~7:58am~ EST
MIL-BLOG SHUT DOWN: A military doctor Maj. Michael Cohen (a doctor with the 67th Combat Support Hospital unit) who is presently serving in Iraq says he was forced to shut down his blog 67cshdocs. According to his website the reason he was ordered to do so was that the information found on the site violated Army regulations.
Cohen had provided a detailed chronicle of the bloody aftermath of the Dec. 21 mess-hall homicide bombing in Mosul that killed 22.
Military blogs have sprouted up throughout the War on Terror and have generally provided a much better account of the war than anything found in traditional media.
Such access however is made possible to anyone who owns a computer and that could now possibly include insurgents trying to decipher information on day to day activities and movements of troops.
"Sometimes a blog might contain subtle nuances from which you can put together a complete picture of our operations, which insurgents can use to attack us," said Lt. Col. Steven Boylan. He also added that he was not aware of any bloggers currently facing court martial or discipline.
"We don't want to impinge upon somebody's free speech. We're out here defending that. But it can cross a line," said Boylan.
Cohen posted this message on his site yesterday...
Dear Family, Friends, Colleagues, Loyal Readers, New Readers, and Everyone else that finds this site interesting,
I have some very unfortunate news. Levels above me have ordered, yes ORDERED, me to shut down this website. They cite that the information contained in these pages violates several Army Regulations. I certainly disagree with this. However, I have made a decision to turn off the site pending further investigation as to whether or not I have violated these Army Regulations.
As many of you can tell from reading the pages within this site, I LOVE being an Army Physician. Nothing gives me greater professional fulfillment than to be able to take care of these courageous men and women who risk their lives fighting for America's freedom.
Additionally, working alongside the brilliant doctors, nurses, medics, and other soldiers like those of the 67th CSH makes me so proud to be an American and a Soldier. A part of me really wants to continue this website to provide our families and friends information about what we are doing here. I have been emotionally overwhelmed with the quantity of supportive emails I have received from people who enjoy reading our site. Give me some time to process this turn of events.
I apologize to anyone that has found this site offensive or inappropriate.
I also apologize to those who have enjoyed reading our posts and now are unable to continue.I can still be reached at cshcommentary@67cshdocs.com
For what its worth - I believe that Maj. Cohen is handling this action in exactly the right way. If commanders in the field are concerned that nuances of his entries could piece together a puzzle for the insurgents to attack again - then it is important that Dr. Cohen not continue to give out such information.
I have no doubt in my mind that Dr. Cohen wants to do the right thing. After a thorough going over of his site - if the Military deems it possible - I'm also confident that he will be up and posting again.
