Hello, goofing off between classes.
Just a clarification: 6 years active duty, 4 years Guard, aged 22 when I went in.
As for al-Jazeera, they aren't telling any lies, that I've been able to find out, although there are other Arab language satellite channels that have a sense of accuracy that conforms to that of FOX. Al-Jazeera is actually closer to CNN, in that it seems to try to be accurate, but still maintains a bias consistant with its location in Qatar. It is more pan-Arab/Arab Nationalist than anything else. In addition, al-Jazeera has not shied away from taking on some of the autocrats in the region, like Assad. Apparently most of its staff learned their trade with the BBC World Service.