Over the weekend we learned that someone, somewhere, decided that Basetrack’s journalists would have to go. So after we posted up the letter, we scratched our heads and wondered why. Actually, we’re still wondering, especially since we received this note from the Marine Corps public affairs office in Afghanistan:
Teru,
Good chatting with you. As discussed, we very much appreciate the Knight Foundation’s efforts in highlighting the important work of our Marines and Sailors of First Battalion, Eighth Marines over the past six months in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. Your team has not been disembedded; media ground rules were not violated. Instead, the unit made the decision to not entertain the next team of Basetrack.org members, since many of the Marines and Sailors were beginning turnover preparation for redeployment. There had been concerns by a number of individuals on the use of online maps to portray service members’ positions. I understand that you deliberately off-set actual locations in order to safeguard force protection. Additionally, First Battalion, Eight Marines’ Executive Officer (Maj Ansel) verified each post to basetrack.org.
This close partnership between the command’s leadership and Knight Foundation members is important to note. While most media embeds last only two weeks, this unit committed to assisting with this project in order to better connect the public to what their service members are doing each day in Afghanistan.
I think the project was incredibly worthwhile and the relationships you forged with our Marines and Sailors impressive; I heard nothing but positive things from the unit.
Please know that the unit is hoping you will attend their homecoming. Also, we welcome you back to Regional Command Southwest and Helmand Province in the future.
Regards,
Gabrielle M. Chapin
Major, U.S. Marine Corps
Director, Regional Command Southwest Public Affairs
First Marine Expeditionary Force (FWD)
Camp Leatherneck, Afghanistan
Not Sure of Next Steps
The public head-scratching continued on our Facebook page and through interviews with PRI’s The World and elsewhere.
Some of the comments were touching:
To be honest not sure what y’all do..but I do know that my brother is in the Marines and we haven’t seen him in a very long time…and I see my mother posting on here and even called me when you did a wonderful piece on him…since you make my mother smile and bring those happy tears to her eyes I thank you…We love you Nenish..come home safe to us and my prayers go out to the basetrack family and all those involved…
Some were heated, particularly when discussing Operational Security and legitimate safety concerns.
Some were just confused. The most interesting thing about the project is watching the audience — a very small, but committed and diverse group of people — grapple with the complexities and nuances of a very difficult subject, war, that is also incredibly personal. If you had told me a year ago that I would be discussing the The Hidden War: a Russian journalist’s account of the Soviet War in Afghanistan with a group of civilians, who asked probing, complex questions about the policy in Afghanistan that puts most of the public debate I’ve seen on television or read in a newspaper or heard on the radio to shame, I wouldn’t have believed you.
Yet now, here we are, planning the next stage. I wonder where it will go.