Welcome to our newsletter ...
February 2007
A good-sized cops reporter, and one of the best ...
DOUG CLARKE, 1939-2007
How many people do you know who belong to both the NRA and the ACLU? That was Doug Clarke, built like a linebacker (6-2, 240) but with a ballet dancer's finesse on the typewriter keys as police reporter and then obituary writer in a 30-year Star-Telegram career.
The most important things in his life were family, football, hunting and teaching. He enjoyed dancing and country-western music. He served in the U.S. Army Reserve. He died Jan. 25, after being ill for some time.
One night, covering cops, he was rushing to a Berry Street liquor store where a clerk had been found shot to death. Night city editor Phil Record was monitoring the police radio.
Suddenly an officer radioed that he was pursuing a car matching that of the suspect. Record jumped on the two-way and told Mr. Clarke: "Head over to Fifth Avenue. The cops are chasing a suspect there."
There was a long pause, then Mr. Clarke replied: "That's me they're chasing."
Mr. Clarke commanded respect, both with the police and later as a teacher (Tarrant County College; Southwestern Adventist University in Keene; most recently in the TCU Schieffer School of Journalism, where he was nearing completion of his Ph.D.). Record, now retired from the Star-Telegram, said Mr. Clarke could get more details in a 10-minute phone call than other reporters could in 30 minutes at the scene.
As police reporter, when a story broke on deadline he would grab the phone in the cop shop press room in the basement of the old City Hall, call the police and announce: "This is Clarke down at City Hall. Tell me what's going on out there."
The person on the other end of the line, Record remembers, rarely failed to respond.
A graduate of UNT (then North Texas State University), Mr. Clarke began his newspaper career in Corsicana in 1962 and joined the Star-Telegram as a police reporter in 1964. He became night city editor, a feature writer and wrote a gun column.
He was named spokesman for the Fort Worth Police Department in the early 1980s. After leaving the city, he returned to the Star-Telegram as a relief obit writer for several years.
"He had huge, huge fingers, and I always thought it somewhat ironic that a man with such big hands could grab a pencil and write such a gentle piece and do such a good job as a reporter," former Star-Telegram columnist Jon McConal, a close friend and longtime co-worker, told the paper's Anthony Spangler. "He loved being a reporter. It was down to his basic fiber."
Added former Star-Telegram executive editor Mike Blackman: "He always had a good grasp of what was going on in the city. And in the newsroom, his sense of humor always kept things loose. He was a pretty special guy."
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MEETINGS
Next at IABC Fort Worth ...
The Trouble with Today's Intranets
and Web Sites -- and How to Fix It
Online information is hard to find, out of date, unclear and doesn't respect the need for speed. Screens overwhelm with links, content may take days to scroll through, and misspellings and typos littler every page. Do you think cookies are just an afternoon snack? If you have issues with these issues, IABC's half-day seminar Feb. 27 is for you.
Jeff Herrington with Dallas-based Jeff Herrington Communications will ensure that you have effective hyperlinks and concise copy and get to the point ASAP (and don't forget those ADA requirements). Attendees will learn how to write web content so the user's experience is productive, what web site mistakes to avoid and what new web etiquette everyone should implement.
Herrington has traveled to 45 countries on five continents teaching writing and publication editing. He has taken his web writing workshop to online editors at IBM, JPMorganChase and Kansas City Power & Light, among others. He was named Dallas IABC Communicator of the Year in 1999, but perhaps most impressive of all, he has created several crossword puzzles published in The New York Times.
Time & date: seminar 8:30-11:30 a.m., lunch 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 27
Place: Petroleum Club, Carter-Burgess Plaza, 777 Main St., 39th floor
Parking: $2.50 in parking garage at Seventh and Commerce streets
Cost: seminar and lunch, members $75, nonmembers $95; lunch only, members $20, nonmembers $25, students $18 (online sign-up add $1 for lunch only, $3 for the seminar and lunch combined)
RSVP by noon Feb. 23: Jenny Walker, j.walker@tarrantcouncil.org, or iabcfortworth.com/paypal.htm
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Next at Greater Fort Worth PRSA ...
Hearts and PR
Expect something to chew on but no soft gooey center at the PRSA Valentine's Day professional development seminar on media training and responding to new media. Dan Keeney, APR, president of DPK Public Relations, will discuss the ins and outs of media training, complete with small-group breakout sessions for on-camera practice and critiques. He will also note some red flags to anticipate when working with bloggers, plus a few lessons he learned the hard way.
