Thank you for all of your help. This wouldn't have been possible without you.
By Jeff Emanuel Posted in embedded reporting | Iraq | War — Comments (23) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
I arrived back at home earlier this week from just under three months in Iraq, and am settling back into American society (late wake-ups after actual sleep, wonderfully fattening food, fall weather, occasional rain, and the sounds of traffic instead of explosions and gunfire, among other beautiful differences). I'm still slowly-but-surely running the last of my news and (moreso) analysis pieces from my time there, and will continue to do so -- all leading up to the crown jewel of this embed, the exclusive unbelievable story of Medal of Honor-worthy heroism in a fight to the death against al Qaeda in Samarra only weeks ago. The article, which is the cover story for the November issue of the American Spectator magazine, will come out online (at http://www.spectator.org and at http://www.JeffEmanuel.com) November 1, and will be available in stores (Borders, Barnes&Noble, etc.) the first week of November.
Read on . . .
This mission could not have been done without your help, both financial and via moral support. Thanks to your contributions and the hospitality of the U.S. military, I was able to file over 40 articles, dispatches, and updates from the field, which were published on my site, here at RedState, on http://www.VetsForFreedom.org (where I kept a diary while deployed), and in such publications as Human Events, The American Spectator, The Weekly Standard (online), The Washington Times, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the American Thinker, the Jerusalem Post, and the Hawaii Reporter. Thanks in large part to your help, readers of these and other publications were able to gain information and understanding of the war in Iraq that they otherwise would not have.
I cannot thank you enough for your assistance, as without your support, dedication, and readership, this literally would not have happened.
The job is not finished. There is so much more information, and there are so many more stories, that are not making their way out of Iraq at this point, if for no other reason than the fact that there are not people on the front lines to see and report them. This task is largely left to independents like myself, Michael Yon, Bill Roggio, Michael Totten, J.D. Johannes, and very few others -- and we depend on the amazing following and generosity of people like you. Few know how expensive (and costly in terms of time away from any regularly-paying job) it actually is to go to Iraq and spend months at a time being shot at, blown up, etc. for the sole sake of getting accurate, eyewitness, on-the-ground information out to the American people.
One trip generally costs $20-25,000.00 to make. Despite the apparent belief of some, I neither tailor my news to get donations, nor do I actually receive very many in response to specific stories. In fact, I've finished "in the red" financially both times that I went to Iraq this year. That, combined with the fact that I am currently planning a return trip to the front lines for early next year, means that I cannot lay off fundraising (something that I hate to do more than almost anything) even for one minute. So, with that having been said, if you (or anybody that you know) is interested not only in getting real, accurate, eyewitness information from the front lines in Iraq, but is interested in investing in actual media accuracy in this war, please come yourself, or send them, to http://www.jeffemanuel.com and click the "donate" link on the right sidebar.
Another option, which is 100% tax-deductible, is to support Bill Roggio's Public Multimedia, Inc, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to up-to-date and accurate reporting on The Long War through the training and placement of frontline embedded reporters.
If you believe that this is a worthy cause -- and many of you have already shown that you do -- then I humbly ask that you consider contributing to one or both of these embedded reporting funds. Again, without you, this cannot happen.
Thank you again for your assistance, both past and future. It is an honor to have represented you to our soldiers in Iraq, and I look forward to doing it again soon.
-Jeff Emanuel
Your material (I've read about 70%, trying to catch up) has been refreshing, well-written, and motivating. I especially enjoy when you quote the on-the-ground people at lentgh, especially the Iraqis -- locals, local leaders, Iraqi soldiers and officers. We absolutely can't get that anywhere else (well, except for Michael Yon, but he's really one of US).
You have not spared us the heartache, the death and loss, while reminding us the GOOD reasons we're there are still good reasons to finish the mission.
Your have risked your life, and it was both God who sent you, and God who brought you back.
Keep it up, brother.
It's war -- so when can we start shooting back at the enemy Democrats?
for bringing Jeff home safe and unharmed. Amen
It is a burden on you both physically and financially, God bless you for doing it. I hope that we at Redstate will continue to help with the latter.
BTW, the Cowboys are in last place and OU has lost all of their games.
:)
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Two thirds of the world is covered by water,
the other third is covered by Champ Bailey.
Why would you do something like that to a nice guy like me? ;-)
"Nothing works like freedom, Nothing succeeds like liberty"
Kyle
I'm not really into college football (though that doesn't seem to stop me from commenting about it), but I root for Colorado to do well (I grew up near Boulder) and for NC State (the Wife's™ alma mater). I do hate the Dallas Cowboys though, with a white hot passion of a thousand suns (ask me about the Oakland Raiders sometime!).
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Two thirds of the world is covered by water,
the other third is covered by Champ Bailey.
you've done a tremendous job, a heroic job even, though I know you'd demur that description, given the "professional" media's outright dereliction of its duty in covering this war. again, thank you.
I feel blessed to have contributed even a very tiny bit, and will be honored to give a slightly less tiny bit for your next trip.
What you do is so important to us who have been there and done the heavy lifting only to come home and realize that noone evens knows about the great things we have done over there. Keep up the good work, and know that there are literally thousands of troops who thank God for you and your honest reporting.
