Letters home is a tradition as old as the military itself. Since the days of the Revolutionary War, families have awaited word of their loved ones serving their country both at home and abroad. During the two World Wars this tradition become more important, as hundreds of thousands of sons and daughters huddled in fox holes, hospital wards and leaky tents to pen those important words back to those anxiously waiting their return.

These days wars are fought with high tech weapons and smart bombs, but the technological advances do not end there. The communication to loved ones back home has taken a quantum leap as well, with the introduction of electronic information. These days soldiers email their families and some even create “blogs” which are modern Internet sites where individuals post their thoughts and ideas. These “blogs” allow not just their family members, but anyone else who would like to log in to check up on how things are going with the troops. When you consider that regular mail takes 7-10 days between Iraq and the states, these electronic communications are quite an advancement over the traditional methods.

First Lieutenant Jeff Barnett, son of Jimmy Barnett of Dept. 33 Plant 21 is currently deployed to Fallujah, Iraq with the Marines 1st Radio Battalion from Camp Pendleton, California. Jeff is 25 years old and has been married to his wife Christina for five years. He enlisted in the Marines after graduating from UAH two and half years ago with a degree in mechanical engineering.

His unit arrived in Iraq in February and will be there for seven months. Jeff started the “blog” about his day-to-day life in Iraq and about his gaming activities (he is an avid X Box fan). Jeff’s post were so interesting, he was contacted by the New York Times about including them in their daily Frontlines Section, which is dispatches from U.S. soldiers in Iraq. The New York Times website has a area just for these dispatches and Jeff was invited to have his post included for a month. As a matter of fact, the March 07, 2006 edition of the New York Times featured Jeff on the cover as well as on the opening page of their website. The blog is under the Times Select portion of the website and requires a paid subscription. However, Jeff is still posting to his blog, which can be found for free at http://midnight.hushedcasket.com. Jeff’s nickname for playing the popular video game Halo is Midnight, so that is where his handle comes from.

The blog contains very thoughtful insights to the day-to-day life of our service personnel serving in Iraq. Jeff has a natural way of writing that paints a vivid picture of living amidst a culture so very different from our own while dealing with the daily challenges of military life. His post include subjects such as the daily menu of the troops, keeping your laundry straight and a sale on panties at the PX for a dime (you’ll have to read that one for yourself). One post is devoted to following a day in the life of our troops. His record begins with a 6:00AM wake up and continues until lights out at 10:00PM. Most of the posts are very funny but still insightful.

“I haven’t been able to speak with Jeff on the phone since he left for Iraq,” Dad Jimmy states. “The blog is a real comfort to the family, because each night I go home and check up on it just to see that he is alright. You don’t realize how much you can miss them until they are so far away from you. I can tell you from personal experience that having a child in a war zone is difficult to get used to. All day long the question of their safety runs through your mind and it is comforting to get home and see that new blog entry and to know he is ok.

Another thing I enjoy is reading the replies from the people around the country who comment on his post. Many of the comments are replies to some of the more hilarious items he post, but sometimes it is someone simply letting him know they are praying for him. As a parent, it does my heart good to know that people who don’t even know Jeff are interested in his safe return.”

Jimmy recently had to hunt down a copy of the print version of the New York Times with Jeff’s photo in it. He has also had to shell out a few dollars more to subscribe to the New Times Select portion of their website to read Jeff’s daily post there. The Times require his post for them to be exclusives so to get the whole story Jimmy gladly puts the money up. “It was a real honor for Jeff to be asked to participate in this special section of the New York Times. I told him it would look good on a resume when he gets out of the core. We are proud of and will be glad when he returns stateside later in the year,” Jimmy adds.

You can find Jeff’s blog at http://midnight.hushedcasket.com and even leave him a message. Let him know the folks back home are thinking about him and praying for his safe return. Oh yeah, you can even inquire about the current sale items at the PX!