Being an avid history student, I remember that one of the key differences between Viet Nam and the numerous wars that had preceded it was the role of the media. Not their presence, but their role. Every war had correspondents, but Viet Nam had them out with the troops reporting from the combat zones and successfully presenting a less sanitized version of war. I don’t need to go into the cultural ripple effect such reporting had.

It has continued to evolve. Now reporters are embedded with soldiers, not just observing them in action, but sharing their lives and their deaths. Yet, there are still gaps. Soldiers are the ones who physically make war, but they are far from the only group affected by it. The “civilians” far outnumber “combatants,” yet seem helpless to affect the outcome, or even be heard.

What about a blog?

If you have doubts about the efficacy of blogging—as a social force, a relay of emotions, or effective communication—I think the following silences most of those concerns.

Mana is in her mid-20s and has been blogging from her home in Beruit since the conflict began. Just hearing the details of her life during this chaos redefines my perception of what a war looks and feels like, not to mention the comments her posts generate…wow!