Why he writes "I"

"I see them bleed, I see them die, I see them cry for their friends, and then I see them go right back out there on missions, and I see them caring for Iraqi people and killing the enemy. I feel the fire from the explosions, and am lucky, very lucky, still to be alive. Everything here is first person." - from Glenn Reynold's interview of Michael Yon

If you're not already familiar with Michael Yon: Online Magazine, read the interview first. When done many still won't know who he is.

Do you recall the photograph of the the little girl, blooodsplattered and dying, cradled in the arms of the Marine after a terrorist blast in Iraq?

That's Michael Yon.

Not affiliated with any media organization, Yon has been writing since January about what he sees in Iraq. And he doesn't file copy, either. Whether it's the soldiers he's with or people he's spent time with in remote villages, Yon puts it up -- complete with photographs he's taken with his falling-apart camera -- at his blogspot site.

Blogspot? Yep.

And it's not always easy reading, but danged well worth it.