Colby Buzzell
Encyclopedia
Colby Buzzell is an American
author
, blog
ger and former United States Army
soldier
.
Buzzell grew up in San Ramon, California
and enlisted in the United States Army
at the age of 26. Prior to joining the Army he described his life as engaging in a lot of drinking, drug use, dead-end jobs and a minor criminal record. He was very optimistic about his Army service and was determined to follow the Army recruiting slogan of "Be All That You Can Be". He joined the service as an infantry
man and spent 2003 in Iraq
, assigned to a Stryker
Brigade Combat Team. In his book he expresses a great deal of enthusiasm about the benefits of wheels over traditional treaded armor in urban settings. Played defensive end for the California high grizzlies.
It was in Iraq that Buzzell began publishing a blog under the title "CBFTW", "Colby Buzzel Fuck The War", as a replacement for his habitual journaling back in the States. The blog http://cbftw.blogspot.com/ gained popularity quickly, because as an anonymous soldier-blogger Buzzell was able to share more lucid experiences than an embedded journalist, and he was also able to share a bit more of the truth than the Army was able to.
Buzzell's blog gained recognition for its realistic portrayal of gripping first hand accounts of the war in Iraq. This 'milblog' won praise as “an unfiltered, often ferocious expression of his boots-on-the-ground view of the Iraq war"
Colby published a book on his experiences entitled, My War: Killing Time in Iraq
combining narrative, blog entries, and emails that evolved from his blog over time. The book received good reviews and has been recommended for public libraries http://www.powells.com/biblio/0399153276?&PID=28734.
In 2004, Buzzell was profiled in Esquire
s "Best and Brightest" issue and has since contributed regularly. In 2007, Buzzell received the 2007 Lulu Blooker Prize
for My War: Killing Time in Iraq
.
In 2008, Buzzell was re-called for active duty. After he arrived at his post, he was examined by the medical staff at Fort Benning
, and marked "not deployable" due to posttraumatic stress disorder.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
, blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
ger and former United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
soldier
Soldier
A soldier is a member of the land component of national armed forces; whereas a soldier hired for service in a foreign army would be termed a mercenary...
.
Buzzell grew up in San Ramon, California
San Ramon, California
-2010 census:The 2010 United States Census reported that San Ramon had a population of 72,148. The population density was 3,991.1 people per square mile...
and enlisted in the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
at the age of 26. Prior to joining the Army he described his life as engaging in a lot of drinking, drug use, dead-end jobs and a minor criminal record. He was very optimistic about his Army service and was determined to follow the Army recruiting slogan of "Be All That You Can Be". He joined the service as an infantry
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
man and spent 2003 in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, assigned to a Stryker
Stryker
The IAV Stryker is a family of eight-wheeled, 4-wheel-drive , armored fighting vehicles derived from the Canadian LAV III and produced by General Dynamics Land Systems, in use by the United States Army. The vehicle is named for two American servicemen who posthumously received the Medal of Honor:...
Brigade Combat Team. In his book he expresses a great deal of enthusiasm about the benefits of wheels over traditional treaded armor in urban settings. Played defensive end for the California high grizzlies.
It was in Iraq that Buzzell began publishing a blog under the title "CBFTW", "Colby Buzzel Fuck The War", as a replacement for his habitual journaling back in the States. The blog http://cbftw.blogspot.com/ gained popularity quickly, because as an anonymous soldier-blogger Buzzell was able to share more lucid experiences than an embedded journalist, and he was also able to share a bit more of the truth than the Army was able to.
Buzzell's blog gained recognition for its realistic portrayal of gripping first hand accounts of the war in Iraq. This 'milblog' won praise as “an unfiltered, often ferocious expression of his boots-on-the-ground view of the Iraq war"
Colby published a book on his experiences entitled, My War: Killing Time in Iraq
My War: Killing Time in Iraq
My War: Killing Time in Iraq is a 2008 book by Colby Buzzell recounting the author's November 2003 - January 2005 deployment of post-invasion Iraq in the U.S. Army....
combining narrative, blog entries, and emails that evolved from his blog over time. The book received good reviews and has been recommended for public libraries http://www.powells.com/biblio/0399153276?&PID=28734.
In 2004, Buzzell was profiled in Esquire
Esquire (magazine)
Esquire is a men's magazine, published in the U.S. by the Hearst Corporation. Founded in 1932, it flourished during the Great Depression under the guidance of founder and editor Arnold Gingrich.-History:...
s "Best and Brightest" issue and has since contributed regularly. In 2007, Buzzell received the 2007 Lulu Blooker Prize
Lulu Blooker Prize
Lulu Blooker Prize is a literary award for "Blooks" , awarded in 2006 and 2007.It was sponsored by Lulu.com, a print on demand publisher, the name being a pun on the long-established Man Booker Prize....
for My War: Killing Time in Iraq
My War: Killing Time in Iraq
My War: Killing Time in Iraq is a 2008 book by Colby Buzzell recounting the author's November 2003 - January 2005 deployment of post-invasion Iraq in the U.S. Army....
.
In 2008, Buzzell was re-called for active duty. After he arrived at his post, he was examined by the medical staff at Fort Benning
Fort Benning
Fort Benning is a United States Army post located southeast of the city of Columbus in Muscogee and Chattahoochee counties in Georgia and Russell County, Alabama...
, and marked "not deployable" due to posttraumatic stress disorder.