Guardsman in Iraq Punished Over Blog Post
Associated Press | August 02, 2005
PHOENIX - An Arizona National Guardsman serving in Iraq has been demoted for posting classified information on his Internet Web log, an Army official said Monday.
Leonard Clark, 40, was demoted from specialist to private first class and fined $1,640, said Col. Bill Buckner, a spokesman for the Multi-National Corps-Iraq.
Soldiers in Iraq are allowed to maintain blogs or Web sites but cannot post information about Army operations or movements. They also are barred from posting information about the death of a soldier whose family hasn't yet been notified.
"The intent of the policy is not to violate soldiers' rights, but to safeguard soldiers," Buckner said. Blogs are "a growing phenomenon, I guess. It's something a lot of people do and has some uses."
Buckner said he didn't know what kind of classified information Clark had posted.
Clark's blog contained two posts Monday, one with links to articles on him and one stating Clark would comply with a gag order.
Calls to his home Monday by The Associated Press went unanswered and contact information for him in Iraq wasn't immediately available.
Clark is a Glendale, Ariz., kindergarten teacher who has run for the state Legislature four times. He could have appealed the ruling but declined to, Buckner said.
Clark's company was called to active duty in November and has been in Iraq since around January, said Capt. Paul Aguirre, a spokesman for the Arizona National Guard. The company is expected to be brought home next January.
Source:Military.com
Leonard Clark's BLOG
The reasons for the Clark's demotion are tied to his release of classified material in his posts. However, from what I can tell it appears that his posting was less than complimentary of his current statis in Iraq. Interesting story to watch unfold from here.
Posted by BillyBudd at August 2, 2005 07:53 AM | TrackBackBB, just an FYI...at least on my Mac, where I use Safari, your right-sided column is covering about an inch or so of your text, making it ... challenging .. to read what your post says.
Posted by: esther at August 2, 2005 10:17 AMThe jury is out on this one for me. I think that they are also making an example of him. It reminds me of the whole fiasco over Geraldo when he released info (and rightfully so).
Posted by: gindy at August 2, 2005 02:15 PM