Journalists Endure Great Hardships

*Let me being by appologizing for the general lack of detail in these reports. In an effort to protect the security of our personnel I have purposely remained vague concerning many facts.
I have the utmost respect for the journalist who cover this war. They endure all of the hardships the soldiers do.
The scene a couple of nights ago when we were awaiting transport to the IZ was remarkable. Along with the scores of military personnel awaiting a ride into Badhdad, were also the reporters from media outlets around the world. And while we are equipped with the best body armor that money can buy, they bring with them whatever their agency provides.
They are here to ride along with the coalition units so they can get as accurate a story as possible. This is one of our best opportunites to counter propoganda. There is nothing like being here to "get it". We connect them with military units who then transport and feed them while they get their story. It has to be quite an experience for them.
In the middle of this scene the truck showed up to load out the equipment and standing in the human chain that loaded were the people of the world. There was a british woman with a derby on her head and a bullet proof vest on her torso. There was a man from Jamaica with dreadlocks reaching down over his shoulders, capped with a traditional Jamaican multi-colored hat. There was a 7 foot tall reporter from Bosnia running around blowing into a Kazoo. I looked at my friend and asked, "Is this real?" It occurred to me that this is the part of the war that simply has not been reported.
One one of the challenges is taking night photos in Iraq. There is so much dirt in the air that flash photography always results in spots in the photos.
The is interesting how focused the internation media is on this war. Most of the reporters who traveled into the war zone with us were not American. I am not sure what to make of this but will pay close attention and comment in the future.