Cedar Rapids man a former Green Beret and regular writer for 'Real Combat Life'

The Star Tribune, in an article posted last night, includes a couple of paragraphs about Mike McElmeel, of Cedar Rapids. The article describes RealCombatLife.com, a veteran's new website designed for soldiers to share real stories about life in the combat zone. Site administrator Patrick Nelson writes, "Not only will you get battle stories but also a look in to daily lives of those in harms way."

From the Star Tribune:

Mike McElmeel, a Special Forces free-fall parachutist, is a regular on the site with the makings of a novelist. ... McElmeel, 46, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, served in the Army from 1982 to 2004. The father of four already has posted nearly a dozen times on Nelson's website. Many of his posts began as letters to his oldest son, Mick, 26, who served in Afghanistan from 2006 to 2007. ...

I count over 15,000 words by McElmeel, so far.

Mike McElmeel ran as an at-large candidate for the Cedar Rapids city council in 2005. Here is an excerpt from the Gazette's November 2005 Voter Guide:

MICHAEL McELMEEL

Age: 41

Education: Will earn bachelor's degree in political science and public administration in October at Troy University, Troy, Ala.

Employment: Retired after 22 years in U.S. Army, 14 as Green Beret; currently, fleet manager, Heartland Express, Coralville

Family: Wife, Starr; son, 22, daughter, 14

Background: Asked to single out a recent accomplishment, McElmeel mentions something no other City Council candidate can: "I led 12 special forces soldiers and 200 Kurdish soldiers and, with plenty of air power, we neutralized an Iraqi division" in the opening month of the Iraq campaign. McElmeel retired as a master sergeant a year ago, returned to his hometown and wants to get involved in helping govern it. ...