Combat Soldiers' Blogs Make Brass Queasy

Some of the most riveting reporting about the war in Iraq is coming from the soldiers fighting it. As blogs from deployed soldiers proliferate, higher-ups are biting their nails over the ensuing transparency. Bloggers like Capt. Danjel Bout say posting provides "online therapy" and helps keep friends and the public apprised of developments.

"People can see the emotion behind the cold facts," he says. Defense Department concern has prompted regulations that require bloggers to notify superior officers when they launch a blog, and to submit to occasional review. Some bloggers have been subjected to disciplinary action for unseemly or unauthorized posting. (More Iraq stories.)