Wow, I just read through 14 pages for what should have been only a paragraph, the very last one, naturally:
When I last spoke with Beauchamp in early November, he continued to stand by his stories. Unfortunately, the standards of this magazine require more than that. And, in light of the evidence available to us, after months of intensive re-reporting, we cannot be confident that the events in his pieces occurred in exactly the manner that he described them. Without that essential confidence, we cannot stand by these stories.
The whole ordeal is a big "so what?"
While the details of the stories were exaggerated and misplaced, what it tells us in the end is that Beauchamp and some of his buddies were immature and heartless from the very start, and their service didn't change that for better or for worse. It's just who they are. I could see some guys like them finding some bone fragments and wearing them on their heads and thinking it's funny. And I could see dogs running under Bradleys just like they do cars, and the driver taking credit for it. Their callousness and lack of discipline certainly does not reflect the image the military wants to project of the character of our soldiers, and is yet another embarrassment, just like the conduct of the night shift at Abu Ghraib. What Beauchamp didn't seem to understand - or perhaps care about - when reporting his juvenile misconduct to TNR, was that it reflects poorly on all of the men and women that are serving, the institution he serves, and his country in the eyes of the world. Just as the Democrats did not care about the damage they were inflicting when they gleefully leaked the photos from the investigation the military was investigating and prosecuting at Abu Ghraib.
What a waste of ink! No rational, fair-minded person believed these tall tales anyway. They were clearly fabrications of a fevered left-wing imagination.
While the details of the stories were exaggerated and misplaced, what it tells us in the end is that Beauchamp and some of his buddies were immature and heartless from the very start... I don't think Beauchamp's stories tell us anything about his buddies since all that is known for sure is that Beauchamp is a liar. I believe it was TNR's intention to slander Beauchamp's fellow soldiers and I am sorry that you seem to have fallen for their propaganda. Those who serve with Beauchamp deserve better from you.