CB

When I started blogging, a legend was beginning to be censored. His name to the internet world was simply “CB” and his blog My War was the most widely read of its kind. If you’ve never read his blog, it’s too late to visit the site and read the compelling, first-person accounts of Spc. Colby Buzzell, a soldier with Bco, 1-23 (Tomahawks). Buzzell was stationed in the same city as me and I was even embedded with his company, but I never met him. At least, I don’t think I did. Anyway, his blog was turned into a book and will hit the bookshelves in the fall. His first chapter is featured in the latest edition of Esquire.

Buzzell envied the great writer Hunter S. Thompson, who recently killed himself, but Colby himself could really tell a story in the sort of raw, uncensored form not found in most milblogs. The way he captured combat through words made the war real for thousands, if not millions, of Americans. I admired the way he wrote even when he knew his posts were being read by his commander, battalion commander and the brigade commander. His work was deemed “inappropriate” by his leaders and he eventually quit writing, which I assume was an order. At the time, he garnered so much attention that we were tasked with writing a story on “milblogging” and all army types with blogs were afraid that they were being read by their leaders. This is why there is a huge gap in my posts.

A few readers have made comments to me that my writing reminded them of CB’s, which to me is one heckuva compliment. CB was kind of like Rosa Parks for milbloggers. He more or less put us on the map. I am really happy for Buzzell and will be one of the first to buy his book.