OPSEC... Tried & True

This isn't exactly a new concept, but everyone has to learn it someday— particularly if you have a close relationship with the military or the U.S. government, as myself and many of my fellow mil•spouse bloggers do. I'm not going to leave mean comments on the blog that spurred this discussion amongst so many of the military blogs I read either... I honestly believe some people don't know or understand what OPSEC is. Maybe they think they do at first, but it isn't until something has happened to compromise our relationships with our deployed military that you really, really understand.

From firsthand experience on my fiancé's second deployment to Afghanistan right now, OPSEC has caused several platoons to lose communication for divulging information to their wives/girlfriends/family that they then posted to Facebook or Twitter or their blogs, or whatever. I also know of several Marines on this deployment who have been NJP'd due to the loose lips of their significant others. Our battalion was warned by our family readiness group that if the spouses and families did not stop sharing information, we would lose contact with our men for the duration of the deployment. Needless to say, I take OPSEC very seriously because losing communication with Joshua would be the worst thing to happen, since it's already so minimal!

For my non•military friends and readers, thank you for being so understanding when you ask me certain information online that I can't answer... things like when specifically Joshua is coming home, where specifically Joshua is, what specifically Joshua is doing. I'm very fortunate to have such a great support network and friends/family who understand the risks this could pose to Joshua and his Marines!

The "modernized" WWII posters above, I found in a random Google search. Most of the WWII posters below are from this site, which has these and many more. OPSEC was practiced then, and should be practiced now. Help keep our men safe!