Major Paul Smith - Blogging from the Battlefield: The View from the Front Line in Afghanistan

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning,

we will remember them.

Proceeds from the sale of this book are being donated to The Royal British Legion

To my wife Becky and daughters Jessica and Annabel for
their unconditional support

Air Marshal Sir Stuart Peach KCB, CBE

Chief of Joint Operations, Permanent Joint Headquarters (PJHQ)

While the nature of conflict has remained constant over the centuries, its character is always evolving, and no more so than in the field of communications. The blistering rate of technological advances in recent years has had a huge effect on military operations and Afghanistan is no exception.

In an age where events can be broadcast within seconds, the information highway is becoming a new front line. This means that we all have a real responsibility to ensure that the voice of truth is the overwhelming sound heard across the world. This is easier said than done when so much remains unverified. Trust in information is all.

Therefore, for the past few years the team at Permanent Joint Headquarters has been leading the way in the field of operational communications and they have opened up our deployed forces and made them far more transparent than ever before.

Soft power and non-kinetic effects are of increasing importance vital even in todays conflict and we are working hard to make sure we worry more about what actions are communicated than how to communicate our actions.

Blogging from the Battlefield is a result of that approach to harness technology and engage with audiences all over the world. Born from the Helmand Blog, which was then rebranded UKForcesAfghan, this book mirrors the content of the most successful new media project ever deployed on operations by the British military; I commend it to all.

But remember, without the brave servicemen and women who make up our armed forces and who are committed to the campaign in Afghanistan, there would be no blog and no book. This book serves as a simple reminder of the courage and sacrifice of our soldiers, sailors and airmen who work tirelessly on our behalf to build a better future.

Lieutenant General Sir John Kiszely KCB, MC

National President of The Royal British Legion

In its 90th year, the work of The Royal British Legion remains as essential as ever. The Legion is Britains most recognised and respected charity, with an active membership of over 350,000 men and women spread throughout 2,800 official branches worldwide. It has a universally recognised emblem in the poppy, and millions of people across the UK wear it with pride during the weeks leading up to Remembrance Sunday each year.

When the Legion was formed in 1921 it had three ambitions which remain relevant to this day: to campaign on behalf of Service personnel and veterans; to provide welfare for those formerly in the Services and their families; and to ensure the nation embraced the act of Remembrance. Ninety years after the introduction of an annual Remembrance Day, the make-up of British society may well be changing, but the respect we still hold for those who serve and make sacrifices including the ultimate sacrifice remains.

The Royal British Legion is honoured to support this book, and the unique insights it provides. We hope it will encourage a younger generation to remember and support the Armed Forces.

This book is an example of how the rise of technology and blogging in particular can provide an outlet for serving personnel in the field to write about their experiences and their relationships, allowing them to feel connected to the wider world.

As readers, we are given a glimpse into the daily routines and the highs and lows of life on the front line, gaining insight into a wide range of aspects of the daily lives of military personnel on active duty from combat, to relationships with the local population or within regiments, to issues of diversity in the Armed Forces. We view the entire spectrum of life in the military.

A comparison can be drawn with those in the world wars who kept diaries, wrote letters and poetry to send home to their loved ones. They were separated by thousands of miles from their families with only a postal service to rely upon. Today technology is helping to close the gap. While technology helps to bring them closer together with their loved ones, however, our military personnel on operations remain just as physically distant and separated as their predecessors of nearly a century earlier.

As a result, we get an unprecedented insight into the realities of life on modern operations and the opportunity to draw some parallels with our own lives. In doing so, it helps us to understand the sacrifices made by the military, and the debt that we, as a grateful nation, owe to them.

I congratulate Major Paul Smyth on bringing together this insightful and unique collection of internet writing. He has rescued these accounts from the digital realm and given them a home in print where they will form a part of history for generations to come.

It goes without saying that the greatest thanks go to the soldiers, sailors and airmen who contributed to the vast array of media operations activities over the course of the tour. Without their willingness to step forward and articulate what was happening around them, our understanding of the campaign would be limited.

PJHQ Media Ops

Group Captain Adrian Maddox

Tricia Quiller-Croasdell

Major Iain Bayliss

Squadron Leader Jason Eastham

Helmand Media Ops

Lieutenant Colonel David Wakefield

Lieutenant Colonel Rosie Stone

Major William Barron

Squadron Leader Dee Taylor

Lieutenant Sally Armstrong

Captain Philip Atkinson

Captain James Horspool

Captain Julian Allen

Staff Sergeant Stu McKenzie

Staff Sergeant Mark Jones

Staff Sergeant Matt Woodhouse

Sergeant Bob Seely

Sergeant Rob Knight

Sergeant Keith Kotton

Corporal Lynny Cash

Lance Corporal Sean Hayes

Darragh McElroy

The Royal British Legion

The Royal British Legion was formed after the First World War, which was the war to end all wars. But war and conflict have continued.

The Royal British Legion is the leading UK charity providing direct, practical support to the British Armed Forces and their families. The past ten years of conflict have increased the need for that help, both today and for the years to come. As a serving soldier, I know all too well how important the work of The Royal British Legion is and in its 90th year, I can think of no more deserving organisation to benefit from the proceeds from the sale of this book.

Major Paul Smyth, RIFLES

Blogging from the Battlefield was born out of the social media experimentation that a Territorial Army soldier and career public relations professional, Major Paul Smyth, developed while called up on operations. After transferring to the Territorial Army in 2007, and having spent just six months serving with the Media Operations Group (Volunteers), he volunteered to deploy with 2 RIFLES to Kosovo in May 2008. On his return, Permanent Joint Headquarters deployed him first to Iraq and then to Afghanistan. What started as a one-month mobilisation to Kosovo ended up at just less than three years of service. During that time he has fought to bring the UK militarys communications into the twenty-first century, introducing the work of the services in Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan to audiences all over the world via media channels that have never been used by the military on operations before, and embracing the world of social media.