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"The true story of any conflict, from Gettysburg to Fallujah, is mostly lost forever, left behind on the battlefield. What remains is the stuff of history books - the letters and recollections of survivors. It is this material that seven Army historians are racing to preserve in Iraq. Judging the value of their work will fall to future academics, when their records are declassified. But until then, we have the accounts of participants in the project, like Lt. Col. John Boyd. Boyd talks with Brooke from Baghdad."

"The detachment, the first of its kind to validate at either JRTC or the National Training Center, Fort Irwin, Ca., is one of 25 other MHDs across the Army. According to Army Field Manual 1-20, Military History Operations, "A military history detachment is a small, independent unit that collects historical material to supplement the historical records of Army units in the field. MHDs consist of three Soldiers. "Within its geographic area of interest, the MHD is mobile and collects all relevant historical information. Continuous personal liaison with command elements keeps the MHD abreast of unit activities and allows it to provide historical advice and assistance. "The historical data gathered by the MHDs will be used to write the history of the U.S. Army. This history is used to inform the general public and provide civilian and military scholars with reliable, historical studies and source materials. It also will help provide the basis for developing future Army doctrine, training, leadership, organization, plans, as well as material and management techniques.""

"Historians will likely remember Operation Iraqi Freedom as iWar v1.0. The Web has done more than quicken reporting from the battlefield; it has made war interactive. Al-Qaeda militants, conservative bloggers, peace activists, Iraqi civilians and the U.S. military all use the Internet to distribute their versions of the truth. They often engage in e-mail debates, but more often sink to slurs and threats when challenging an opposing point of view. U.S. soldiers return from battle to their rooms or tents, boot up their laptops and log on to let their friends and family know they've made it through another day. If their base is large enough, the Internet service provider offers broadband, and they can make a video call home, watch news reports on the war or post their own versions of life in Iraq to their blogs. "I blog for the same reasons soldiers wrote letters and diaries during previous wars: to communicate with family and friends, (and) to maintain an honest record of our daily existence," wrote 1st Lt. Matt Gallagher, in response to an e-mail about his blog http://kaboomwarjournal.blogspot.com. "Blogging is simply a 21st century tool for a new generation of soldiers to utilize.""

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