Wesley Morgan
@wesleymorgan.bsky.social
Writing about America’s post-9/11 wars
https://linktr.ee/wesleysmorgan
Author of THE HARDEST PLACE
https://tinyurl.com/yh9kbh5f
Please be either informative or funny in your replies
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https://linktr.ee/wesleysmorgan
Author of THE HARDEST PLACE
https://tinyurl.com/yh9kbh5f
Please be either informative or funny in your replies
Signal wesmorgan.01
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Wesley Morgan
@wesleymorgan.bsky.social
· Feb 25
My Afghanistan war book THE HARDEST PLACE is approaching its four-year anniversary.
Since I’ve mostly migrated from Twitter to Bluesky, over the next few months I’m going to recreate here a long thread of photos that many readers have enjoyed scrolling through as an accompaniment to the book.
Since I’ve mostly migrated from Twitter to Bluesky, over the next few months I’m going to recreate here a long thread of photos that many readers have enjoyed scrolling through as an accompaniment to the book.
Thread of photos illustrating THE HARDEST PLACE, sorted by chapter:
If you took one of these photos, let me know! Most were shared with me by unit commanders as part of big dumps of deployment photos, but I’d love to credit the individual veterans who took them.
If you took one of these photos, let me know! Most were shared with me by unit commanders as part of big dumps of deployment photos, but I’d love to credit the individual veterans who took them.
Happy to see a connection formed between Christmas and Cheez-Its. When my brother was a toddler and started hearing about “Baby Jesus” at Christmas time, he thought it was “Baby Cheez-Its.” thelicensingletter.com/cheez-it-cre...
Cheez-It Creates a Savory Twist on the Gingerbread House
TLL Staff A holiday staple is getting a bold new twist this year, as Cookies United and Cheez-It unveiled the Cheez-It Holiday House Kit, a limited-edition tak
thelicensingletter.com
November 11, 2025 at 6:57 AM
Happy to see a connection formed between Christmas and Cheez-Its. When my brother was a toddler and started hearing about “Baby Jesus” at Christmas time, he thought it was “Baby Cheez-Its.” thelicensingletter.com/cheez-it-cre...
Reposted by Wesley Morgan
I'm trying to imagine what AQI jihadist al-Sharaa would say if you told him while detained in Camp Bucca that "Someday, you will meet the host of the #1 rated American gameshow, The Apprentice, in the Oval Office."
November 11, 2025 at 12:33 AM
I'm trying to imagine what AQI jihadist al-Sharaa would say if you told him while detained in Camp Bucca that "Someday, you will meet the host of the #1 rated American gameshow, The Apprentice, in the Oval Office."
We need a big-screen Sharaa/Jolani biopic. Sacha Baron-Cohen the obvious casting choice, but I hear Daniel Day Lewis is back from retirement too…
You spend your adult life fighting against a dictator with opulent, garish tastes. You finally prevail and walk the insides of the dictator’s abandoned palaces: gaudy, obscene, covered in gold bought with the people’s money.
And then the next thing you know…
And then the next thing you know…
November 10, 2025 at 11:20 PM
We need a big-screen Sharaa/Jolani biopic. Sacha Baron-Cohen the obvious casting choice, but I hear Daniel Day Lewis is back from retirement too…
You spend your adult life fighting against a dictator with opulent, garish tastes. You finally prevail and walk the insides of the dictator’s abandoned palaces: gaudy, obscene, covered in gold bought with the people’s money.
And then the next thing you know…
And then the next thing you know…
November 10, 2025 at 11:11 PM
You spend your adult life fighting against a dictator with opulent, garish tastes. You finally prevail and walk the insides of the dictator’s abandoned palaces: gaudy, obscene, covered in gold bought with the people’s money.
And then the next thing you know…
And then the next thing you know…
“The filings for the proposed campaign explain that the messages will reach their audience through ‘the largest geofencing campaign in U.S. history’—a pitch to map the physical perimeters of every major church and Christian college in California, Arizona, Nevada, and Colorado during worship hours”
Losing the Republican base, Israel pours millions to target Evangelicals and churchgoers
Contracts Between Israel and Trump-linked Firms Reveal Campaigns and Plans to Target Millions of U.S. Churchgoers, Deploy Bots, Hire Influencers and Try to Make ChatGPT More pro-Israel
www.haaretz.com
November 10, 2025 at 7:59 PM
“The filings for the proposed campaign explain that the messages will reach their audience through ‘the largest geofencing campaign in U.S. history’—a pitch to map the physical perimeters of every major church and Christian college in California, Arizona, Nevada, and Colorado during worship hours”
Reposted by Wesley Morgan
Instead, here’s a happy birthday to all my Marine friends, and to the other Marines I’ve met from Ramadi and Sangin to Hawaii and Okinawa.