Time & date: seminar 9-11:45 a.m., lunch noon-1 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 14
Place: Petroleum Club, Carter-Burgess Plaza, 777 Main St., 39th floor
Parking: free valet in parking garage at Seventh and Commerce streets
Cost: seminar and luncheon, members $55, nonmembers $65, students $30; seminar only, members $35, nonmembers $45, students $15; lunch only, members $25, nonmembers $30, students $20
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Next at Fort Worth SPJ ...
The Power of Words
Words matter. They help us understand our friends and leaders. They help us solve problems, think, dream -- but also mislead, suppress, terrorize, generalize. They create fear and anxiety, suspicion and hate.
Steve Stockdale at the February SPJ meeting (rescheduled from the iced-out January meeting) will describe how semantics can help us negotiate the minefield of words that we encounter daily from politicians, business leaders and others who would influence our thinking. Stockdale is executive director of the Institute of General Semantics, based in Fort Worth, as well as an adjunct professor at TCU. He will explain the institute's programs and how understanding semantics helps people think and communicate clearly, whether orally or in print.
Time & date: mingling 6 p.m., eats around 6:30, then the program Thursday, Feb. 22
Place: Joe T. Garcia's Mexican Restaurant, 2201 N. Commerce St.
Cost: $15 members, $20 nonmembers, $5 students
Menu: Joe T.'s famous family-style enchilada dinner
RSVP: Kay Pirtle at mkpirtle@yahoo.com
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STRAIGHT STUFF
Two important Network of Hispanic Communicators dates: March 16, scholarship application deadline; Feb. 15, nominations deadline for the NHC Hall of Fame. The scholarship recipients and hall inductee will be honored at an 11 a.m. awards brunch Saturday, April 21, at the Latino Cultural Center, 2600 Live Oak in Dallas. After Feb. 15, the nominees will be voted on by past network presidents; the board approves the final selection. Send nominations to Stella Chavez at schavez@dallasnews.com. Previous inductees are Gilbert Bailon of Al Dia, Gloria Campos of WFAA-TV and Maggie Rivas-Rodriguez of UT Austin. ...
The Knight New Media Center multimedia training program is accepting applications for 20 fellowships for an all-expenses-paid seminar on multimedia reporting online publishing. Six days of hands-on instruction will explore how to do multimedia stories for the web. When: March 25-30, University of California, Berkeley, Graduate School of Journalism. Application deadline: Feb. 23. Info: Lanita Pace-Hinton, pacel@berkeley.edu or 510-649-7429. ...
Application deadlines are March 15 and 23, respectively, for the Pulliam-Kilgore Freedom of Information internships and the Archibald Communications internship. Details at spj.org. ...
If you have sound academic credentials, a history of community involvement, solid communication skills, a demonstrated interest in public service and a desire to experience, even if peripherally, the compassionate, articulate, visionary life force that is George W. Bush, then the White House internship program is for you. Deadlines are March 6 for the summer (May 22-Aug. 24) and June 26 for the fall (Sept. 4-Dec. 14). Contact Karen Race at 202-456-5979 or intern_application@whitehouse.gov. ...
Apply now for the 2007 Casey Medals for Meritorious Journalism honoring distinguished coverage of children and families. First-place winners in 14 categories receive $1,000 and participate in an awards ceremony in Washington, D.C. Work must have been published or broadcast between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2006. Application deadline March 1. More at the Casey Journalism Center on Children and Families.
IABC local update: Glenda Holmes, ABC, IABC 2006-07 international chair, will discuss "Truth in Business: The Communicator's Role in Organizational Ethics" at the Dallas IABC meeting Tuesday, Feb 13. Register here.
PRSA local update: The Nachos for Newbies luncheon Jan. 25 at Joe T. Garcia's Mexican restaurant welcomed new members. Chapter president Marc Flake attended, along with Laura Van Hoosier, president-elect and membership chair, and Linda Jacobson, NuPros chair. Flake described chapter resources available to the new members, who also had an opportunity to talk about topics of concern. NuPros meets periodically throughout the year to hear from seasoned pros and for networking with other new professionals. For more info, e- ljacobson@quepr.com.
