Each morning I methodically check the blogs and the news. There are always a few mildly interesting stories — a cat who can sense death, for example.
Today, though, I came across this story
It began:
“As we’ve noted in this space, some have questioned details that appeared in the Diarist ‘Shock Troops,’ published under the pseudonym Scott Thomas. According to Major Kirk Luedeke, a public affairs officer at Forward Operating Base Falcon, a formal military investigation has also been launched into the incidents described in the piece.
Although the article was rigorously edited and fact-checked before it was published, we have decided to go back and, to the extent possible, re-report every detail. This process takes considerable time, as the primary subjects are on another continent, with intermittent access to phones and email. Thus far we’ve found nothing to disprove the facts in the article; we will release the full results of our search when it is completed.”
I immediately wanted to find out what the original story was. Without reading “Shock Troops” but seeing such an intense investigation and reaction from the U.S. Military, I could come to only one conclusion: the entire story, “Shock Troops,” was true.
The article continued with a statement from the author of “Shock Troops:”
“My Diarist, ‘Shock Troops,’ and the two other pieces I wrote for the New Republic have stirred more controversy than I could ever have anticipated. They were written under a pseudonym, because I wanted to write honestly about my experiences, without fear of reprisal. Unfortunately, my pseudonym has caused confusion. And there seems to be one major way in which I can clarify the debate over my pieces: I’m willing to stand by the entirety of my articles for the New Republic using my real name.
I am Private Scott Thomas Beauchamp, a member of Alpha Company, 1/18 Infantry, Second Brigade Combat Team, First Infantry Division.
My pieces were always intended to provide my discrete view of the war; they were never intended as a reflection of the entire U.S. Military. I wanted Americans to have one soldier’s view of events in Iraq.
It’s been maddening, to say the least, to see the plausibility of events that I witnessed questioned by people who have never served in Iraq. I was initially reluctant to take the time out of my already insane schedule fighting an actual war in order to play some role in an ideological battle that I never wanted to join. That being said, my character, my experiences, and those of my comrades in arms have been called into question, and I believe that it is important to stand by my writing under my real name.
–Private Scott Thomas Beauchamp“
I was hooked. I wanted to know immediately what he had written and why it was under such scrutiny. After finding the article in question, disgust rose like bile in the back of my throat.