November 10, 2025 at 4:41 PM
Instead, here’s a happy birthday to all my Marine friends, and to the other Marines I’ve met from Ramadi and Sangin to Hawaii and Okinawa.
The past 30 years, I always called my Grandpa Don on Nov 10 to wish him a happy USMC birthday. He grew up without running water, and enlisting in the Marines, and then returning after college as an officer, dramatically changed the trajectory of his life. He died in Sept at age 96. Miss you, Marine.
November 10, 2025 at 4:06 PM
The past 30 years, I always called my Grandpa Don on Nov 10 to wish him a happy USMC birthday. He grew up without running water, and enlisting in the Marines, and then returning after college as an officer, dramatically changed the trajectory of his life. He died in Sept at age 96. Miss you, Marine.
Reposted by Wesley Morgan
I understand this argument but I disagree: being precise about who is doing this stuff matters, especially since we will eventually have to determine what to do in the future if reform becomes possible.
I somewhat agree with you about political messaging, but that’s not what I’m trying to do.
I somewhat agree with you about political messaging, but that’s not what I’m trying to do.
It's fine and good to note that CBP is extra bad, but from a political messaging point of view, ICE is the way people identify the larger group and being Technically Correct is often just bad political messaging. It's ICE to the public. They're all on the same Gestapo mission.
Not ICE. Border Patrol. They’re wearing Border Patrol uniforms with clear Border Patrol patches on them.
There are many videos of ICE officers doing outrageous stuff but a lot of the absolute worst videos are of Border Patrol, who are basically Bovino and Miller’s most aggressive tool right now.
There are many videos of ICE officers doing outrageous stuff but a lot of the absolute worst videos are of Border Patrol, who are basically Bovino and Miller’s most aggressive tool right now.
November 8, 2025 at 4:53 PM
I understand this argument but I disagree: being precise about who is doing this stuff matters, especially since we will eventually have to determine what to do in the future if reform becomes possible.
I somewhat agree with you about political messaging, but that’s not what I’m trying to do.
I somewhat agree with you about political messaging, but that’s not what I’m trying to do.
The person to follow if you want to learn about the actual nuts and bolts of the various evolving DHS organizations carrying out anti-immigrant operations in the United States, not just broad strokes and “messaging,” is @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social
Not ICE. Border Patrol. They’re wearing Border Patrol uniforms with clear Border Patrol patches on them.
There are many videos of ICE officers doing outrageous stuff but a lot of the absolute worst videos are of Border Patrol, who are basically Bovino and Miller’s most aggressive tool right now.
There are many videos of ICE officers doing outrageous stuff but a lot of the absolute worst videos are of Border Patrol, who are basically Bovino and Miller’s most aggressive tool right now.
ICE agents in Chicago violently detain a non verbal autistic man for being “non compliant”
He couldn’t “comply” because of his disability…they don’t care
This is not the first time they’ve gone after a disabled person
They target the most vulnerable because it’s an easy way to meet their quota
He couldn’t “comply” because of his disability…they don’t care
This is not the first time they’ve gone after a disabled person
They target the most vulnerable because it’s an easy way to meet their quota
November 8, 2025 at 9:29 PM
The person to follow if you want to learn about the actual nuts and bolts of the various evolving DHS organizations carrying out anti-immigrant operations in the United States, not just broad strokes and “messaging,” is @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social
Reposted by Wesley Morgan
And a good Q&A between the reporter and her editor, on how she tracked these guys down.
apnews.com/article/trum...
apnews.com/article/trum...
What a reporter found when she investigated US military strikes on Venezuelan drug boats
Regina Garcia Cano was the reporter behind The Associated Press’ story that provided the first comprehensive account and identifies of some of the men killed in recent U.S. military strikes on alleged...
apnews.com
November 7, 2025 at 1:07 PM
And a good Q&A between the reporter and her editor, on how she tracked these guys down.
apnews.com/article/trum...
apnews.com/article/trum...
Reposted by Wesley Morgan
AP reporter Regina Garcia Cano looked into a few of the men killed in Trump's extrajudicial strikes on Caribbean boats.
"They were laborers, a fisherman, a taxi driver. Two were low-level career criminals. One was a local crime boss who contracted out smuggling services"
apnews.com/article/trum...
"They were laborers, a fisherman, a taxi driver. Two were low-level career criminals. One was a local crime boss who contracted out smuggling services"
apnews.com/article/trum...
