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 Greetings! You are reading an article from The Mudville Gazette. To reach the front page, with all the latest news and views, click the logo above or "main" below. Thanks for stopping by! July 27, 2007 Dear worldBy Greyhawk1. Scott Thomas Beauchamp's story is now in the hands of his superiors. They know him and his overall worth as a soldier and will decide his immediate future. If you are fortunate enough to be someone other than one of those superiors (or his wife) you are officially relieved of concern for this asshole and his future. 2. In the meantime, something to bear in mind as his story is bandied about: Scott Thomas Beauchamp is an asshole. He either did what he said he did to a disfigured woman in a DFAC (which makes him an asshole) or he fabricated the story for reasons unknown (which makes him an asshole). This same methodology can be applied to his other war stories, too. 4. Some people might somehow consider this a political issue. They are wrong. There are assholes in the Democrat and Republican Parties in the United States. There are probably assholes living on your street. There are assholes in the Army. Those who think no soldier could be an asshole are wrong. Those who think all soldiers are assholes are wrong. While some assholes aren't exposed prior to their military service, those who think the Army transforms good people into assholes are wrong. (Beer can do that, but that's another story.)
Posted by Greyhawk / July 27, 2007 3:20 PM | Permalink 16 Comments |
November 26, 2010America@war [Greyhawk]
I think anyone who's ever pondered the "comment" option - once only available on blogs and bulletin boards, now ubiquitous on almost any web site - will appreciate this:
The so-called faculty of writing is not so much a faculty of writing as it is a faculty of thinking. When a man says, "I have an idea but I can't express it"; that man hasn't an idea but merely a vague feeling. If a man has a feeling of that kind, and will sit down for a half an hour and persistently try to put into writing what he feels, the probabilities are at least 90 percent that he will either be able to record it, or else realize that he has no idea at all. In either case, he will do himself a benefit. That's wisdom from the past, captured for posterity at the US Naval Institute, shared via the web on the institute's 137th anniversary. From their about page:
"The Naval Institute has three core activities," among them, History and Preservation: The Naval Institute also has recently introduced Americans at War, a living history of Americans at war in their own words and from their own experiences. These 90-second vignettes convey powerful stories of inspiration, pride, and patriotism. Take a look at the collection, and you'll see it's not limited to accounts from those who served on ships at sea, members of the other branches are well-represented. I'm fortunate to have met USNI's Mary Ripley, she's responsible for the institute's oral history program (and she's the daughter of the late John Ripley, whose story is told here). She also deserves much credit for their blog. ("We're not the Navy nor any government agency. Blog and comment freely.") We met at a milblog conference - Mary knew (and I would come to realize) that milbloggers are the 21st-century version of exactly what the US Naval Institute is all about. Once that light bulb came on in my head, I mentioned a vague idea for a project to her - milblogs as the 21st century oral history that they are. "Put that in writing," she said (of course - see first paragraph above!) - and here's part of the result. Shortly after the first tent was pitched by the American military in Iraq a wire was connected to a computer therein, and the internet was available to a generation of Americans at war - many of whom had grown up online. From that point on, at any given moment, somewhere in Iraq a Soldier, Sailor, Airman or Marine was at a keyboard sharing the events of his or her day with the folks back home. While most would simply fire off an email, others took advantage of the (then) relatively new online blogging platforms to post their thoughts and experiences for the entire world to see. The milblog was born - and from that moment to this stories detailing everything from the most mundane aspects of camp life to intense combat action (often described within hours of the event) have been available on the web... And et cetera - but since you're reading this on a milblog, you probably knew that. And you know that milblogs aren't just blogs written by troops at war, that many friends, family members, and supporters likewise documented their story of America at war online in near-real time, as those stories developed. The diversity in membership of that group is broad, the one thing we all have in common is the impulse to make sense of the seemingly senseless, and communicate the tale - for each of us that impulse was strong enough to overcome whatever barriers prevent the vast majority of people from doing the same. Everyone at some point has some vague idea they believe should be shared - we were the people who, from some combination of internal and external urging, found and spent those many half hours persistently trying to write it down. But where will all that be in another 137 years? Or five or ten, for that matter. That's something I've asked myself since at least 2004 - when I wrote this:
