When I created A Soldier’s Voice, I had no idea what I was getting into. Silly me. I thought I could create a blog and share stories from my heroes — the men and women serving in Afghanistan. Was I ever wrong.

According to Wired.com, the United States Army issued Army Regulation 530–1: Operations Security (OPSEC) on April 19, 2007. OPSEC requires Army personnel to “consult with their immediate supervisor” before posting a document “that might contain sensitive and/or critical information in a public forum.” The directive includes web log (blog) postings, comments on internet message boards, and letters home.

Funny thing is, Wired.com includes a link where individuals can download the OPSEC document. The first page of OPSEC contains a Distribution Restriction Statement, informing readers this is for Official Government Use Only. The closing paragraph includes a Destruction Notice, informing recipients to “destroy by any method that will prevent disclosure or reconstruction of the document.”

A quick search on Google turns up multiple places where individuals can download a copy of OPSEC. If someone wants a copy of this official government document, it’s certainly not hard to locate. From what I understand the purpose of the directive is to keep information out of the terrorists hands, so why is it so easy to obtain the OPSEC document that clearly states it is for Official Government Use Only? And, why must our soldiers jump through hoops to express their opinions?

Defend America, an official Defense Department Website offers an OPSEC primer at http://www.defendamerica.mil/articles/a021202b.html. In a nutshell, OPSEC is about protecting information to prevent leaks which could cause harm to the troops. I’m all for that, aren’t you? But, the language of OPSEC is so vague that soldiers are afraid to say anything for fear it will result in a court martial. In essence, OPSEC silences their voices.

As a freelance writer, I too must adhere to OPSEC. I have no desire to have Homeland Security or DOD personnel showing up at my door, dragging me away as I protest I meant no harm. While I may need to adjust the theme of A Soldier’s Voice, my mission is the same — bring attention to the soldiers serving in Afghanistan and ensure they are NOT forgotten.