Today the US military is offically handing over FOB Danger to the Iraqis. That's a great step in getting Iraq on her own feet. I was struck by the last paragraph in the article:
It was a bittersweet year for the Big Red One, with more than 100 soldiers killed and 1,000 wounded but great advances in combined operations with new, better-led Iraqi army units and 2,000 reconstruction projects worth about $1 billion.
The emphasis is mine, because what struck me was how the Stars and Stripes gets the "but" right. Most journalists seem to flip the two clauses: some nice stuff is happening, but it's a quagmire and American deaths is the most important thing. Stars and Stripes gets the focus just right, as usual. 1ID had a rough year in Iraq, but they accomplished so much. It's the accomplishments we should be focused on -- what these soldiers and marines did with their lives -- not the death toll.
Good on you, Stars and Stripes.
Posted by Sarah at November 22, 2005 09:14 AM | TrackBack
God, I laughed. I read the piece, and as soon as I finished the quoted part, I was all, like, "WTF? What news agency wrote this? This seems, dare I think it, positive?"
I clicked the link and laughed.
"Oh that's right. No MSM outlet would write this way. It made me feel good about Iraq."
Check out my most recent post in my resurrected blog for why I feel that way.
Posted by: Sean at November 23, 2005 06:06 PM