Line of Sight

“The White House”

On the Al Basrah Oil Terminal, the Iraqis live in what the Americans call "The White House."

On the Al Basrah Oil Terminal, the Iraqis live in what the Americans call "The White House."

Mmmmm…root beer

The crew of a RHIB (rigid hull inflatable boat) get a treat - a case of root beer - from the Al Basrah Oil Terminal off the coast of Iraq on Tuesday, August 11, 2009.

The crew of a RHIB (rigid hull inflatable boat) get a treat - a case of root beer - from the Al Basrah Oil Terminal off the coast of Iraq on Tuesday, August 11, 2009. The RHIB was from one of the many small boys surrounding the terminal.

ABOT wounds

The Al Basrah Oil Terminal is covered in scars from shrapnel, mortars, bullets...the salty sea air turns the jagged edges to rusty, brittle acne that catches your soles and sleeves and pant legs and slowly weakens the structure.

The Al Basrah Oil Terminal is covered in scars from shrapnel, mortars, bullets...the salty sea air turns the jagged edges to rusty, brittle acne that catches your soles and sleeves and pant legs and slowly weakens the structure.

081109nt_ABOT406

By All Means, Take Your Time

CAM_1460

Spc. Sklyer Wilson, from Emporia, Ks., 1-4 Cav, waits for a practice intravenous hookup to be fully completed during first aid training – the 1st Infantry Division is gearing up to deploy to Iraq, and everyone gets a few literal stabs at learning how to get the IV bag right.

The story behind our logo

Designed by artist Chris Broz, the “Line of Sight” logo shows a photo made by former staff photographer M. Scott Mahaskey of Staff Sgt. Shannon Kay engaged in a firefight with enemy forces in Mosul, Iraq. Some skeptics have suggested that the photo was doctored. With this blog, now many years later, the record can finally be set straight: Having lived that moment, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Staff Sgt Kay, during a hail of bullets and mortars…I can assure you that the moment was VERY real. For this day that I proudly witnessed, Staff Sgt. Kay was awarded the Silver Star.

Although wounded, Staff Sgt. Shannon Kay, of 1st Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment, fires on an enemy position after being attacked with a car bomb, Saturday, Dec. 11, 2004, in Mosul, Iraq. (AP Photo/Army Times, M. Scott Mahaskey, via USA Today)

Although wounded, Staff Sgt. Shannon Kay, of 1st Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment, fires on an enemy position after being attacked with a car bomb, Saturday, Dec. 11, 2004, in Mosul, Iraq. (AP Photo/Army Times, M. Scott Mahaskey, via USA Today)