PRSA local update II: The Independent Practitioners SIG will meet the third Wednesday of each month beginning Feb. 21, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. at Four Star Coffee Bar on West Seventh St. in Fort Worth. Just pick up lunch at 11:30, with networking until noon, then the speaker. To add your name to the e-mail list or to RSVP for a meeting, reach Nancy Farrar at nancyh829@aol.com.
PRSA local update III: They're lining up to lead GFW PRSA. The special interest groups in 2007 will be headed by Nancy Farrar and Glenda Thompson (Independent Practitioners), Lauren Burkett and Laura Hanna (Education), Rhenda Gray (Health), Donna Darovich (Masters) and Linda Jacobson (NuPros). Other committee chairs are Amiso George, APR, accreditation; Stephanie Mitchell, awards and scholarships; Margaret Ritsch, bylaws; Phil Beckman, community service; Paige Hendricks and Lauren Kwedar, ethics; Lisa Gail Barnes and Lara Rodriguez, hospitality; Michael Moore, job bank; Kristin Dyer, newsletter; Holly Ellman, nominating; Richie Escovedo, web page; Lisa Orr, professional development; and Catherine Carlton, public relations. Paul Sturiale, APR, will serve on the President's Council, and Allyson Cross and Kim Speairs, APR, will be the chapter's liaisons with PRSSA. Elected at the chapter meeting in October were Laura Van Hoosier, president-elect (membership); Chris Smith, vice president (programs); Krista Brown, treasurer; Nancy Farrar, treasurer-elect; Joan Hunter, secretary; directors Lyndsay Nantz, Tom Burke, APR, and Carol Murray, APR; and assembly delegates Andra Bennett, APR, and Heather Senter, APR.
PRSA local update V: Janet White, author of "Secrets of the Hidden Job Market: Change Your Thinking to Get the Job of Your Dreams," will reveal said secrets and revel in said dreams at the Dallas PRSA monthly luncheon Thursday, Feb. 8. More here.
SPJ national update: In the GOP's America, the president can read your mail; and FBI gives up Anderson fight. President Bush has claimed sweeping powers to open Americans' mail without a judge's warrant. He asserted his new authority when he signed a postal reform bill into law Dec. 20, then issued a "signing statement" that declared his right to open people's mail under emergency conditions. The claim runs counter to existing law and contradicted the bill he had just signed, say experts who have reviewed it. Bush acted during the winter congressional recess, a year after his secret domestic electronic eavesdropping program was revealed. Experts said the new powers could be easily abused. "The signing statement claims authority to open domestic mail without a warrant, and that would be new and quite alarming," said Kate Martin, director of the Center for National Security Studies in Washington. More here. ... The FBI has stopped trying to recover government documents leaked to Jack Anderson, a longtime investigative reporter who died in December 2005. The documents, which some officials said might have contained classified information, were among the late columnist's confidential papers. More here.
SPJ national update II: A win for net neutrality; and after secrecy series, number of sealed court files goes to zero. Telecommunications giant AT&T made a concession to federal regulators in early January that could help preserve the internet as an engine for innovation and competition. In order to win FCC approval for its $84.5 billion buyout of BellSouth, the reconstituted Ma Bell agreed to not offer for two years "any service that privileges, degrades or prioritizes" any data transmitted over its broadband network. In other words, AT&T guaranteed net neutrality -- giving web services equal access to internet users. The only exceptions are for AT&T's new TV service and the managed networks it sells to businesses. More here. ... To kick off Sunshine Week 2006 last March, The Seattle Times published an report showing that an astounding 1,378 cases that came before King County, Wash., judges were sealed in their entirety -- nearly all of them improperly. The Times filed motions to unseal 18 of the worst examples, including cases involving an alleged pedophile priest, a state employee accused of molesting juveniles at a youth lockup and several medical malpractice suits. On Dec. 31, the Times reported on the power of the press to shame government into working transparently: Since the series was published, not a single case has been sealed in King County courts. More here.
