Blogging From the Front Lines

A veteran of the U.S. war in Iraq has created Operation Truth, a weblog for soldiers to share their stories from the front lines with people back home, including government officials. "I felt like the American public was really detached from the soldier's experience," says Paul Rieckhoff. "And I wanted to find a new way to try to utilize technology and utilize the soldier's experience to create a visceral connection, so people could really see soldiers, see what they experience, and get a sense for what they're really going through in Iraq and when they come home," says Rieckhoff. (Although Operation Truth is officially nonpartisan, during the recent U.S. presidential election its message was sharply critical of President George W. Bush.)