Doonesbury-The Sandbox-Military Blog, Milblogs for Military Families

GWOT hot wash, straight from the wire

The Sandbox was a forum for service members who were serving in Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere, and for returned vets, spouses, and caregivers. The Sandbox's main focus was not on policy and partisanship, but on the unclassified details of deployment - the everyday, the extraordinary, the wonderful, the messed-up, the absurd.

April 30, 2014

Name: David Stanford, Duty Officer
Email: [email protected]

Launched as a milblog (military blog) by Doonesbury creator Garry Trudeau in October 2006, for seven and a half years The Sandbox served as a forum for service members stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan (and a few other GWOT locations), and for veterans who had returned, their spouses and caregivers. Throughout its run The Sandbox was a combination of original writing sent directly to us and posts gathered from existing milblogs. Some contributors only wrote one piece, others contributed dozens through multiple deployments. Some continued to weigh in long after their return home, chronicling the transition back to civilian life, including in some cases dealing with their wounds and losses.

A major goal of this project was to help connect people on both sides of the gap described in this 2007 post: THE CHASM.

The Sandbox contains over 800 posts by more than 150 contributors. It is a vast body of work -- the equivalent of three-and-a-half Lord of the Rings trilogies. You will be rewarded for roaming and exploring its depths.

Some of the posts from the last few months were written by longtime contributors in response to our LAST CALL, and at the end of each of those are links to older posts by the same writers. These offer one way to begin exploring the site. You can also navigate around using the calendar links in the right margin. In future we hope to add the capability to search by author.

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Garry Trudeau announced the launch of The Sandbox with this Doonesbury strip:

A few months later, he followed up with another Sandbox strip:

In the fall of 2007, the publishing arm of Doonesbury's syndicate published this anthology of Sandbox writing, which contained posts from the first 42 contributors:

BOOKS BY SANDBOX CONTRIBUTORS:

Welcome to Afghanistan: Send More Ammo; The Tragicomic Art of Making War as an Embedded Trainer in the Afghan National Army, by Benjamin Tupper

Kaboom! : Embracing the Suck in a Savage Little War, by Matt Gallagher

Fire and Forget: Short Stories, Edited by Roy Scranton and Matt Gallagher

Fire in the Night: Creative Essays from an Iraq War Vet, by Lee Kelley

When I Wished I Was Here: Dispatches from Fallujah, by Derek McGee

Here, Bullet, by Brian Turner

Northern Disclosure, by Toby James Nunn

(Please let me know if/when there are other titles to add to this list.)

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Lieutenant G gives it a shot. Hilarity ensues:

The Sandbox has been one of the most satisfying projects of my 35-year career as an editor. To all who contributed, thank you, for your service and your words. I am grateful for the friendships made here.

Onward!

Comments

I need guys to go to my petition to sign up for dental care.

https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/honorable-discharged-veterans-need-dental-care/kTlD0szw

Posted by: Stephon Shakir | July 08, 2014 at 01:23 PM

we are with you are understand everything you have been doing.

Posted by: oscar uyamadu | October 08, 2014 at 11:37 AM

It's nice to see time set aside to have some enjoyment! Thank you all for all you do for us, it is greatly appreciated! Each and every one of you will be in our thoughts and prayers.

Posted by: errikka | October 12, 2014 at 02:39 PM

Thank you for all you do for our country and our freedom! It is great to see that a little fun is fit into such a stressful job. We support you!

Posted by: Ciana | October 12, 2014 at 09:21 PM

help me and my old unit i deployed with have a reunion we havent saw each other since we returned from deployment over 10 years ago any thing will help

http://www.gofundme.com/ptfqbc

Posted by: jason | March 25, 2015 at 07:10 AM

If you fall behind, run faster. Never give up, never surrender, and rise up against the odds. Cara menghilangkan benjolan di ketiak

Posted by: Cara menghilangkan benjolan di ketiak | April 16, 2015 at 09:21 PM

!! REMEMBER 1 JAN 2016 All VETERANS FLY YOUR FLAG UPSIDE DOWN FOR THE DURESS!!
I call out to all American Veterans on 1 Jan 2016 For one day displaying this is the military way of saying we are under dress YOUR FLAG UPSIDE DOWN (for Duress) We are under siege (ANYONE THAT SAYS THIS IS WRONG ARE NOT FOR THE VETS BUT ON THE VA'S SIDE AS TO KEEP THE STATUS QUO). the VA is covering up and will continue the same methods as before. but if
20 million Flags are in DURESS across our country Our Washington Representative will have to act properly or be replaced... Hillery is not our friend and neither is Bill
I'm a disabled vet (I got my Paper work and regesterd in the VA as such) service connected i have been the system since 1986
As one of my service officer of the VVA told me once, the people running the VA are
not Vets (SOME ARE AND SHAME ON THEM), and they believe it is their money.
The district offices make all decisions on all aspects of the VA mainly to
determine Disability ratings for the VET's in their arena of influence. They
are like any Insurance Company !!! Deny Deny Deny !!!, and hope you
go away and give up trying. !!DON'T GIVE UP KEEP APPEALING..!! Now they
give out 142 million dollars for bonuses to the employees who take
advantage of VET's, How many doctors or nurses could they have hired.
!! REMEMBER 1 JAN 2016 FLY YOUR FLAG UPSIDE DOWN FOR THE DURESS!!
THE VA (THE WHOLE (THE NEW CASTERS ARE LYING WHEN THEY SAY VET'S ARE HAPPY
WITH THE SERVICE(COME TO DETROIT)) If you don't think I'm right, don't do
it, and get what you get as a Single Vet applying for VA benefits( I had
the VVA fight with me for 14 years this is all documented) REMEMBER 1 JAN
2016 WE ARE UNDER DURESS From BOLD FACE LIES FROM OUR WASHINGTON REPRESENTATIVES
!! REMEMBER 1 JAN 2016 FLY YOUR FLAG UPSIDE DOWN FOR THE DURESS!! One Day
Lets get something straight I would in no way dishoner our flag, but this is the military way of say we are under dress, and FOR One Day will show US as Real People who need care Vets help Vets ( Tom Cornfield)