Exploring The Sandbox

This time, instead of just reading the normal blogs posted in the sandbox page listed in our classroom expectations, I decided to explore the page a little bit. I read the most recent blogs that the soldiers had posted, and then discovered something interesting...in the top left corner you can search for things! (bear in mind I'm not computer savvy, so this was new) My Uncle David is a soldier who was recently in Iraq. He was not one of the men on the front line; he is a career soldier and is as high up as he can go without formal military training, but he was the head of convoys for his last deployment. Anyway, I thought I would search for his name, see if he ever posted on this.

I couldn't find his name, but I found a lot of other cool stuff. I did not realize this site had so much other information. I just assumed it was for military use. But they have everything there; news, politics, art and movies, they have a science page and technology page that list recent articles and advancements, they even have a shopping page!...more than I imagined from the site I deemed as the "Milblog home." I guess its just a matter of taking a step outside what you expect. I only thought this page was for the military and an area for the soldiers to express themselves. Instead, its a community with many different users and audiences. It is worth more clicking around.

Anyway, since I did read the soldier's posts, I feel its only right to share them with you, or share my opinions. From what these people have gone through, I believe they are entitled to that.

HAMID AND THE GIANT PURPLE LIZARD
This post was funny. It brought in some new ideas of faith, and how people will blindly accept what is told to them. The author of the post is talking to a friend who believes in the Qur’an. He is trying to convince this friend that everything one is told may not always be true, that a lot of things are based on faith. But the friend does not understand the idea of faith. So Doug(the author), tells a story about a seeing a giant purple lizard, asking if the friend believes him. Overall, it is a really interesting post about one man trying to explain to another man the idea of faith and how it interacts with life. I have had this dilemma myself, wondering about what I truly believe, but reading it from another perspective was reinforcing.

THE TALE OF TWO MOUNTAINS
This one was a really sad post from a man who lost one of his best friends in the war. About how guilty he feels and how hopeless in a tiring world. The man and his buddy went on two separate raids, both with similar missions and targets. One made it out alive, the other didn’t. He survived and feels guilty for that, because his raid was a fluke…unplanned, under manned, and completely unfocused. Whereas his buddy’s raid was by the book, perfect in any way possible, except the fact he died. These men go through so much, things no one can possibly understand. He said his hometown pinned him up as a hero…and how all he wanted was to forget. It is so hard, and I wish there was more to do for the men and women who sacrifice themselves in such a way. It seems like they tear their hearts out, and we expect them to just go on like nothing ever happened. Its sad.