Trump has accused boat crews of being narco-terrorists. The truth, AP found, is more nuanced
One was a fisherman struggling to eke out a living on $100 a month. Another was a career criminal. A third was a former military cadet.
apnews.com
November 7, 2025 at 1:05 PM
AP reporter Regina Garcia Cano looked into a few of the men killed in Trump's extrajudicial strikes on Caribbean boats.
"They were laborers, a fisherman, a taxi driver. Two were low-level career criminals. One was a local crime boss who contracted out smuggling services"
apnews.com/article/trum...
"They were laborers, a fisherman, a taxi driver. Two were low-level career criminals. One was a local crime boss who contracted out smuggling services"
apnews.com/article/trum...
After US intelligence learned that IDF lawyers had found evidence of IDF war crimes in Gaza, the Biden admin “determined that it was still legal to continue supporting Israel…because the US had not gathered its *own* evidence that Israel was violating [LOAC]”
Could they not have…collected harder?
Could they not have…collected harder?
Exclusive: The US gathered intelligence last year that Israel’s military lawyers warned there was evidence that could support war crimes charges against Israel for its Gaza military campaign — operations reliant on US-supplied weapons, ex-US officials said reut.rs/4i7mXy9
November 7, 2025 at 10:02 PM
After US intelligence learned that IDF lawyers had found evidence of IDF war crimes in Gaza, the Biden admin “determined that it was still legal to continue supporting Israel…because the US had not gathered its *own* evidence that Israel was violating [LOAC]”
Could they not have…collected harder?
Could they not have…collected harder?
Latest Army general to be jammed up over alleged wokeness is Pat Work, who led the Ranger company that fast-roped into the Korengal to recover the bodies during Operation Red Wings and was the 82nd brigade commander who dug ISIS out of Mosul
November 7, 2025 at 4:08 PM
Latest Army general to be jammed up over alleged wokeness is Pat Work, who led the Ranger company that fast-roped into the Korengal to recover the bodies during Operation Red Wings and was the 82nd brigade commander who dug ISIS out of Mosul
I understand why conservationists rebranded them as “orcas” in the nineties so that people would love them and not fear them.* But it’s time to go back to “killer whales,” which does justice to their noble, lethal power.
They are perfect predators. Free Willy might be the most successful propaganda film of all time
November 7, 2025 at 3:28 PM
I understand why conservationists rebranded them as “orcas” in the nineties so that people would love them and not fear them.* But it’s time to go back to “killer whales,” which does justice to their noble, lethal power.
Reposted by Wesley Morgan
Reposted by Wesley Morgan
This needs to be a sign to tap: "Air power alone has rarely, if ever, succeeded in toppling a government without a friendly force on the ground"
'America’s actions are strangely contradictory. If Venezuela is a terrorist state, why has the United States ended the “temporary protected status” of some 600,000 Venezuelan asylum-seekers and sent some back to the narco-jihadists?' www.economist.com/the-americas...
War looms in Venezuela as Trump tests an “Americas First” doctrine
A gathering armada risks repeating the mistakes of the “war on terror”
www.economist.com
November 6, 2025 at 6:46 PM
This needs to be a sign to tap: "Air power alone has rarely, if ever, succeeded in toppling a government without a friendly force on the ground"
This is a visual angle on the destruction in Gaza that has been mostly missing: what the huge expanse of Gaza City that has received the IDF earthmover treatment actually looks like, not top-down but horizontally. The fully razed area of Shejaiya just stretches on and on—you can’t even see the…
November 6, 2025 at 4:44 PM
This is a visual angle on the destruction in Gaza that has been mostly missing: what the huge expanse of Gaza City that has received the IDF earthmover treatment actually looks like, not top-down but horizontally. The fully razed area of Shejaiya just stretches on and on—you can’t even see the…
The BBC visits an IDF outpost on the eastern edge of Gaza City:
“The Gaza of maps and memories is gone, replaced by a monochrome landscape of rubble stretching flat and still for 180 degrees…there's almost nothing left to orient you here or identify the neighbourhoods.”
“The Gaza of maps and memories is gone, replaced by a monochrome landscape of rubble stretching flat and still for 180 degrees…there's almost nothing left to orient you here or identify the neighbourhoods.”
Inside Gaza, BBC sees total devastation after two years of war
With endless rubble and destroyed streets as far as the eye can see, any plans for Gaza's future are a far cry from where it is today, writes Lucy Williamson.
www.bbc.com
November 6, 2025 at 4:34 PM
The BBC visits an IDF outpost on the eastern edge of Gaza City:
“The Gaza of maps and memories is gone, replaced by a monochrome landscape of rubble stretching flat and still for 180 degrees…there's almost nothing left to orient you here or identify the neighbourhoods.”
