The Daily Nightly began on May 31, 2005. As Brian wrote in his first post it aims to provide a narrative of the broadcast day and a window into the editorial process at NBC Nightly News. Brian weighs in every weekday and NBC News correspondents and producers post regularly.
Brian Williams became the seventh anchor and managing editor in the history of NBC Nightly News on December 2, 2004. Read his full biography.
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For the past few days this bureau and the small NBC bureau in Amman have been a hive of activity -- moving producers and crews from London and the U.S. into Baghdad, with tons of equipment necessary to go live from a remote location. I had no hand in any of it, only having arrived this weekend for a six-week period as bureau chief here. I flew in Friday night from London, after a brief vacation in Holland, where I was visiting my 92-year-old mother. She does not know I'm in Iraq. I've never told her, but call regularly from here, reporting on the weather in London after checking the Internet.
No longer was I spending a day relaxing in Amman after arriving at 05:30 on Saturday, I had to fly straight through to Baghdad. Several other producers and crews had arrived last Thursday. Sunday's flight would have most of the Nightly team, including Brian Williams and Gen. Wayne Downing. Plus 40-50 cases of gear, the last lot of which gave our Amman bureau chief headaches trying to book space on the few flights there are, and had our local staff here driving up and down the airport road as if they were cruising down State Street. We also moved our satellite uplink truck to Camp Victory. It's called OddJob, because it's the oddest looking old pickup with a satellite dish, nothing like the state of the art sat trucks your local TV station operates.
Amazingly, everything went pretty smoothly, and they're all here now, accredited to work (the military credentials office made an exception and did not force the whole team to come into the Green Zone personally!) and ready to go out tomorrow. Only one hiccup: one person had to fly back to Amman because he didn't have enough blank pages in his passport to take an Iraqi visa stamp!
Meanwhile, the bureau continues to cover the news. Tom Aspell will report for Nightly tonight on today's Operation Law Enforcement in Sadr City. We also went and visited a teenage boy who recently was injured in an explosion around the corner from our bureau. This is for a future story. He was seriously injured and will need weeks to recover. The boy was selling petrol from jerry cans and responsible for supporting his family of eight people. Now who's going to take care of them?
As I am writing this, there are a lot of big bangs in the distance, somewhere in Baghdad. It sounds like artillery, but we've not yet been able to find out what's going on. But it's clear I've returned to a war zone.
Read more from Brian Williams in Iraq, Truus Bos
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From Iraq...
Aloha,
I was stationed at Travis AFB in '66. I had just supported an airevac aircraft full of caskets. I then had to support a C-141 with a load of Marines from Camp Lejuene. NOT the "Hollywood Marines" from Pendleton.
And then these idiots marched off the aircraft in column of fours! Sharp butt stoopid.
So I beat these "mud Marines" over to the mess hall where I heard these idiots say "I can't wait to get to Viet Nam to kill a commie for Christ". Clueless!
And then I unloaded their caskets and helped unload their stretchers to our military hospital. And I loaded their broken bodies on aircraft so they could be near their "home of record".
War is serious shit. Butt, not to worry. The price of war is paid for in blood and treasure by "other people.
The next time you see a veteran, just say thank you for your service.
Definition of a "patriot". "One who loves and defends his country".
So Rummey was "too busy" to serve while he got his six deferments?
Thank you my fellow patriots. Your service counts.
FUBAR: "The blind, leading the incompetent doing the unnecessary".
"Shrub" got 340 total flying time according to the RNP. I got more than 340 hours flying time in the California Air National Guard each and every year for more than four years. My "Commander in Thief" was a "time bandit".
What people do NOT know is that to be an officer in the Air Guard requires 100% participation. Or you get your ass called up for active duty. I did my 100% as a non-obligated "prior-service" member. "Shrub" did much less. The Guard requires that every aircrew member fly more than 35 AFTPs, Additional Flying Training Periods. Usually on Tues. or Thurs. You do NOT want a pilot to fly supersonic jets that flies only once every five years.
I served my country, state, and community with honor for many years. If I had my druthers I would have preferred to watch Fox Noise Network and casted aspersions upon true patriots.
Aloha,
Hugo
Aloha,
Hugo
(Sent Mar 4, 2007 5:09:47 PM)
Aloha,
I eagerly await NBC news, and other news companies, to have a "Walter Cronkite moment" regarding war. Butt, they are more interested in selling feminine hygiene products and "Depends".
I spent two years on the flight line at Travis AFB, '65 and '66, unloading bodies, caskets and wounded. I know the price of war.
The price of war is something that is paid for by other people.
Aloha,
Hugh
Honolulu, HI
Hugh Dickson, Honolulu, HI (Sent Mar 4, 2007 4:17:54 PM)
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