator tour. Also, FW includes a recurring character is a chubby loner who runs the comic-book shop beneath the pizza-parlor.

But back to WW-II. Milton Caniff was not bashful (or politically correct) in doing the Male Call strip (so to speak) for official publications, either.

We discussed Will Eisner recently, at the time of his death.

Anyhow, I'm still looking for the cartoonist who can bring tales of the current war to the sort of snapshot Willie and Joe once offered.