“The Gaza of maps and memories is gone, replaced by a monochrome landscape of rubble stretching flat and still for 180 degrees…there's almost nothing left to orient you here or identify the neighbourhoods.”
Reposted by Wesley Morgan
Ellis: [Bovino] admitted that he lied about whether a rock hit him before he deployed tear gas in Little Village."
November 6, 2025 at 4:23 PM
Ellis: [Bovino] admitted that he lied about whether a rock hit him before he deployed tear gas in Little Village."
Reposted by Wesley Morgan
Ellis turns to the testimony of U.S. Border Patrol chief Greg Bovino. How he denied using force against a man he tackled and said he didn't see the Rev. David Black hit by pepperballs.
"More telling," she says, "defendant Bovino admitted that he lied."
"More telling," she says, "defendant Bovino admitted that he lied."
November 6, 2025 at 4:22 PM
Ellis turns to the testimony of U.S. Border Patrol chief Greg Bovino. How he denied using force against a man he tackled and said he didn't see the Rev. David Black hit by pepperballs.
"More telling," she says, "defendant Bovino admitted that he lied."
"More telling," she says, "defendant Bovino admitted that he lied."
Reminds me of those award citations you sometimes see where it says the soldier “saved the lives of over 250 coalition troops” and the only conceivable logic is that that was the outpost’s total population and they’re assuming if he hadn’t stopped the shooter every single one of them would have died
Trump: "Every boat that we hit kills -- think of this, if it gets through -- kills 25,000 Americans plus."
November 5, 2025 at 7:56 PM
Reminds me of those award citations you sometimes see where it says the soldier “saved the lives of over 250 coalition troops” and the only conceivable logic is that that was the outpost’s total population and they’re assuming if he hadn’t stopped the shooter every single one of them would have died
Reposted by Wesley Morgan
A typically thorough and precise analysis by @mikeschmitt.bsky.social on @justsecurity.org, of the lawfulness of US threats to use force in Venezuela - concluding that the US is in a deepening hole of illegality.
www.justsecurity.org/123896/us-ve...
www.justsecurity.org/123896/us-ve...
U.S. Saber Rattling and Venezuela: Lawful Show of Force or Unlawful Threat of Force?
Clearly, U.S. actions are threatening to Venezuela. But do they amount to an unlawful threat under international law?
www.justsecurity.org
November 5, 2025 at 6:25 PM
A typically thorough and precise analysis by @mikeschmitt.bsky.social on @justsecurity.org, of the lawfulness of US threats to use force in Venezuela - concluding that the US is in a deepening hole of illegality.
www.justsecurity.org/123896/us-ve...
www.justsecurity.org/123896/us-ve...
So you’re telling me Curtis Sliwa and JoJo Siwa actually have slightly different last names and are *not* related. Huh
November 5, 2025 at 2:12 PM
So you’re telling me Curtis Sliwa and JoJo Siwa actually have slightly different last names and are *not* related. Huh
Reposted by Wesley Morgan
A new Bellingcat investigation geolocates the site of a mass killing near Al Fashir, Darfur. More than eighty bodies were found beside destroyed vehicles along an earthen berm built around the city.
www.bellingcat.com/news/2025/11...
www.bellingcat.com/news/2025/11...
Geolocating Darfur Killings of Those Escaping Al Fashir - bellingcat
Warning: Contains written descriptions of extreme violence including murder. All graphic footage has been omitted. A Bellingcat investigation has identified and verified the exact location of a mass k...
www.bellingcat.com
November 5, 2025 at 1:54 PM
A new Bellingcat investigation geolocates the site of a mass killing near Al Fashir, Darfur. More than eighty bodies were found beside destroyed vehicles along an earthen berm built around the city.
www.bellingcat.com/news/2025/11...
www.bellingcat.com/news/2025/11...
“The latest massacre marks a grim new chapter. ‘This is the first time I’ve seen satellite imagery pick up blood stains on this scale on the ground,’ said Kaamil.”
Sudan’s latest massacre has been exposed from satellite images – how much longer can the world look away?
In today’s newsletter: From the skies above El Fasher, analysts are uncovering evidence of mass killings – with questions raised about UAE involvement
www.theguardian.com
November 4, 2025 at 4:51 PM
“The latest massacre marks a grim new chapter. ‘This is the first time I’ve seen satellite imagery pick up blood stains on this scale on the ground,’ said Kaamil.”