SPJ national update III: No troop interviews, but it's OK to cheer; and WP drops demand to see White House visitor logs. On the day after unveiling his decision to order 21,500 more troops to Iraq, President Bush joined the Fort Benning, Ga., chow line with camouflage-clad soldiers as some of them prepared to return to war. And to ensure that no discouraging words were heard, Maj. Gen. Walter Wojdakowski, the base commander, prohibited the 300 soldiers who had lunch with the president from talking with reporters. Bush was saluted smartly and applauded politely, but it was hardly the rock-star reception he typically gets at military bases. Not counting the introduction of dignitaries, he was interrupted by applause just three times in 30 minutes -- once when he talked about a Medal of Honor winner from Fort Benning, again when he pledged to win in Iraq and finally when he repeated his intention to expand the Army. More here. ... The Washington Post has retreated from a legal battle with Vice President Cheney by dropping a lawsuit demanding Secret Service logs of visitors to his office and residence. In October, a district court judge in the capital, Ricardo Urbina, ordered the Secret Service to comply with the request, but six days before the election, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals blocked the order. The administration and the Secret Service quietly signed an agreement last spring amid a major lobbying scandal declaring that records identifying visitors to the White House complex are not subject to public disclosure. The existence of the memorandum of understanding was not revealed until last fall. More here and here.
SPJ national update IV: The Army feels their pain; and Iraq threatens arrest of police officer. The Army on Jan. 5 said it will apologize to the families of about 275 officers killed or wounded in action who were mistakenly sent letters urging them to return to active duty. The letters went out a few days after Christmas to more than 5,100 Army officers who had recently left the service. About 75 of the officers had been killed in action, and about 200 were wounded in action. The Army did not say how or when the mistake was discovered. ... The Iraq interior ministry acknowledged Jan 4 that an Iraqi police officer whose existence had been denied by the Iraqis, the U.S. military and conservative news outlets is in fact an active member of the force, and he now faces arrest for speaking to the media. The police captain, Jamil Gholaiem Hussein, was a source for an Associated Press story in late November about the burning and shooting of six people during a sectarian attack at a Sunni mosque. Ministry spokesman Abdul-Karim Khalaf initially said there was no such police employee as Capt. Jamil Hussein but later said that Hussein is an officer assigned to the Khadra police station, as the AP reported. More here and here.
SPJ national update V: Lawmakers consider bolstering student-press rights; and journalists ask for protection in Iraq after six killed in a week. The First Amendment rights of high school and college journalists are up for debate in Washington state, as lawmakers consider whether young scribes should have the same free-press rights as their professional colleagues. Democratic Rep. Dave Upthegrove has introduced a bill that would ensure student journalists aren't censored; it also would prohibit public schools or universities from disciplining or firing an adviser for refusing to censor students. More here. ... The Paris-based advocacy group Reporters Without Borders on Jan. 18 urged Iraqi authorities to increase security efforts after, it said, six journalists and media workers were killed in less than a week. "Although many others fall victim to the daily violence ravaging Iraq, journalists are for the most part deliberately targeted because of what they do,'' Reporters Without Borders said in a statement. "Those responsible must be found and punished, or else these killings will continue."
SPJ national update VI: One year after Colbert, WH correspondents play it safe; and bloggers draw hard-right radio station's ire. After last year's White House Correspondents Association dinner host Stephen Colbert drew sharp reaction to his searing satire of President Bush, event organizers chose aging impersonator Rich Little for the April event. "My approach is to try to make it a comfortable venue that is enjoyable, funny and interesting. But you don't want to offend anyone," said C-Span's Steve Scully, president of the White House Correspondents Association. He cited the slogan for the Washington Gridiron Dinner -- "Singe, don't burn." Little said organizers made it clear they don't want a repeat of last year's controversy. "I won't even mention the word 'Iraq,' " he said, adding that he has been promised a tour of the White House and an introduction to the president. Little was a favorite of the Reagan administration. More here. ... A San Francisco talk radio station pre-empted three hours of programming Jan. 12 following a campaign by bloggers who recorded extreme comments by several hosts and passed on digital copies to advertisers. The lead blogger, who goes by Spocko, said that he and other bloggers had contacted more than 30 advertisers on KSFO-AM to inform them of comments made on the air and to ask them to pull their ads. In response, ABC Radio Networks, which owns KSFO and which in turn is owned by the Walt Disney Co., sent letters to the site's service provider, demanding the clips be taken down from its servers. The provider complied, raising the issue of what constitutes fair use of copyrighted material by a critic. More here and here.
