Okay, it’s finally on its way to bookstores, already available at Amazon.

THE BLOG OF WAR: Front-line Dispatches from Soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan

Matt, otherwise known as Blackfive, did a great job gathering some of the best examples of Milblogging from the combat zone. Yes, he was kind enough to invite me to contribute. Simon & Schuster were tolerant enough of my sometimes elaborate prose for my piece to survive the final edits. By way of excerpt, here’s the slice of Dadmanly that’s included.

I am proud and humbled to be in such fine company. Some Parental Discretion required, occasional coarse language and references, some gore and violence.

More excerpts and commentary later. In the meantime, here's a listing of contributing MILBLOGGERS:

The Blog of War Contributors
365 and a Wakeup
A Day in Iraq
American at Heart
American Soldier
Argghhh!
Armor Geddon
Army Wife Toddler Mom
Biting Their Little Heads Off
Blog Machine City
Boots in Baghdad
Cali Valley Girl
Courage Without Fear
CPT Patti...the Sweetest Woman on the Planet Goes to Baghdad
Dadmanly
Doc in the Box
Fire Power Forward
From My Position...On the Way!
Going Green Again
In Iraq for 365
Learning to Live
Magic from the Baghdad Cafe
Makaha Surf Report
Military Bride
Mudville Gazette
New Lives
One Hand Clapping
Pull on Superman's Cape
The Questing Cat
Rebel Coyote
Red State Rants
SGT Hook
Sic Vis Pace, Para Bellum
Six More Months
Smash
The Sniper Eye
A Soldier's Perspective
Talking Salmons
This Is Your War
Trying to Grok
Wordsmith at War

And Powerline's combat correspondent "Major E"

Finally, here’s the Simon & Schuster Press Release:

Military blogs have transformed the way we look at war and the military, says U.S. Army veteran and military blogger (“Blackfive”) Mathew Currier Burden, author of THE BLOG OF WAR: Front-line Dispatches from Soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan (Simon and Schuster; September 12, 2006; $15.00). Military blogs—milblogs, for short—give readers an uncensored, intimate, and immediate view of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. “Military blogs,” says Burden, “have been an experiment in putting lives that are on the line online.”

The first milblogs came after the invasion of Afghanistan, when the U.S. military gave soldiers internet access. Blogging became the perfect way for soldiers to stay in touch with and to tell their stories to their comrades-in-arms, their friends and families, and even the public at large. Milblogs were ideal for filling in the gaps that both the media and the military left out of the war. For the first time in the history of warfare, the public had access to an immediate, uncensored bird’s-eye view of what was really happening on the ground.

Unfortunately, the U.S. government is now trying to shut down these blogs and otherwise censor them. THE BLOG OF WAR could very well be one of the last real-time records of the war told by our troops as they risk their lives.

After the death of a friend in Iraq, Burden started his own blog, Blackfive.net, in mid-2003 to support the troops fighting the War on Terror and tell their stories. Blackfive.net quickly became one of the most visited and linked blogs and has won consecutive “Best Military Blog” honors in the Weblog Awards. Now, Matt Burden has collected some of the most riveting and insightful work by other bloggers in THE BLOG OF WAR.

In it you will meet:
The Warriors. Each day they must go into battle “to fight the dragons.” Readers who have never heard a shot fired in anger will come closer to knowing what it’s like to enter a known terrorist safe house or patrol the streets of Baghdad.
The Leaders. Combat leadership can be the toughest and loneliest job in the world. “Seldom is the average American subjected to decisions of right and wrong where consequences result in death,” says one soldier.
The Healers. The medics who staunch the blood and patch the wounds of their fellow soldiers on the wretched expanses of the battlefield, working feverishly between the next bullet and the nearest hospital to keep their buddies alive.
Heroes from the Homefront. Having a loved one in harm’s way is a very stressful and trying experience. Some relatives get help from friends, family, and neighbors. Many others, however, especially those on bases or in neighborhoods where everyone is deployed, can find themselves struggling alone.
The Fallen. Not everyone makes it back home: bloggers pay tribute to those who have fallen in defense of their country – spouses mourn their husbands, soldiers mourn not only their comrades but their Iraqi friends as well, and heartbreaking last letters home are shared.
Homecoming. Soldiers share their poignant accounts of homecoming. Some soldiers have been injured and others have wounds that can’t be seen. Words can’t really describe what it is for them to come back in one piece and be reunited with their loved ones, but THE BLOG OF WAR conveys these emotionally charged moments as few books ever have.

Military bloggers offer the public unfettered access to the War on Terror. The public does not have to wait weeks or months to hear what’s happened, nor settle for the government’s approved messages. In the past, there were only three sources from which the public could learn about a war: Combat correspondents, who sometimes wrote in the midst of action but just as often did not; government reports, which were often a mix of truth, propaganda and even disinformation; and soldiers who gave their own accounts of what they witnessed in letters to friends and family, accounts sometimes censored by the military, and always written and received well after the fighting had subsided.

THE BLOG OF WAR is a remarkable account of men and women as they actually experience the trials and tribulations of war on the battlefield, where our soldiers must daily test their humanity against harrowing episodes of the horror and fear. Readers are certain to have a better understanding and a greater respect for those who risk their lives for their country in these most turbulent times.

About the Author
Matthew Currier Burden enlisted in the military when he was seventeen. He left the military as a major in the U.S. Army Reserve in July 2001. He has a Master of Science degree in computer science from the University of Chicago and works as an IT executive in Chicago.

About the Book
THE BLOG OF WAR
By Matthew Currier Burden
Published by Simon & Schuster
Publication Date: September 12, 2006
Price: $15.00
ISBN: 0-7432-9418-1
UPDATE: Glenn Reyonolds, graciously linked to the book, and notes that it's ranked #262 at Amazon. He describes the book as an Army of Davids effort, which is a high compliment. Thanks, Glenn, for the link and push!

Linked at Blackfive, Milblogs, Castle Argghhh!, Doc in the Box,
Old War Dogs, Makaha Surf Report, Rocket's Brain, Technicalities, IMAO, Outside the Beltway, SMASH, Michelle Malkin, Wizbang, Fuzzybear, Andi, Sister Toldjah, Blogger's Blog, Iraq War News, Babalu Blog, My Side of the Puddle.

Press Reviews:
Vanity Fair
Washington Post