Membership in the ghost battalion has grown in the years since, and an ever growing majority of those abandoned-but-still-standing sites are vanishing. Have you checked out Lt Smash's site lately? How about Sgt Hook's? If you're a long-time milblog reader you know the first widely-read milblog from Operation Iraq Freedom and the first widely-read milblog from Afghanistan are both gone from the web. If you're a relative newcomer to this world you may never even have heard of them - or the dozens upon dozens of others who carried forth the standard they set down. If you have a vague notion that something should be done about that, (a notion I've heard expressed more than once...) then you and I and the good folks at the US Naval Institute are in agreement. Preserving the history documented by the milbloggers is just one of the goals of the milblog project, the once-vague idea that we're now making real. And it's a big idea, if I say so myself - too big to explain in one simple blog post, so stand by for more. Likewise, it's too big a task to be accomplished by just one person. So if you're a milblogger (and exactly what is a milblogger? is a topic for much further discussion on its own) I'm asking for your help. All I'll really need is just a little bit (maybe just one or two of those half hours...) of your time, and your willingness to tell the tale. We've already made history, it's time to save it. (More to follow...) Posted 4:02 PM | Permalink |
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The Mudville Gazette is the on-line voice of an American warrior and his wife who stands by him. They prefer to see peaceful change render force of arms unnecessary. Until that day they stand fast with those who struggle for freedom, strike for reason, and pray for a better tomorrow.
 
 
 Furthermore, I will occasionally use satire or parody herein. The bottom line: it's my house. I like having visitors to my house. I hope you are entertained. I fight for your right to free speech, and am thrilled when you exercise said rights here. Comments and e-mails are welcome, but all such communication is to be assumed to be 1)the original work of any who initiate said communication and 2)the property of the Mudville Gazette, with free use granted thereto for publication in electronic or written form. If you do NOT wish to have your message posted, write "CONFIDENTIAL" in the subject line of your email. Original content copyright © 2003 - 2011 by Greyhawk. Fair, not-for-profit use of said material by others is encouraged, as long as acknowledgement and credit is given, to include the url of the original source post. Other arrangements can be made as needed. Contact: greyhawk at mudvillegazette dot com  Tending Distant Far from hearth and home, watching What tales we'll tell When things grim Some distant sunset, vision fading Saluting fallen friends whose names - Greyhawk, Baghdad, December 2004 |
Awe your just an asshole.
Well said, GH. We've all burned too many brain cells on this one. Better to spend our time and efforts on getting out the real stories of effort, dedication and progress.
Clear, direct and to the point.
And I couldn't agree more.
Just another reason I've been poppin' over here for so long.
Stay safe Greyhawk!!
Without question, this is THE best thing I've read about this whole sordid affair...
Dear Greyhawk,
I agree that this issue with Pvt Scott is complicated. It really shouldn't be about Liberal vs. Conservative or Democrat vs. Republican. This is an American issue. Are the servicemen being accurately portrayed in the media? And do they deserve and are the troops getting the support they need?
I'm not naive to know that there are some a-holes in the service. But I also know that the a-holes don't represent the vast majority of our servicemen and women.
Pvt Scott's either delusional or accurate story couldn't have come at a better time in my family. My son has committed to joining the Army. I was trying to explain to him about his conduct and the soldiers he chooses to befriend. And at first he didn't understand what I was trying to say, but with Pvt Scott as an example he understands now. I told him that if I was a fellow soldier serving with this idiot that I'd keep my distance and both eyes on him. And that he'd be pretty easy to spot either by his actions or his lying big mouth.