I'm expecting to head back in March, so maybe if we end up in the same place at the same time we could grab a bite to eat at the D-Fac, my treat.
Jeff,
Thanks for what you've done and are continuing to do on reporting Iraq.
Having been here for a total of 31 months, since the summer of 04 working with the IPS, it's been great to be able to recommend to people who ask about whats going on here to read your reports, as well as Yon and Trotten etc.
I was asked on one trip home in 04 to speak to an audience at my church on what was happening here because they were wise enough to know they were not getting an unbiased report from the MSM.
Welcome home, I'm out of here tomorrow God willing.
Semper Fi
There are three kinds of men. The one that learns by reading. The few who learn by observation. The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence for themselves.
Will Rogers
Its always strange at first when coming back from a deployment, but most of us get back to normal pretty quickly.
I'll pick up the Am. Spec. article next week.
James
Vote for Voldemoort 2008!
Now that you're home, the Washington Post leads off its home page with a story about the 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division. The title:
"I Don't Think This Place Is Worth Another Soldier's Life" by Joshua Partlow of the Washington Post Foreign Service.
I have never seen a mention of your work in anything produced by the Washington Post or any of the nation's major newspapers or news outlets, despite the thousands of words and tens of thousands of dollars.
I have to ask an objective question at this point: although your article is being published in the American Spectator, how does that compare in terms of impact with the Page A01 story that is going to run all this weekend on the front page of the Washington Post's website. It is already the most-viewed story there. It paints an astonishingly bleak and hopeless picture of absolute futility, beginning with the title and all the way through the rest of the piece, in the soldier's own words.
How do we compete with that?
I make this observation only to highlight the comparative power and mindshare of the MSM versus the support we've given -- and I've given, and will continue to provide -- to your efforts and the efforts of others. At some point we need to start asking the question of how effective it is.
As long as newspapers like the Washington Post continue to shout 'futility!' with their megaphones, I wonder how much use it is for independent reporters to continue to risk their lives to provide an alternative point of view.
And I don't mean it in a Ron Paul, tilt at imaginary windmills sense either.
If we give up because we can't be heard over the daily media crap-storm, then all is lost.
It's war -- so when can we start shooting back at the enemy Democrats?
I'm still supporting Jeff and other independent reporters in Iraq. They are truly independent voices, and because of that I know their support has to come from somewhere other than places like the Washington Post. In fact, Jeff just got another $100 of support from me this afternoon.
But I would like at least a bit of fairness on the WaPo's website: Jeff is not a stooge for anyone and his writing is as good and compelling as anyone's on this war has been. You might think the WaPo would be interested *just for the news value* to give such a person an opportunity to comment on their website. Apparently not yet, but I don't intend to stop lobbying them to reconsider.
It's their paper, after all: but it serves *all* of America, not just the antiwar cliques.
I know, WaPo ain't gonna change anytime soon. But I think the 'alternative media', as Rush calls us, has a wider readership than one might think.
Remember, we have in recent times, and against considerable forces:
-- derailed the Harriette Meier nomination, which gave us SAM ALITO!!!!!
-- gave the Alito nomination a pretty good tailwind
-- exposed phony soldiers, and the traitor soldier
-- have toilet-bowled numerous congressional Democrat shenanigans in the last year alone
We are not winning the information wars, we're not ahead or even close, nor do the prospects look good in the near future. But we are not yelling in a vacuum.
I just want to offer hope, looks like you're discouraged some.
It's war -- so when can we start shooting back at the enemy Democrats?
..when it got to 500 words, I decided to make it a diary. What can I say? You bring out the verbose in me ;-)
My only regret is that the Washington Post and some of the other more hidebound newspapers in this country have to be smacked in the face in order to even give you the chance to speak. What has happened to this country? You should have been front page a couple of months ago, IMHO.
Ben Domenech of all people should know precisely how the Washington Post works to shape opinion in this country. That the WaPo has lurched hard left on the war comes as no surprise to me, and it shouldn't come as one to him, either, especially after all this time.
They're just moving in the direction their party is moving, after all.
It seems to me at least that if the Washington Post wanted to give an opportunity for both sides to be aired and debated in this country what it could do is offer you the chance to discuss your time in Iraq with such an innocuous thing as a live text debate on their home page.
Surely the tens of thousands of words you've written from Iraq and the danger you subjected yourself to should merit the opportunity to address the WaPo's audience on their website.
Anyone with a shred of decency would entertain the possibility. Certainly if an anti-war veteran decided to post here at RedState (provided their identity could be verified) they would get a fair hearing.
I think the WaPo should extend at least that courtesy to you. It won't cost very much, certainly less than $25,000. Unless, that is, they think you have been taking orders from Dick Cheney during the time you've been in Iraq.
Pravda on the Potomac.
It would be nice to see him in the WAPO, but not essential.
Jeff, It was great reading your reports from the front and getting a much clearer picture of the realities over there. I supported your last trip and will support your next. I was hoping to see you get more coverage outside of the 'right wing' press and was glad to see it happen. The American public deserves a more realistic picture of the war than that prsented by the MSM and you are doing a fine job deliving just such a view.
I did not know of Public Multimedia and will channel support through them if you will still receive it.
Thanks again, and welcome home.