SPJ national update VII: Student editor says she was told not to publish crime log; and Grambling reverses on student paper. The editor of the student newspaper at New Mexico Highlands University in Las Vegas says a school vice president pushed her not to publish the police crime log or other stories perceived as negative. Senior political science major Rachael Ball, La Mecha's editor, said Judy Cordova, vice president for student affairs, urged her not to publish the police blotter on the grounds that it casts the university in a negative light. Ball said Cordova also rejected a story about a campus security officer who was arrested on suspicion of cocaine trafficking. More here. ... After a torrent of criticism from media organizations, Grambling State University on Jan. 29 dropped its requirement that the student newspaper submit all of its stories to a faculty adviser for editing. The requirement was called unconstitutional by a national organization of campus newspaper advisers, and ill-advised at best by other groups. More here.
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PEOPLE & PLACES
Two former presidents of Fort Worth SPJ were among the first four persons named to the Texas Press Foundation Newspaper Hall of Fame on Jan. 20 in Houston. The late Staley McBrayer and Wise County Messenger publisher Roy Eaton were inducted along with Dallas Morning News founder A.H. Belo and Andrews publisher James Roberts, who started a newspaper group that includes papers in Granbury, Azle, Springtown, Vernon, Lamesa, Brownfield, Hereford and other West Texas cities. More than 30 persons were nominated by Texas publishers to be the first inductees. McBrayer's award will be housed at Texas A&M University at Commerce where he graduated and where a school of printing is named in his honor. Both Eaton and McBrayer were longtime members of the Texas Gridiron Club. ...
Chesapeake Energy Corp. has been named to Forbes' Platinum 400 list of America's Best Big Companies and was further identified as the best managed company in the oil and gas operations category in the magazine's Jan. 8 issue. The Platinum 400 list was compiled from more than 1,000 corporations having at least $1 billion in revenue in the most recent fiscal year and included both American and foreign corporations that have a significant presence in the U.S.
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GET A JOB
The UNT Health Science Center seeks a coordinator for all educational methods and materials in its continuing education program. Requirements include any combination of high school graduation or GED and five years experience in needs assessment, program development, marketing or outside revenue generation, plus experience in Microsoft Office, database management and hotel negotiation, site and vendor selection, and the ability to work unusual hours. Must be able to travel on short notice. Salary commensurate with experience. Apply at unthscjobs.com. ...
The internal communications department at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport seeks a web designer/programmmer. The department produces "Connected Weekly," an online employee intranet publication that reaches about 1,700 people. More from Marisa Alvarado at 972-973-5768 or maalvarado@dfwairport.com. ...
A provider of global real-time news, information, research and media resources in San Francisco needs an editing director. Applicants should have at least five years in technical writing and editing, be comfortable talking with marketing professionals and product managers, understand the issues affecting developers, and have a track record of producing quality articles on IT matters. Send résumé, cover letter and salary requirements to amy@paladinstaff.com. ...
If you can put an ad on it, SPJ wants to sell it. SPJ national has an opening for an ad sales rep for Quill, The Journalist, the web site and other electronic communications. Contact SPJ executive director Terry Harper at 317-927-8000, ext. 220, or tharper@spj.org. ...
SPJ's online job bank is growing. The site features work in print, radio, TV and online journalism -- about 170 job openings, four internships, a cool fellowship and a freelance gig -- and it's updated frequently. Anyone can post a job for free, but only members can view the job bank with an SPJ membership ID and password. More at spj.org.
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PRESIDENT'S CORNER
Marc Flake, Greater Fort Worth PRSA
We were reminded at our January chapter meeting about the changing communications environment in which we toil. Larry Lutz, Star-Telegram managing editor/development, showcased the upcoming proposed changes in the paper's look and feel.
It's no secret that newspapers face difficult decisions as a result of increasing competition from broadcast outlets, cable television and the internet. Larry offered a rare opportunity to see what the new product will look like. We also were briefed on how content will change.
The planned shift in how the Star-Telegram covers and presents stories will offer both an opportunity and a challenge. Larry noted that in some cases the newspaper might not report all the information it has on an event but instead provide a link to the sponsoring organization's web site, so readers can gather that information on their own.
The good news is we should have more control over what the public reads about our clients, businesses and organizations. The bad news is we will have to work harder to get all of that information posted on our web sites. A bonus is that, if you already have an attractive site for your client, business or organization, it might get added to a few "favorites" folders. If this results in frequent revisits from the web-surfing public, it's not too farfetched to think that the public will start getting information directly from our sites, without the media filter.
Therefore, by default, we will become the "reporters" for our own organizations and clients. It also means we will have greater responsibility to adhere to our profession's ethical standards. After all, the journalists always will be there to make sure the hyperbole doesn't outshine the facts. I found Larry's presentation very interesting and thought-provoking.