Which brings me to my next point on who's actually supporting the troops. I don't give a damn if it's a Democrat, Republican or Green that brings us a military or political victory in Iraq. So I believe the more the merrier, but a certain part of the population has determined it's more important they have a political victory here than winning the war. I mean Hell, it was a bi-partisan vote that authorized America to go to war if Saddam didn't comply. Shouldn't these politicians and fellow Americans have the guts to see this mission thru. So when I see people like Senator Zel Miller, Senator Jo Liberman, Ron Silverman and Jon Voight supporting the troops and the mission it gives me some hope, but it also depresses me. Not only because they are vilified by the Left, but because it's such a small percentage that understands what is at stake. The Islamic Jihad's will kill any liberal American just as any conservative that doesn't convert. So please forgive me if I take some umbrage that there a-holes in both parties. I agree there are, but the MAJOR A-HOLES seem to be on the Democrat side.
I agree that we need to leave this to his company now that the light has been shined on PVT Beauchamp. I guarantee that his 1SG literally shredded his desk into shards of wood and metal using only his hands and teeth right now. But the bottom line is this: As Greyhawk has said, either PVT Beauchamp participated in atrocities that are punishable by the UCMJ, or he has lied and slandered his fellow soldiers, which due to his actions is also punishable under the UCMJ. Bearing False Witness, making a false sworn statement (and trust me, given that his "prose" was presented as the flat out truth, that is a possible charge), plus a whole host of others under Article 134, PVT Beauchamp is going to get nailed to a wall. He has dug himself into a hole so deep that he's screwed no matter what he does.
In my opinion, we need to focus more on the fact that The New Republic published unconfirmed lies as "truth". There's where we need to focus our attention.
I've known MANY teenage assholes that were turned into decent - or at least reasonable - young men by the military.
I've known ONE that went the other way. He was painfully shy as a teenager, and had a psychotic break in the military (in CONUS, in peacetime in the 90's, in a technical MOS). He was schizophrenic, and it was going to happen whether he was in the service or not. In fact, being in the service may have saved his life - he didn't go far over the edge before people noticed and he got prompt treatment.
It's clear that Scott Thomas was an asshole before he took the oath, he's an asshole now, and he will always be an asshole.
At least this way, everyone in the entire world knows it.
I'm pefectly content to let the army handle its own assholes, as I've always presumed they would. I'm not, however, willing to give The New Republic a pass on according an asshole tacit "whistle blower" status, along with a national podium and protection. It's irresponsible for starters, but it breaks my heart to see it when you guys are out there 24/7.
If you tell me that the effort to hold Franklin Foer's TNR feet to the fire is bad for morale, I'll put a lid on it right now. Otherwise, I think there should be consequences for shoddy journalism too. That business has its own share of assholes, and I'd rather not make life any easier for 'em than I have to.
hooah, G. nicely put. I haven't lost a moment's sleep on this turd... but will be interested in the eventual outcome... but in the greater sense, it will be meaningless in the war on terror and killing as many al Queda as possible. I feel for those that must serve with him, but they have their ways of shunning assholes like STB. And frankly, his parents must be mortified.
It's easy to see how these assholes, at TNR and in the Army, got together. Mutual attraction, one asshole to a group of them. But you are right. This won't be the last of them. How could it be?
Great post GH. Was I the only one thinking about Team America as I read it?
Right wing bloggers chased this non-story obssessively for how long? For this?
Well said.
Military justice and his company will take care of it; his 15 minutes (bad ones) should be done.
'nuff said.
We wont be allowed to let this one go. His OPSEC breaches will be used to hammer the good-guys by everyone with an agenda. How long until we see a CNN story on "Milbloggers endangering the mission"? I predict that we and the milblogs especially will be fighting for there lives in the near future because of this. I can't say that I blame the commanders because they are going to have their asses reamed over this. Somebody tell me I'm wrong, please!
Ummm... nice post, Greyhawk.
But I'm sorta confused about one tiny detail.
Do you, or do you not, think the guy is an asshole?
Thanks for clearing that up :p
I respectfully disagree.
Please do not call this yahoo an "Asshole".
An Assholes serves a vitally useful function in life; expulsion of waste. Ask yourself, has Pvt Scott reached this level of functionality or usefulness to mankind?
That's what I thought.