Posted on 10/25/2007 12:38:36 PM PDT by PurpleMan
"Beauchamp is young; under pressure he made a dumb mistake. In fact, he has not always been an ideal soldier. But to his credit, the young soldier decided to stay, and he is serving tonight in a dangerous part of Baghdad. He might well be seriously injured or killed here, and he knows it. He could have quit, but he did not. He faced his peers. I can only imagine the cold shoulders, and worse, he must have gotten. He could have left the unit, but LTC Glaze told me that Beauchamp wanted to stay and make it right. Whatever price he has to pay, he is paying it."
(Excerpt) Read more at michaelyon-online.com ...
>> In spite of what he did/said, no denying the boy has onions.
Yep.
AND...
If Michael Yon doesn’t win the Pulitzer for his fantastic journalism, then the award has no standards and no meaning.
(If it’s like the Nobel Peace Prize, it probably doesn’t.)
Beauchamp may very well deserve his second chance but I wouldn’t have him at my back, anytime.
Might be easier over there out of the reach of most of the press.
Whaddya know. Redemption comes from funny places. It will definitely be interesting to see what happens to the kid.
I believe many in his unit, with him on patrol feel the same way.
Might just cause extra vigilence on his part.
I think, to complete his contrition, he should be allowed to submit a letter of deep apology to the men he serves with and follow their example of patriotism and performing bravely without compliant.
Yon is right, and a true gentleman for taking a stand in Beauchamp’s behalf. The boy deserves a second chance to keep soldiering, and thereby perhaps become a man. His chances as a writer are...zero. One only has to read what he wrote, and compare it to Michael Yon’s supremely moving — and TRUTHFUL — testimony to what our men are doing in Iraq, in spite of the indifference — or antipathy — of their countrymen back home. Even if Beauchamp finds maturity, and somehow regains a measure of trust as a journalist, he’ll simply never rise to that level of literary skill.
Naw. I think he should just be quiet and do.
Don’t talk or write - just do.
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