Expect another interesting and thought-provoking program Wednesday, Feb. 14, when chapter member Dan Keeney, APR, will present his media training program. Dan, who as a private practitioner has done work for NASA, among other large organizations, has so much knowledge to impart that we're spreading it over a morning and lunch program. Sign up for either or both. Go to p. 1 of the newsletter to respond to your Cvent invitation.
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OVER & OUT
John Dycus, Fort Worth SPJ
Real reporting. This is what it looks like. ...
Another nail in the coffin of what used to be America. ...
Mitch Land update: "The investigative work on the use of tasers by Texas law enforcement agencies (Dan Malone's Mayborn graduate students, working with the Light of Day Project at the FOIFT and SMU's students along with Tarleton students) has led to new legislation being proposed by state Rep. Lon Burnam that will better regulate the use of tasers. I was particularly proud when our students' bylines appeared in the front-page story on this in the Fort Worth Weekly, but I am overwhelmingly impressed when I see that their efforts may lead to positive change in Texas!" Dr. Land directs the Mayborn Graduate Institute of Journalism at UNT, and at this very moment, bet your house on this, he's polishing the silver for the next Mayborn literary writers conference, July 27-29. "Save the date" is a cliche, but this one you do save. Doing anything that weekend? Cancel it. This'll be better. ...
For the parents of a teen gone astray, a remarkable support group called StandUp Parenting provides education and strength through a network of local chapters, including one in Arlington. The goal is to empower parents and their young person, and to keep the family intact. A friend says the program works. I believe him. Should this be a need of yours. ...
Some you win, some you win later. The U.S. Army has dropped its subpoena of independent journalist Sarah Olson, who was ordered in December to testify against Lt. Ehren Watada, a military officer who publicly refused deployment to Iraq. When Olson interviewed Watada, he criticized the Bush administration's handling of the Iraq war. Supporting Olson in her belief that journalists should never become arms of law enforcement, SPJ president Christine Tatum sent a letter to Army prosecutors, condemning their actions. Additionally, SPJ issued an FOI alert to generate awareness. Good people do finish first sometimes. On another front, U.S. District Judge William Alsup has ruled against independent journalist Josh Wolf's grumbles motion, where his lawyers would have argued that Wolf's commitment to press freedom would forever prevent him from handing over the tape that federal prosecutors seek. Wolf remains in a federal prison in Dublin, Calif. ...
The digital Quill launched Feb. 1, with the drum beaters at HQ enthusiastic about "the same great content that you've come to expect in the print edition," plus with the ability "to click through interactive pages as you read the stories online." Direct comments to Joe Skeel at jskeel@spj.org. ...
SPJ's feelancer directory, now in the testing stages, will allow freelancers to enter contact information, provide details about their professional specialties and link hiring editors to examples of their work. The cost to showcase yourself? Nothing at all. SPJ members, start your info.
Closing words: "Remember you are just an extra in everyone else's play."-- Franklin Roosevelt
Closing words II, real troops, real war, no one in the White House can relate division: "I think some people in America don't want to know about all this violence, about all the killings. The people back home are shielded from it; they get it sugar-coated." -- Army 1st Lt. Antonio Hardy, 25, of Atlanta ... "What is victory supposed to look like? Every time we turn around and go in a new area there's somebody new waiting to kill us. Once more raids start happening, they'll [insurgents] melt away. And then two or three months later, when we leave and say it was a success, they'll come back." -- Sgt. 1st Class Herbert Gill, 29, of Pulaski, Tenn. ... "We can go get into a firefight and empty out ammo, but it doesn't accomplish much. This isn't our war -- we're just in the middle." -- Pvt. 1st Class Zach Clouser, 19, of York, Pa. ... "They can keep sending more and more troops over here, but until the people here start working with us, it's not going to change. All of our friends who have been killed by [roadside bombs] and snipers, it's like there's no justice for it -- it's just another body bag filled. The guys who died just trying to stay alive and get home, they'll be forgotten. No one will remember their stories." -- Sgt. Chance Oswalt, 22, of Tulsa ... "When we first got here it was, 'Let's put up schools, let's work on a power plant,' but you can't do that without security, and security here is crap. They keep trying different crap, and it doesn't work." -- 1st Lt. Tim Evers, 26, of Stockton, Calif.