Dislocating a shoulder to pat ourselves on the back...

...or, more precisely, to point you, gentle reader, to someone else patting us on the back, namely The Maple Leaf (23 April 2008, Vol. 11, No. 15):

Less than two years after its launch on the Internet, “The Torch” has received singular recognition within the Canadian blogosphere. The site was named the best military blog of 2007 at the Canadian Blog Awards, an annual event in which bloggers and blog readers vote on blog sites, overall or within categories.

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Although “The Torch” is aimed at informing the general Canadian public on Defence issues, a significant proportion of its visitors consists of politicians, public servants, academics, journalists, current or retired military members, and bloggers from the US.

“Anytime we can contribute to the national dialogue on Defence issues, it is in the best interest of the Department of National Defence,” says Mr. Brooks, adding that all but one of the contributors have had some military experience in one form or another.

For Mr. Brooks, blogging for “The Torch” has proven to be a rewarding experience. “The award is great, but getting email from serving members or veterans that say ‘thanks for setting a particular story straight’ mean more to me. You wouldn’t volunteer this much time and this much effort for no return unless there’s something intangible that you’re getting out of it.”

My thanks to the author of the article, Ms. Josée Houde, for portraying my remarks accurately and in context. My thanks to The Maple Leaf for noticing our little corner of the internet at all.

And last, but certainly not least, my thanks to the readership of The Torch, who contribute in ways big and small to the essential discussion of defence issues in Canada. Together, we're having an effect.