Profiling a Milblogger: Jami from AmericanBabble.com
Jami from AmericanBabble.com took the time to provide some great answers this week for our ongoing features on female MilBloggers. Thanks for taking the time to talk to us here on VAMC’s You Served Jami!
You Served: What led you to be a Mil Blogger?
Jami: I had been in the National Guard for 5 years before I was deployed to Iraq in 2005. I never thought about blogging until my deployment to the Middle East. I think I started maintaining a blog mostly to keep in touch with everyone back home. I knew they would be worrying
about how I was or what I was doing. Even though I wasn’t able to update my blog during that deployment as much as I do today, I think it still helped people understand what was going on with me and with the war in Iraq.
Part of me also maintained the blog to help document the experience. Today I’m so glad that I did! Memories tend to fade and distort with time. It’s my own personal time capsule.
YS: Do you feel that being a female Mil Blogger adds a unique perspective to your blog? If yes, how so?
J: I think that the vast majority of my blogging could have easily have been written by a male soldier. But I think the simple fact that I am a female soldier writer, regardless of what I write, makes it unique. I don’t believe that my writing speaks in any particular female voice. It’s simply another soldier’s perspective.
YS: In what ways did your time in Iraq change your perspectives?
J: When I arrived in the Middle East, I instantly recognized how sheltered I was as an American. This alone opened my eyes beyond anything else that had previously happened to me in my life. I also realized that being gone from home for so long taught me the importance of self reliance. I could also see what it really meant to be poor and it left me with disdain towards America’s culture of materialism. Most importantly, my time in Iraq changed my perspective on life and it helped me understand the importance of living it with fervor.
YS: What is the main message you seek to share with visitors to your blog?
J: I write mostly observational posts. With that being said, I suppose my main message would be for people to take a moment to let these observations roll around in their heads so that they can see that the world isn’t so black and white.
YS: What have you learned from your experience as a Mil Blogger?
J: I’ve learned that writing publicly is both fulfilling and intrusive. Sometimes I forget that it’s more than just myself who can read the posts. The first time a stranger approached me to talk about my blog in person, (specifically about a few emotional posts) I didn’t quite know how to react. It’s an unusual feeling knowing that the stranger in front of you knows you far better than you know them.
YS: What advice would you give to a woman who wants to start her own MilBlog?
J: Try to write as honestly as possible but be mindful of the eyes who will be reading it. Also, for every negative comment you may get, you’ll received 10 more positive ones. Be sure you allow those 10 positive comments to out weight the one measly negative one.
