I think I can safely say that Michael Yon is the most highly regarded combat reporter the Iraq war has yet produced, and he writes the WWS today in response to the New Republic's "Shock Troops" story:

That story about American soldiers at FOB Falcon sounds like complete garbage. I spent time with them this year, and in fact keep them on the front page of my site. 1-4 CAV is an excellent unit. I emailed the commander, LTC James Crider, about the story.

Please put that horrible reporting into context of something accurate. I humbly submit this: Desires of the Human Heart, Part One

V/r
Michael Yon
Baqubah, Iraq

I hope we will hear more from him on this subject, and will post an update when we do. In the meantime, go read his piece, and I'd also encourage you to support his highly-reliable reporting with a donation.